E85Forum.com

imprezarsc · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 87

http://gt-labs.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=6#6

I figured I'd throw this idea out there and see what people thought. I'd like it to not be a cruise of 1 Laughing

. I was thinking of a multi-state cruise through the midwest, stopping at different ethanol stations along the way. Perhaps an ethanol powered "X-games" with a drag race or autocross would be fun too. I've never organized anything like this, but I have resources and friends that could help out. I think it's a good idea, but I just don't know if there's enough people out there to get something like this going.
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http://www.grantouringlabs.com My ethanol conversion and tuning site.

specialgreen · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 6:13 pm Post subject:

I've thought that someone official could declare a stretch of highway to be "US Route 85". It should be a nice cruise around the country that could be driven solely with E-85. Heck, if they can take time to vote for National Wash With Soap Day (just kidding), then this shouldn't be hard.

I'd love to do a "4-corners" tour on E-85 ethanol (Blaine, WA to Madawaska, ME to Key West to San Ysidro)... now that could make headlines. But that may have to wait a few years. In the mean-time, I'd settle for a group drive around the top half of this circle:

For example, start in Denver, with a press conference, photo-op and drag race demonstrating that E-85 beats gasoline (we'd need a sponsor to pay for an "E-85" racing-car paint job).
Then up across Nebraska and Minnesota (farm photo-op) to Minneapolis, through Wisconsin (distiller photo-op), Chicago to Detroit (photo-ops at the Big 3, as we present Stuffed Suits with our List of Demands: "FFV across the board!").
down through Toledo, Columbus, Louisville, to Nashville.
Then West through Missouri, Kansas City to Denver.

I could carry the "torch" from either Omaha to Minneapolis, or Minneapolis to Chicago Smile

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imprezarsc · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 87

I tried to type this last night, but dial-up was too damn frustrating. I can't search 4 different things at once like I can at work. Anyhoo. How's this for an itinerary? Think multiple 12 hour days driving.

1. Do the inital festivities in Denver, perhaps at Red Rocks. I'm not sure about any kind of race here. Bandi is pretty expensive to get a full day there to ourselves, especially on the weekends. Red Rocks is really close, free, and offers some beautiful "environmental" photo-ops Wink

. I'd prefer to concentrate on the drive rather than a race. I plan on being supercharged by then (still on E85) and don't want to fry my clutch before we go on a road trip.

2. Leave Denver and travel up I-80 to Lincoln, NE or Des Moines, Iowa. There's plenty of E85 stations along that route according to your map. I'd like it to be an "E85 only" kind of rally (risky wording. NOT A SPEED CONTEST!).

3. As far as getting to Detroit, I think it's possible, but there's a lot less E85 stations along the way. We risk not having an E85 only, drive. Showing Detroit what's up would be nice, but by 2007 they're going to offer flex fuel capability in most of their cars anyway. What would be more feasible, I think, would be to leg down at Gary, Indiana to Louisville, KY.

4. Out of Louisville, take HWY 64 east to I-70 Through St Louis and Kansas City and Back to Denver.

That'd be a nice solid week to week and a half of driving. If we loop down Through Indiana, that'll put us at Subaru's factory in Lafayette. They have a test track there that I'm willing to bet they'd open up to us. Having a few Subarus on board would lend credibility to opening the gates Wink

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Well? What do you think?
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http://www.grantouringlabs.com My ethanol conversion and tuning site.

specialgreen · Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:20 pm Post subject:

I was thinking of more of a circle tour, like the Olympic Torch tour, where each participant carries some kind of E-85-related token on a leg of the tour. Each participant could do as little or as much driving as they wanted. It would be good to work with one of the ethanol groups to coordinate press and publicity. It could take a while to plan and execute.

Revision · Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 194 Location: Carol Stream, IL

Looks like someone is going to beat you to the punch.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/03/03/212387.html