The world’s “greenest racing car”, which features a steering wheel built from carrot fibres and runs on biodiesel made from chocolate waste, will have its first competitive race next month when it lines up at Brands Hatch.

The Formula 3 car, known officially as WorldFirst and informally as Flying Carrot, will be put through its paces on October 17, Kerry Kirwan, a senior researcher on the project, told the British Science Festival in Guildford on Monday.