Ethanol Used In Drag Racing?

Some performance enthusiasts will likely think that the use of ethanol will cause them to experience a power degradation. Proof is in the pudding as the old saying goes, take a look at this article about the use of ethanol in drag racing:

High Five
National Dragster, Apr 16, 2004 by Schwartzkopf, Dan

The Wyoming Ethanol Racing team has been promoting and running ethanol in its race vehicles for the last 10 years. The form of ethanol we use is referred to as E-98, which is fuel ethanol in its purest form. The ethanol produced at Wyoming Ethanol is made from grain, primarily corn, and is 200 proof, or 100 percent pure alcohol at the end of production. The ethanol is then denatured with 2 percent gasoline and a small amount of lubricant and fuel fragrance. These additions are the reason for the name E-98.

When we first began running the fuel in our race vehicles, nobody could help us with any tune-ups or advice. Most of the information we acquired was by stumbling onto it ourselves. But with the success we had, we knew we were onto something. Since then, we have learned a lot through testing, friends, and a lot of patience. We now have very reliable general tune-ups for a number of different combinations, and we feel we are proving that ethanol is a very good "clean" performance fuel.

This year, Dave Slatten of Slatten's Automotive in Fort Collins, Colo., built us a larger engine combination than we have run in the past. This presented some challenges in getting the correct tune-up. We put the engine on the dyno and found that just when you think you have a handle on it, the learning curve hasn't ended. But with Dave's help, experience, and use of his dyno, we gleaned a lot of valuable information. The engine exceeded our expectations and is proving to be a very reliable combination.

This was Dave's first ethanol-injected engine. His knowledge and ability to build very efficient and reliable racing engines is respected by many.

"I was very impressed by the horsepower and torque gains when compared to one of my own gasoline tune-ups," said Dave of the experience. "We were able to bring in the torque curve earlier and higher over a much broader curve. Average horsepower and torque showed an impressive increase throughout the rpm range. An added bonus is that ethanol is not toxic or corrosive, unlike methanol, so fuel-system maintenance is similar to gasoline. I was so impressed with our results in dyno testing that I'm going to convert one of my Super Comp cars to ethanol for further on-track testing."

Because there is much more to racing than the actual race itself, the Wyoming Ethanol race team has displayed its car at many conferences, shows, and special events, where we hand out promotional material and answer a lot of questions regarding the performance of ethanol as a fuel. These are great opportunities for us to talk with people about the benefits of ethanol in their vehicles.

We have also had the opportunity to promote the use of ethanol in stock cars, snow machines, Jr. dragsters, go-karts, motorcycles, and boats. We have helped many people convert their engines to run on high blends of ethanol. We've been involved in a variety of seminars to teach people about ethanol, such as those organized by the American Coalition for Ethanol. All of these efforts have benefits. Educating racers and their crews always has a very positive effect.

The Wyoming Ethanol race team is getting the message out to a large number of people in a variety of ways. In addition to public appearances, our racing efforts have been featured in Drag Racing USA, National DRAGSTER, and Popular Hot Rodding, to name a few. Sometimes our educational work is aimed at the people in the stands or watching on television, and sometimes it is aimed at the people in the racing industry. Recently, NHRA accepted ethanol as a qualified fuel for the Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series.

Though the focus in racing is often on the driver, racing is really a team sport, and a lot of people and groups play roles in our success on and off the track. These groups include Wyoming Ethanol, Melrose Resources, Renova Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities, DiamlerChrysler, the American Coalition for Ethanol, Ethanol Producers and Consumers, Bandimere Speedway, Firebird Raceway, and Rob Park and his staff at NHRA. We thank them for their sponsorship, friendship, and support.

The promotion of ethanol is not an easy task, but it is getting easier through educating people on its production, uses, and benefits. With all the help and support of the people who have used it, ethanol is fast becoming the fuel of the future.

Copyright National Hot Rod Association Apr 16, 2004
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