E85 fuels Michelin Green X Challenge winners at Mid-Ohio

The Muscle Milk Aston Martin took a big step toward a guaranteed entry at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans with its fourth consecutive Michelin Green X Challenge Prototype category victory of the season here at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge.

Prototype and GT teams can win the Michelin Green X Challenge awards by having the lowest total of the Clean, Fast, and Efficient scores at each American Le Mans Series event.  

According to officials of the Green Racing steering group, the key to victory for the overall running car in the two-hour , 45 minute race was Muscle Milk Aston Martin’s lowest-in-class Clean score attributable to its use of E85 racing fuel and its energy efficiency due to its greater weight and race winning speed. The Benicia, Calif. based car was driven by Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf.  

The Green Racing group is comprised of members of the U.S. Department of Energy, the EPA, SAE International, and the sanctioning International Motor Sports Association.

Finishing second in GT on the dry, then very wet track, the Corvette Racing car No. 4 scored its second consecutive GT category victory. Its lowest-in-class Clean score was the result of both its energy efficiency and choice of cellulosic E85 fuel according to the Green Racing group. The Michigan based car was driven by Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen.

“We were well positioned for a victory, and certainly we’re satisfied with second when weather is such a factor. Most importantly, we’ve captured the Michelin Green X Challenge again, demonstrating durability, reliability, performance, and green thinking at Chevrolet and Corvette,” said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing program manager.

“Manufacturers use the ALMS and the Michelin Green X Challenge to accelerate the development of new technologies and test new energy sources in competition,” said Silvia Mammone, motorsports manager , Michelin North America. “Weather played a major role in today’s race, and race cars, like consumer cars, must perform in a wide range of conditions. The fact that the two Michelin Green X Challenge winners finished first and second in their respective classes once again reinforces that Clean, Fast, and Efficient  cars can still deliver excellent performance.”