Does pure ethanol produce more horsepower than Gasoline in IRL?

Question

I tried finding specs on both racing fuels, some say that it is 5% more horsepower that gasoline and others say that honda in IRL had to increase engine size from .5 of a Liter to get the same horsepower as gasoline. I am confused...

Answer 1

Pure physics. Ethanol contains less energy than gasoline. So, why do they use it? In case of a fire, it can be put out with water. It has a peculiar property that the vapor pressure is lower and when it evaporates, it cools the incoming air charge more than gasoline so more air is drawn in with the charge. That's the largest advantage. It also keeps the valves cooler.

Now why are the cars so fast if there is less energy to push them? That's another thing. Ethanol works best at higher revolutions. The engines rum between 9,500 and 10,500 RPM which is about the best you can do with it.

As a comparison, Formula 1 engines run on gasoline, but are running up to 19,000 RPM. The power bands on the engines are completely different due to the fact that the IRL engine maintains an almost steady power output. Formula 1 engines are constantly changing in RPM.