Biofuel greases the way to L.A.

Today, Nik Bristow and Brian Pierce, two biofuel enthusiasts from Atlanta, will begin a continuous 36-hour drive from New York to Los Angeles. Along the way, they say, they won’t stop to refuel their Volkswagen, to eat, to do, ahem, anything except switch drivers.

Their plan is to motor straight through, with the help of about 15 five-gallon jerry cans of biodiesel stored in the back of the car, and some special paraphernalia that will eliminate the need for comfort stations.

“We’re not wearing astronaut diapers,” Pierce explains. “We’re using condom catheters, so we will be …”

Bristow finishes the sentence: “… free to pee in our pants.”

The transcontinental jaunt is inspired by (and follows the path of) “Cannonball Run,” a 1981 Burt Reynolds chestnut filmed mostly in Georgia that involved colorful racecar drivers outrunning a number of police officers.

This road trip, however, will remain within the letter of the law and is being made to demonstrate the value of biodiesel as an alternative fuel —- a value that may be rising daily as gasoline gets both more costly and scarce.

Bristow, 27, and Pierce, 36, are both copywriters at the Atlanta-based Fitzgerald and Co. ad agency. They are calling their outing the “Willie Run,” because Bristow’s Volkswagen Jetta TDI —- featuring a turbo-charged diesel engine —- will be powered by BioWillie, a modified vegetable oil and diesel fuel mixture produced by music icon Willie Nelson.

They spoke with the AJC about the adventure recently, after a shakedown cruise to Nashville.

About how much fuel they’re bringing:

“We’ve padded it slightly,” says Bristow. “It would be embarrassing to run out of fuel just east of LA, so we will bring 85 gallons total. But I think we can do it with 75 or less.”

About how much that extra fuel weighs:

About 440 pounds. “It’s the equivalent of two big dudes sitting in the back seat riding with us,” said Bristow.

About refueling inflight:

“We don’t want to get too into our proprietary technology,” says Bristow, “but it’s called a Funnel Box, and Brian invented it.”

Says Pierce: “There’s a box and then there’s a funnel in the box.” Happily, the Jetta TDI happens to have access to the fuel tank from the back seat as a standard feature.

About the danger of driving with a passenger compartment full of fuel —- any chance of turning into a rolling bomb?:

“I had to answer that question for my mother about 10 times,” said Bristow, adding that the chances of becoming a pyrotechnic display “are zero.” “The flash point at which biodiesel will ignite is 260 degrees. You can put cigarettes out in it until it’s 260 degrees.”

On communicating with Willie Nelson:

“We’ve had several e-mails from him,” said Bristow, “always all caps, and he ends every one with ‘Rock On.’ He’s an old rocker.”

ONLINE: Find out more about the Willie Run at www.willierun.com.