A virtually standard Delphi diesel fuel injection system powered the class-winning Peugeot RCZ at the recent Nürburgring 24 Hours race. Competing in a field of 201 vehicles the RCZ 2.0 litre HDi diesel coupé displayed consistent speed and reliability to dominate its class.
While many of the competing vehicles were highly modified for racing, Peugeot entered standard RCZ cars that were largely unmodified from the road-going versions. The road car specification RCZ completed 3,299.14 kilometers of what is universally perceived as the toughest racetrack in the world, the Nürburgring Nordschleife or ‘Green Hell’.
The two RCZs ran in the D1T category for diesel cars between 1.7 liters and 2.0 liters. The key change to the standard engine is an increase in turbo boost pressure - lifting the torque from 340Nm to 400Nm and the power from 120kW to 150kW.
For a race car to use a production ECU is rare. But Delphi technical specialists modified the software of the standard ECU to allow Peugeot to re-calibrate the engine mapping to suit the demands of endurance racing with the re-tuned engine.
John Fuerst a manager at Delphi diesel said: “To meet the challenges of such a gruelling race with systems that were originally designed for road car applications is a clear indication of the quality of Delphi technology and manufacturing.”