At WRL Road Atlanta in 2024, David Hodge Jr noted that fuel saving gained an extra lap on a pit cycle. The note records the numbers without a unit, so this guide uses them only as a ratio.
What the note says
David’s post-race notes for the weekend record the following.
- “2.2 fuel used per lap”
- “2.0 fuel save laps”
- “gained extra lap on pit cycle by saving”
- “hit fuel light entry of back straight”
The note states no unit, so read the two figures as a ratio. A saving lap used a little less fuel than a normal lap, and the difference added up over a stint. He also recorded where on the track the fuel light came on.
Your car will have its own numbers. Use the unit your fuel display or your team uses, and do not borrow another car’s figures.
Why it matters in a shared car
Fuel is a stint-long budget, and the whole team shares it. One lap saved or lost changes the pit window for every driver after you. If your stint uses more than the plan, the next driver inherits a shorter run. If it uses less, the team has a choice about when to stop.
A saving lap also has a cost. Driving to save fuel changes how you drive, and it can change how you deal with traffic. In the same notes David wrote that he caught traffic early and that it was “easier to defend vs pass”. A save that leaves you stuck behind a slower car may not help the team.
One drill
The drill needs a practice session or a simulator, with a fuel readout you trust. Do this with a team plan, not on your own in a race.
- Run a block of consistent laps at normal effort. Record the fuel used per lap from the readout, in the unit it shows.
- Run a second block of the same length with a deliberate saving technique. Pick one change, such as lifting earlier at one corner.
- Divide each block’s fuel by its number of laps.
- Compare the two figures. Find the ratio, not just the difference.
- Note where on the track the fuel warning appeared, as David did on the back straight.
- Tell the crew the ratio. They can then decide whether a saving stint changes the pit cycle.
Change only one thing at a time. If you change two, you will not know which one saved fuel.
Where this fits
Fuel strategy matters most in a long team race such as those in WRL. You can practice the two-block drill in the simulator before you try it on track.