Banks Sidewinder S-10 Sets New Record

In its first all-diesel competition appearance, the Banks Sidewinder Duramax S-10 set a low ET record for diesel-powered pickup trucks; scorching the legendary Famoso quarter-mile in 8.06 seconds.

That “8-Oh-6” is a new National Association of Diesel Motorsports (NADM) record. The speed on that run, 162.66 miles per hour also set a mark for the fastest-ever top speed by a diesel truck in the sanctioning organization's young history.

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Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Dates Announced

Making its debut on American shores this summer, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series is an innovative approach to motorsports. The Jetta TDI Cup is composed of 30 factory-prepared and managed 2008 clean-diesel Jetta TDIs, piloted by talented drivers aged 16 to 26, who are relative unknowns in the industry. Volkswagen's goal is to find the driver with the most talent and help them break into the world of professional motorsports.

The concept is as revolutionary as the car, which is powered by a 2.0- liter, four-cylinder TDI, clean diesel engine. The Jetta TDI is lightly modified from spec, featuring race-ready suspension and brakes, and a 6-speed double-clutch automatic DSG transmission. Additionally, to highlight its environmental dedication Volkswagen has partnered with Carbonfund.org to certify the entire race series as carbon free.

Diesel Vehicles Compete in Racing Endurance Challenge

The French Peugeot 908s took on the mighty German R10s at Le Mans in history's first diesel-engined shootout.

Like any formal duel, the rules for the encounter were decided well before the actual confrontation. The decision to allow diesel-engined racers at Le Mans was actually given by the Automobile de l'Ouest (ACO) almost five years ago, but their debut required long, tedious meeting with all the interested representatives form each of the manufacturers that might decide to design, build and enter the race, as well as Shell Oil, which was contracted to supply the special blend of high-performance diesel fuel that all finally agreed upon. Read the full article from Racer magazine.

Audi’s R10 Diesel Racer Wins LeMans Race for Second Consecutive Year

Despite challenging conditions, Audi’s R10 Diesel Racer continued its legacy at the LeMans 24-Hour race, taking the win for the second year in a row. The revolutionary diesel technology of the R10 racecar demonstrated resilience and power, clocking the fastest speeds and proving the most reliable in the field. More than 260,000 spectators looked on as Audi made history with its seventh consecutive win, its second utilizing innovative diesel technology. Another victory for diesel, and more proof that diesel engines have what it takes when it comes to speed, endurance, and fuel consumption.

BMW of North America Team with Car and Driver Magazine to Demonstrate High-Performance Diesel Technology

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – BMW of North America, LLC announced today that it is teaming up with Car and Driver magazine to demonstrate the high-performance capability of its newest diesel engines. A pair of 335d sedans, equipped with twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engines will compete in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill endurance race that takes place at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California on December 2-3, 2006.

While this is a first effort at demonstrating BMW diesel performance on the race track in the US, this is not the first time that BMW has raced a production road car powered by a diesel engine. In 1998, BMW made history by winning the 24 Hour Nuerburgring race with the 320d, powered by a two-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine. The combination of high-performance with better fuel efficiency allowed the team to make fewer pit stops during the long endurance race.

The two 335d models that will race in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill embody the newest BMW 3 Series sedan, launched in 2006, and the most powerful inline, six-cylinder diesel engine in the world. In road-going specification, it produces 286-horsepower and 427 lb-ft. of torque. Boasting technology such as an all-aluminum crankcase, the latest generation of direct fuel injection and variable twin-turbocharging, the 335d offers impressive performance, as well as fuel economy. Variable Twin Turbo technology, allows the 3.0-liter diesel to deliver maximum performance without the lag that has been characteristic of many turbocharged engines in the past. Employing a small turbocharger, which, due to its low inertia, develops its power-boosting effect without delay, and a larger turbocharger which picks up the momentum, allows the engine to produce its maximum torque at only 1750 rpm. The two 335d sedans are race-prepared and run by Marshall Pruett Motorsports Engineering in San Jose, California. MPME has worked with Car and Driver on their last two 25 Hour programs.

AUDI TDI Power Wins Again at Sebring

Taking the checkered flag for a ninth consecutive time, the AUDI racer is already looking forward to a successful year on the track. Read below for the full release.

Sebring, Fla. - Despite new regulations, the Audi R10 TDI remains the sports car to beat. By achieving an impressive victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA), AUDI AG made a perfect start into the 2007 motorsport season with its revolutionary diesel sports car and also a successful dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16/17 June. It was the eighth victory in a row in the classic American endurance race for the manufacturer from Ingolstadt.

The Audi R10 TDI, which remains unbeaten in its ninth consecutive race, had to start for the first time with a 10 percent smaller fuel tank (81 instead of 90 liters). This meant the Audi had to come to the pits for refueling up to five laps earlier than their competitors. Despite the R10 TDI being the fastest car on the 3.7-mile track, also setting a new track record, newcomer Acura/Honda was able to get into the lead on various occasions with its 150-kg lighter LM P2 cars. Only in the penultimate hour, Frank Biela (Germany), Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany) took the lead for good in an extremely exciting and competitive sports car race. Frank Biela equaled Tom Kristensen’s record of four overall Sebring victories.

The 2007-spec R10 TDI ran without the slightest technical problem during the whole 12 hours on the extremely demanding track. The only unscheduled pit stop was caused by a puncture in the second hour costing the winning car two laps. Also two time penalties and a stop-and-go penalty were imposed against the winning Audi team.

The updated engine, featuring among other things more compact diesel particle filters from Dow Automotive, further developed suspension, the latest generation of Michelin tires and the weight-optimized transmission of the R10 TDI worked perfectly during the Le Mans dress rehearsal.

