New generation diesel engine fuels Audi race car

Emanuele Pirro paused, took a deep breath, then leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the table, and said, in a very defining tone, "And now I would like to talk about the car . . . . It's diesel-powered."

That said, he waited for a response. Diesel engines, among most Americans, are not associated seriously with high-speed auto racing.

For more than 30 minutes, Pirro, fresh off a flight from Italy, had talked about the upcoming Le Mans Series race coming to Miller Motorsports Park this week, about high speeds and hard braking and maximum performance.

He went on.

"This is a special diesel engine made for racing. People should not think of this as a boring, smelly, noise engine. This is a new generation diesel," he said, waited for a response and when none came continued.

"People don't always believe me. People I know come up to me and say, 'OK, Pirro, you can tell me. This is really not a diesel, is it?' It's hard for people to believe a diesel can be a high performance engine. People are very skeptical."

The simple truth is, no matter the fuel type, the new engine is, indeed, high performance. Designed and built by Audi and placed in the Audi R10 Le Mans prototype this past December, it has won the two premier events — the 24-hour Le Mans in Europe and 12-hour Sebring in Florida.

The Motorsports Park race will run Thursday through Saturday. It will run under the American Le Mans Series format and will feature the fastest cars and best drivers in the 10-race series.

This will, of course, include Pirro and driving partner Frank Biella of Germany in the diesel-powered Audi R10.

Under the American series format, the race will be a 2-hour, 45-minute endurance event that will place four separate car categories on the track at the same time.

Driving duties in this event are split, but not equally. Drive time, explained Pirro, depends on circumstances.

"The first driver will drive most of the race, typically through two fueling stops or about two hours. The second driver finishes. This can change, depending on strategy and if there happens to be a full-course yellow (caution) flag," he explained.

"I like to start. I'm a good starter. Also, the first driver gets to drive longer. But there's nothing more exciting than to finish — if you win, that is. Taking the checkered flag is the best moment you can have."

Because each driver has certain preferences to handling and performance specifications, trying to satisfy two drivers in one car can be a challenge. Because Pirro and Biela have similar driving styles, however, only a few minor differences have surfaced.