Grainnet

Sioux Falls, SD--Pure, 100 percent ethanol will fuel the Indy Racing League’s (IRL) IndyCar® Series beginning with the 2007 season, making the series the first in motorsports to completely transition to a renewable fuel.

“Having 100 percent ethanol power the IndyCar Series is one of the most compelling ways to demonstrate ethanol’s superior performance characteristics,” said Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol.

“Ethanol is the entire package – homegrown, renewable, clean burning, and full of high-octane power.”

Ethanol is a high-performance, 113 octane fuel that is made from corn and other renewable resources.

In addition to its performance characteristics, ethanol burns more cleanly than gasoline and reduces harmful tailpipe emissions.

Its production adds value to American agriculture and reduces the nation’s dependence on oil.

The league began the transition from methanol to ethanol during the ’06 IndyCar season with a 90% methanol, 10% ethanol fuel blend.

This year 100% ethanol is Indy’s fuel of choice, including for the world-famous Indy 500.

The IndyCar Series season begins Saturday, March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.

The race will be televised at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN2.

The full race schedule is available at www.indycar.com (see bleow).

America’s ethanol industry supports Team Ethanol, the No. 17 IndyCar driven by Jeff Simmons for Rahal Letterman Racing.

Team Ethanol began through a relationship between the leaders of three top ethanol design-build firms –Broin Companies, Fagen Inc., and ICM Inc. – and Paul Dana, the team’s first driver who led ethanol up the IRL ranks and had the vision to pursue the fuel switch.

An exclusive preview of the April 2007 Ethanol Today magazine article on the Indy fuel switch is attached, which contains more information about Team Ethanol’s history in the IRL and the background behind the league’s transition to ethanol.

“The entire ethanol movement benefits from being the new fuel of the IndyCar Series,” said Ron Lamberty, ACE Vice President / Market Development.

“Ethanol has been undergoing a transformation over the last few years – from a fuel of regional interest to one with national implications, from unknown to mainstream, from a fuel blend component to a fuel of its own merit. Being the fuel to power Indy is accelerating this transformation in the eyes of America.”

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is the nation’s largest ethanol association with more than 1600 members nationwide, including ethanol producers, agriculture organizations, businesses that supply goods and services to the industry, investors, and farmers.

The United States is home to nearly 120 ethanol production facilities which will produce approximately 6 billion gallons of renewable fuel this year.

Ethanol is now blended into 46 percent of America’s gasoline, most as the E10 blend (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) that is approved for use in all automobiles.

E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), available to a smaller, but increasing degree, is for use in Flexible Fuel Vehicles.

For more information, call Kristin Brekke at 605-334-3381.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• American Coalition for Ethanol
• IndyCar Series

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