Category: Motorsport

Toyota Landcruisers with CNG Conversions Race the 2010 Dakar

January 1, 2010 – 1:25 am | Argentina and Chile
The Gaso-Terpel Gasel Toyota Landcruiser going throught its paces pre-start of the 2010 Dakar

Carmona puts the Gasco-Terpel Gasel Toyota Landcruiser through its paces.

Intent on proving natural gas is up to the demands of the one of the world’s toughest motorsport events, a newly formed Gasco-Terpel Gasel team have prepared two V6 Toyota FJ Landcruisers to compete in the 2010 Argentina-Chile Dakar Rally commencing on January 1. Both vehicles have undergone conversion to compressed natural gas, fitted with Pelmag conversion kits from Argentina and Italian AEB electronic control units to manage the gas fuel supply. The applied technology is the same used for standard vehicle conversions.
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Categories: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Event News, Events, Motorsport, Technology | Tags: , | Comments (1)

Epic CNG Journey Reaches Mid-Point

November 26, 2009 – 2:16 pm
Rainer Zietlow (right of photo) and team happy to have completed first leg without incident.

Rainer Zietlow (right of photo) and team happy to have completed first leg without incident.

CNG adventurer Rainer Zietlow has completed the first leg of a two-part world expedition driving a VW Caddy Maxi EcoFuel that will utilise as far as practicable a network of CNG fueling stations to reach journey’s end in Alaska. Setting off from Portugal in October Zietlow and his intrepid team travelled the ‘Eurasia Highway’ to Vladivostok before embarking on a ferry to Japan to end this section. Zietlow detoured briefly to Donghae, Korea in time for ANGVA 2009, where he hand-delivered a certificate from NGVA Europe to ANGVA Executive Director Mr Lee Giok Seng.
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OMV’s CNG-Powered Austrian Rally Campaign Succeeds Beyond Expectation: 2nd Overall

November 12, 2009 – 5:20 pm
OMV's CNG-powered Subaru racing to 2nd overall in Austrian Rally

OMV's CNG-powered Subaru racing to 2nd overall in Austrian Rally

“…the future will belong to gas powered cars…” (Manfred Stohl – former Group N World Rally Champion)

Austria’s OMV CNG Rally team is all smiles having closed off the 2009 Austrian Rally Championship in 2nd position overall, sealing the Vice-Champion position with a fourth place in the season closer, the Waldviertel Rally. This season was the first for OMV competing in the Division 1 class, having dominated the Alternative Fuel class since first entering the competition in 2006. The decision to switch to Division 1 was made just weeks before the beginning of this year’s season, along with the decision to switch to a converted Subaru Impreza instead of the Mitsubishi Evos used in previous seasons. The team again used biomethane for the full series supplied by OMV from its plant in Bruck (west of Vienna).  
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Categories: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Event News, Events, Marketplace, Motorsport, Technology | Tags: , | Comments (1)

VW Launches CNG-Powered Scirocco Cup as New One Make Event Launched

October 24, 2009 – 6:35 pm | German, Wolfsburg
Biomethane fuelled CNG VW Scirrocco's race against each other in 2010

Biomethane fuelled CNG VW Scirrocco's race against each other in 2010

Volkswagen continues to build on the success of their natural gas vehicle program, organising a one-make cup featuring biomethane powered Scirroccos starting in 2010. With a CO2 reduction of up to 80 per cent Volkswagen demonstrates that major innovative strides are still possible in motorsport and that natural gas is a worthy contender at the highest level. Following the successful debut of the compressed natural gas-powered Scirocco GT24-CNG at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring, an entire ‘one-make cup’ has now been designed to increase eco-friendly motorsport.
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Categories: Event News, Motorsport, Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV), Technology | Tags: , | Comments (0)

