The Jetta TDI Cup, a monotype series that runs on diesel

September 14, 2008 -- Filed under Technology by Louis-Alain Richard

Since the birth of the automobile industry, manufacturers have always had a secret little thing for car racing. And they have paid dearly for it. Racing is expensive, very expensive, and the results are never guaranteed. This is why certain manufacturers have preferred the monotype series, a race where all the cars are identical, right down to the last nuts and bolts. We’ve seen the Honda-Michelin series at the start of 1980s, then the Motomaster-GM series with the big Camaros and Firebirds, the Porsche 944 series and more recently, the Echo Cup series.

These kinds of series usually allow amateurs to rub shoulders with the pros, and the races are always wild. A bunch of nutcases driving identical cars guarantees a fine spectacle, because no one has a mechanical advantage and victory comes down to skilled driving only. Volkswagen has now launched its own series, but rather than taking the obvious route by enlisting the GTI, the natural choice for a racing car, it is in Jetta TDI Clean Diesels that 30 young drivers tore up the track. This is kind of a big deal, because diesel is rarely associated with the race track. However, recent technological advances have given this engine a power significant enough to put on a great show, not to mention exhaust that does not belch black smoke.

To see just what this racing Jetta is made of, I found this Motor Trend article which takes a closer look at this racing beast. I will summarize it briefly here.

The Jetta TDI Cup car is a standard Jetta TDI Clean Diesel to which has been transplanted a European version of the 2.0-litre turbodiesel that generates 170 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to the DSG transmmission of the R32 version of the GTI. The diesel catalyst and the particulate filter remain, meaning this is a race car that entirely respects current environmental standards. The muffler has been removed however, mainly for acoustic reasons. The brakes have been upgraded, and the 18-inch rims clad with racing tires do not require any body modification. The interior of the car has been emptied of its comfort elements, in exchange for a roll-over bar, racing seat and fire-extinguishing system. The dashboard remains basically as is. All this brings the Jettaʼs weight down to 1,300 kg, 165 kg less than the standard version.

So how goes the Jetta TDI Cup? According to one race-driver-for-a-day, rather well – and quietly too. For a turbodiesel engine is naturally quiet even with the muffler gone, because the turbine of the turbo-compressor calms the pulsations of the engine. If the performances are somewhat modest for a racing car, the fuel-consumption rates certainly blew me away: 9.4 L/100km on the track! That means that on one tank of diesel, a Jetta TDI Cup car could travel 585 kilometres – going full tilt!

If the raison d’être of a monotype series is above all to spotlight a model or a technology, then this demonstration is brilliant.

Anyhow, we will come back to it when the series is over at the end of October. Until then, if you have any relevant links to direct us to or points to add or comment on, please speak up now, we’re curious!

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