British Formula One 1996 World Champion, Damon Hill OBE, will drive for the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) in the Royal Automobile Club’s RAC Future Car Challenge from Brighton to London on Saturday 5 November 2011.

Hill joins the growing number of motoring personalities and celebrities taking part in the event – including Quentin Willson (TV presenter and magazine columnist), Gordon Murray (former F1 designer), Mark Goodier (Smooth Radio DJ), Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs TV programme presenter) and Radio 2 presenter, Sally Boazman (aka Sally Traffic), who will present the 'People's Choice Award'

The GFEI is a partnership of the independent UK-based charity FIA Foundation, the UN Environment Programme, the International Energy Agency and the International Transport Forum.

The GFEI is sponsoring and entering the Future Car Challenge in order to promote improvements in vehicle fuel economy and cuts in CO2 emissions, which can be made using cost effective technologies already in widespread use. The GFEI places a particular emphasis on achieving further improvements in fuel economy with the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE), and making those improvements available to all drivers, not just here in the UK, but worldwide.

Hill will drive a Skoda Fabia Greenline II, one of two diesel-powered ICE category cars entered by the GFEI team which perform well below the 110g/km CO2 limit stipulated by the organisers. The GFEI has also entered a SEAT Ibiza Copa Ecomotive.

Hill says: “Big improvements in fuel economy can be made with technologies that are readily available right now. There is so much more that can be achieved even with the internal combustion engine. That’s why I’m driving for the Global Fuel Economy Initiative. Cars which are much more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly should be available to everyone.”

Entering the Challenge exclusively for the GFEI, Hill is not backing any specific make of car, or fuel economy technology. As a partnership of international agencies, the GFEI is independent of any manufacturer.

David Ward, director general of the FIA Foundation and a member of the GFEI driving team, says: “It is incredibly exciting and a great honour to have Damon Hill driving for us. He is more usually associated with elite performance in Formula One so it is really great that he’s now joining our effort to push for improved fuel economy for everyone on the road. We need to see more cars with far better fuel efficiency if we are going to address the economic, social and environmental impact of massively increasing levels of car ownership across the world.”