January 2, 2012

TOTAL Reigns in 2011 Motorsports

Photo courtesy of TOTAL Press
Our friends at TOTAL has sent us the follow press release to tout their success in the motorsports scene for 2011.

Press Release
TOTAL Reigns in 2011 Motorsports

Red Bull Racing in Formula 1, the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the WRC and the Peugeot Total Team in Endurance Racing each won their respective world championships in 2011.

First of all, Sebastian Vettel, who was already World Drivers’ Champion 2010 with the Total logo, won his second title at the end of the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix on October 9. 

One week later, the Red Bull Racing Team, motorized by Renault, once again secured the World Constructors’ Championship at the Korean Grand Prix.

In the World Rally Championship (WRC), the Citroën Total World Rally Team won its seventh World Constructors’ Championship in Spain, while Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, at the wheel of their DS3 WRC, made rally racing history with an eighth consecutive World Rally Champion title at the Wales Rally GB.

And in Endurance Racing, the Peugeot Total Team this year again won the ILMC (Intercontinental Le Mans Cup) and finished the season with its two 908 in the first two places in the last race of the season in Zhuhai, China.

Total lubricants and motor fuels have been an integral part of all these successes.

Total ACS: Under extreme conditions, exceptional products and tailor-made services

The 750 hp developed by a Formula 1 engine running at 18,000 rpm make extremely high demands on the technical qualities of fuels and lubricants, quite different from our usual cars.

As the product of a close collaboration with the motor sports divisions of major automakers, the fuels and lubricants developed specifically for our partner racing teams contribute to a considerable improvement of the engine rated power while at the same time ensuring reliability throughout the race. On the Formula 1 tracks, Total ACS and its F1 engineers accompany its customers by guaranteeing the compliance of the fuel right up to the tank and directly measure the engines’ health by performing metals analyses on the lubricants in service.

Researchers in pole position

Our researchers are directly involved in this process, particularly in the formulation of lubricants. "We are proud of the results of the last races because we know that our oils contribute directly to the victory of the car on the track," explains Nicolas Obrecht, who formulates lubricants for WRC racing. "Rally engines must be very powerful - 300 hp as compared to 100 hp for passenger cars. The increase contributed by the lubricant is therefore highly significant for reducing friction in the engine and improving its reliability." Alain Bouffet, a researcher for WRC and Formula 1 transmission oils, adds: "In auto racing, we work less on the longevity of our products than on their short-term performance. In Formula 1 engines, for example, the oil is changed every two hours!" A constant innovation effort, driven by the reactivity of the racing teams and their close ties to the automakers.

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