Rally (driving) against climate change
Jani Paasonen expects to compete in natural gas-powered car in next year's Finnish championships
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By Arno Seiro
The Mitsubishi rally car of the N group scrapes the edge of the road and lunges forcefully to the straight road that opens up.
The ride continues over two hills and a couple of hair-raising curves, and then we are at the finish line. The experience is better than anything one could get on the best rides at Linnanmäki amusement park.
What makes it interesting is that the fuel that powers the car is natural gas. Let's take the helmet off and let the driver explain.
"The idea that people have about natural gas is that it is used in slow public transport vehicles. But these cars will go as fast as those using petrol", says Manfred Stohl. The Austrian driver is a familiar name for rally fans. He drove on the World Championship circuit for 17 years.
Now his heart burns with the desire to do something environmentally positive for rally driving.
Stohl has developed a natural gas-fired car into a vehicle that is well suited for the Austrian rally series.
The car has won three general rally races, and Stohl has served as an inspiration to Finnish driver Jani Paasonen on the matter.
"This is the future of rally racing. Rally driving cannot be stopped. In the future, the sport can serve as a testing ground for regular cars. For my part, I want to make it so that an ordinary driver can have faith in natural gas-powered cars", Paasonen says.
Paasonen drove on the World Championship circuit of rally racing in 2005. Now he is at it again, but with a new set of priorities.
"I have experienced nearly everything in rally driving - even driving a factory car on the world championship circuit. I don't have to compete against Sebastien Loeb any more. Now I want to take a new step in the sport", Paasonen says.
He is confident that it will be possible to make an historic appearance in the Finnish Championship rally next year.
"The car has to be classified in the Finnish series, but that is quite normal, and applies to every new rally car", Paasonen says.
"I believe that a natural gas car will be used for the world championship series in the N group two year from now."
Stohl is not worried about the fire safety aspects of a natural gas-fired rally car.
"We set a car on fire in Austria, and the gas did not explode. The safety valve takes care of that. It lets the gas out in a controlled manner, and it burns in a controlled manner as well.
Jussi Vainikka, head of sales at the natural gas company Gasum, sees natural gas as a viable alternative to other fuels.
But doesn't burning natural gas mean that carbon that is thousands of years old is taken from inside the earth and let into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide?
"Yes, it is a fossil fuel. But the carbon dioxide emissions of natural gas-powered cars are 25 per cent lower than petrol-burning cars, and particle emissions are practically zero. Usually the emissions of nitrogen oxides are lower than with a diesel engine", Vainikka says.
"If we use bio-gas, for instance that which is recovered at a landfill, then the carbon dioxide emissions can be calculated at zero", he ads.
In addition to its environmental friendliness, a natural gas-powered car has the advantage of low running costs.
Fuel costs are just over half of that of a petrol car. Cars operating on natural gas are available from at least Fiat, Mercedes, Opel, and Volkswagen. Mitsubishi will have a family car available in a year.
There are eight filing stations for natural gas in Finland, three of which are in the Helsinki region.
"The number of gas stations will increase, and so will the number of users. I believe that natural gas cars can exceed ten per cent in cities", Vainikka says.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 22.2.2008
ARNO SEIRO / Helsingin Sanomat
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| 26.2.2008 - THIS WEEK |
 Rally (driving) against climate change |
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