Supercar champion Mark Winterbottom to drive Australian biofuels campaign

V8 Supercar champion and Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Winterbottom is the face of a new advertising campaign encouraging motorists to increase their use of biofuels in Queensland, Australia.

Minister for Energy and Biofuels Mark Bailey joined Winterbottom to launch the state’s Palaszczuk Government’s new E10 OK biofuels education campaign at the RNA showgrounds on Monday.

Bailey said the E10 OK campaign would highlight the benefits of using ethanol-blended petrol and biodiesel and provided an easy way to assist motorists to understand their vehicle’s compatibility with E10 without leaving their lounge chair via their smart phone.

“The biofuels campaign will focus on the benefits of the transition to this cleaner-burning fuel. It encourages motorists to take a fresh look at E10’s high quality, more modern car technology, and highlights that E10 use helps to advance Queensland’s economy,” Bailey said.

By supporting the use of biofuels, the state government seeks to “have an opportunity to drive jobs growth” in regional Queensland and add value to the state’s agricultural resources.

“From January 2017, liable fuel sellers from across the state will be required to sell a minimum amount of ethanol-blended petrol and bio-based diesel, which will give motorists more access to cleaner sources of fuel, while maintaining choice at the bowser,” explained Bailey.

The campaign’s interactive E10 OK website has a vehicle E10 compatibility checker, which allows motorists to search by their vehicle’s registration or make and model to check if it’s E10 compatible.

This online functionality makes it easier for consumers to determine whether they can use ethanol-blended fuels right away.

‘Follow the motor racing lead’

Winterbottom said ethanol blends are the fuel of choice for the motor racing industry.

“E10 is a fuel source which incorporates locally-produced ethanol into petrol, bringing to the bowser a cleaner-burning fuel, and bringing with it a new fuel production industry,” Winterbottom said.

V8 Supercars are fuelled with E85 and the fuel is popular with drivers and pit crew due to the reduction in fumes in pit lane and on the race track.

“Ethanol blended fuels have become standard in the motor racing industry and should become standard for every day motorists too. Many of today’s cars are not just compatible with an E10 blended fuel but are built to run on it.

“I encourage Queensland motorists to follow the motor racing industry’s lead and become E10 OK, by making E10 your preferred vehicle fuel,” Winterbottom said.

‘High tech industry’

The biofuels mandate is one way Queensland is transitioning to a clean energy economy, by attracting investment to the state’s biofuels and bio-manufacturing industry and creating jobs.

“Queensland already has two operating ethanol plants – the Dalby Bio-Ethanol refinery and the Sarina Distillery, with a combined annual production capacity of approximately 140 megalitres of ethanol. Queensland also has a biodiesel refinery at Narangba that produces up to 30 megalitres per year,” Bailey said.

According to Bailey, the state’s biofuels industry is “high tech” and will “encourage innovation, diversify economy, protect agriculture, and support knowledge-based jobs” in a sustainable way.

The E10 OK campaign will involve television, radio, press, digital, outdoor, and cinema advertising over the next twelve months.