A diesel takes LeMans!
First there was this bit of news about a diesel dragster breaking the 8 second barrier, now (via GreenCarCongress) the news that an Audi turbodiesel took the LeMans 24 hour race with a 4 lap lead. This comes on the heels of their win at the 12 hour Sebring race.
The Audi is a twin turbocharged V12 diesel that develops a scant 650 hp (485 kW) but a jaw-dropping 811 ft-lb (1100 N-m) at somewhere around 5500 rpm. One advantage that the diesel brings is greater efficiency and therefore - since the cars' fuel tanks are limited by LeMans rules - fewer pit stops. The Audi pitted 27 times, the 2nd place car 32.
Made of an aluminum block, this is not a stock engine (damnit!), but it still sends a message that this ain't your father's nasty old diesel Oldsmobile. Audi has a history of doing this to major racing series, the last time being the damage they did with all wheel drive (the Quattro technology that finally prompted a limit on their intake manifold to even things up).
The Audi is a twin turbocharged V12 diesel that develops a scant 650 hp (485 kW) but a jaw-dropping 811 ft-lb (1100 N-m) at somewhere around 5500 rpm. One advantage that the diesel brings is greater efficiency and therefore - since the cars' fuel tanks are limited by LeMans rules - fewer pit stops. The Audi pitted 27 times, the 2nd place car 32.
Made of an aluminum block, this is not a stock engine (damnit!), but it still sends a message that this ain't your father's nasty old diesel Oldsmobile. Audi has a history of doing this to major racing series, the last time being the damage they did with all wheel drive (the Quattro technology that finally prompted a limit on their intake manifold to even things up).
Labels: energy
<< Home