This year’s Art Car will be a bio-diesel Vauxhall Astra driven by the environmentally aware Graham brothers, driver Steve behind the wheel with brother Tony as co-driver. Built by Triple Eight, Vauxhall’s technical partner in UK motorsport, the vehicle’s involvement in the Art Car project is a symbol of the efforts being made to educate our future generations of their obligation to preserve the planet.

Commenting on his decision to run a bio-diesel car, Steve Graham said: “We were drawn to bio-diesel because of its increased usage in motorsport, particularly with the recent Le Mans 24-Hour race being won by cars using this fuel, but primarily because we wanted to put a green slant on our Wales Rally challenge this year and our 2008 campaign.”

In time, the Graham brothers hope to offset all of the carbon emissions of their rally team, aiming for a carbon footprint of zero.

“The Art Car initiative is great,” Steve Graham continued. “Rallying is undoubtedly one of the most exciting sports in the UK and to keep it thriving it is vital that children are given as much help and encouragement as they need to get involved.”

Commenting on Art Car 2007’s introduction of the bio-diesel car, Andrew Coe, chief executive of International Motor Sport (IMS), organisers of Wales Rally GB, stated: “The environment is, rightly, moving up the political agenda and motorsport must embrace a greener future – after all, motorsport has always been about change and pushing technological boundaries. The increasing use of bio-fuels is a symbol of this and we are delighted to be able to lend our support to initiatives like this with the Art Car project.”

Wales Rally GB’s Art Car is a deliberate drive to inspire and encourage designers of the future, whether their future lies in motor sport or another British industry. Last year’s Art Car, the launch of the initiative, was valued so greatly by teachers that some schools even incorporated the project into their student’s GSCE coursework.

The competition starts today, with each school submitting their winning entry by 22 October for a chance for their student to take home the prize. If you would like to enter your school, contact Wales Rally GB Art Car Competition at artcar@provapr.co.uk to request your ‘Art Car Design Pack,’ or to find out more about Wales Rally GB itself, visit www.walesrallygb.com. 

Ends. For more information or photography, please contact Carina Hill, St John White or Richard Postins at Prova on 01926 776900.

Notes for Journalists:

This year's Wales Rally GB will be the 75th Anniversary of the event.

Since its inception in 1932 the rally has been run 62 times; this year’s event will be the 63rd edition. Enforced stoppages have included World War 2, Suez Crisis (1957) and Foot and Mouth (1967).

No “Overall Classification” was produced until 1953 when the event finished in Hastings and was won by Yorkshire husband-and-wife Team Ian and Pat Appleyard in a Jaguar XK120.

Wales Rally GB is the British and final round of the 16-round FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). It is one of only six events that have retained their unbroken World Championship status since the WRC was established in 1973.

Cardiff first hosted the event in 2000 and the Welsh Assembly Government has supported the event since 2003.

WRGB is the sixth and final round of the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship and the final round of the FIA Production World Rally Championship.

Wales Rally GB is held annually and is the UK’s biggest motor sport event. It is organised and promoted by International Motor Sports Ltd (IMS), the commercial arm of the Berkshire-based Motor Sports Association (MSA), the governing body for all UK motor sport.