Go Green Auto Rally Takes the Sting Out of Rising Gas Prices

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MIAMI, FL - March 15, 2011: - 13.4% of a family’s income is spent on gas in Mississippi - 7.7% in California, and an equally uncomfortable 8.17% is spent by consumers on their commutes in Florida according to a recent CNNMoney.com poll. As gasoline prices approach $4 per gallon - Americans are spending more and more of their incomes on fuel. Families and fleet operators alike are searching for ways to lessen the blow of rising gas prices as recent turmoil in the Middle East and last week’s earthquake in Japan fuel concerns over the high cost of vehicle operation.

From individual drivers to large organizations and governmental agencies with many vehicles on the road, drivers face myriad challenges this year in getting the most bang for their buck. To relieve the crushing cost of fuel in the US - a small startup has combined big corporate support with a seemingly unlikely partner - auto racing - to teach drivers how to be more efficient behind the wheel in free events in major markets around the country - saving drivers up to 25% in fuel costs.

Go Green Auto Rally (GGAR) is a free program that teaches drivers to be more efficient behind the wheel of their current vehicles - no matter what they drive. The hands-on driving program is taught at events in the US and Europe by professional racing drivers in partnership with the American Le Mans Series and tire manufacturer Pirelli. GGAR markets the free program to consumers and fleet operators with excellent results. Drivers regularly post fuel economy savings up to 25% after attending the 1-2 hour programs, and are able to reduce their carbon footprint and increase safety as well. The Green Driving’ principles taught by GGAR help increase a driver’s situational awareness and the program trains drivers to anticipate potential obstacles and behavior that may lead to aggressive maneuvering. GGAR’s proprietary smartphone application is used in concert with the classroom and in-car training and can be utilized in any driving situation.

GGAR brought its innovative Green Driving program to Miami, Florida last weekend during the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week presented by EFG Bank. The company kicked-off the Miami Rally with Green Driving instruction to teams from the City of Miami, the US Navy and Air Force, the City of Miami Police and Fire Departments as well as students from the University of Miami and Miami-Dade College.

“The Go Green Auto Rally program produces fun, friendly and competitive events for drivers to discover that no matter what they drive, they can have a positive impact on our environment,” said Tim Mayer, Chief Steward of Go Green Auto Rally. “Participants in our program are taught how to reduce their C02 emissions, lower their fuel consumption, save money and drive safe in their own vehicles with driving instruction and our smartphone app. The GGAR program provides proven fuel cost savings from 8-25%, increased safety behind the wheel, and more environmentally sustainable driving through decreased Co2 generation and less use of fossil fuels.”

Participants drove a pre-mapped, 11 mile route through the City of Miami to set a baseline reading for GGAR’s smartphone app. The app recorded each driver’s telemetry and driving attitude based on their behavior behind the wheel. After returning to Rally HQ, drivers were then briefed on Green Driving practices by GGAR instructors - including special celebrity driving hosts Allan McNish and Gunnar Jeannette of theAmerican Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón- and were asked to re-drive the same route, this time armed with Green Driving principles they learned. The results were extraordinary - and are representative of the dramatic results drivers can expect from participation in GGAR’s ground-breaking program.

“A big part of Green Driving is awareness,” said Allan McNish, American Le Mans champion driver and celebrity co-host of the GGAR Miami Sailing Week event. “On the racing circuit we have to be more efficient and off the circuit, in your everyday life, you have to be more efficient as well. We can bring that across to people in a different way with Go Green Auto Rally.”

McNish and Jeannette spoke to drivers about the importance of Green Driving and illustrated how driving Green is not about driving slow - it is about situational awareness and efficiency. “Green Speed” was on everyone’s minds as McNish held court in front of the backdrop of his Le Mans winning Audi R8 race car - on site to help promote next weeks 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida (10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19.)

“I was very happy to see that we discovered very clean-running, very efficient drivers at the Miami GGAR event,” said Jean Paul Libert, co-founder and CEO of Go Green Auto Rally. “The performance of the American muscle cars and light trucks was remarkable and showed that the each driver can make a difference with any type of vehicle. We had a large variety of cars and drivers for a great sampling of what Floridians are driving, and the data collected this weekend will serve all of our partner agencies such as the US Navy, US Air Force, City of Miami and the University of Miami as well as Miami-Dade College.”

“We rewarded efficient drivers who improved their emissions significantly,” added GGAR c0-founder Jason Altzman. “By and large, our participants were not driving a new generation of green cars - they were driving the domestic and foreign cars and trucks you and I see every day. So you can imagine that if you put those drivers behind the wheels of a new generation of cars it is possible that the efficiency gain would be even more outstanding as would their fuel consumption and emissions!”

Participants such as the City of Miami have identified GGAR as a responsible way for the City to save money, increase their driver’s safety and raise sustainability levels. Known in the City of Miami as the "Green Commissioner," District 2 Commissioner Marc Sarnoff set the tone at the top for the City at the Rally and has an unprecedented record of park and greenspace creation in the city. An avid cyclist, he champions alternative transportation and sees GGAR as a way to incentivize Floridians to drive green and conserve energy.

"As the Go Green Rally shows us, even small changes in how we drive can make a big and positive impact on the environment. I'm proud to have played host to the Rally, and its sponsors, and hope that they come back to the City of Miami again."

Organizations such as the US Navy came prepared to learn - and will take the program back with them to teach to their recruiting structure. "Go Green Auto Rally will improve the environment and our community at the same time," said Chief Petty Officer Gabe Puello, public affairs officer of NRD Miami. "It exemplifies our ongoing commitment to provide a healthier and safer place to live, work and play. We have 43 stations with 3-4 vehicles per station in our recruiting command and the Green Driving skills we learned today will be shared with all of our recruiters."

The top three finishers overall drove some of Detroit’s most powerful V8 vehicles - two Dodge Ram pickup trucks and a Ford Mustang GT convertible. Teams pre-registered for the event - with vehicles as diverse as full-size SUVs to economical city cars.

GGAR Challenge winner William Withers brought his 2001 Dodge Ram truck to the event, hoping the learn ways to save on his fuel bill. “I’m glad the Rally wasn’t solely focused on participants driving “green’ cars,” Withers said. “It gives everyone the chance to do right by the environment. It’s nice to know I can also contribute to being environmentally responsible - even if I drive a pickup.”

Withers won the grand prize and the “Beat the Pros” competition, besting ALMS drivers McNish and Jeannette’s course scores - winning a full set of Pirelli tires courtesy of Pirelli Tire North America and an iPad for his efforts. The top three finishers from each sub-group (Police Challenge, Fire Fighter Challenge, University Challenge and Women’s Cup also won iPads, iPods, fuel cards and tickets to the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida next week.

Competitor Jason Schneider saw the event as a win-win for the City and himself. “(GGAR) was a great eye opening experience into how much money you can save and still be environmentally sustainable” he said.

GGAR has been named as an Award finalist by the internationally-known 2011 Edison Best New Product Awards. Go Green Auto Rally by Dojupa is a finalist in the In-Car Driving Aids category, one of twelve categories honored by the Edison Awards.

Go Green Auto Rally (GGAR) teaches drivers to reduce their carbon footprint, save money through less fuel consumption and to increase their safety behind the wheel of their own vehicles - no matter what they drive.

To learn more about the GGAR smartphone app and to attend a Go Green Auto Rally in your area - please visit GGAR online at www.gogreenautorally.com, call 1-866-GO-GREEN (1-866.414.6473) or check us out on twitter and facebook.