Zoom Audi to use the Le Mans race as a fuel test

A 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 an almost 90 per cent reduction in the emission of CO2 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 next-generation biofuel 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 major reduction in the amount of CO2 emission compared to traditional diesel, nearing 90%.

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," Michael Dick added. "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 Le Mans circuit before the race.

All three Audi Sport Team Joest cars and all nine drivers will be in action during Test Day this Sunday.

© CAPSIS International