VAG Division – Volkswagen Group Car Club

Britain’s Oliver Jarvis will make his Le Mans 24 Hour endurance sportscar race début at the wheel of a diesel-engined Audi next month (12-13 June).

The 26-year-old from Burwell, Cambridge, drives an Audi R10 TDI alongside Christian Bakkerud (Denmark) and Christophe Bouchut (France) – a car that scored a “hat-trick” of wins in the twice-around-the-clock French race between 2006-08 – for the Audi “customer” team Kolles.

“It will be a huge honour to compete at Le Mans driving an Audi,” confirmed Audi DTM “factory” driver Jarvis.

“I’m fully focussed on the DTM but in the future the sports car category, and in particular Le Mans, is what I would like to be involved in so this opportunity, although coming very late in terms of this year’s event, will be a valuable experience for the future.”

Jarvis will face stern competition from the three-car “factory” Audi and Peugeot teams utilising the latest diesel technology compared to his R10 TDI that made its début in 2006 and which Oliver has only raced on two previous occasions in two races held on consecutive days at Okayama in Japan.

Oliver continued: “I raced the Audi R10 TDI for the first and only time in two Asian Le Mans Series races at Okayama last year, finishing third and fifth in the three-hour races, but racing at Le Mans will be a massive challenge for me. It will be a completely new experience because the races in Japan were staged on a short, twisting track which is completely different to the ultra-fast, flowing Le Mans circuit.

“My aim for Le Mans will be to finish the race. The ‘factory’ Audi and Peugeot cars have taken a real step forward so it will impossible to fight with them while the petrol engined cars of Aston Martin, Oreca, Acura [Honda] and Rebellion will all be very quick so to make the top-10 will be a very tough challenge although the Kolles Audi cars achieved seventh and ninth positions last year.”

Jarvis has been competing in the DTM for Audi since 2008 after a career in single-seater “formula” racing and is eagerly looking forward to his first taste of the 8.47-mile Le Mans track.

Oliver added: “A number of Audi drivers have done both [DTM and sports cars] including of course Le Mans record race winner, Tom Kristensen, in recent years. I love racing so the more races I can take part in the better.

“Coming through the ‘junior’ single-seater categories, I didn’t follow Le Mans closely but after joining Audi, I soon realized its importance. I went to last year’s race as a spectator and that in itself was a great experience but to be racing there this year will be an absolute thrill.

“The track is extremely quick and looks very challenging – I can’t wait for my first taste!”

The Audi R10 TDI that Jarvis will drive is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre, V12 diesel engine and powered Allan McNish to victory in the 2008 Le Mans race – McNish becoming the first British driver to ever win the gruelling French marathon in a diesel-powered sportscar. Oliver is at Paul Ricard (France) this week testing the Kolles R10 TDI this week.

Škoda Superb takes Best Large Car for second year running
New Superb Estate takes the crown for Best Estate Car
Yeti is announced as runner-up in new category; Best Crossover Car
The Škoda Superb has been named in the Diesel Car magazine’s annual Car of the Year awards 2010, taking the top spot in two categories.

The Superb outshone the competition for the second year running in the Best Large Car category, whilst the new Superb Estate was named Best Estate Car winning over stiff competition from a number of other brands.

The Yeti was also recognised in the awards, earning the runners up spot in one of the new categories; best Crossover Car. Since its launch in September 2009 the Yeti has proved to be a runaway success, winning the Top Gear magazine ‘Family Car of the Year’ award and being shortlisted for European Car of the Year in 2010.

In recognition of the Superb’s impressive design and value for money, the Diesel Car awards will join the array of other accolades that the Superb has picked up to date including the Top Gear Luxury Car of the Year Award in 2010.

Well deserving of the top spot in the Best Estate Car, the new Superb Estate was launched at the start of the year and is the largest and most luxurious car to ever wear the Škoda badge. Originally designed in the 1930s with luxury and elegance in mind, today’s Superb range builds on these strengths, with more rear legroom than many prestige cars on the market and some ingenious technological advances such as AFS (adaptive front light system), touch screen technology and park assist.

An acknowledgment of the high standard and quality of the Škoda Superb, the Diesel Car Awards demonstrate that the luxury, striking design and value for money that the Superb offers is certainly a winning combination.

Škoda unveils Fabia Combi GreenLine II and Roomster GreenLine II
New technology further reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emission levels
Innovations include a new engine with common rail, stop-start, energy recuperation and gear recommendation technology
Following-on from the launch of the face-lifted Fabia and Roomster, Škoda Auto has unveiled the Fabia Estate GreenLine II and Roomster GreenLine II – the first of its second generation of environmentally-friendly GreenLine models.

The new model Fabia and Roomster’s have been facelifted and fitted with new technology designed to further reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emission levels. The most important innovations include a new engine (1.2 TDI CR DPF/75bhp DPF) with Common Rail (high-pressure direct injection), start-stop technology, energy recuperation and gear recommendation (on a Maxi DOT display).

One of the biggest technological changes in the second-generation GreenLine version is a new three-cylinder supercharged engine (1.2 TDI CR DPF/55 kW) with a consumption of just 83.1 mpg and CO2 emissions of 89 g/km for the Fabia Estate GreenLine II, and 67.3 and 109 g/km for the Roomster GreenLine II.

In addition to lower CO2 emissions, other contaminant levels have also been reduced. The new engine complies with the EU 5 emission standard that, for diesel engines, has stricter regulations for nitrogen oxides and solid particles. The gear ratios of the car’s five-speed transmission are identical to those of the ordinary Fabia and Roomster models fitted with the same engine. As a result, the GreenLine II offers the same responsiveness yet with lower consumption.

The key benefits of the stop-start system stand out in busy city traffic. The system operates automatically, directly after the engine starts. If, after some time, the driver stops the vehicle, engages neutral and releases the clutch pedal, the engine switches off automatically. As soon as the driver presses the clutch, the engine starts again immediately. stop-start makes it is possible to save up to 4.2mpg (combined) or up to 7.7 mpg in city traffic.

Energy recuperation is another state-of-the-art technology introduced on the new Fabia Estate i GreenLine II and Roomster GreenLine II. Effective utilisation of the vehicle’s kinetic energy for battery recharging is a simple system that helps to save fuel continuously. The two systems – Start-Stop and Braking energy recovery work in partnership and, along with other measures, help to make the operation of these new models as environmentally-friendly as possible. The application of the energy recovery system has helped to reduce the CO2 emissions by 2 – 4 g/km.

Other technologies Škoda is introducing on the Greenline II models to improve economy are the gear recommendation system, which helps the driver make optimum use of the engine’s potential, a lowered and aerodynamically-covered chassis and, last but not least, low rolling resistance tyres.