Dyson Racing Calls Audi R10 Advantages "Insurmountable and a Crushing Advantage"

"We trust that our competitors will understand the need to work together to foster the growth of our racing series.” How does leveling the playing field encourage growth?

I have no problem with ALMS changing the rules but not midseason
Audi should leave / the Dyson was doing great before the big advantages given them by ALMS

They are exaggerating the energy in the tank. Diesel has 8,500 kcal of energy while gaoline has 7,800 kcal of energy. To have the same amount of energy, the gas powered cars would need about 98 liters of fuel compared to 90 for the R10, they will get 95 liters starting next race. Also, gas engines can't burn the more dense and more energy per liter fuel that should be considered. In next year's Le Mans the diesel cars will get their tanks decreased to 82.5 liters while gas powered competitors will be able to run 90 liters. Also Dyson is getting 143 pound weight reduction.

Well Dyson does have a "quandary”

Dyson
3.6 liter twin turbo v8 gas motor 650 hp at 15,000 RPM

Audi
5.5 liter twin turbo V12 diesel 650 hp at 5,000 RPM

Power is pretty equal, yes, but the Audi torque is estimated to be almost 50% more than the AER so the acceleration factor is much more brutal. The AER also needs to keep RPM up and shift more often on the track wasting a second or two each lap, where the R10 basically shifts a lot less due to a lower RPM power band. The R10 at Lemans still got 16 laps at Lemans per tank vs the competition’s 14. Over any race the number of stops you make can be devastating. Each factor is just a little bit, but the sum of the bits makes a big chunk.

PlanoA4

Dyson engine gets its hp at much lower RPM, the non turbo version of that engine can get to 15,000, the turbo one is probably around 7-8,000.

BTW, there have been rumors that the R10 can pump out as much as 959 pound feet of torque.

This whining by Dyson (as opposed to Audi's valid objections) is just another effort to stop diesel technology in the US. Only Audi and D-C have current capability to sell diesel in the US but are held up by 5-6 states that don't see the light of a modern diesel. Dyson also ignores drivers and tires as well as chassis design. Audi's R10 doesn't win races without superior drivers. And I used to cheer for Dyson!!!!

Well anyway you look at it, Dyson is at a disadvantage. The rules were written sometime back, and from what I can gather only Audi took it seriously. Beside the R8 was getting pretty dated and R10 provided just enough engineering challenges to make it interesting.

This is just the typical manner of motorpsorts competition. Anytime a team (especially a factory sportscar team) becomes dominant, the rules move to hinder them until they lose their advantage or vacate the series.

Audi has ALWAYS had these types of controversy; being charged with "unfair advantages" beginning back in the 80's with IMSA competition with their new "Quattro" all-wheel drive traction technology. No one could match them, so protests abound and Audi moved on, but not before proving their dominance.

This was the same with the HP wars of the 80's in sportscar competition. In the GTP days especially, you had the Gurney Toyota Eagles that were rated at 850 HP when everyone knew they were pushing well over 1000 HP with 50 lbs psi of turbo boost (from a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine).

But the rules choked their breathing and forced them out and the series cast a new formula that evolved to what one sees today. But these things have a way of creeping back up and Audi is the prime example of this with their dominant factory effort entry.

Not ironically, Dyson was amongst the biggest protesters to teams like Audi and Toyota then, too.

Audi may leave, but like Toyota, its time for them anyway. They have demonstrated their point of their special marquise (with all-wheel drive and diesel power) and like Toyota, should tailor their efforts to the pinnacle of motorsports competition; F1. Here they can showcase their brand in the world's top series. They won't have their hallmark all-wheel drive or diesel, but they will surely come up with new innovations to sport.

They always do.

regards to diesel in the states, soem states don't have it because of emissions, right?
i find it very strange that a m-b 320cdi with good mpg and low co2 emissions is bad whereas a hummer, escalade, excursion or any other fuel guzzling monster with terrible co2 emissions is fine.
california: we don't want your fuel efficient global-warming reducing cars here! no siree! we want hummers! and lots of them!

Rupert:

If you really want to get aggravated, go watch "Who Killed the Electric Car?" about GM's EV1.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/who_killed_the_electric_car/

I was amazed at how quick the EV1 is. One of the inventors of the car mentioned that he built an electric car that goes 0-60 in the low 3's!!

it is completely pathetic that they have to resort to this.