This weekend, the fifth round of the World Cup of Motor Sport takes place on the Taupo circuit in New Zealand. Like its 21 rivals, A1 Team France will be using a biofuel made up of 30% ethanol, which reduces the emissions harmful to the environment by a significant amount. It is a First in the history of motor sport at such a level.

In fact, A1GP is the first worldwide championship to use bio ethanol. The Petrochem Carless Company in partnership with Zytek, the sport's engine supplier, has developed a special biofuel for A1GP called Hiperflo E30. Thanks to this mixture, A1GP will cut its cars' C02 emissions by 21% this season.

Tomorrow will be another action-packed day on the track. A1 Team France is still in second place overall in the championship thanks to Loïc Duval's harvest of podium finishes since the start of the season, but its main rival, New Zealand, has closed the gap to 1 point since the last round in China. Up front, Switzerland still has a comfortable 19-point lead. What's at stake for Loïc Duval and the whole team is to stay in front of their antipodean rival.

The 3.5-kilomatre long Taupo circuit owes its name to the volcano that towers over it. It is located in a magnificent environment and up till now has been a track on which passing has been very difficult. This year, the organisers have modified the profile of turn 10 to overcome this default. In the past, it was a fourth-gear corner taken at around 190 km/h and it has now been tightened to 90°. Most of the overtaking will happen in this section just in front of the main grandstand, meaning that 85% of the spectators will have a good view of the most spectacular passing attempts.

Loic Duval: "Our motivation is still as strong as ever. Our aim will be to prepare for the two races as meticulously as possible by making the best use of our running time during the free practice sessions, and not committing any mistakes. We've been on the pace so far all season, and only racing incidents have been responsible for our rare setbacks. We're attacking the Taupo challenge in an optimistic frame of mind. Our mission hasn't changed; we want a couple of podium finishes and if possible on the highest step!"