Toni Bou competes for the first time in the Aragonese round of the Spanish Endurance Championship, at the wheel of a car powered by AutoGas
Ten-time Trial World Champion Toni Bou has moved into the world of four wheels for a day. Bou wanted to celebrate his excellent season, two World Championships – Indoor and Outdoor – and two Spanish Championships – also in both categories – with a change of discipline. At the wheel of a Fiath 500 Abath powered by AutoGas, Bou took part in the Spanish Endurance Championship, held at the Motorland Aragon circuit.
The 500 kilometres of Alcañiz It is considered one of the toughest endurance tests in Spanish motorsport, due to its mileage and the low temperatures that the drivers have to suffer. Despite the difficulties and the fact that it was the first time that an AutoGas car competed in an endurance test in Spain, Bou and his team managed to finish the race after competing for four hours and completing 84 laps of the Aragonese track.
Repsol has made its debut in this event with the first racing car transformed in Spain to compete with AutoGas. Toni Bou, Jaime Hernández and Dani Solà drove a 205 horsepower Fiat 500 Abarth prepared by the Difisa dealership, the most important in Catalonia of the Italian manufacturer and Official Abarth Preparer in Spain.
AutoGas, a mixture of butane and propane, is an alternative fuel with many environmental and economic advantages over traditional fuels. Repsol has consolidated its use in Spain by supplying thousands of users through more than 70 supply points at service stations and more than 200 private AutoGas facilities.
AutoGas-powered cars are bi-fuel, as they use either AutoGas or gasoline as fuel. The appearance of the vehicle and its trunk are exactly the same as their gasoline counterparts.
With AutoGas, the driver achieves economic savings of around 20% in fuel consumption. In addition, the cars have a longer range, maintenance costs are reduced, they are more environmentally friendly and quiet.
Repsol has signed agreements and agreements with different municipalities and companies to promote the implementation of AutoGas in Spain. In Europe, there are 8 million vehicles powered by this alternative fuel. The company has promoted an ambitious plan to expand the supply points of this fuel, with the opening of about 100 per year from 2012.
For example, in the autonomous community where this endurance test has been held, Repsol recently inaugurated the first service station with AutoGas in Huesca, which has joined the other two already operating in Zaragoza. The company plans to open 6 new supply points for this fuel in the three provinces of Aragon in 2012. There are currently a hundred vehicles with AutoGas engines circulating in Aragon, belonging to companies, individuals and public administrations. By the end of 2012, 30 new AutoGas supply points will be opened in Catalonia.
In this test, other familiar faces from outside the world of four wheels have been seen. One of them was Marc Márquez’s Moto2 team principal, Emilio Alzamora, who participated in one of the Monlau Competencia cars with the support of Repsol.
Toni Bou: “For being the first experience with AutoGas, I make a very good assessment, because we have finished the race. This is what is important and it was our main objective. Many new things have been learned and for the future they can surely help to improve. I had a great time.
I have accumulated a lot of experience in different aspects, for example, I was the first rider of the team to go out on track. In addition, I learned new references and lines on a circuit that I did not know. I have to thank Repsol, because it has been a very positive day for me; Apart from having fun, I’ve learned a lot.”
Source: Repsol
