Fastest Growing Motorsport Supports Going Green

Starting its tenth season of exciting, fast-paced fun, American Le Mans Series Racing is going green for the second season and supporting the use of ethanol by introducing E85 as the official choice of the 2008 racing season.

E85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The cellulosic ethanol is produced from biomass such as wood waste, switchgrass or citrus. E85 is not only a high-performance, environmentally friendly, renewable fuel, it’s also the highest performing fuel available to consumers with flex-fuel vehicles.

Two major automotive manufacturers that are joining the race to go green are Corvette Racing and Aston Martin Racing. Both will run E85 during the 2008 season. The visible demonstration of the high-performance aspects of the fuel make it easy to understand why more and more teams are choosing ethanol-enriched fuels to run on.

"This is the first time that a racing series has made a commitment to E85, the highest performing fuel available to consumers with flex-fuel vehicles," said Reece Nanfito, senior director of marketing for EPIC. "In addition to the series making E85 available, EPIC will have direct sponsorship of the tow E85-field Corvette Racing entries. Having such an American icon racing on E85 will go a long way to demonstrate and promote E85 use nationwide."

The 2007 season was the first season that saw the American Le Mans Series support ethanol-enriched fuels by using choosing E10 as its “official ethanol-enriched fuel” of the series.

Since there are over 6 million Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) on the road today that can use ethanol-enriched fuels and over 1,400 stations from coast-to-coast that provide ethanol-enriched products, consumers can also experience the same benefits as American Le Mans Series drivers' by using the high-performance fuels. It's good to know that:

• All cars manufactured after 1980 can use up to a 10 percent ethanol-blend, from Porsches and Ferraris to SUVs, minivans and sedans.
• Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) can use E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline. There are more than 6 million FFVs on America's roads today. Find a list of FFVs or locate an E85 station near you.
• Ethanol-enriched fuel is a cleaner burning, renewable fuel that reduces harmful tailpipe emissions and reduces greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.
• Ethanol-enriched fuel reduces pre-ignition problems such as knocking and pinging.
• Ethanol-enriched fuel alleviates starting problems in hot or cold weather.
• Ethanol-enriched fuel can tolerate water contamination to a far greater degree than gasoline alone; it absorbs moisture and helps prevent gasoline freeze-up in cold weather.

For more information about the American Le Mans Series, visit AmericanLeMans.com.

For more information about the Corvette Racing, visit CorvetteRacing.com.