"If we can finish, we can win!"
Taurus Motorsports brings diesel technology to racing
By Kate Shaw
Photos courtesy John Brooks and Taurus Motorsport
TORONTO, Canada (July 15, 2004) -- Those who attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year were privileged to have a look at the newest technology in sports car racing: the diesel-powered Taurus Motorsports Lola. And if Ian and Simon Dawson have anything to say about it, you will be seeing a lot more of it. Alternative fuel technology was the topic du jour at the latest MRI meeting at the House of Lords recently, and more particularly the even newer “bio-diesel” – containing between 2 and 5% biomass. At least one of the crew chiefs at Le Mans gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up for alternative fuel technology, and I am sure there are many others who support this cutting-edge idea. I spoke with Simon Dawson, Director of the Taurus Motorsports team, about the car, the technology and their plans for the team.

Simon and Ian Dawson are no novices in the field of racing. Ian has been active in motorsports for more than 33 years, and his impressive resume includes a stint with Team Lotus, working with Colin Chapman on the John Player Lotus 79 of Mario Andretti, the most perfect racing car ever made. Later he managed sports car programs for Zakspeed, Ford, Momo, Risi, Multimatic and Ascari before forming Taurus Motorsports. The Taurus V10 Caterpillar Diesel, driven by Phil Andrews, Calum Lockie and Anthony Kumpen retired just under three hours into the race with a clutch problem. “The car was quicker than the Audi coming out of the corners,” Simon told me, “but it was slower going in; the strain on the clutch came from the spike when the driver went hard on the throttle and then on the brake – the torque was just too much for the clutch. We have improved the clutch significantly and we’re adding paddle shifters, and that will make the transmission far more reliable. The engine itself is now bullet-proof and good to go until 2007; but we will be developing the new car so at the end of this year we will be able to use the new bio-diesel fuel.”

Although the car did not have a long run, it demonstrated its major selling point and did that very well, completing 17 laps between fuel stops, more than any other competitor, and with fuel to spare. The car will run again at Silverstone in August, and this time they’ll not be satisfied with anything less than a finish. “We must finish at Silverstone,” said Simon, “and the telemetry tells us that if we can finish, we can win. The telemetry we had from Le Mans shows that our engine revs less than the Audi, and although our results are encouraging, there will be a lot of people coming to our home race to watch the performance of our car, and like any proud parent we want our offspring to show well.” Their timeline extends through the 2004 season, which will include competing in the remaining 4 races of the LMES and then crossing the Atlantic to show the cars to the ALMS fans at Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca in California. Through the winter they will work to develop the bio-diesel capacity of the car, which will allow them to trim significant weight by losing the big collectors at the rear of the car that exist only to collect the particles produced by the diesel fuel. Adding 2-5% biomass will make the fuel burn clean, and they will not need the 3-kg weight of the collectors. As you who are into racing are aware, the less weight the car has to carry, the faster it will go. The development program will be aimed toward the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2005, where they plan to have two of the Taurus Diesels to give the Audi a formidable foe with a very good chance to bring their first win home.

As they work to develop the car, other developments are also under way. The team have signed a management company to look after their business interests and provide an overview for interested would-be investors and the media. They’re also in the process of developing a top of the line website that will be interactive and user friendly, including not only full details of the development program, but a special “Diesel Club” for the many who drive diesel vehicles and those who are interested in promoting and discussing the technology of bio-diesel for the road-going car. For a small annual fee, Simon anticipates providing the club members with not only information and a place to “hang out”, but an opportunity to participate in contests and draws for merchandise and perhaps even the chance of a VIP pass to a race as guests of Taurus Motorsports! Future plans may include “diesel wear” that the enthusiast can wear to show his or her allegiance to the technology and the team.

Naturally all this work doesn’t come for free, or even for cheap. Although Caterpillar has been generous with the development money, 75% of the financing is coming from the team and they are eager for more investors to join them in their march to the front of the grid. “Caterpillar is more than tractors and bulldozers,” Simon reminded me. “They are the world leaders in developing fuel cells which they are planning to use in marine engines; they produce electronics and electrical engines, and many other products for the commercial market. There are plenty of business to business opportunities with Caterpillar and we’re willing to facilitate any inquiries.”

There was one last dream that Simon told me before we finished talking today. “You know what we’d really like to do,” he said, “is get Mario Andretti back in the car at Indianapolis to break the diesel speed record for us. Ian worked for Team Lotus and Colin Chapman back in the John Player Lotus days, and it would be a great symmetry for us, to work with him again. But that, for now, is a dream. First we go on to get the car on the track and make it reliable, and then we go on to win races.”

As Murray Walker reminded us over 40 years of Formula One, ‘To finish first, first you must finish’. In the opinion of Ian and Simon Dawson, the Taurus V10 Caterpillar Lola can both finish the race – and win.