Domestic Fuel

The IndyCar Series is in full swing and only a week ago, the Team Ethanol IndyCar was back on track at the Iowa Indy Corn 250. But there is plenty more to look forward to this season. SweeterAlternative.com has announced a contest that will send one lucky winner and a guest to the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on August 20-22, 2010. For those of you not familiar with California, Sonoma is one of the country’s most famous places for wine.

The contest is supported by the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), and this year sugarcane ethanol fuels the majority of the IZOD IndyCar races in the U.S.

“The contest will raise awareness about the benefits of sugarcane ethanol, a clean renewable fuel that could help Americans save money at the pump and cut dependence on Middle East oil,” said Joel Velasco, Chief Representative of UNICA. “Unfortunately, the fuel is practically unavailable in the U.S. due to a 54-cent per gallon tariff which is set to expire at the end of this year. We hope this sweet deal will broaden awareness about the benefits of sugarcane ethanol and motivate Americans to demand greater choice at the pump,” he added.

The winner will receive roundtrip airfare, hotel for three nights, and VIP seating at the race as well as a embark on a five-hour guided tour through the area’s scenic regions, engaging in some wine tasting along the way. For a chance to win, go to www.SweeterAlternative.com/Sonoma. You must be a legal resident of the U.S. and 21 years of age to enter.

Indy car drivers from several countries extolled the virtues of sugarcane ethanol from Brazil in ads that aired during the telecast of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

The parade of Indy spokesdrivers in two 30-second Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) television ads that debuted on Sunday include Ryan Hunter-Reay, who briefly served as spokesman for the U.S. ethanol industry and drove the #17 Team Ethanol car to victory for the first time in 2008. Takuma Sato of Japan, Davey Hamilton of the U.S., E.J. Viso of Venezuela, join Brazilians Ana Beatriz, Vitor Meira and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves in proudly proclaiming “I compete with sugarcane ethanol.” Castroneves, who was the 2007 Dancing with the Stars winner, even croons a sweet tune to sugarcane ethanol. “Fast and Sweet and Clean and Lovely, the fuel from sugarcane goes racing,” he sings to the tune of “The Girl from Ipenema,” then says he can dance but he can’t sing. The winner of Sunday’s race, Dario Franchitti of Scotland, was not featured in the spots.

“For the first time ever, we are taking our message about sugarcane ethanol to national network television during one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world,” said Joel Velasco, UNICA’s Chief Representative in North America. “These commercials seek to educate American consumers about sugarcane ethanol and how it can benefit their pockets, the environment and the market, by promoting competition on and off the track.”

The ads are well done and definitely worth watching – see them here on UNICA’s sweeteralternative.com website.