"Revolutionary" New Green Technology to Grace the Sebring Track at the 57th Mobil 1 is Actually a Decade Old

'What's old is new again' is a quip that is sometimes used to describe cycles of popularity. In this case, the adage can be applied to the technology behind the 07S hybrid prototype racer that will take its inaugural run at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 21st, at the Sebring International Raceway, in Sebring, Florida.

Corsa Motorsports has paired up with Zytek in the development of this "revolutionary" 07S hybrid sports car. And, yet, it was a decade ago that the Panoz Q9 sports car--that the 07S is based on-- turned its wheels for the first time. This hybrid racer was a Panoz GTR-1 coupe that paired a Zytek electric motor with a Roush-Ford V8 engine. While finishing just short of qualifying for the Petit Le Mans in 1998, 'Sparky' as the prototype was named, did finish second that year in GT1 and was able to finish the entire 1000 mile run.

Racing legend James Weaver, who drove the qualifying race for Panoz in 1998, recalled, "It literally may have been 10 years ahead of its time. It was the hardest I had ever driven something in qualifying." 'Sparky' the battery was so large that it took up most of the cockpit area.

"The technology in the batteries was cutting-edge at the time. The big problem we had was the drive. It had so much torque and keeping the battery cool was a problem. We ran it on the airfield at Le Mans for the first time, just before qualifying. Engaging the electric motor did make a useful gain. We just ran out of time to develop the car," said Weaver.

Preparing for the 2009 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, driver Johnny Mowlem spoke out about the technology behind the 07S hybrid. "Developing the technology in an environment where everything has to be smaller and lighter and more energy efficient can only have a hugely positive influence on how future hybrid cars are built and manufactured in the future and, therefore, they will be significantly more 'green'."

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--Sue Mead