As guest competitor in the OMV CNG Rally TeamThe OMV CNG (compressed natural gas) Team will compete with two cars at the OMV Rally Waldviertel, the finale of the Austrian National Championship (November 9 to 10, 2007).
World Rally Championship driver Stohl had been
close to competing in the Judenburg Rally as a stand-in, but thanks to the fast recovery of Beppo Harrach, he naturally yielded his place to the CNG regular driver. However, the hunger of OMV rally team driver Stohl for a competitive challenge had been awakened.
It shall be satisfied with his participation in the 'home rally,' the OMV Rally Waldviertel from November 9 to 10, 2007.
Both Manfred Stohl (with co-driver Ilka Minor) and Beppo Harrach (with co-driver Andreas Schindlbacher) will compete for the OMV CNG Team. Manfred will be driving the CNG Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, while Beppo will be at the wheel of the CNG Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
Stohl could not miss out on this occasion: "I started to feel the urge as I inspected the course in Judenburg, and I said to myself: 'it is about time to try out the car that was developed by your own company.' After all, I should know what I'm talking about, and it is obvious that testing is no substitution for a racing competition.
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Since his schedule hadn't allowed for Manfred Stohl to take part in the OMV Rally Waldviertel last year, he is all the more looking forward to competing this time - especially since organiser Helmut Schöpf has changed several sections of the course and the gravel percentage currently lies at about 92 percent.
"Gravel surely is to my advantage," Manfred said. "And the CNG Mitsubishis, both the Evo VI and the Evo IX, are working perfectly. Last year Beppo finished fifth in the VI at the OMV Rally Waldviertel. And in Judenburg he steered the IX, as first natural gas car ever, onto the podium. Reason enough to be very confident for this year's OMV Rally. And the assignment of two cars obviously maximises the chances for a further podium place."
Currently all CO2 emissions for the 2007 season concerning the OMV CNG Rally Team are being calculated and reduced as much as possible in collaboration with 'The CarbonNeutral Company.' The remaining emissions will be neutralised by offset-projects which save the respective levels of CO2. Therefore the OMV CNG Team is Austria's first CarbonNeutral Rally Team.
European transport policy has set itself the goal to reach a quota of 10 percent of natural gas-cars in the fuel market by 2020. In Austria alone the quota of natural gas-driven cars should increase to 50,000 by 2010.
The specific advantage of natural gas is its clean combustion. It burns up residue-free and causes considerably less CO2 than other fuels. Natural gas furthermore reduces pollutant emissions and generates practically no fine particulate matter.
Natural gas and biogas as fuel can therefore contribute considerably to reducing greenhouse gases, nitric oxide and fine particulate matter-emissions, thereby serving air pollution control.
Source OMV
