Fuel for Life in the Fast Lane
Auto racing enthusiast Kevin Boulton says the fuel inside his body is just as important as the gas in his race car. Be sure to visit www.organicracing.com to find out more.
“Live, Eat, and Race Organic.” That’s auto racing enthusiast Kevin Boulton’s motto. And while Kevin loves speed, he loves organic food more—and doesn’t mind telling others about it.
Kevin and his wife, Doc Harmony (Doc is a nickname), who accompanies him on the road, love sharing the message that organic food is the fuel of champions. In fact, they believe in their “food fuel” philosophy so much that they pack their favorite organic foods in a cooler and stay away from restaurants, unless they serve organic entrees.
To illustrate, Kevin shares this experience: “One time, we were driving nonstop from Louisiana to Savannah, Georgia, and we ran into an MTV film crew upon our arrival. They had been on the road for three or four days, living on nothing but greasy fast-food burgers and fries, and they looked whipped. Several of the MTV guys said they were sick and lacked energy. Harmony and I fixed them some organic sandwiches and gave them some organic drinks, and they were amazed at how good everything tasted and how much better they felt after eating.”
“I told those guys that it was no surprise to me. It’s always about the fuel,” said Kevin.
Indeed, it is always about the fuel—what you put in your body as well as what you put in your car. And the MTV film crew is not the only group of people with whom Kevin shares his message.
“I see myself as an organic evangelist to the widest range of people you can imagine—the race car world,” said Kevin, who participates in rallies such as the Cannonball One Lap of America. He and Loren Edwards, lifelong auto racing fans, decided several years ago to build, race, and maintain a sports car as a way to spread the word about the virtues of eating organic as well as living green. He admits, too, that passing cars at 170 mph was another attraction as well.
Their race car—a handcrafted topless S2K roadster painted olive green—is powered by a supercharged Honda S2000 engine, producing just over 400 horsepower to the rear wheels. Quick and nimble, the speedy little car will leap from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds and hugs corners like a charm. Nicknamed “Mojo,” their car was built by Loren from the chassis up with parts recycled from local junk yards, including the engine and drivetrain. The race car is fueled by E85 ethanol, a bio-mass fuel that has the highest oxygen content of any transportation fuel, making it burn far cleaner than gasoline. (Check out some pics of their car at www.organicracing.com)
“We believe we’re the first race car on the planet to have a zero carbon footprint, which is great for the environment,” said Kevin. “Not only do we offset Mojo, but we have also taken steps to offset the carbon footprint of traveling to the races in our truck and trailer. We made an agreement with a ministry in Georgia to secure 20 acres of woods as our carbon offset.”
Racing cars is a hobby for Kevin and Loren, who compete against modified Ferraris, Porsches, and Corvettes in rallies like the Cannonball Run and the Fireball Run. You may have heard about the Cannonball Run, which, during the 1970s, was a no-rules, coast-to-coast dash from New York City to Redondo Beach, California. Impatient drivers sped by fly-speck towns at breakneck speeds and topped 150 miles per hour in lonely stretches of prairie land. “It’s a wonder no one got killed,” Kevin said.
This month, a street-legal descendant of the renegade Cannonball Run known as the Cannonball One Lap of America will be held over a seven-day period in Indiana, Iowa, Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Kevin plans to be there and hopes to beat his 19th place finish from last year. “We’re in the A class—the fastest class—but I think we can beat those Vipers and ‘Vettes with our environmentally friendly car and place in the Top 10,” he said.
What Kevin has found is that, by hanging around Pit Row, other drivers and their crews will ask him about the green car with “Organic Racing” stenciled on the body. “That’s when I can talk up the importance of eating organic foods,” Kevin said. “I’ll ask the other drivers if they would ever put cheap fuel in their tanks or cheap oil in their crankshafts. They always shake their heads no. ‘That’s because you know you won’t get good performance out of your car,’ I say, and they nod their heads again. ‘It’s the same way with food because food is fuel for your body. You put the right fuel in your body, and you’re going to have great performance.’”
To learn more about how the Organic Racing team fuels up, go to www.organicracing.com.