From Indiana, the cradle of motorsports, comes BITW Technologies.  A collection of gear heads, engineers, mechanics, entrepreneurs and dreamers that have an interest in highly efficient automotive performance.  Many years of experience in a variety of automotive and mechanical subjects uniquely qualify team members to build and race a 100 MPGe vehicle.  Team leaders George Voll and Dan Boyd began to develop a project about 6 years ago that will be the team entry.  During their high school years they cut their teeth on SAAB 93’s and Volvo 544’s, along with various odd compact cars, tractors and Diesels.  These experiences along with racing backgrounds have led to the X-Prize competition.  The mainstream entry is a multi-fuel diesel ICE, in a late model production chassis with simple modifications, which will use Bio-diesel during the competition.

The BITW Technologies team believes that the proper application of existing technologies can perform beyond expectations.  Our production concept is inspired by the successes of Carroll Shelby and Briggs Cunningham, yet with total performance as the core objective. With fuel prices on a continually steep increase, BITW’s alteration concept is very marketable, capitalizing on diesel technology which gives the driver fuel flexibility not available with a gasoline powered ICE. 

We became interested in this race when we found out it was not a "Formula" race.  Racing is a great sport, but now there is a class for everything.  This seems to bracket certain creative ideas out of venues where the exposure would inspire further experimentation and study of the innovation.  One famous example would be the 1967 Granitelli Gas Turbine Indianapolis 500 entry.  This car was beyond the grasp of the typical USAC mechanic, which created some controversy.  If the car had not successful in the race, it would have been a footnote on the program, an oddity quickly forgotten.  As it happened, that was not the case. While not getting the pole, less than 30 laps into the race, it took the lead for 172 laps.  If not for a bearing failure in the transmission with 4 laps to go, it would have won the race.  History would have been altered.  The mass produced gas turbine car could have been a reality.  Instead, USAC restricted the gas turbine into a non competitive state where they would no longer threaten the Piston ICE.  Even today, restrictions are affecting the AUDI TDI Grand Prix car.  The turbocharged diesel is too scary for the competition, thus more rule changes.

No limit to imagination or innovation is what fuels our interest in the X-prize competition.  This is not regional, but global in scope. Teams from everywhere make this event exciting.  It recalls the golden age of racing, when a small upstart aircraft company could win at Monte Carlo and hybrids were Anglo American combinations like AC and Ford. 

In respect to the race, George and I have been modifying a car that fits the mainstream category.  It is what you would call a reapplication of existing technology. George got the idea while talking with a customer about his Kubota mower.  Realizing the economy potential and engine design, he did some research on the torque curves and found similarity to the Geo Metro.  Thus the seed was planted.  We think it will perform well.