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E10 Petrol Suitability Chart - BMW to Win Le Mans 24H

Confusion and consternation still reign over the Le Mans 24H race organiser's decision to insist on the use of E10 (10% ethanol) fuel for next weekend's race.

The two practice sessions held in recent weeks would have been an excellent opportunity for the ACO (Automoblie Club de l'Ouest, who run Le Mans) to allow teams to test and evaluate the new fuel, but it seems that the pit lane refuelling rigs were still being converted for the new fuel.

The fact that the circuit have felt it necessary to update the refuelling gantries ahead of the race might tell us something about the effect they expect the fuel to have on their fuelling equipment.

The main concerns over the use of the fuel relate to its effect on combustion in an engine and its effect on the rubber and plastic components in the fuel system. Ethanol contains more oxygen molecules than normal petrol, which may affect the fuel/air ratio, and as a solvent it may attack rubber or plastic fuel lines and fuel seals which are not designed for use with an E10 fuel mix.

While hunting the internet for information, I stumbled across this page from the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. It includes this chart showing which motorcycles are suitable for using E10 fuel:

Chart from the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries

So there you have it. BMW, Buell, Harley Davidson and Polaris are all fine, but Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha are not suitable for E10 use. No mention of Morini, but Piaggio are out as well.

Congratulations, then, to BMW on their victory in the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hour race!

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Estoril MotoGP – First Timed Sessions

The first timed sessions of the Estoril MotoGP round have taken place today.

Dani Pedrosa took the honours in MotoGP Free Practice 2 (qualifying is tomorrow) with a time of 1:38.507 putting him four hundredths ahead of second placed Valentino Rossi (1:38.547) and third placed Colin Edwards (1:38.755). Stoner was 7th with a time of 1:39.202, while Toseland spent his time learning the circuit; a best time of 1:40.055 leaving him in 13th place.

Bautista (1:43.687) was fastest in 250 Free Practice, ahead of Kallio (1:44.158) and Aoyama (1:44.263). In 125s, Di Meglio (1:47.990) was quickest, ahead of Terol (1:48.357) and Ranseder (1:48.369). Britain's Bradley Smith (1:50.169) was a disappointing 22nd, behind Danny Webb (1:49.978) in 21st place and Scott Redding (1:49.746) in 19th.

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