V8s at Phillip Island

CSR Ethanol was this morning named as the official fuel supplier of the V8 Supercar Championship Series for 2009 and beyond.

V8 Supercars Australia Chairman Tony Cochrane joined Ian Glasson, the Chief Executive Officer of CSR Sugar – an associated company of CSR Ethanol - at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on Friday to make the announcement.

While this year V8 Supercars use a five per cent ethanol blended fuel, next year they will run the E85 fuel which is an 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petroleum blended fuel.

The safety cars will also run on the E85 fuel, which is made from molasses (a byproduct of sugar cane).

“This is one (announcement) that I think we’re particularly proud of at V8 Supercars Australia,” Cochrane said.

“It’s not only a great day for our sport, it’s a great day for the environment, and a great day for renewable energy here in Australia.

“What we consider is one of our key roles in all of this quite frankly is to help educate over the next five years the Australian motoring public in particular.”

Glasson said E85 fuel will substantially lower the greenhouse footprint of motor racing.

“CSR Ethanol is delighted to be part of V8 Supercars to improve the environmental footprint of the sport and also to establish ethanol as a very credible fuel, not only in V8 Supercars but across the Australian motoring public,” he said.

“Every litre of E85 produces about half the greenhouse gas of traditional fuel.

“That’s a very significant improvement and not only is it sustainable but renewable.”

Cochrane said the move to E85 would save every car in the Championship about $7000 in fuel costs over a season because ethanol was cheaper than petroleum based fuel.

Besides supplying the Championship with E85, CSR Ethanol will also play an active role in growing the V8 Racing Green carbon offset and education program which V8 Supercars launched last year.