Foods That Give You Fuel: Racing on Bioethanol - Automobile
The change came about because a store near the team’s shop, Summit Foods, had an expensive problem. Summit sold dried-fruit confections to candymakers, but the disposal of excess sugary liquid, a side effect of drying fruit, cost them upward of $30,000 a month. “You can’t just pour that down the drain,” says David McCoy, head of Summit’s newly formed fuels subdivision, Summit Natural Energy, which turns leftover sugar and other carbohydrates into bioethanol. Having plenty of waste to work with, Summit’s new business saw great success, so much so that the company spun off a performance-fuel division. Thunderbolt Racing now supplies bioethanol fuel to some 30 race teams, including Coffman Racing. “It’s long been part of our philosophy to be environmentally conscious, but motorsports is inherently environmentally impactful,” says the team’s manager, Jeff Mailley. “What these guys do to reduce waste and make a stable, consistent fuel attracted us. There’s lower consumption and emissions, and we saw a noticeable power bump after we changed over. The conversion from sugar to bioethanol is straightforward, but sources of sugar can be hard to find. Source: www.automobilemag.com