Meanwhile the Sebring week did not run to plan for the second Audi team with the defending champions of the American Le Mans Series, Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) plus Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen (Denmark). Following an accident in Thursday evening’s night practice session, the R10 TDI had to be completely rebuilt over night. Despite not having the opportunity to set up the car perfectly, Capello/McNish/Kristensen were leading the race before the starter and the battery had to be changed twice. Finishing fourth overall, they finished second in the LM P1 class scoring precious points.

Quotes after the race

• Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "The team really has earned this victory. It has worked hard for it. We are happy winning Sebring another time and are unbeaten at Sebring since 2000. But we’ve also seen today how close it is now between the LM P1 and LM P2 cars. My fear that the two categories have been put together too closely, have been proved by today’s race.”
• Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #2): "Of course it’s nice to equal Tom Kristensen’s Sebring record. I’m very pleased. After the problem in the warm-up and the puncture at the beginning of the race I was not really expecting the victory anymore. It’s just superb that it ended this way.”
• Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #2): "It’s been a great race for us. We had quite a few problems at the start of the race and were almost two laps behind. But in such long races you should never give up. In the end of the day the fastest and strongest car won. It was a nice win for us and a great start of the season. It was a race full of mechanical problems for everybody. But our car was really strong throughout the race.”
• Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #2): "I’m absolutely happy despite the day did not start too good in the warm-up. Also the beginning of the race was not the best with the puncture and the penalties in pit lane. But the car ran perfectly in the race – it’s simply an Audi, and you can rely on that. The race was fun although the last stint was very long. I was thinking about the brakes from time to time, but most of the time about the next restroom…”
• Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "It was a shame to effectively be out of contention for overall race honors before mid distance after losing around 30 minutes to replace the starter motor twice but that is motor racing sometimes. It is very good for Audi to repeat our Sebring win of last year with the R10 TDI.”
• Tom Kristensen (Audi R10 TDI #1): "We were grateful to be in the race after the accident on Thursday night – the team and mechanics worked very hard to get us to the grid. The early stages of the race looked good for us. We came to Sebring for our car to win so of course it’s disappointing to have encountered these issues. But again the mechanics got us out and up to speed so that we could fight back but unfortunately not right at the front at the finish. Apart from the starter problem, the car ran beautifully.”
• Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #1): "We encountered starter problems on our car which was a shame because we were in a very strong position. But to finish 1-2 in LM P1 is still very pleasing. Our team showed a lot of strength of character to keep fighting. It’s now very clear that we have stiff competition from both Acura/Honda and Porsche – it’s going to be a tough battle with those cars.”

The results at Sebring

1. Biela/Pirro/Werner (Audi R10 TDI) 364 laps in 12h 01n 14.838s
2. Herta/Franchitti/Kanaan (Acura/Honda) - 6 laps
3. Fernandez/Diaz/Martinez (Lola-Acura/Honda) - 8 laps
4. Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R10 TDI) - 11 laps
5. Dumas/Bernhard/Castroneves (Porsche) - 13 laps
6. Brabham/Johansson/Dayton (Acura/Honda) - 18 laps
7. Beretta/Gavin/Papis (Chevrolet) - 23 laps
8. O’Connell/Magnussen/Fellows (Chevrolet) - 23 laps
9. Wallace/Leitzinger/Lally (Porsche) - 24 laps
10. Dyson/Smith (Porsche) - 31 laps

Biodiesel Road Racer Hits the Track

March 2007 - Chili Pepper Racing, a SPEED Touring Car team, has announced that it's latest contender will take to the track running on biodiesel. The modified Volkswagen Jetta will be running on a 50% biodiesel blend, building on the success of the AUDI R10 TDI racer on the professional circuit. The car is expected to exhibit the same power and benefits inherent in diesel technology, while promoting the use of alternative fuels in the racing community.

Audi's R10 Diesel Racer Takes Checkered Flag at Le Mans

AUDI AG has written an important chapter in the history of motor racing with its historic triumph in the Le Mans 24 Hour race. The new Audi R10 TDI was the first diesel car to win arguably the toughest car race in the world. In front of a record crowd of 235,000 spectators, the Audi team clinched the sixth and most important Le Mans win for Audi so far.

The fans on the race track and a worldwide audience of millions of TV viewers saw an impressive demonstration of Audi TDI Power and the performance of modern diesel engines. The brace of Audi R10 TDI cars, powered by a 650 hp V12 TDI engine, were by far the fastest and most economical cars on the track. During the entire race, one of the Audi diesel sportscars from Ingolstadt was at the head of the field. Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen drove the fastest lap of the race, setting a 3m 31.211s time, and he was the first driver at the wheel of an LM P1 sportscar to cover 16 laps with one fuel load. Completing 380 laps, Audi also set a new distance record.

In the race, the advantage in fuel consumption of the Audi TDI Power was clearly visible - the Audi drivers only pitted every 14 laps to refuel. The opposition, who relies on petrol engines, had to pit considerably more often. The fans were also impressed just how quiet an environmentally friendly 650-hp sportscar can be.

Although the roll-out of the new Audi R10 TDI took place only 200 days before the race, the victorious Diesel sportscar ran as reliably for 24 hours as its predecessor, the R8 that scored five Le Mans victories.

After its victories in the Sebring 12 Hour race and in the Le Mans 24 Hour race, the new Audi R10 TDI remains unbeaten. The next challenge is waiting for the revolutionary diesel sportscar already: from the 15th July onwards, Team Audi Sport North America will fight for the championship title in the American Le Mans Series with a pair of R10 TDI cars. Source: Audi Motorsport