Race cars in the Land Down Under will be running on 85 percent ethanol next year.

V8 SupercarsAustralian media sources report that V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane announced on Sunday that all cars in the main V8 series and the Fujitsu Development Series will run on E85 made from sugar cane for at least five years starting in 2009.

“We want to be a leader in the area of emissions and renewable resources - we don’t want to be a follower,” Cochrane said. “Our job is educational. We want to show if we can run it in our cars, maybe it’s a consideration for the average motorist.”