Audi to campaign a Diesel at Le Mans

[Doug]

http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en1/experience/motorsport/r10.html

[Nick M3]

I keep wondering if that's going to be a really hard car to drive.

[JST]

I keep wondering if that's going to be a really hard car to drive.


How come? Narrow power band? Most racing engines have very skinny power bands--theoretically, with the right gearing and enough gears, an engine with a 2000 RPM power spread that occurs between 1800 and 3800 rpm shouldn't be any trickier than an engine with a 2000 RPM that occurs between 7000 and 9000 RPM. Actually, I would think it would be easier to drive.

EDIT: 800+ lbs-ft of torque. Shit, that's a lot.

EDIT: Actually, the usable power band is between 3000 and 5000 RPM.

[lemming]

unless it's a Ford diesel, it should be a lot more powerful, no?

i thought that i had read somewhere that the C6R guys almost never see redline. the torque is such a wideband that they can often shortshift and still get to speed. not sure if that is an enduro racing thing or speaks to the power of the engine.