OREANDA-NEWS. August 15, 2012. Pertamina Dex, Pertamina's world-class national-pride fuel, has been chosen as the fuel for Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI's 23,000-km expedition from Melbourne to St. Petersburg, reported the press-centre of Pertamina.

The expedition is carried out by the experienced offroader, Reiner Zietlow, to break the world record.

Zietlow and his teammates, namely Vladimir Gagarin (Russian) and Marius Biela (German), have started the journey from Melbourne on 27th July 2012. The expedition team entered Indonesia's territory on 29th July via Kupang and will arrive in Jakarta. They will then travel across Sumatra and end in Dumai.

During travelling in Indonesia, which is expected to be completed in 8 days, Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI driven by Zietlow will use Pertamina Dex fuel. Zietlow explained that the choice of fuel was largely related to the team's consideration to ensure smooth trip so they needed proven high-quality fuel.

"We are very concerned about all details to ensure the smooth running of this challenge. Therefore, we use the Pertamina Dex for Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI we drive because it has been proven based on the testing team's result that it is the highest quality fuel in Indonesia. So far, with the support of Pertamina Dex , the vehicle engine performance is very good," he said in a press conference in Jakarta.

Pertamina Dex, carrying the concept of 'Less Sulfur, More Durable Power', is the diesel fuel produced by Pertamina Refinery Unit VI Balongan. Some of its parameters have met Euro III standards. Pertamina Dex is very suitable for vehicles with Diesel Common Rail System, which requires low-sulfur fuel.

"Pertamina appreciates Zietlow and his team for choosing Pertamina Dex during their travel in Indonesia in their quest to conquer the challenge of world record-breaking Melbourne-St. Petersburg trip. This further proves greater confidence in domestically-produced product and we should be proud of the trust they have given to Pertamina's product, "said Pertamina's Vice President for Corporate Communication Ali Mundakir.

Besides Indonesia, the 2012 Melbourne - St. Petersburg expedition challenge will take Zietlow and his team to travel across Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Kazakhstan, before ending at St. Petersburg in Russia. On the way from Australia to Russia, Zietlow is also supported by VW Des Auto, Bosch, Continental, Keuhne + Nagel, and Allianz.

Zietlow and Volkswagen Touareg last year successfully completed the Panamericana challenge, an expedition that traveled 16,000 miles and across 14 countries in the America continent.