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By Brad Nelson, Contributor


After a brief trial in two races at the end of 2009, BP announced Monday that its version of biobutanol - what it calls isobutanol - will see its first official use in major motorsports this year when Dyson Racing takes its Mazda-powered sports racer to the track at the American Le Mans Series  season opener at the Twelve Hours of Sebring this weekend in Florida.


BP is using the racing effort with Mazda and Dyson to demonstrate the benefits and commercial viability of isobutanol, which is being co-developed with DuPont through their Butamax Advanced Biofuels joint venture. The Butamax project is also developing commercial facilities to manufacture isobutanol for mainstream use.


"The smaller turbocharged engines of the ALMS series offer a valuable test-bed for evaluating fuels that can offer the best performance," said Tim Hayes, vice president of strategic accounts for BP. The fuel will be blended with ethanol for the ALMS series and BP will be the official supplier.


The ALMS positions itself as "the global leader in green racing" and has made credible efforts to support its position by integrating several types of fuels and propulsion systems in the last few years, including clean diesel, E10, E85, gas-electric hybrids and now biobutanol. 
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Tags: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Butanol, Emissions, Energy Companies, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Isobutanol, Mazda, Natural Gas, American Le Mans Series, Biobutanol, Isobutanol, Twelve Hours of Sebring

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BP's Isobutanol to See Its First Official Use in Major Motorsports This Weekend was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.