Rally car engine Technology

Considering the various series, racing engines are about as different as the cars they power. In the case of premier motorsports series, four types of race engines have been typically employed. These versions are identified as normally aspirated injected, turbocharged and blown.

Normally Aspirated

1. Normally-aspirated engines operate on the basis of normally pressurized air being drawn into the engine, then mixed with a regulated amount of fuel. The resultant air/fuel combination is then pushed into a combustion chamber and, consequently, creates power by moving the crankcase and pistons. Engines of this type are typically seen on NASCAR racetracks each weekend, although there are a number of other race series, including Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events that employ this type of engine. Power generated can range from 100 up to 1000 horsepower, depending on the displacement of the engine.

Injected

2. Injected, or more formally referred to as fuel-injected, engines are similar to normally aspirated engines, with the exception of how fuel is managed and metered within the engine. In this case, an electronic component, referred to an electronic control unit or ECU, delivers the right amount of fuel required based on the position of a digital throttle position sensor. Engines like this are typically seen in American Le Mans Series (ALMS) events nearly every weekend, in addition to finding these engines in various SCCA classes. Power generated can typically range from 200 up to 900 horsepower.

Turbocharged

3. Turbocharged engines utilize similar normally aspirated and fuel-injected bottom-end mechanical components. However, in the case of charged systems, air is drawn into the engine and, subsequently, experiences enhanced air volume by employing a mechanical complex that integrates a powered turbine and a supporting compressor. Prior to 1996, turbocharged engines were regularly mounted in the rear of race cars in the Indy Car Series; however, the engine configuration was eliminated when the sanctioning body altered its technical specifications in 1997. Regardless, the configuration proved its mettle for nearly 20 years by making dependable power ranging from 600 up to 1000 horsepower throughout that time.

Blown

4. Blown engines are the most exotic of all race engine configurations. Aside from the pure engineering innovation associated these kinds of powerplants, they also produce the most pure horsepower. The use of the word "blown" refers to the application of a belt-driven "blower unit" that creates a powerful inlet vacuum to increase the speed of air being drawn into a pressurized plenum that sits below the unit. Subsequently, this pressurized air is mixed with the appropriate fuel and, consequently, is pushed into the combustion chamber. Blown engines can be seen every weekend at dragstrips across the country. These engines are capable of generating power on the order of 6000 horsepower in the case of Nitro Dragsters or Funny Cars. And this degree of power is capable of moving these cars from a standing start, to well over 300 mph in under four seconds.

Alternative

5. Until now, the only way to generate speed from a race car was to put some kind of petroleum-based fuel in the engine and light it in order to create combustion. However, beginning in 2008, the world changed significantly when Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH ("Gumpert") fielded the first lithium-powered plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) for racing. The car was driven by former Formula One driver Heinz Harald Frentzen and run at the June 2008 24 Hours Du Mans. Since then, additional hybrid or PHEV cars have begun to appear on the racetrack. For example, this year Corsa Ginetta-Zytek fielded a hybrid in the ALMS series at Lime Rock in July, and there are at least two other prototype cars, either in development or already being track tested.