China's 1st domestically produced 103-octane racing fuel put into use

China's first domestically produced 103-octane racing fuel was officially put to use on Saturday at the opening ceremony of the 2026 China Taklimakan International held in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

As the starting command was given on Saturday morning, 152 racing cars and nearly 300 competitors from around the world embarked on a 7,500-kilometer extreme journey across the desert. The rally was designated the newly developed 103-octane racing fuel as its official fuel.

The 103-octane racing fuel, developed by Sinopec, fills a domestic gap in high-grade racing gasoline. The research octane number exceeds 103, five units higher than commercially available 98-octane fuel, effectively reducing the risk of engine knock under high compression and heavy load conditions.

"Designed for the extreme conditions of racing – high speed, heavy load and prolonged continuous operation – the fuel has a conductivity of no less than 500 pS/m, which reduces the risk of static electricity buildup during high-flow refueling," said Li Zhongdan, deputy director of the New Materials Research Institute of Sinopec Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Co., Ltd.

"Its olefin content is controlled at about 1%, roughly 80% lower than conventional 98-octane gasoline, improving combustion efficiency and power response. It contains no lead or manganese anti-knock additives and has extremely low sulfur content, balancing high performance with environmental protection," Li said.

For years, China's racing fuel market relied heavily on imported products, with some teams blending their own fuel, leading to long procurement cycles, high costs and unstable supply chains.

"The entry of domestically produced high-octane racing fuel into the Taklimakan Rally signals that China's high-performance racing fuel has entered a new phase of systematic research and development, standardized production and branded supply," said Liu Zhihua, vice president of Sinopec Sales. 

"This not only fills a gap in domestic top-tier racing fuel but also opens a new path for the standardization and professional supply of high-end racing fuel in China, providing solid energy support for the high-quality development of China's motor sports industry," Liu said.