“This will help ethanol to attain global energy commodity status as well as fulfill its vital objectives: to help provide energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Marcos Sawaya Jank, the president of UNICA. “The involvement of APEX-Brasil is a natural, since several Brazilian drivers already compete in the IndyCar Series. We’re eager to contribute so that the IndyCar Series continues to showcase all of the benefits of ethanol. This involves teamwork, and both the United States and Brazil, as major producers and users of ethanol, have the duty to remain ahead of the pack in the global race for alternative energy sources.”
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed Nov. 17 between Alessandro Teixeira, President of APEX-Brasil and Angstadt in Sao Paulo during the Brazil Bio-fuel’s International Exhibition, which featured heads of state from around the world. Present at the signing were several Brazilian authorities, including the Chief of Staff of the Presidency Dilma Rousseff, Minister of Industry and Trade Miguel Jorge, Minister of Mines and Energy Edson Lobão and Minister of Agriculture Reinhold Stephanes.
APEX-Brasil is Brazil’s Export and Investment Promotion Agency, focused on boosting imports overseas. Working as an independent agency, APEX-Brasil has been active in 60 countries, with initiatives showcasing Brazilian products around the world. The overall objective for APEX-Brasil is to utilize the IndyCar Series to promote a variety of Brazilian products in the three countries where the series competes: the United States, Canada and Japan.
The IndyCar Series first embraced a renewable fuel in 2006, requiring all of its competitors to use a blend of 90 percent methanol and 10 percent ethanol, in preparation to move to 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol in 2007. The IndyCar Series will continue to use 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol in 2009, which is denatured with 2 percent gasoline.
“From a technical standpoint, the move to any raw material-based ethanol does not change anything for the IndyCar Series,” said Les Mactaggart, senior technical director for the IndyCar Series. “The end product is still 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol, and our engine mappings and ECUs will continue to read and process it exactly the same.”
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