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American LeMans
ALMS: IMSA Approves Biobutanol
Dyson Racing expected to run cutting-edge alternative fuel in No. 16 Lola-Mazda.
John Dagys  |  Posted March 12, 2010   Chicago, IL
Dyson Racing competed in the final two ALMS rounds on biobutanol and are poised to use it for the entire 2010 season. (John Dagys)
Following a two-race trial last year, biobutanol has become an approved fuel choice for LMP teams in the American Le Mans Series, IMSA confirmed late Thursday. The cutting-edge alternative fuel, developed in conjunction with BP and DuPont, is expected to again be used by the Mazda-backed Dyson Racing outfit.

As laid out in the IMSA-issued technical bulletin today, all teams that elect to run the fuel, designated “BP Isobutanol/Ethanol” must add an additional 30 kgs to their car’s assigned minimum weight. This additional weight will be lifted prior to the third round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May.

Dyson’s No. 16 BP-sponsored Lola B09/86 Mazda ran unclassified at the Petit Le Mans and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca rounds in 2009, unable to score points or stand on the LMP2 podium due to the use of the then-experimental fuel.

Chris Dyson and Guy Smith recorded a seventh place finish overall in the rain-shortened Petit Le Mans, a result which would have been good enough for them to take P2 honors by a landslide. The duo also showed promising results at the season-finale, battling for the overall lead, before getting caught in an incident up by a back-marker, which relegated the car to a 14th place result.

The team had also continued testing the fuel during the off-season with favorable results.

“I know last year IMSA was really accommodating to entice the fuel into the Series and BP worked hard to generate some fuel for the last two events,” said Chris Dyson at the Sebring Winter Test. “We did some testing and it’s been very promising. I think it behooves everyone and the Series that’s leading the way in green racing to be embracing these technologies. It’s good for everybody.”

Biobutanol Facts:

Biobutanol shares many of the environmental advantages of ethanol and has additional benefits, including:

• Blends into gasoline at higher concentrations than ethanol without the need to modify vehicles.
• Offers excellent fuel economy that is close to that of gasoline.
• Can be used alongside ethanol to help improve the performance of ethanol/gasoline blends.
• Can be used in existing gasoline (petrol) supply and distribution channels, eliminating the need for expensive infrastructure investments.

Production:
• Can utilize a variety of conventional feedstocks (such as sugar cane, corn, wheat and sorghum), supporting global implementation.
In future, biobutanol can be produced from cellulosic feedstocks, including fast-growing energy crops (e.g. energy grasses) or agricultural by-products (e.g. corn stalks).

Environmental Benefits:
• Initial indications are that, on the same feedstock basis, biobutanol delivers emission reductions that are at least as good as ethanol.
• Biobutanol’s low vapor pressure (lower than gasoline), means that vapor pressure specifications do not need to be compromised leading to higher VOC emissions.

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