SEAT drivers aiming for diesel success

One of the major news this year is that SEAT introduces diesel engines. Drivers Jason Plato and Darren Turner will be behind the wheel of a pair of SEAT Léon TDi at the premiere at Brands Hatch.
“The early signs show that the Leon TDI has huge potential, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of finding out what makes it tick,” said Plato.

The diesel version of the SEAT was introduced at Anderstorp in the World Touring Car Championship last year and has been very successful ever since.

The difference between the diesel version and the petrol version is, according to the drivers, very big. The petrol engine for example revs to 8.500 rpm while the diesel engine only revs to around 4.000 rpm.

“Technically, it’s a very exciting project to work on, as we have to re-learn everything we did before with the petrol-engined Leon. It really is a very different car, and the set-ups that were so successful over the last two seasons, where the Leon won 20 BTCC races, will have to be completely reworked,” said Plato to BTCC.net.

Despite the car being a new thing for the team, Plato has no other aim but to win at Brands Hatch.

“The turbocharged TDI has plenty of torque and there is a lot more weight over the front axle, so set-up is different and I’ve had to change my driving style. It’s a fun car to drive and it’s a car that can win races in the BTCC, but right now we have a lot more to learn before we find the most competitive package. That said, we’ll be at Brands Hatch to try and win.”

Team mate Darren Turner is equally enthusiastic about the new car but admits that there are a lot of new things to learn.

“It’s a lot different to anything I’ve ever driven before and you really have to change your driving technique. For instance, you have to be very smooth and drive it just under the limit because if you hit the power too hard the turbo and torque make the car understeer and you have to back off… and once you’ve eased off and come back on the throttle you’ve lost all momentum.

“The car is also very quiet; we’ve had to move the rev lights on the dashboard so we can see when to change up, because you can’t hear the engine – and that for me is very unusual.

“The extra weight of the TDI engine on the front axle has changed the dynamics of the chassis, and the weight distribution; the way in which you introduce the power and the braking is all different to the petrol-engined Leon. The engineers now have a lot of data to look at to fine tune the car, and while we certainly have a lot of homework to do, the Leon TDI has great potential.”