Think it was the first round for the Seat Leon TDI, but judging by it's performance, I would doubt it's it's last.
I think the WTCC site has some coverage, or I am sure you can get the whole races on torrent sites (racing underground I believe).
SEAT today said that the petrol engine is at the end of it's development and the diesel will take over, they also said the diesel engine has even more to come, so it's looking good for diesel's in touring car racing.
On the WTCC site you can watch the race live but the quality isnt that good. Still i watch race 1 there because its broadcasted by this paytv eurosport channel or its just that i cant receive it where i live ...
Because it promotes your diesel engine road cars, plus WTCC is such that you could enter a 1.0litre car running on orange juice and within a few months the rules will have changed sufficiently for your car to be competitive. Or maybe I'm just being cynical.
Let's not forget that the SEAT is a turbo diesel. The limitations on the turbo will play a massive part, and of course they could make it more powerful than the petrol NA cars of same capacity if the rules make it possible to do that. If it gets too fast the WTCC will slow it down a bit because of protests from BMW and Chevrolet. It's the nature of the sport, it doesn't matter what you're driving or what powers it, if it's something different then you'll get a helping hand till you're good, and a kick in the nuts if you get too good
If an engine concept from 1892 is the motorsport industry's idea of a future propulsion technology then I'm worried.
Having seen and heard(?!) a Le Mans Audi on the track, I am convinced that motorsports must do all it can to retain Petrol engines. But because of the growing public awareness of environmental issues, the only way it will be able to do this in the future is by adding modern technologies into the mix as well, such as Brake Energy Regeneration and electric motor power boosts. Just like Max says actually...
And about WTCC: so SEAT is telling us that diesel is better than petrol because a turbo diesel beat an NA petrol engine? I'm eagerly awaiting their report on apples being better than oranges.
So what do you think should be a 'future propulsion technology'? The electric motor was invented in 1873 and the Otto cycle engine (i.e. petrol/gasoline) was developed in 1876. Diesel is the new kid on the block!
It's not necessarily about saying that Diesel is better than petrol, it's about breaking the public perception (particularly in America) that Diesel engines are for tractors or lorries. In the short/medium term, it looks like Diesels are the next big push in the automotive industry...they offer similar performance/ecomomy to gasoline hybrids without the cost and complexity of the hybrid drive.
The Audi R10, JCB Dieselmax Land Speed Record and the SEAT Diesel are all recent examples of a desire in the industry to promote Diesel as a modern technology. Diesels have come a long way since the development of common-rail high-pressure fuel injection systems.
No disagreement. Diesels have been very popular over here for a long time, mainly because they use less fuel and have good low rev power.
What I was getting at is that in a racing environment Diesel vs Petrol is meh, as they are matched up by regulations anyway they are just two versions of the same concept, not the next big thing.
theres an old saying,`win on sunday,sell on monday`.
the manufacturers want to sell a product so why not stick it in a race car,afterall its the manufacturers who cough up the brass to enter the races.
Tango
ps the majority of diesel cars are slightly more expensive than the petrol variants
Part of the impressiveness of the JCB Dieselmax is that it used virtually standard large digger engines so whilst it is a technological feat its engines aren't
No, Diesels run cooler than petrol engines. The reason for the heavier block is that the cylinder gas pressures during combustion are much higher in a Diesel than a petrol engine.
I'm not actually sure why Diesels run cooler than petrols...OK, they generate less heat, but what's to stop the manufacturers reducing the cooling to bring the temperatures back up? I've run tests on a Diesel engine where I found significant benefits to running it hotter.
Petrol cars have cr of 10:1 quite often, diesel cars 25:1, enough reason why stronger block and some other parts are needed
Diesel fuel also burns slower that limit maximum rpm you can get so that limits how much engine can produce heat in certain amount of time, this added to fact that it burns cooler means that it does not need so much cooling.
What possible advantage can there be in bringing the heat up, assuming the ignition temperature stays the same you just make your heat engine less efficient.
Don't argue, with Rudolf Diesel... all you need to do, is make a strong cyllinder, and something to pressurise what ever is inside, and you have made a Diesel engine. I'm glad his name is plastered over it because he deserves it more than anyone else in the Transport Industry, so many different things can be used instead of Diesel, where as petrol is somewhat more remote, to household fuels. And Hey, he was German, so it makes sense that Germans will make the best Diesel engines.
Majority of the worlds population, thinks that Diesels use Spark Plugs, and when they look at the Injectors, thats what they think they are! My dad was a trucker, and i tell you, there aint NOTHING better than the smell of Burnt AND Unburnt Diesel... and the sound of a Scania V8, AMEN!