Congo

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/news.html

earlyapex

I was wondering when Audi would respond to the reports of planned competition adjustments to diesel powered cars by the ACO. A diesel competition adjustment never set well with me. The ACO wanted to push technology and purposefully had rules that would favor a diesel powered car in anyone could make one. Well, Audi did just that and destroyed the competetion in its first outing. Peugeot is said to be testing their own diesel LMP-1 car. Will others follow? Likely not since gasoline powered cars will likely get a brake and this will save them very expensive development work.

Can the Dyson Lola's be competetive with the R10? We'll have to wait as they may not be able to take advantage of the weight gift as easily as one might think. It all depends on where the car started from and where they can take the weight off. In the mean time, the R10 will continue to be developed by the biggest spender in LMP, Audi. Have they figured out how to put traction control on the R10? That in itself would negate much of what their competition has gained by the rule changes.

It's time that another manufacturer steps up to the plate to chanlleng Audi. It only takes a few hundre million dollars!

ltc

IIRC, Honda/Acura said they would like to run LMP1. Perhaps they would only do this if the R10 were not racing?

earlyapex

In my mind, it really comes down to money. Audi is spending F1 levels of money to win Le Mans. Privateers simply don't have a chance in the big race. Where does the ALMS championship stand in their eyes? The US is a big market for them that has allot of untapped potential. The ALMS races give them exposure and much need PR extolling the sportiness of the Audi brand. I'm sure the series helps sell cars and improve their image.

I seriously don't see gas powered cars competing equalling with the R10 for the championship. The car is yet to be fully developed. It also makes sense for Shell to continue to develop the special diesel fuel used in the R10. Everyone else is chasing a moving target.

ltc

Story is also now on the Speedvision website:
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/alms/30938/

JayP

There's precedent. Audi ran the V8 quattro in the DTM until sanctioning body decided the intake was illegal. Audi was penalized and soon after they quit midseason.

Everyone else waited until the end of the season to ban Audi's 'Unfair Advantage'.

ngoldrich

JayP,

Didnt that also happen with Audi in the Trans-Am days- I seem to remember Trans-Am banned AWD...

Norm

MPD47

There is actually a great (old) documentary on Audi's "Unfair Advantage" over the years. I think it's called Secrets of Speed. It would be a shame to see them pull out of ALMS just because they are attempting to make it more competitive.

FTS

I am really having trouble with these "competition adj." thingy. To me ALMS and general sports car competition should not be regulated to this level as it discourages more manufacturers to enter competition and investment that some of the manufacturers may do in technology that we can see on the street through homoligation. It should be 50% about street/track technology and 50% team IMHO, somewhat similar to F1 or WRC.

Does this "competition adj." stuff seem normal, acceptable, or "should be done" to you guys?

JayP

SCCA changed the rules when Audi showed promise. Restricted the turbos, tires. At the end of the season, SCCA banned AWD and turbo charging. Went back to the V8 formula for 1989.

After Audi won about every touring car championship in the 16v A4 quattro, AWD was banned from that series too. In 1997, Audi used a FWD car but since the engine is mounted longways, they couldn't rotate the engine to lower the CG.

I have a copy of Unfair Advantage on VHS... commercials and all. I need to get it onto a DVD sometime.

ltbrkm3

Every manufacturer looks at a race series as some way to promote their product-master of the obvious that I am. If there is no opportunity to acheive parity and get the most bang for the buck, the manufacturer will not enter the series, or continue to run in the series. BMW is a perfect example of "no benefit-no participation". Because the New M3 will not be out for about a year-at least the competition version-they have pulled out of sportscar racing as of yesterday untill 2008 at which point they will look at participating again. Life has been good for Audi for a long time in ALMS as there has not been much in the way of factory sponsored participation- untill this year with Porsche- since Merecdes, BMW, and Porsche were involved several years ago. Time for new blood! Besides, Audi does not sell any rear drive diesel cars in the US anyway!
Scott

Bob C.

The flip side to your argument is that the ACO's current rulebook so obviously favors diesel power that no other car has a legitimate chance against a well-funded, well-developed diesel LMP1. The ACO really missed the boat on its equivalency formula.

Yes, rules tinkering this late in the game is frustrating. However, Audi doesn't sell its cars to privateers, and absent any privateers in LMP1, it's a two horse show. Why should Dyson continue to show up if the Lolas have essentially zero chance of challenging the Audis due to considerably unfavorable rules?

