Audi 3.7-liter turbodiesel V6

The Audi 3.7-liter turbodiesel has been named Race Engine of the Year 2013 by Race Engine Technology (RET), a high-profile technical publication based in England. EngineLabs profiled the Audi V6 Le Mans-winning engine in this report.

The RET awards were voted on by 50 engine engineers from diverse backgrounds around the world. It is the fourth time in eight years that Audi has won the overall title with a turbodiesel engine, even though the judges are from such wide disciplines as drag racing, dirt track and rallying. The engine powered Audi to wins at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship. It’s based on a 120-degree angle block and is designed with inboard exhaust and a double-flow Garrett turbocharger. The Audi V6 was also named Global Race Engine of the Year.

Chevy-Ilmor IndyCar twin-turbo V6

In other awards, RET named the Renault 2.4-liter V8 F1 engine as its Grand Prix Race Engine of the Year. Contenders included the Mercedes F1 V8 and the Honda 1,000cc MotoGP V4 engine. The Renault engine catapulted Red Bull to the Formula 1 constructor’s championship and Sebastian Vettel to the driver’s title.

Nominees in the North American Race Engine of the Year category were the Honda 3.4-liter V8 used in the LMP1 class, the Ilmor-Chevrolet 2.2-liter V6 used in IndyCar racing and the nitro-powered 500ci V8s used in Don Schumacher’s Funny Cars. The winner was the Chevy, based on its second consecutive IndyCar manufacturer’s title and victory in the Indy 500. EngineLabs will have an in-depth look at the Chevy-Ilmor effort next week.

Finally, the Drayson Lola land-speed record electric powertrain captured the Alternative Power Race Engine of the Year. Drayson used four Yasa 750H motors, two on each of the rear wheels, to power a Lola B12 LMP1 to over 200 mph and set numerous top-speed and acceleration records.