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NPR: Automakers Give Disregarded Diesels A Second Look
As automakers look for ways to meet new, tougher fuel economy standards, they aren’t just...
- + Downsized race engines get the turbo treatment
- + From F1 to IndyCar, race teams get set to feel the boost
Motorsport Revs Up for a New Turbo Era
Posted 07.09.2010
The high octane world of motorsports is accelerating towards a new global turbocharged era. While Motorsport press is abound with speculation about F1 and IndyCar returning to boosted engines, World Rally – along with other production car series – looks set to adopt the turbocharged Global Race Engine. This shift is being driven by a fresh determination among OEM teams to align their motorsport activities with their latest high-performing, eco-friendly commercial offerings.
For the close link between race course and show room, look no further than Audi. At this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the company claimed a 1-2-3 clean sweep with its Audi R15 TDI sportscars – turbocharged by Honeywell VNT™ technology…an advanced turbo system found in millions of production cars around the world.
In the latest R15 TDI, Audi Sports achieved its objective of 20 percent efficiency gains over its predecessor V12 Audi R10 TDI. In fact, the victorious Audi R15 TDI completed a record-breaking distance of 5,410 km, proving the extraordinary success of delivering more power with better fuel efficiency.
Engineers in Honeywell’s racing division have been working with Audi Sports for the past three years to integrate variable geometry turbo technology into the 440kW V10 Audi R15 TDI engine.
One key challenge facing Honeywell and Audi engineers was to ensure that the VNT™ diesel turbo can function reliably under the extreme temperature normally associated with gasoline engine environment. The latest Audi win at Le Mans opens up the possibility of variable turbine technology making an entry into gasoline-powered race series.
The significance of this development was echoed by Ulrich Baretzky, Head of Engine Development at Audi Sport, who said: “At Le Mans we were dealing with temperatures above 1,000 degrees centigrade, which have not been encountered with diesel production engines so far.
“As a result of downsizing, production development will enter into similar temperature ranges…another good example of how the technology transfer between motorsport and the production side of the house works at Audi.”
In addition to high-temperature capability, the Honeywell VNT™ racing turbo for Audi R15 also delivers precise control through Rotary Electric Actuator (REA) and provides superior transient response by featuring its world-leading ball bearing technology.
“We are entering a new era of motorsports as turbocharging is deployed to do what it does best: make a smaller engine deliver more power while doing it in a smart way.” says Gavin Donkin, Vice President, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Honeywell Turbo Technologies.
“We can see this with the FIA 1.6L gasoline Global Race Engine – for which Honeywell is the preferred turbo partner – that is on track to be adopted as early as 2011 across many series, including WRC. In addition, IndyCar has announced that the next formula will be turbocharged…and it has been well publicized that F1 is seriously considering a return to boosted engines.”
At the heart of all these developments is Honeywell’s dedicated Motorsports team, co-located in the US and in Europe and embedded in the company’s advanced technology group to ensure access to the company’s portfolio of innovations and global network of engineers.
“Over the last 20 years, Honeywell racing turbos have been trusted by some of the world’s most successful race teams for their unparalleled performance and reliability. From wastegate to VNT™, gasoline to diesel, our technologies have contributed to performances that have excited millions of motorsports fans…and it looks like it’s going to get a whole lot more exciting in the years to come,” says Gavin Donkin.
Photo Credit: Audi
© 2009 Honeywell International Inc.