A1GP: Making history with biofuel

This weekend's A1GP race at Taupo is making motorsport history.

All 22 national teams competing in the event have taken to the track with biofuel in their tanks.

This makes A1GP the first truly global motorsport series to race on a 30 per cent biofuel mix.

A1GP's new fuel, an ethanol-based product called Hiperflo E30, is sourced from sugar beet in Europe and produced specifically for A1GP.

Developed in partnership with Zytek, the engine maker for the series, the fuel will reduce CO2 emissions by 21 per cent per car based on a wheel-to-wheel calculation. The introduction of E30 was delayed from the start of the season, making Taupo the first A1GP event powered by biofuel.

Other changes include reshaping of the last corners on the circuit to encourage more overtaking.

Last season, turn 10 on the Taupo circuit was a smooth, flowing, fourth gear corner taken at about 190km/h.

But work has been carried out to transform it into a sharp 90-degree left-hander, which will be taken much slower by the A1GP cars.

The change has been made in front of the main grandstand's seating for 8500 people, so the drivers are fighting for position in front of 85 per cent of the seated audience.

A1GP visited New Zealand for the first time in 2007, on what was essentially a brand new 3.5km track.