1:18 AM Wed 5 Aug 2009 GMT
Powerboat P1 has announced that its racing boats and support fleet will be powered by environmentally friendly fuel at the Scandinavian Grand Prix of the Sea in Gothenburg, Sweden on August 7-9.
The petrol powered hulls will use green fuel supplied by Swedish-based fuel-specialists, Aspen.
The Aspen+ alkylate petrol, which is synthetically produced and used in the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC), avoids using dangerous substances such as benzene, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons.
Aligned with the Union Internationale Motonautique's (UIM) stance on promoting environmentally-friendly behaviours and technologies, Aspen+ reduces pollution discharges into the water and emissions into air, as well as keeping petrol content cleaner. Aspen+ crucially reduces the formation of ground-level ozone (smog) by more than 50%.
Aspen's alkylate petrol, which has 99% fewer harmful toxins compared with ordinary petrol, includes around 0.1 % aromatic hydrocarbons compared to around 35 % in ordinary petrol, and produces less fumes, odour and soot build-up in the combustion chambers.
Recent testing at Cosworth's automotive base in Northamptonshire reported a positive outcome and Powerboat P1 Chairman and CEO Asif Rangoonwala believes this is an environmental breakthrough for the World Championship. He said: 'This is a landmark day for Powerboat P1! There are a lot of exciting plans for 2010 - new venues, new teams and new partners - and I hope that by bringing Aspen on board for our first visit to Scandinavia illustrates how serious we are about building towards a greener, more sustainable future.
'Within motorsport there is increasing sensitivity to the environment and Powerboat P1 is committed to developing a corporate environmental policy and implementing effective programmes as an integral part of our business strategy.
'Having Aspen fuelling our powerboats and support fleet in Sweden provides evidence that we are sensitively working towards protecting the environment and conserving our natural resources.'
Powerboat P1 Scandinavian Grand Prix of the Sea promoter Mario Hytten echoed Rangoonwala's sentiments, adding: 'We would like to think that in two-three years time all of the Powerboat P1 World Championship races will run on ethanol fuels. It would be great to look back and realize: This all started at the Havets Grand Prix in Gothenburg in 2009.'
Since its foundation in 1988, Aspen has developed a strong client portfolio across 15 countries, selling over 100 million litres worldwide. Mats Uhrlander, Aspen's Nordic Sales & Marketing Manager, fully supports Rangoonwala's vision for Powerboat P1, adding: 'This is a new venture for Aspen. Working with Powerboat P1 has given us the opportunity to reduce pollution by up to 300 times in Gothenburg's waters. It also provides a great challenge for Aspen to show that the Aspen+ alkylate environmentally-friendly fuel goes hand in hand with top racing performance.'
www.powerboatp1.com
by Powerboat P1 media
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