Bikes & Cars...

With the 12 Hours of Sebring kicking off the season in March, the American Le Mans Series has announced that it will allow E85 to be used for the first time. EPIC, the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, has spearheaded the move, and GM will race two E85-powered Corvettes in the 2008 season.

(For non-race fans, these cars are low-slung race cars closer in shape to Formula One cars than street cars. Based on the classic French 24-hour Le Mans race, the American series caps its longest race at 12 hours and 3,100 miles, which should be long enough for anyone.)

In 2007, EPIC was able to make an in-road with ALMS by getting E10 on the track. This fuel, commonly known as "gasohol," is 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline and can be used in unmodified engines. Not surprisingly then, E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline and can only be used in so-called "flex-fuel" vehicles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, E85 reduces ozone-forming emissions and carbon dioxide while being renewable and biodegradable. They should know.

E85 also has an octane rating of about 100 to 105; for comparison, regular unleaded gas has a rating of 87, most premium gasoline at the pump is rated 93, and NASCAR's leaded fuel is rated 110.

Speaking of America's favorite race series, NASCAR has just this year caught up with 1971 and switched over to unleaded fuel. Sunoco, NASCAR's official fuel supplier, has finally developed an unleaded race fuel called Sunoco 260 GTX that won't damage stock car engines. Look for NASCAR to switch to E85--or any other enviro-friendly fuel--in 2045.

Photo courtesy fiatguy85.