Does anyone regularly track a diesel?

[Chris71]

I know you get people occasionally taking odities on track like the work transit or something after their (petrol) toy broke down, but does anyone on here regularly plan to take a diesel car on track?

Just curious. As mentioned in one of the General Gassing threads I've got a mate who uses a somewhat tweaked Seat Leon diesel to great effect on track and I wondered if he was the only one?

And, no, I don't intend to do it myself...

[softtop]

cannot see the fun to be honest, and throw in an auto diesel for extra pain. I have an estate and would not want to take that on track, would just feel a bit of a fool, it is not a track car. Maybe a small hatch would be ok.

[Guillotine]

veewee's race them...and I think audi did in DTM in 2010???

Ofcourse they do OK at LM!

[wackojacko]

A customer of ours regularly tracks his astra 888 Tdi ........ I've had countless lengthy conversations with him and he absolutely loves Tracking his 888. Personally I've never been on track in a Diesel but stating the obvious surely you'd run out of revs around a long sweeping corner (not wanting to lift off and change up and risk unsettling the car)

[geofflowe]

I had an Ibiza FR TDi which was quite tweaked - Goodwood was fun as I passed 3 Elises in a session (maybe they were beginners, LOL!).
My 360 is too loud for Goodwood so will probably be back there in my Leon which is quite a bit quicker than the Ibiza. I think that if you can hurl anything round a track it doesn't really matter what it is as long as you have a bit of fun. Another advantage in this fuel-conscious era is the diesel does 25+ mpg on track......!

[iguana]

Couple of the Northloop guys have, one a 300bhp skoda tdi! thats not been the most reliable, the other an Ibiza 130 (I think) 200bhp, the later has done a heck of a lot of 'ring & track miles, proper prep etc & I've tracked vs it its not slow at all.

I've been in a Golf 4 pd 130 with coilovers on a uk track & wasnt a fan personally, but for 'ring use you've got 50mpg getting there, an easy 10mpg better on track vs petrol & the much lower price of euro derv vs petrol, if you work to a budget & do a lot of 'ring trips & can cope with diesel on track it would be a far cheaper way of doing it.

[Neal 182]

My diesel track toy EX VW Cup and gose very well

[wackojacko]

Neal 182 said:

My diesel track toy EX VW Cup and gose very well

They're sensationaly rapid, witnessed 2 newer shape caddy racers testing at Rockingham in June last year. They were mixing it with an MX5 cup competitor....... Very surreal to watch

[Stedman]

Few of the volvo guys do

[Steve H]

Neal 182 said:

My diesel track toy EX VW Cup and gose very well

Usually smokes more than that though

Proper rapid little car though and great fun for trackdays as you get past "fast" cars in Postman Pat's van

ETA, On original topic, I've seen a few Golf/Leon etc diesels on track and doing fine against other standard road hot-hatch kit.

Edited by Steve H on Wednesday 19th January 07:26

[Chris71]

iguana said:

Couple of the Northloop guys have, one a 300bhp skoda tdi! thats not been the most reliable, the other an Ibiza 130 (I think) 200bhp, the later has done a heck of a lot of 'ring & track miles, proper prep etc & I've tracked vs it its not slow at all.

Last time I was out there I met a bloke who had a highly modified mk2 Scirocco with a modern diesel engine dropped in. He used it for some sort of endurance racing (one of the more modest classes of the VLN perhaps?) Would love to see how that went.

I have to say the biggest problem I'd envisage is the throttle response if you were really going for it.

The only times I've driven a diesel on track have been in the name of science (and usually somewhat more sedately than you would on a track day). Used to do so several times a week in my previous job, including once spending a whole morning driving round a skid pan in a Galaxy until fuel dilution caused the engine to grenade itself.

[Sir_Dave]

I did 11 laps of the ring a couple of years back in my 206 hdi.

Whilst not the quickest thing in the world, it was great fun, lower handling limits = plenty of understeer/oversteer/door handle scraping.

Many people forget that a trackday is about fun, not lap times.

[Chris71]

Sir_Dave said:

Many people forget that a trackday is about fun, not lap times.

Same for fast road driving I'd say. As long as something feels eager and has the grunt to overtake dawdlers I'd be happy with anything that matches its grunt to its grip.

[kriss]

I have done a few laps of the Ring in my tow vehicle (A4 Avant TDi Sport)

Once as a sighter for a bunch of us on our first day of a trip in the pissing wet, the other on a road trip with the GF around europe and we stayed at the Ring for the night.

Was not the best fun but I can only compare to what was on the trailer which is my Bike engined kit car (lotus 7 replica)

I have seen a few golfs and polo and small Seats with suspension, cages etc on Uk days and at the ring and they do fly, but its more likely to heavy tuning and set up - these were pretty much racers!

[Guillotine]

geofflowe said:

I had an Ibiza FR TDi which was quite tweaked - Goodwood was fun as I passed 3 Elises in a session (maybe they were beginners, LOL!).
My 360 is too loud for Goodwood so will probably be back there in my Leon which is quite a bit quicker than the Ibiza. I think that if you can hurl anything round a track it doesn't really matter what it is as long as you have a bit of fun. Another advantage in this fuel-conscious era is the diesel does 25+ mpg on track......!

BLIMEY! hello Geoff!



Andy (TVR)

[whiteonyx]

there was a green Seat Arosa TD at Oulton last december that no one could catch, love to have known what mods it had.