News for the natural gas vehicle industry worldwide
Dr. D. Bruce McMahan and the Maxximus LNG 2000. (Photo: WRA )
The Maxximus LNG 2000, the brainchild of financier Bruce McMahan has been named winner of Car of the Year 2012 Award by the World Record Academy (WRA), the world’s largest organization which verify & certify world records. The natural gas vehicle has been recognized for its overall balance and the outstanding achievements in speed, fuel efficiency, dynamics and originality. Read more »
The Aston Martin aims for a CO2 emissions-free lap at the Nürburgring 24 Hours
Aston Martin will race a pioneering hybrid hydrogen car at the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring in May. The company claims the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S – based on it’s new four-door, four-seat sports car – will become the first hydrogen-powered car to compete in an international event as well as the first zero CO2 emissions sports car to complete a race pace lap at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. Read more »
GAZPROM and Volkswagen have signed an agreement under which GAZPROM will become the exclusive motor fuel supplier to Volkswagen Motorsport from May 2013. Fuel will be supplied for he Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, the world’s only single-make race in which all vehicles are powered by natural gas. Nine races will be held in 2013 as part of the DTM series. Read more »
Johan Kristoffersson is STCC Champion for 2012
The 2012 Swedish Touring Car Championship has been hotly contested all year, with two teams, each racing two biomethane-powered VW Scirocco, helping to create a suspense filled finish. After race seven of an eight-race season Volkswagen Team Biogas (Team biogas.se) driver Johan Kristoffersson needed two wins from the final two races at Solvalla to take out the championship. Driver skill, teamwork, VW design and biomethane-generated power (280 Nm, 310 hp) triumphed on the day. Read more »
The CNG-powered Formula Racer sets new mileage and endurance record
Oklahoma State University’s OKstate Racing team set a new 24-hour mileage and endurance record at the Hallett Racing Circuit again this year with their compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Formula race car, completing 428 laps by Monday morning, or 100 more laps (180 miles – 290 kms) more than the record that was set last year.“Our improved tuning put more power to our suspension. We fought suspension failures all 24 hours, but we persevered. What a team!” said Jim Beckstrom, OKstate Racing team adviser, who is also thanking all those who supported the program this year. Read more »
The Volkswagen squad pocketed two podium finishes in the seventh Scandinavian Touring Car Championship race weekend. In the first race around the Knutstorp track it was Swede Patrik Olsson of IPS Team Biogas who took second place with his Scirocco CNG, also finishing fourth in Race 2. In the second race Jordi Gené (Spain) of Volkswagen Team Biogas mounted the podium for IPS Team Biogas thanks to his third place. Gené also achieved sixth place in Race 1. Read more »
VW Sciroccos racing at Mantorp Park
The Swedish Touring Car Championship held an event last weekend at the Mantorp Park circuit in Mjölby Municipality, Sweden. A victory and a fourth place by Johan Kristoffersson, driving a biomethane-powered VW Motorsport Scirocco for Team biogas.se sees him at the top of the championship ladder. After 4 of 8 events in 2012, Kristoffersson leads last year’s winner by 9 points. Read more »
Patrick Racing's LMPC entry vehicle for 2013
“Natural gas-powered cars … have a compelling story to tell, and we have the ability to tell that story at 200 mph.” Ralph Hansen, Pegasus Marketing
Embracing natural gas as a safe and abundant transportation fuel, the Patrick Racing Team has entered into an agreement with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), sanctioning body for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), to identify development and testing opportunities for the fuel system to power the Series’ Prototype Challenge class beginning in the 2013 season. Read more »
Biomethane-powered VW Scirocco at Knutstorp
After completion of the second round of the Swedish Touring Car Championship, at Knutstorp last weekend, the drivers of all four biomethane-powered VW Motorsport Sciroccos, two each for Team biogas.se and IPS Team Biogas, are placed in the top six on the championship table. In a tight battle with two conventionally-powered WTCC-specification Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T competitors the 2.0 litre turbocharged Super 2000 spec Volkswagen Scirocco teams believe they will continue to improve, looking forward to the forthcoming Malmö event to test out vehicle handling adjustments.
Kristoffersson pulling away at Mantorp Park, the first round of STCC 2012
The Swedish Touring Car Championship season is off to a flying start for two racing teams driving VW Sciroccos powered by biomethane, at Swedens Mantorp Park circuit last weekend. Team biogas.se is racing in its third season, joined this year by newcomers IP Team Biogas. Both teams are fielding two cars, both running with support from Volkswagen Sweden and energy company E.ON. Johan Kristoffersson from Team biogas.se won both opening races, leading from lap one to the finish, to claim the maximum 50 championship points for the event. Read more »
VW Scirocco - biomethane power on display
After its debut in the 2010 Scirocco R-Cup the 275 hp VW Scirocco GT 24 will again be fielded at the Race of Champions in 2011. The world’s best racers will meet with each other in the biomethane-powered coupé at the Düsseldorf Football Arena on 3 and 4 December. 2011 Formula One world champions Sebastian Vettel is back to do one better, have tasted defeat in 2010 at the hands of U.S. Motocross superstar Travis Pastrana. Pastrana took advantage of the Scirocco’s innovative push-to-pass button which delivers an additional 50 hp for a few seconds, to snatch victory. Read more »
Tommy Kristoffersson, Team Manager of Biogas.se holds the champions trophy for STCC 2011.
After an exciting final weekend at Mantorp Park, Sweden’s “greenest” racing team, racing biogas fuelled vehicles, can call themselves Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) champions. The celebration was only dampened by the fact that Fredrik Ekblom missed the gold in the individual competition after a much-debated incident in the final heat. “This win is proof of the project’s success,” said Kristoffersson as he lifted the heavy trophy, following an outstanding season of biomethane-powered performance at the top level of touring car motorsport. The project, involving E.ON, Volkswagen and Team biogas.se, commenced with the first race of the 2009 season. Read more »
Biomethane power outperforms competitors in the 2011 STCC.
With one race to go, driver Fredrik Ekblom of Team biogas.se holds the lead by a mere two points in the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC). Driving one of three VW Motorsport Scirocco GT24 powered by biomethane, Ekblom drove to a second and seventh place finish in the two heats at Ring Knutstorp in Skåne to secure his first-place position in the individual competition. Read more »
Ekblom at Falkenburg
The Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) is halfway through its racing calendar for 2011, having completed 10 races over 5 weekends.
TouringCarTimes has gathered statistics from this first half and, while the championship is a close fought contest, the numbers depict the powerful combination of biomethane fuel and VW Motorsport technology. The Scirocco GT 24 driven by Fredrik Ekblom has claimed the position of championship leader. Team Biogas.se is also on top of the ladder for the team championship. Read more »
The CNG-fuelled collegiate race car leaves the OSU workshop, headed for a world record.
Give engineering students a workshop to develop innovative vehicles and they are happy. Give them a race track to try out their creations and they are ecstatic. Give them natural gas for fuel and they become world record breakers. Oklahoma State University racing enthusiasts have set a record by running their natural gas-fueled formula race car 328 laps in a 24-hour period at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in Oklahoma. Hallett is a 1.8 mile, 10 turn road racing course between Tulsa and Stillwater. Read more »
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