Volvo and Audi race against a conservative image

Volvo and Audi race against a conservative image

By Alexander Corne

A Volvo race car may seem at odds with the marque's traditional conservative image, but the Swedish company is shedding its skin and strapping on fat tires to compete more effectively with BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Evidence of this can be seen on the Indomobil stand at the Jakarta Auto Expo where the British 2.0 liter racing 850 of the Tom Walkinshaw Racing team is proudly displayed.

To carve out its new niche, Volvo has focused on the fast and furious world of door-to-door saloon racing. A white-hot frenzy of clashing armor, short tempers and on-the-limit car control.

Super Tourer racing offers ultracompetitive, big budget, high- octane racing. It is spectator and television-friendly and the series is spreading across the world like wildfire. Volvo hopes to benefit from this high profile series, and the best way to attract attention is by winning.

However, for its debut season in 1992, Volvo took the courageous step of entering an 850 station wagon instead of the more obvious 850 sedan. The move was a success, for although the car didn't win too often, it created a sensation. Everybody, from motorsport fans to those with no interest in racing, heard about the racing wagon, and it began to change the way people perceived the Volvo brand.

Super Touring car racing is centered around mass production cars sold in vast numbers around the world. The racing version, while sharing the external appearance of the road going cars, is a purebred racer under the skin.

The first giveaway are the huge 18 inch wheels and licorice thin tires shoe-horned into the wheel arches. Then look inside. There is only a driver's seat and a complex web of tubing filling the interior. This high-technology roll cage protects the driver against the effects of the all-too frequent high speed departures from the track. The roll cage helps to stiffen the overall structure of the car, making it handle better and able to go around corners at speeds the standard road car could not even approach.

Under the hood is a highly developed 2.0-liter engine. This can be developed from any mass production engine sold by the car marque for road use. In many cases the engine is a blue printed race engine, with special racing pistons, camshafts and valve setup.

The gearbox is often a sequential, motorcycle style racing system, which can be operated not via the usual floor mounted lever, but by paddles fitted to the minute racing steering wheel. This means the driver does not have to take his hand off the wheel while changing gear.

The suspension is also completely reworked to racing specification and there are fire extinguishers plumbed into the cabin and under the hood.

So who is racing and how fast are they going?

The first series raced under the present rules started in England in 1991. BMW, Ford, General Motors, Peugeot and Nissan were among the first to become actively involved at manufacturer level, but now about a dozen manufacturers compete including Alfa Romeo, Toyota, Honda, Volvo, Audi, Mazda and Renault.

The cars cost hundreds of thousands to build and run for a season. In 1994, Alfa Romeo had a budget of US$7 million for its two-car team to race in the British championships.

The series was such a success initially, especially when packaged for television with lots of dramatic in-car footage. Clever management too, ensured the drivers were accessible to race fans in the pits, unlike the Formula 1 where drivers and fans are kept far apart.

The 2.0-liter Super Touring series runs series in South Africa, Australia, Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Spain. It is likely to start in the United States as well, and an Asian debut for the race series cannot be far away.

The racing continues to be the closest of any in the world, with as little as half a second separating the top dozen cars on the grid.

Incidents and accidents are rare, but with cars capable of more than 250kmh, there are sure to be some thrills and spills. Power outputs are broadly similar between the cars, handling limits also, meaning the race to the first corner always produces a massive scramble off the line.

While Volvo made a massive impact on the British market with its wagon in its first year, it subsequently opted for a sedan to form the basis of its racing. This offers better aerodynamic down-force, making the car more stable at race speeds.

The car on show at the Jakarta Auto Expo is one of these sedans. It is packed with the latest Volvo race engine technology. The closest racing Volvo on the race tracks is in Australia, where track hero Peter Brock has been driving the car for two seasons with a modicum of success.

Audi, which is set to launch the A4 on the Indonesian market next year, is another key player in the Super Touring stakes. Audi's A4 has been winning races in Australia, while last year the team won the Belgian and Italian Super Touring championships and is a serious challenger for titles in all the Super Tourer championships this season.

The A4's compact dimensions, highly tuned handling and some of the world's best sedan drivers have made the team a formidable force. Audi's preparation and team management is another strong point.

BMW founded its reputation on the race tracks of Europe and its ever evolving motorsport department enjoyed a rich diversity of product from which to craft its racing cars. The current 320i race cars use highly developed four cylinder engines. Testing and team management is now under the control of the British based McLaren organization, well known for its participation in Formula 1 racing.

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Audi, which launches the A4 here next year, is a formidable force in worldwide 2.0 liter Super Touring races.