Say No to Gasoline: Fuel Freedom’s Methanol Cars to Run in Rescheduled Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb

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Nonprofit Organization Advocates Alternative Fuels Sponsoring Six-Time Winner Paul Dallenbach in the August 12th Race

Fuel Freedom is sponsoring Paul Dallenbach’s methanol-powered car in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Photo by Joel Yust

Run a racecar with the sustainable fuel methanol and there’s good reason to watch. Next weekend in Colorado, the annual Pike’s Peak Hill Climb takes place and two of its competitors will be driving methanol-powered cars that have been backed by Fuel Freedom, a nonpartisan campaign to check American oil dependency by backing flexible fuels such as methanol, which was used successfully in California until 2005.

Originally scheduled for July 8, the race was postponed due to the devastating Waldo Canyon wildfire that was taking place.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by the recent wild fires, and we are grateful that the Pikes Peak race is going forward as planned,” said Eyal Aronoff, co-founder of the nonprofit Fuel Freedom Foundation, based in Irvine, CA. “This race is important for Fuel Freedom because it demonstrates that professional drivers prefer methanol, ethanol and electricity over gasoline. If they are free to choose what fuel to put in their cars, why can’t you have this choice when we drive up to the pump?”

Fuel Freedom supports the opening of markets to competition from alternative fuels and is sponsoring methanol-powered cars driven by six-time PPIHC winner Paul Dallenbach and his nephew, Wyatt Dallenbach, in the rescheduled 90th running of the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb.
 
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As written before at CleanTechnica, in major races like the Indianapolis 500, methanol is a standard fuel. This year the list of alternative fuel competitors has expanded. For the first time at the Pike’s Peak starting gate, another non-fossil fuel entrant will compete: an electric-powered racecar. It will be driven by last year’s winner, Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima of Japan.

According to Fuel Freedom, unlike gasoline — which is produced from oil — methanol (wood alcohol) can be made from various feedstocks, including wood pulp, natural gas, plus agricultural and municipal waste.

In a press announcement, Freedom Fuel adds: “However, regulatory and commercial barriers prevent American car owners from using methanol fuel in their vehicles. If these barriers were lifted, fuels such as methanol, natural gas, ethanol and electricity could compete on equal footing with gasoline. Consumers could have $2-a-gallon fuel, and a choice over what they purchase at the pump.”

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, located 10 miles west of Colorado Springs, CO features a 12.42-mile course, which includes 156 turns, starting at an elevation of 9,390 feet and ending at the peak’s 14,110-foot summit, where the song America the Beautiful was penned.

Sources: Fuel Freedom, Business Wire
Photo: Joel Yust


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Glenn Meyers

is a writer, producer, and director. Meyers was editor and site director of Green Building Elements, a contributing writer for CleanTechnica, and is founder of Green Streets MediaTrain, a communications connection and eLearning hub. As an independent producer, he's been involved in the development, production and distribution of television and distance learning programs for both the education industry and corporate sector. He also is an avid gardener and loves sustainable innovation.

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