Ethanol blend performance in race vehicles, Aug 08

Ethanol has many favourable attributes when considering it for use in general everyday motoring as well as high performance race applications. Its status as a sustainable fuel when sourced from waste or by-product biomass, combined with good combustion, thermal and anti-knock properties, along with a tendency to reduce CO2 emissions, has prompted this investigation into the advantages of petrol-ethanol blends compared to conventional motorsport fuels for use in race vehicles..
This investigation compares three petrol-ethanol blends with three other fuels common to motorsports. Back-to-back testing was carried out on a single engine sourced from the New Zealand V8s National Championship touring car series, fitted with both a carburettor and EFI fuelling systems. Fuel performance was evaluated on cost, consumption, performance, and emissions.