Ireland goes green for 2008
The second season of the Fiesta SportingTrophy (FST) Ireland will launch on 3 February at the Galway Rally with a new title sponsor. Maxol, Ireland’s oldest and foremost independent oil company, will join forces with their long-term partners Ford Ireland to support the FST championship, which will run Maxol’s E85 Bioethanol as a control fuel in 2008.
In addition, the M-Sport promoted series will make some changes to the format and the team partners for 2008 that should help competitors to both reduce the cost of competing and make the championship even more closely fought.
M-Sport are delighted that Maxol will join FST to make a first step towards a greener future as the series converts to E85 Bioethanol as a control fuel. The ethanol produced by Maxol is sourced from milk and, therefore, derived from a renewable source (grass and cereals), as the cows that produce the milk are 90% grass fed with the balance made up of cereals. During cheese production all the proteins, fat and other components are all removed except for the lactose, which produces an alcohol solution when fermented, which is then distilled to produce ethanol. As well as giving a significant reduction in CO2 on the production / consumption cycle, the fuel also gives a useful performance increase to the cars, thereby enabling the FST drivers to improve on their already impressive stage times. Fuel will be supplied directly from Maxol service stations at around €0.94 per litre*, making this an economical saving.
The series will reduce from seven rounds to six, now all on Tarmac –the addition will be the Ulster Rally – offering Irish competitors the chance to compete on more classic events at an economical level. The format of the Irish rallies remains the same; all one day, 100 stages kilometres with a good geographical spread and rallies with a reputation for being great ‘drivers’ events.
The third major change for the 2008 season will be a switch to Pirelli as the supplier of the control tyre for the championship. Pirelli’s investment in Irish motorsport is undoubted and, with the FIA World Rally Championship moving to Pirelli as a single supplier, it was a logical decision for the FST series to follow suit. Pirelli will produce a control tyre for the FST series and the integration of this manufacturer to the series allows M-Sport to work on more initiatives to benefit competitors in the future as well as reducing overall costs for competitors.
The teams will be competing for prize money, with the winner of each event taking €750 down to €75 for 8th position. This means a total prize fund of nearly €18,000 for the championship.
The final change for 2008 is that for the first time the winner of the series will have a choice of prizes. The winner of the Maxol E85 FST Ireland series will choose between a new Ford Fiesta road car or, as an alternative, will have the chance to win a drive on the 2009 Rally Ireland in an M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta; a great opportunity for a driver to experience the WRC and see from behind the scenes how the M-Sport team operates.
One element that will not change for 2008 is the incredibly close level of competition between the competitors. Over the past two seasons the FST series has established itself as the place for young drivers to prove themselves. 2007 winner Alastair Fisher from Northern Ireland will continue in the championship in 2008 as will Elfyn Evans from Mid-Wales who was third in the FST UK series in 2007. Barry Greer, following in the footsteps of his brother and 2007 runner-up Jonny Greer, will return to FST Ireland for a second year.
Andrew Wheatley, Business Manager, M-Sport said:
“The support from Maxol, Ford Ireland, Pirelli and Motorsport Insurance has been fantastic in helping us move forward with the Irish series. The rallies are superb, the organisation is good and, if 2007 is anything to go by, the competition will be great.”
Alex Sinclair, Chief Executive, Motorsport Ireland said:
“This is Motorsport Ireland's first step in the direction of alternative fuels. In the context of the "greening" of motorsport, this is a very significant announcement and we congratulate Maxol, Ford of Ireland, and particularly M-Sport on this important initiative.”
3 February, Galway Rally
23 March, UAC Easter Rally
4 May, Killarney Rally of the Lakes
15 June, Donegal Rally
23 August, Ulster Rally
28 September, Cork ‘20’ Rally
* prices will fluctuate in line with market values