After 2 successful victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Audi R10 TDI will surely be among the favorites to take the title once again, but Audi are hardly a company who would rest on their laurels. This year prototypes entered will be powered by the next generation of Biofuel, which has been manufactured from Biowaste, and we are told emissions have been reduced by almost 90% compared with traditional diesel.
Over the past two years, the victorious 650+ horspower R10 TDI has used Shell V-Power diesel which is created from Natural Gas in a process called Gas To Liquids (GTL). Providing the base for the next generation biofuel, a small amount of the old GTL biofuel is mixed with the new generation biofuel, called BTL (Biomass To Liquids). Both GTL and BTL synthetic fuels are practically Sulphur free and odourless. BTL is created by extracting Biowaste that is unfit for food use such as waste wood.
Biofuel has proved to be a highly efficient and powerful alternative. Its use in a top performing racecar reinforces the high performance potential. In fact, such application brings us back to the Geneva Motor Show this year when we were presented with the 1018bhp limited edition biofuel Koenigsegg CCXR.
Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG explains "Audi voiced its support early for the use of next generation Biofuels at Le Mans. It underlines our philosophy that we view Le Mans as a tough test field for new technologies which will be available at a later date in production cars for our customers. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) provides the opportunity to use alternative drive concepts and fuels, which we exploit to the full."
World premiere in motorsport: At the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours on 14/15 June, the three Audi R10 TDI prototypes entered by Audi Sport Team Joest will race for the first time with the next generation of Biofuel manufactured from Biowaste and promising a reduction in the emission of CO2 by almost 90 per cent when compared with traditional diesel.
Audi fields the 650-hp plus R10 TDI, which has already won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in sportscar races since 2006. Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel produced by development partner Shell has been used since the very beginning. It’s a particularly powerful and efficient synthetic fuel which is created from Natural Gas in a process called Gas To Liquids (GTL). Fuels with these components are already available at the pumps.
For the third appearance of the Audi R10 TDI at Le Mans, a small amount of Biofuel of the next generation is mixed for the first time with the previously well-proven GTL components: BTL (Biomass To Liquids), as it is officially called, is extracted from Biowaste that is unfit for use in foodstuffs, for example from waste wood. BTL promises a reduction in the amount of CO2 emission by almost 90 per cent compared to traditional diesel.
Although they are manufactured from different raw materials, the two alternative fuels BTL and GTL are practically Sulphur free and odourless. They combine quality and efficient combustion with reduced exhaust emissions.
"Audi voiced its support early for the use of next generation Biofuels at Le Mans," explains Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG with responsibility for Technical Development. "It underlines our philosophy that we view Le Mans as a tough test field for new technologies which will be available at a later date in production cars for our customers. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) provides the opportunity to use alternative drive concepts and fuels, which we exploit to the full."
The V12 TDI known for its efficiency and fitted to the Audi R10 TDI has already been tested successfully with the new fuel on the dynamometer and during tests. The first public appearance follows this coming Sunday (1 June) at the official test day at Le Mans. It traditionally provides teams with the only opportunity to test on the 13.629-kilometre circuit of Le Mans before the race.
Practice is on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. All three cars of Audi Sport Team Joest and all nine drivers will be in action.
