Shell race fuel phase-out

Shell is to phase out its race fuel, V-Power Racing, in an Australia-wide rollout that will run from July 21 to mid-August in Queensland, and culminate with a final shutdown of supplies in NSW, Victoria and the ACT by the end of the year.

V-Power Racing has been -- and still is, for the time being -- available from 46 Coles Express outlets across the eastern states.

Shell says V-Power Racing was originally introduced "to meet the requirements of Australian motorists" at a time when it was involved in "a combination of strong local and international research and development programs, and technical partnerships with market leaders such as Ferrari."

V-Power Racing uses a blend of five per cent ethanol and, essentially, was formulated to provide for the needs of racecar owners. Until the phase out, it will be the only 100-octane fuel available at service station pumps in Australia. The highest rating offered elsewhere is 98 octane -- the same as "regular" V-Power.

According to Shell, V-Power Racing has been phased out because of "a changing market," leaving 98-octane V-Power as its premium fuel.

Shell's press statement on its reasons for dumping V-Power Racing goes into no detail of what this actually means, but it can be assumed high prices are a significant factor, especially with V-Power Racing the most expensive product in Shell's range of fuels.

Already, 98 octane V-Power is usually tagged at around 10 cents a litre above regular unleaded. Customer loyalty may also be a factor in making it difficult for Shell to justify production of a 100 octane fuel. For whatever reason, not every racer chooses to go Shell, even if the highest octane rating of opposition products is only 98 -- meaning actual pump sales of V-Power Racing can be assumed to represent a relatively small percentage of overall volume.

Shell says 98 octane V-Power is available from Coles Express sites in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, NSW and the ACT, while it is also increasing the availability of its ethanol-blend E10 fuel across Australia.

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