Diesels are too fast for racing?
Click the Peugeot 908 HY for high-res images
It seems that Audi and Peugeot's winning ways have not gone unnoticed by the powers-that-be in the assorted racing series in which they compete. Whenever a design does well in racing, you can count on a few things happening, usually either other teams begin using that particular technology, rule modifications are made to minimize its advantage or it gets banned entirely. This seems to be exactly what is taking place with the turbo diesel engines now being used in the Le Mans racing series. The Automobile Club de l'Quest, the sanctioning body of the series, will mandate smaller air-restrictor size and reduced turbo pressure for the hugely powerful oil-burners.
Other changes will be made across all teams and cars, regardless of fuel type, including smaller rear wings, one tire gun in the pits and no tire heaters. These latter modifications are supposed to make the cars a bit slower and make them cheaper to operate. Perhaps Peugeot had an idea that changes might be made when it developed its new hybrid racer. As technology marches on, so must the rules ... and the teams' attempts to stay one step ahead.
Gallery: Peugeot 908 HY
[Source: Autosport]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike!!ekiM 8:42PM (9/17/2008)
This is why I hate racing.
It's the Gas Engine that should be banned or restricted. This is REVERSE Darwinism. Let the LOSER Win.
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Turbofrog 10:35AM (9/18/2008)
Both this initial post and your response are missing the point - the governing bodies incentivized running diesels with the rules in the first place, to the point where running gas wasn't really competitive at the top tier. This is just a correction.
Any time you have such a broad and open formula as you do in Le Mans racing, there are bound to be disparities when new technology is introduced. The best part about these races is how so many different kinds of vehicle can be competitive with each other despite their differences.
And by the way, that's Automobile Club de l'Ouest (as in West), not l'Quest, haha.
TB 12:06PM (9/18/2008)
As Turbofrog said, this is an adjustment to the current rules.
Essentially when the ACO set the specs for diesels 3 years ago, they did them a lot of favors (weight, fuel tank size, inlet diameter etc.), primarily in the interest of manufacturer involvement and bringing more green tech into racing.
It was never a level playing field to being with.
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