Zietlow Takes Long Way Again – CNG VW EcoFuel Traverses Continents…

October 16, 2009 – 5:00 pm
Zietlow

In Madrid, Zietlow receives a certificate from NGVA Europe for Asia's ANGVA

First leg ends at ANGVA 2009 Conference in Donghae, Korea

Natural gas long-distance world champion Rainer Zietlow has set off to tackle the two longest roads in the world, driving a VW Caddy Maxi EcoFuel fuelled with compressed natural gas (CNG). The two-part natural-gas marathon tour will comprise first driving from the Atlantic to the Pacific and then driving from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska. Stretching over 40,000 kms, Zietlow and his team will drive the world‘s two longest roads – Russia‘s ‘Amur Transcontinental’ and the ‘Panamericana’.
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Categories: Events, Motorsport, Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV), Technology | Tags: , | Comments (3)

Elusive CNG Land Speed Record Waits for Another Summer

October 10, 2009 – 12:33 am | USA
Lessman Racing's CNG-powered Streamliner

Lessman Racing's CNG-powered Streamliner

Lessman Racing’s latest assault on the world land speed record began well but a faulty clutch put paid to the second leg of the attempt on the Bonneville Salt Flats last week. Roger Lessman hit 332 mph (534 kph) on Thursday, but on Friday the clutch broke on his streamliner and he was not able to make another run. Lessman’s speedster runs on CNG, and will again attempt to become the world’s fastest CNG-powered vehicle next summer.
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Categories: Motorsport, Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV), Technology | Comments (1)

Hot Rod Conversion Set to Display CNG Characteristics

September 30, 2009 – 10:27 pm | Source: Green Car Advisor | USA, Phoenix AZ
CNG can be fun, exciting and powerful - Hotrod conversion underway by AFV

CNG can be fun, exciting and powerful - Hotrod conversion underway by AFVTech

Research and development of alternative fuel vehicle and alternative fuel power solutions is the business of AFVTech Inc., based in Phoenix, Arizona. Now it is applying its expertise to the development of a compressed natural gas hot rod based on a 1933 Ford Roadster.
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Categories: Concept Vehicles, Engines, Motorsport, Technology | Comments (0)

VW Scirocco Biogas Team Reaches STCC Podium for First Time

September 20, 2009 – 2:16 am
Biogas.SE team reaches STCC podium with a second place in Round 8

Biogas.se team reaches STCC podium with a second place in Round 8 (Olsson on left)

After numerous challenges the VW Scirocco Biogas team is now competing for podium positions in the Swedish STCC (Swedish Touring Car Championships). It took only eight race weekends before Team Biogas.se stood on the podium for the first time in Sweden’s toughest racing series. Patrik Olsson was second in the Ring Knutstorp.
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OMV CNG Rally Team Races to Fifth at Maribor

July 5, 2009 – 10:15 pm | Slovenia and Austria
OMV's CNG Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Rally Car

OMV's CNG Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX

The OMV CNG rally team of Manfred Stohl and Ilka Minor have successfully completed the fifth round of the Austrian Rally, the Rally Maribor, picking up fifth place overall and gaining 14 valuable points to retain second place on the OEM intermediate manufacturer table. With the next stages not until September (Styria) and October (Waldviertel), the team is confident things can only get better for OMV CNG Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX which is expected to perform better in the cooler weather.

Categories: Biomethane, Motorsport | Tags: | Comments (0)

CNG-Powered Sciroccos Victorious at Nürburgring

May 25, 2009 – 11:43 pm | Germany
The VW Motorsport CNG-powered Scirocco GT-24 in action at the

The VW Motorsport CNG-powered Scirocco GT-24 in action at the Nürburgring

A Volkswagen Scirocco GT24-CNG EcoFuel has achieved a class victory and finished well-placed amongst the world’s best competition at the 2009 Nürburgring 24 hour event, perhaps the world’s toughest circuit. With innovative technology the GT24-CNG won the category for vehicles with alternative propulsion systems (AT) and in the general classification achieved 17th place overall.
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Categories: Event News, Events, Motorsport | Comments (3)