Rules changed for 2008 diesel engines

The World Touring Car Championship organisers have decided to introduce limitations for the diesel engines this year. The turbo pressure will be limited as well as the fuel pressure and air/fuel mix ratio.
“Exactly how it works is still to be decided, but we can make changes at any point. Inevitably there will be a bedding-in period in the early days as it will need some adjusting,” said FIA Touring Car Comission president Jonathan Ashman to Autosport.

SEAT introduced the first ever diesel engine in WTCC last season. Voices were raised after this that limitations had to be made for the diesel engine as, among other things, the turbo pressure was free in the regulations.

For 2008 SEAT will run all their cars on diesel as they found this engine to be better compared to the petrol version. But the flat-floor dispensation SEAT was given has been removed.

So far SEAT are alone with running diesel, but their opponents BMW are currently developing a diesel engine. Rumors have it that two of their cars this season will run with this engine and it could be the ROAL-team.

Reports say that the BMW-diesel engine has performed over expectation for the German manufacturer.