This is going to be revolutionary .

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Audi Launches Diesel Sports Car For Le Mans
by Editorial Staff

PARIS and INGOLSTADT, Germany, -- Audi AG, inventor of TDI diesel technology, will become the world's first automobile manufacturer to fight for overall victory with a diesel engine at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. The all-new Audi R10, unveiled in December, 2005, in Paris , is powered by a 5.5-liter, 650hp V-12 twin turbo TDI diesel engine, which the company claims is both quiet and economical.

The R10 Le Mans Prototype, with over 650 hp and more than 810 lb ft of torque, significantly exceeds the power produced by the majority of previous Audi racing cars -- including that of its winning R8 predecessor. Audi ventures into previously unexplored diesel-engine terrain with the V12 power plant manufactured completely from aluminum. As with the TFSI technology, which triumphed initially at Le Mans before being adopted for mass-production, Audi expects to use the technology eventually in passenger cars.

"With the A8 4.2 TDI quattro, Audi already builds one of the most powerful diesel cars in the world," explained Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, chairman of Audi AG, at the R10 presentation in Paris . "The Le Mans project will help our technicians to extract even more from TDI technology. Nowadays, every second Audi is delivered with a TDI engine. We expect that the percentage of diesel engines will be even larger in the future."

The R10 prototype's V12 power unit, which is equipped with two diesel particulate filters, is hardly recognizable as a diesel thanks to the engine's smooth running nature. The TDI engine's specialties presented the Audi Sport engineers with a whole list of challenges. The injection pressure easily exceeds the 1,600 bar achieved in production cars. The usable power band lies between 3,000 and 5,000 revs per minute -- an unusually low rev range for a racing engine. The driver must change gear in the R10 far less often than in the R8 because of the TDI engine's low-speed maximum torque output.

The enormous torque of over 810 lb ft does not only make extreme demands of the R10 transmission -- even the latest generation of engine dynamometers at Audi Sport had to be re-equipped with special gearboxes capable of withstanding the unusual forces.

Additionally, radical changes to the chassis were also necessary. The Audi R10 has a significantly longer wheel base than the R8. The overly wide front tires are, up until now, unique for a Le Mans Prototype. New technologies were also implemented during the development of the carbon-fiber monocoque. Chassis, engine and gearbox form an extremely rigid, fully stressed unit.

"The R10 project is the biggest challenge ever to have been handed to Audi Sport," said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "TDI technology has not been pushed to its limits in motorsport yet. We are the first to confront the challenge. The demands of such a project are accordingly high. Long-term technology partners such as Bosch, Michelin or Shell support us in our quest. Together we have the chance to write new chapters in the history books of motorsport and diesel technology."

The new Audi R10 successfully completed its first test at the end of November. An extensive test program, including the 12-hour race at Sebring (USA) on 18 March, is scheduled before the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 17/18 June 2006. The development team from Audi Sport is supported by Reinhold Joest's legendary race team, which also performed this task during the R8 project.

Shell premium diesel and synthetic diesel brands are partners with Audi Sport R10 race effort.

Shell and Audi Sport have teamed up to develop the world's first ever diesel-powered car capable of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. In the United States , the Audi R10, a 650hp V-12 TDI diesel running on Shell V-Power fuel, plans to make its global debut during the 12 Hours of Le Mans race in Sebring , Fla. , on March 15-18, 2006 , a legendary endurance race pitting top driver skill and automotive speed and durability against the world’s top competitors.

In several European countries, Austria , Germany , Italy , Switzerland and The Netherlands, Shell sells a blend of diesel and synthetic diesel called GTL (gas to liquids) which is used by the Audi Sport R10. Shell says the GTL fuel uses diesel made from natural gas, which has no sulfur and a high cetane rating, which in addition to fewer harmful emissions, it promises higher output from a diesel engine. Shell says it has been producing GTL fuel beginning in 1993 in Malaysia , but will build larger plants, starting in Qatar . In 2005 Dr.Wolfgang Warnecke from Shell, and Dr.Wolfgang Steiger from Volkswagen were awarded the 'Professor Ferdinand Porsche Prize', the world's most prestigious award for automobile technicians, for their work on GTL Fuels and BTL (Biomass to Liquids). The Porsche Prize is awarded to "those technicians whose work will have a lasting influence on the development of the automobile".

Shell is delighted to announce a major partnership with Audi Sport, to develop the world's first ever diesel-powered Audi sports prototype capable of winning the famous 24 Heures du Mans race ( Le Mans ).

The technical partnership was unveiled in December with a live demonstration through the streets of Paris , and next year will see the Shell Diesel-driven Audi R10 compete at LeMans against the fastest gasoline-powered prototype sports racers.

Shell provided lubricants for the Audi R8 car which has dominated the race in recent years. Since then Shell has developed and launched Shell V-Power Diesel across much of Europe . It is this fuel technology that Audi Sport will put to the test in 2006.

While the project will see two of the biggest names in motorsports striving for an historic milestone in racing, the expertise behind the technology comes from a deep understanding of what works on the road. Audi, inventor of the TDi technology and pioneer of the European diesel revolution, has worked extensively with Shell in the past - and has been involved in the development and testing of Shell V-Power Diesel, a premium diesel fuel brand.

This advanced fuel is designed to help the latest generation of diesel engines to continuously deliver more power, and will utilize Shell's synthetic GTL Fuel technology. Shell claims it is the leader of this innovative fuel technology and is already supplying GTL through more than 3,000 of its retail outlets.

In addition, the crucial role of the car's diesel injection system has been carefully considered. Following an extensive testing programme, the Audi R10 will race for the first time at Sebring, Florida, in March 2006, ahead of 24 Heures du Mans on June 17, 2006.
"We are delighted to be working with Audi Sport to develop a diesel with the power to win such an historic race as 24 Heures du Mans,” says Shell's Bruce Rosengarten, vice president of retail marketing “Shell V-Power Diesel is already the choice of thousands of drivers everyday, and with the same technology used to power the Audi R10, we are sure that many more will soon experience the enduring power it is designed to deliver."

"We are proud to bring together the leaders in diesel innovation for this historic challenge,” says Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Sport “Our tests show that Shell V-Power Diesel will deliver the kind of performance we need to win Le Mans , and we are delighted that it will now power the Audi R10."



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