Volvo Polestar Racing will debut their new 1.6 litre turbo engine when the WTCC heads to the Czech Republic this weekend. The engine has been introduced significantly ahead of schedule – with the original plan being to have the unit ready for the 2012 season. Having constructed the engine in record time at its facilities in Gothenberg, Sweden, Volvo will be hoping for a problem-free introduction to the new powerplant.
“The project was meant to be ready for 2012, but the plans were changed to 2011 and the available development time dropped from 18 month to 6 months,” said the Managing Director of Volvo Polestar Racing, Christian Dahl.
Despite the earlier than expected introduction the team have relished the challenge and are optimistc that it can challenge the other entries already using 1.6 litre turbo engines.
“This is the first time that we have gotten the opportunity to build our own engine from scratch,” added the head of engine development at Volvo Polestar Racing, Mattias Evensson. “At the same time that it is a great challenge, it also comes with great possibilities.”
The new engine unit requires an entirely different construction as the new WTCC regulations state that engines must last an entire season and not the two race period that was previously required. This, says Evensson, was one of the most challenging aspects of the new build.
“The biggest technical challenge with the new engine is the increased lifespan,” added Evensson. “We have to design the engine for a long lifespan at the same time as we have to get as much performance as possible from it.”
The Volvo Polestar Racing team are already treating 2011 as an evluation year – and therefore the engine will continue to be developed as the season progresses.
“We are going to continue to work on drivability and durability,” added Dahl. “We are pleased with the power of the engine and it is going to be interesting to see it up against the engines of Chevrolet, BMW and SEAT.”
Volvo expect to achieve approximately 315 bhp out of the new engine, compared to the 285 bhp generated from the previous, normally-aspirated, 2 litre variant. The team’s driver Robert Dahlgren completed 100 laps of the Falkenberg circuit in Sweden and is already excited about the prospect of using it against his WTCC rivals. “It is a completely new experience with the turbo engine,” said Dahlgren. “There is so much power! I am really looking forward to use it in the races at Brno.”