Brazilian Ethanol Producers at the Indy Grand Prix in Sonoma, California

SAO PAULO, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Brazil's largest organization representing its ethanol industry and the official fuel supplier for this Indy Racing League season will be represented at this weekend's Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, by its Institutional and Government Relations Executive, Leticia Phillips. In its fuel supply agreement with the IRL, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) stipulates that at least half the ethanol used in Indy races must be homegrown in the United States.

"We're proud to be the official fuel supplier, and we saw this as an opportunity to promote the fact that Brazil and the United States, as the top two ethanol producers in the world, are constantly working together to promote the use of this clean, renewable biofuel in more and more countries around the world, particularly throughout the Americas," said Phillips.

According to UNICA, the Indy Racing League, which has used ethanol for the past three seasons, offers a prime example of the type of performance that is possible with the use of higher octane ethanol. "Indy drivers often say the difference in performance is quite noticeable. And the fact that the cars use a blend of U.S. corn and Brazilian sugarcane ethanol has symbolic value for our efforts to promote the production and use of ethanol beyond Brazil and the United States," adds Phillips.

The state of California is implementing a first-of-its-kind low carbon fuel standard, which will affect all fuels sold in the state, and Brazil's sugarcane ethanol is expected to play a key role in its implementation. Cane ethanol has been assessed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as the liquid fuel with the lowest carbon intensity available today

UNICA's fuel supply agreement with Indy complements the association's existing global promotional project with Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian federal government's export promotion agency. The project is designed to promote Brazilian sugarcane ethanol around the world as a clean, renewable fuel. Apex- Brasil is also an official sponsor of the Indy Racing League.

ABOUT UNICA

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) represents the top producers of sugar and ethanol in the country's South-Central region, especially the state of Sao Paulo, which accounts for about 50% of the country's sugarcane harvest and 60% of total ethanol production. UNICA develops position papers, statistics and specific research in support of Brazil's sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity sectors. In 2008, Brazil produced an estimated 565 million metric tons of sugarcane, which yielded 31.3 million tons of sugar and 25.7 billion liters (6.8 billion gallons) of ethanol, making it the number one sugarcane grower and sugar producer in the world and the second-largest ethanol producer on the planet, behind the United States.

    FOR MORE INFORMATION:
    CDN Corporate Communications - Sao Paulo, Brazil
    Rosa Webster - (5511) 3643-2707 - rosa.webster@cdn.com.br
    Mariane dos Santos - (5511) 3643-2730 - mariane.santos@cdn.com.br

    On location at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California:
    Jaime Florez - (305) 510-1316

SOURCE Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA)