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Sustaining the race: a review of literaturepertaining to the environmental sustainabilityof motorsportKeywordsmotorsportsustainabilityenvironmenttriple bottom linenatural capitalGlobal Environmental Outlook (GEO-4)AbstractRESEARCH PAPERGreg DingleLecturer, Sport and Recreation ManagementSchool of Sport and Exercise ScienceVictoria University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaTel: +61 3 9919 3213Email: greg.dingle@vu.edu.auPeer reviewedThis paper discusses motorsport from the viewpoint ofenvironmental sustainability amid growing concernsabout the impact of human activity on theenvironment. It reviews the literature that positionsmotorsport in a global environmental context andexplores the often used but rarely defined concept ofsustainability. The author suggests that whilemotorsport is a significant sporting activity foreconomic and social reasons, there are considerabledoubts as to whether it is currently managed andmarketed in an environmentally sustainable way.Executive summaryThis paper aims to explore motorsport from theviewpoint of environmental sustainability. This isimportant because of the growing concerns around theglobe of the impact of human activity on theenvironment. The introduction to the paper outlinesthe rationale for adopting a sustainability analysis tothe management and marketing of motorsport. Thesections that follow offer definitions of the respectiveconcepts of motorsport and sustainability.The section on sustainability looks at the origins ofthe modern environmental movement, from which theconcept of sustainability emerged, and then discussesthe associated concepts of the ‘triple bottom line’ and‘natural capital’ in order to offer alternatives to moreconventional methods of understanding motorsportand the resources it requires.The importance of sustainability in the 21st centuryand the current situation with regard to achievement80 International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship ● OCTOBER 2009 ●