The American Le Mans Series continues its tradition of excellence and leading edge technology with its decision to use ethanol-enriched fuel for the 2007 racing season. The organization has partnered with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to make E10, “the official ethanol-enriched fuel” of the Series.
“At a time when alternative fuel initiatives are in the daily headlines, we could not be more pleased to unite with an organization such as EPIC to aid in spreading the awareness of renewable energy and the benefits of ethanol in the most demanding environment in motorsports: American Le Mans Series sports car racing, ” said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series.
The American Le Mans Series was founded in 1999 by Georgia-based entrepreneur Don Panoz. It features top manufacturers such as Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Ferrari, Mazda, Panoz, Porsche and Saleen.
Four different classes of competition are showcased in the American Le Mans Series, featuring open-top prototypes and sophisticated production-based GT cars. The competition is held at road racing venues across North America, as well as selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. All cars in each class will be using gasoline enriched with 10 percent ethanol for the entire season.
“We are proud to be associated with one of the fastest growing brands of motorsport in North America, ” said Tom Slunecka, executive director of EPIC. “With television broadcasts in the U. S., Latin America and Europe, this partnership offers an incredible platform to market the performance and environmental benefits of ethanol, in a variety of engine types, from multiple manufacturers. This will also be the first time that ethanol-enriched fuel will be used in a 12-hour endurance race. “
The agreement follows the IndyCar Series decision to use 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol for the 2007 season. The EPIC-IndyCar series partnership began in 2005, and has advanced from ethanol being a team sponsor to working with the series to introduce an ethanol-methanol blend in 2006.
The American Le Mans Series features 12 races in 2007, including the prestigious season-opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (March 17) and the 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans. All other races are sprint endurance formats, ranging from an hour, 40 minutes at Long Beach to four hours at both Road America and the Series finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
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