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2006 will see cars racing with a 10% ethanol fuel blend, but 2007 is set to see 100% ethanol-powered cars tearing around the track. The move has been strongly endorsed by ethanol producers in neighbouring Illinois who produce 775 million gallons of ethanol each year at a value of $US1.2 billion.
Illinois is the second largest producer of ethanol in the US after Iowa, with one in six of its rows of corn used in ethanol.
Spokesman for the Illinois-based Corn Growers Association Mark Lambert endorsed the move to make ethanol the official fuel of the Indianapolis 500.
"The racing industry is getting pounded on environmental issues. If you've ever been to the races, those methanol fumes can knock you out of your seat. It's the first conversion in fuel by racing officials in four decades," he said.
With 81 operational plants and 16 under construction, the ethanol industry is experiencing welcome growth in the US. As well as providing a cleaner fuel alternative, one of the major platforms of ethanol development is the belief it can add a viable long term economic benefit to hard-pressed farmers.
