Summary

Original source:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/906EBAD9-5F59-4839-A986-6F30073C1FFB.htm

Details

• When the slick green and black racing car slammed across the finishing line at the world's most famous race last month, the Le Mans 24 Hours, it may have finished only in 17th place but the team knew it had won a remarkable first.
• The Nasamax DM139-Judd had passed what is known the world over as a fiercesome endurance test - running not on petrol but on bio-ethanol, an alcohol fuel distilled in northern France from sugar beet and potatoes.
• If it hadn't been for an engine misfire, says Nasamax team manager John McNeil "we know what lap time we could have had, and we know it would have put us safely in the top ten - even the top six.
• The achievement is just one example of how booze-fuelled cars are lining up for poll position.
• Brazil became the centre of alternative fuel production in the 80s spurred by the oil shocks of the 1970s.
• The experiment reached its peak in 1985 when an astonishing 91% of cars produced that year ran on sugar-cane ethanol - the same fuel as the national spirit cachaca that makes the popular cocktail caipirinha.
• When the oil prices fell and sugar prices rose becoming more profitable to export, the homegrown demand for alcohol-driven cars dropped leaving the "pro-Alcool" drive looking like little more than a blip.
• Brazil still retains a network of refilling stations across the country, and particularly in Sao Paulo state where almost a quarter of the 180 million Brazilian population live.
• According to the 2004 Motor Trends Alternative Fuel Review, there are already two million flex-fuel cars in America which could be running on alcohol tomorrow - but there are only 200 stations in the whole of the US.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Brazil, Sugar, Alternative fuels, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/001494.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/001494.html">Brazil emerging as leader in production of alternative fuels like ethanol</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts