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Drayson Racing and Extreme Speed Score First Wins With E85

It was day of firsts in the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge at the Utah Grand Prix.  Finishing as overall runner-up in the race and scoring its first American Le Mans Series MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge victory was U.K.-based Drayson Racing. The win is the first prototype win for Cellulosic E85 fuel, chassis maker Lola, engine maker Judd. Drayson is also the first team to score MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge wins in both the Asian Le Mans Series and the American Le Mans Series.

“Winning the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge is one of our major objectives. To win our second, our first in ALMS, is a real delight and real achievement,” said Paul Drayson, driver/owner, of Drayson Racing. “I want to thank Michelin for their wonderful tyres and the Green X Challenge. We hope to return to accept this important award several more times this season.” 

Drayson was not the only team to produce a round of firsts here at the two hour, 45-minute race at the Miller Motorsports Park.  Scoring their first MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge GT category victory and the first for Ferrari was the number 02 Extreme Speed Ferrari driven by Ed Brown and Guy Cosmo, which also ran on Cellulosic E85 for the first time this race.

“Winning the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge in just the fourth race for our team was a pleasant surprise,” said co-driver Guy Cosmo. “The MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge is a great program, and it is a tremendous honor for Ed Brown and I, and for our entire Extreme Speed Motorsports team to receive it for this race.”

Designed to accelerate the development path to market for innovative technologies, fuels, and energy sources through motorsports competition, the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge has become the premier environmental award in motorsports competition worldwide by recognizing cars that go farthest, fastest, with the smallest environmental impact. Two awards, one for Prototypes and one for GT are presented at each ALMS event.

“We congratulate our newest winners in the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge, and Drayson Racing for becoming the first team to win awards in both the Asian and American Le Man Series,” said Silvia Mammone, manager motorsports, Michelin North America. 

“We have now had eight different cars from seven different teams and six different manufacturers win the eight MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge awards presented in the first four races of 2010,” said Mammone.  “We can’t wait to see what happens next.”

ABOUT THE MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE

The American Le Mans Series is the only series currently recognized as “Green Racing” by the U. S. Department of Energy; Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International.

All five energy sources identified as part of the United States government energy policy (E10 ethanol blended gasoline, E85R gasoline blended ethanol, GTL (natural gas to liquid) biodiesel, E10-electric hybrid power and Iso-butanol gasoline) have been used in ALMS competition.

The MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge trophies are presented to the respective Prototype and GT winners. The bases for the unique MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge trophies are made of rubber recycled from MICHELIN® GREEN X® labeled consumer tires.

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