CLEAN GREEN SEX MACHINE
D1 LE MANS RACER WOWS CROWDS AT EDEN'S SEXY GREEN CAR SHOW
The world's cleanest racing car has been hailed as one of the stars of the Sexy Green Car Show, which is running from now until April 15th at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
D1 Oils plc, a leading UK biodiesel producer, has been responsible for both sponsoring and helping develop the 210MPH biodiesel-fuelled D1 Lola B2K Le Mans contender, which is attracting huge visitor interest at this unique motoring expo.
The striking yellow and blue sports racer is the first exhibit to greet visitors to the show and it has captured the imagination of public, media and trade visitor alike. There are many good reasons for this, as D1's Chief Executive Officer, Elliott Mannis explains:
"The D1 Lola is truly a ground-breaking race car," he says. "The five-litre, ten cylinder machine has been designed to run at the Le Mans 24 Hour race using biodiesel, which we refine from the jatropha plant which grows in developing countries. The technology involved is leading us towards an ultra-low carbon footprint racer and this makes the whole project unique in top-level motorsport.The programme will demonstrate the performance, fuel efficiency and emissions produced by different biodiesel blends under the most intense conditions possible, on the race track.
"Reaction to the car has been very positive from the outset and it demonstrates that green motoring has as much of a place in the glamorous world of international motor racing, as it does for the everyday motorist."
The opening of the Sexy Green Car Show also coincided with the unveiling of the Eden Project's latest plantation plot inside the Rainforest Biome, which showcases jatropha - a non-food, oilseed bearing tree - and its advantages as a source of biofuel.
"D1 is delighted to have linked up with the Eden Project for both the expo and the new Jatropha demonstration plot," continues Mannis. "It will help raise public awareness of the potential of jatropha, which is a fuel source that can be grown on non-arable land. This means that it won't usurp the land needed for valuable food crops, will create new jobs in developing countries and will help prevent further destruction of rainforest."
The D1 Lola programme for the remainder of 2007 will combine ongoing development of the car with appearances at a number of key public and trade events. It is anticipated that the car will compete in a Le Mans Series event in America towards the end of the year as part of its run-up to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2008, when D1 expects to refine biodiesel from its first full crops of jatropha.
