Brazilian Sugarcane Ethanol Makers Plan A Splashy Pitstop At Indy

Brazil’s sugarcane ethanol industry wants to make inroads in the U.S. fuel market, which means taking potential gallonage from corn-based ethanol.

In what has to be the ultimate in-your-face push yet, Brazilians will promote their product during the telecast of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 race this Sunday. This isn't just the premier racing event in the U.S. (sorry, NASCAR fans) but also an event held solidly in the Corn Belt.

Ironically, this reminds me of that old quip, “Indiana is a big corn field with a race track in the middle of it.” But plenty of cars on the Brickyard this weekend will be powered by sugar, not corn.

The ads, produced for the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), feature sequences of short phrases with facts about sugarcane ethanol delivered by Indy drivers, including Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ana Beatriz, Takuma Sato, Davey Hamilton and E.J. Viso.

Comments also come from the pole sitter for Sunday's race, Helio Castroneves, a 3-time Indy 500 winner.

Since last year, UNICA has provided 100% fuel-grade ethanol for the IndyCar Series.

"For the first time ever, we are taking our message about sugarcane ethanol to national network television during one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world," said Joel Velasco, UNICA's Chief Representative in North America. "These commercials seek to educate American consumers about sugarcane ethanol and how it can benefit their pockets, the environment and the market, by promoting competition on and off the track."

The ads were produced especially for this year's 99th edition of the Indy 500, the main event in the IndyCar season. The two 30-second spots will appear during the race telecast on Sunday, May 30, on the ABC television network. UNICA plans to continue running television ads throughout the season.

 - Owen Taylor