STCC Volvo’s goes Bio-Ethanol

The Volvo-team, Polestar Racing, will be first in the Swedish Touring Car Championship running their cars on the more environment friendly bio ethanol-fuel (E85) instead of regular petrol.
“The reconstruction of the engines and fuel tanks has gone quickly. We have already done three test days and totally driven four race distances,” team boss Christian Dahl said.

The STCC rules will be changed for the 2007 season, for the first time allowing bio ethanol. Previously no other types of fuel other than petrol or diesel were allowed. This change is the start of making bio-ethanol the main fuel of the STCC.

“The ambition is to over time making it the standard fuel of the championship,” Thomas Lindskog from STCC AB said.

Bio ethanol has most notably been used in the British Touring Car Championship where, among others, Colin Turkington in a MG ZS scored good results. Volvo team boss Dahl is excited over the new type of fuel.

“If we look at the performance we see no difference compared to the petrol engine. But the fuel consumption increases and the cars will be heavier with more fuel in them, but we hope that the STCC organisation will compensate us for that,” Dahl said.

Volvo will continue using the S60-model, but with a new paint scheme as seen in the picture. No drivers are yet confirmed for the coming season, but the team is aiming to re-sign both Robert Dahlgren and Alexander Storckenfeldt who drove for the team during the past season.