What is the MPG Marathon?
The oil refinery blockades that preceded the 2000 MPG Marathon were a clear sign to the government of the time that business could not tolerate such high prices. Nearly eight years later, there's a feeling of déjà vu and recent protests have brought the issue of fuel costs into sharp focus.
Apart from joining in the protests - or lobbying government for lower fuel taxation - there's little that the organisers of this year's MPG Marathon can do to affect the cost of fuel. However, the event sends a very clear message to car drivers - that smarter driving results in improved fuel consumption.
One element of the MPG Marathon is a challenge to improve on the published "combined cycle" fuel consumption figures for their cars. The winning car last year, a 230bhp Mazda3 MPS achieved 43.34mpg an improvement of 48.95% on the official figure of 29.1mpg.
Achievements of this level require considerable skill and concentration, but most drivers can expect to see an improvement of up to 15% by employing a few simple driving skills.
The other MPG Marathon competition is for the best outright fuel consumption. As much a competition of vehicle technology as driver skill, and favours lightweight superminis paired with lightweight drivers.
