Volkswagen considers Bathurst 12 Hour
Motorsport boss keen to bring natural gas VW racers -- if the rules allowVolkswagen is considering sending its factory team of natural gas-powered Sciroccos to compete in next year's Bathurst 12 Hour.
Kris Nissen, Volkswagen motorsport director and former race driver, said the company is looking to expand the number of endurance races it competes in around the world.
"We are investigating where we could do some international long distance races with these cars," he told the Carsales Network.
"We are already in contact with the organisers of the Silverstone 24 hour race and we are talking to organisers in Italy of a 12 hour race. So I'm open to have a look at [the Bathurst 12 Hour]."
He said Volkswagen wants to promote its new technology "more than one time a year at the Nurburgring".
"If it's a good event and the costs are realistic and the organisers are happy to have us, then we will look at it," he said.
"If they are prepared to create a class for this type of technology, for sure it's possible. Usually [race organizers] need to create a new class to open the entry for alternative fuel technologies."
The spokesman for Volkswagen Australia, Karl Gehling, said: "We are always looking at ways to showcase our technology ... but ultimately a decision [to race in the Bathurst 12 Hour] rests with Germany."
The compressed natural gas-powered Sciroccos have only 12 per cent less power than a petrol powered version (an improvement from last year's CNG race cars which were 14 per cent down on power).
While lap times are marginally slower, refuel times are about 20 seconds quicker. Each CNG Scirocco can do seven to eight laps of the extended 25km Nurburging race circuit between refuel stops.
The CNG Sciroccos have a 51kg CNG tank of gas to complete the same distance between stops as the petrol race cars, which have a 100-litre fuel tank. So the CNG cars are typically at least 50kg lighter than the petrol-powered Sciroccos.
CNG also emits 80 per cent fewer C02 emissions and, in Germany at least, CNG is less than half the price of petrol thanks to lower tax rates locked in until 2018.
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