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SEBRING, Fla. – There’s something new in the air and it’s not the smell of Spring busting out – it’s the incipient return of diesel power as a solid choice for all things motoring in the US. Auto buyers in Europe rushed to diesel power in the past few years because it’s far more fuel-efficient. Approximately 50 percent of new cars sold in Europe these days are diesel powered. But in the US we have bad memories of belching, sputtering, cars, trucks and buses emitting dark noxious clouds.
Now Audi may be ready to change the way the world looks at diesel engines, and not just on the road but at the race track as well. Having shaved nearly a second off the track record during qualifying and then posted the win at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the diesel powered Audi R10 TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) has established itself as the sports car to beat. With the impressive victory, AUDI AG made a perfect start into the 2007 motor sport season with its revolutionary diesel sports car and also a successful dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16/17 June. It was Audi’s eighth victory in a row in the classic American endurance race at Sebring.
Because of special rules applied to diesel engines, the R10 TDI, which chalked up its ninth consecutive win overall, had to start for the first time with a 10 percent smaller fuel tank (81 instead of 90 liters). This meant the Audis had to come into the pits for refueling up to five laps earlier than their competitors.
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