Competition is a good thing, right? If so, IndyCar racing is slated to improve within the next few years as the series branches out to include multiple engine suppliers. As it currently stands, Honda, which has been the sole engine supplier for IndyCar since 2006, will continue with its current contract through the 2010 season at least. IndyCar organizers would like to have a few new contracts in place by 2011, but the slow economy and fewer dollars earmarked for motorsports may push that date off until 2012.
In addition to Honda, which would like to stay in the series, Audi, Fiat, Porsche and Volkswagen are all currently negotiating with the racing league to offer alternative powertrain options. The current engines all displace 3.5 liters and are limited to 10,300 rpm, making about 650 horsepower running on ethanol fuel. The next contract will likely call for engines displacing 2.0 liters and feature turbocharging and direct injection. Both four cylinder and six cylinder options are being considered.
[ Via: USA Today ]
[ Tag: indy racing league, indycar, indycar engine, indycar racing, indycar series, indycar turbo, IndycarEngine, IndycarRacing, IndycarSeries, IndycarTurbo, IndyRacingLeague ]
New Indy engine could be delayed, three manufacturers in the mix
VW Touareg TDI trophy truck finishes 13th in Baja 1000 debut
The VW Tourareg TDI Trophy truck that was unveiled at the LA Auto Show last week made its competition debut on Saturday in the Baja 1000. The 550-hp diesel-powered off-road racer finished the 1,000 km race in 13th place in its class after a seal failed in the gearbox. The Arciero-Miller team had to swap out the whole box mid-race, dropping the truck well down in the standings. The Touareg is powered by a modified version of the same 5.5-liter V12 diesel used so successfully in the Audi R10 TDI for the last three years. It's the first clean diesel ever to run in the Baja 1000.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volkswagen) ]
[ Tag: baja 1000, Baja1000, vw touareg, vw touareg tdi trophy truck, vw touareg trophy truck, VwTouareg, VwTouaregTdiTrophyTruck, VwTouaregTrophyTruck ]
LA 2008: VW Race Touareg 2
This is Volkswagens entrant in this weekend's Baja 1000: a spaceframe-chassis Touareg TDI with 75 cm of suspension travel competing in the top-dog Trophy Truck class and utilizing an oil-burning V12 with nearly 550 hp. That's a long way from the first VW win in 1967 that came courtesy of a VW Beetle converted into one of the soon-to-be-ubiquitous dune monsters. Driver Mark Miller won the Baja 500 last year in the first Race Touareg. Aided by helicopters and eight support vehicles, we'll find out on Sunday if he and navigator Ryan Arciero can take The Big One this year.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volkswagen) ]
[ Tag: baja 1000, Baja1000, la 2008, la auto show, la auto show 2008, La2008, LaAutoShow, LaAutoShow2008, motorsports, race touareg 2, RaceTouareg2, volkswagen, volkswagen race touareg 2, VolkswagenRaceTouareg2, vw ]
LA Preview: VW to unveil diesel-powered Touareg TDI Trophy Truck
If Formula 1 is the pinnacle of on-road motorsports, competitive off-roading hits its apogee with the Baja Trophy Truck series. With vehicles sporting over 20 inches of suspension travel both front and rear, along with massive power provided by V8 engines, these trucks travel over the worst terrain imaginable at ludicrous speeds. Sounds like fun, right? Volkswagen thinks so, and while it's older Beetle-based buggies often make it through the race unscathed, albeit much slower than their big brothers, the automaker has decided to enter the top rung of the SCORE series and will debut its latest Touareg TDI to tackle the course at the upcoming LA Auto Show.
Boasting a turbocharged diesel 5.5L V12 engine that puts out 550 horsepower and a stump-pulling 625 lb-ft of torque, the 5,650-pound race-prepped Touareg should have the guts to keep up with the rest of the field. This will be the first turbo-diesel ever to compete at the Baja 1000 in the Trophy Truck class. Custom double A-arms up front and a four-link rear suspension provide 25 and 30 inches of wheel travel, respectively, and 37-inch BFG's will do their best to provide traction. VeeDub is set to officially unveil the truck on November 19th, just ahead of the 41st running of the big race.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volkswagen) ]
[ Tag: la 2008, la auto show, La2008, LaAutoShow, volkswagen touareg, volkswagen touareg tdi, volkswagen touareg tdi trophy truck, VolkswagenTouareg, VolkswagenTouaregTdi, VolkswagenTouaregTdiTrophyTruck, vw, vw touareg, vw touareg tdi, vw touareg trophy truck, VwTouareg, VwTouaregTdi, VwTouaregTrophyTruck ]
VW Scirocco racer: first image surfaces
Click image for high-res versionVolkswagen is pumping up the badass for the racing version of its new Scirocco sport-hatch. As we reported a couple of weeks ago, VW will be campaigning a race-prepped version of its latest release at the Nurburgring 24 hour race in the 2-liter turbo category in which a GTI took victory last year. The Scirocco racer will use the same 300-hp TFSI mated to Volkswagen's paddle-shifted DSG, a set-up which, in preliminary testing, Hans-Joachim Stuck called "one of the most uncomplicated racing cars" he's ever piloted. (We'll take that as a good thing.) Stuck, a two-time Le Mans champion, will be among the drivers campaigning the pack of three Sciroccos at the race, alongside double world rally champ Carlos Sainz, VW board member Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, three of the four driver's from last year's winning GTI team and a couple of automotive journalists (once again, nobody asked us).
[ Via: Autoblog (Volkswagen) ]
[ Tag: volkswagen nurburgring,volkswagen scirocco,volkswagen scirocco nurburgring,VolkswagenNurburgring,VolkswagenScirocco,VolkswagenSciroccoNurburgring,vw nurburgring,vw scirocco,VwNurburgring,VwScirocco ]
VW releases second pic of Scirocco racer
Volkswagen is taunting us again with another shot of its 'Ring-bound Scirocco, and this time, we get to see the race-ready hatch in profile. VW has been testing the Scirocco in the run up to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race that's set to begin on May 24, and according to VW Motorsport Director, Kris Nissen, the Scirocco is living up to expectations. With 300 hp provided by its 2.0-liter TFSI engine, Nissen says that, "the new Scirocco was in its element from its very first lap around the Nordschleife." It's a grueling test and we're looking forward to how the Scirocco fairs later this month.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volkswagen) ]
[ Tag: 24 hours of nurburgring,24HoursOfNurburgring,nurburgring,scirocco,volkswagen ]