Chevrolet getting ready to test new turbo engine

Chevrolet are currently running the new 1.6 turbo engine, set for introduction in WTCC 2011, in a dynamometer. Shortly the new engine is going to be tested on track in the Chevrolet Cruze.
“We started the new engine project from a white sheet of paper on the second week of January and the engine has been tested for the first time last Monday, so it has been 8 months of very intense work,” said Arnaud Martin, chief engineer of RML Engines.

The new turbo engine differs a lot compared to the naturally aspirated two liter engines of today. One of the main points is the requirements of reliability.

“The parameters laid out by the FIA are quite stringent, especially in terms of reliability; the challenge for us has been to reach a higher level of performance than the one provided by the current 2.0 aspirated engine while ensuring superior reliability to match the new rules (only one engine change allowed during the season in 2011 and none in 2012),” said Martin.

Ray Mallock Limited has run the new engine in the dynamometer for over 15 hours so far.

“The next step is to put the engine in the car and have the car running. Generally, it takes a couple of months to go from the dynamo to the track, here we are talking a couple of weeks, so we can say we are off to some record-breaking!” said Martin.