Congo

A look back at turbine engines at Indy

The following is from the September/October, 2006 issue of AUTO Aficionado:

"There's no doubt the Audi's technical achievment, in winning with their specially designed and built diesel V-12, was a stunning victory, but it brought to mind the first use of turbine engines at the Indy 500. The whooshmobiles were incredibly fast and there was no doubt that if permitted to continue in that USAC series, they would have overwhelmed the piston-engined racers. The problem was that turbines were a clever technical novelty and should never have been allowed to run at Indy. Sure, one has to applaud the innovation of technical achievement but not at the expense of the entire series. The turbines were almost silent, much like the Audi R10 diesels, and thus almost as interesting to watch as traffic on the freeway.

Even if Pescarolo had matched the Audi's speed, there's no way the French cars could have won as the diesel's superiority in mileage gave them the edge, just as the direct gasoline injection Audi R8s did for four years over every other constructor at Le Mans [Team LNT's GT2 Panoz had the fewest stops of any car at Le Mans this year]. The Indy officials, seeing the threat in having the whole field of piston-engined cars immediately become obsolete, banned the turbines and saved millions of dollars for the entrants who would have had to scrap their old cars to compete.

The present situation in France is far more difficult as it now would be immpossible to ban the diesels because the French, in formulating the new rules to include diesels, thought that Peugeot would immediatley develop a diesel that would bring victory and glory to France."

-------

more on turbine engines

http://science.howstuffworks.com/turbine3.htm

Congo

Road America Dyson Racing Preview

http://www.dysonracing.com/

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY August 15, 2006 -- After coming off a mid-season competitive run of podium finishes at the last two races at Salt Lake City and Portland, Dyson Racing is looking forward to their annual sojourn to the Kettle Moraine country and the Generac 500 at Road America. One the classic tracks in America, it is a favorite of teams and fans alike.


The Elkhart Lake race also sees the ALMS continuing to fine-tune the performance balancing of their various classes. Doing what is best for the sport, the ALMS is making these adjustments in the spirit of competition to give the fans the best possible racing and provide a venue for participants and sponsors to showcase their ability and technology.

“We were perplexed by Audi Sport’s reaction to the well-intentioned measures the ALMS is taking to improve the quality of racing,” said Chris Dyson, Sporting Director of Dyson Racing, in response to Audi’s recent public threats to leave the series. “We normally wouldn’t respond to such remarks, but since we have been directly addressed by a competitor, we feel it is appropriate to respond.

“We understand the ACO’s need to grant latitude in the rules to encourage an unproven technology, and Audi’s diesel R10 is a technological wonder. There is no question that Audi have produced an amazing machine under the current regulations.

“But when it is proven on the track on multiple occasions that this new technology provides an insurmountable and crushing advantage, then it is no longer racing but rather a demonstration run.

“We were surprised at the stridency of Audi’s reaction. It is the job of a sanctioning body to adjust the rules as needed, and as competitors we abide by their changes. We realize that these adjustments may not create an ideally level playing field, but all that racers look for is a reasonable opportunity to be competitive. In over 20 years of its history with IMSA, Dyson Racing has never shied away from a fair fight and our reputation is founded on taking the fight to the best in the world.

“Audi’s posture is puzzling given the current situation. Our car has been given a weight break, which helps us slightly over a lap. The upcoming increase in LMP1 gasoline-powered fuel tanks by five liters will provide some very small relief, but given diesel’s greater energy per liter properties, in its current guise the Audi R-10 still maintains a disproportionate advantage over gasoline-powered prototypes. Their greater straight line speeds and much better fuel economy have not changed. And that central issue still remains – the absurd disparity between diesel and gasoline fuel economy. And these areas also need to be addressed.

“We applaud the American Le Mans Series’ understanding of the spirit of sports car racing and we hope that their collaborative efforts with the ACO will continue to make the ALMS and Le Mans a place for fair competition. We trust that our competitors will understand the need to work together to foster the growth of our racing series.”

skeetshooter

Don't forget that Porsche has always been targeted by sanctioning race bodies by making "rules adjustments" to try and level the playing field. This is not new and as the Dyson web site says, it is a good thing, at least to a point. In this case, the rules for diesel-powered cars offer too many advantages if you have the money to spend. Not everyone does so it is a good idea to level the playing field.

Scott