OMV's CNG-powered Subaru racing to 2nd overall in Austrian Rally
“…the future will belong to gas powered cars…” (Manfred Stohl – former Group N World Rally Champion)
Austria’s OMV CNG Rally team is all smiles having closed off the 2009 Austrian Rally Championship in 2nd position overall, sealing the Vice-Champion position with a fourth place in the season closer, the Waldviertel Rally. This season was the first for OMV competing in the Division 1 class, having dominated the Alternative Fuel class since first entering the competition in 2006. The decision to switch to Division 1 was made just weeks before the beginning of this year’s season, along with the decision to switch to a converted Subaru Impreza instead of the Mitsubishi Evos used in previous seasons. The team again used biomethane for the full series supplied by OMV from its plant in Bruck (west of Vienna).
Despite temperature problems with the turbo-charger, the Subaru pulled an impressive fourth place in its first outing in January. The team switched temporarily back to a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, modified to single valve operation to qualify for Division 1 competition. The Evo competed for 2 races allowing engineers time to address temperature problems with the Subaru, which returned in Round 4 to complete the series of seven races.
Although there were no podium wins throughout the season, driver Manfred Stohl, the former Group N Rally world champion (2000), achieved consistent results within the top 5 in the overall ranking. The solid performance was enough to finish the Austrian Rally in 2nd position overall, becoming the Austrian Rally-Vice-Champion 2009. Contributing to the success was Stohl’s familiarity with the Waldviertel Rally, an event he has won three times previously.
But wait – there’s more…
Driver Manfred Stohl enjoying the gravel roads of Waldviertel
Making the results even more impressive is the fact that the Subaru was effectively underpowered for the duration of the season. Racing regulations dampened the power output of the biomethane-powered engine, requiring a change from the standard 34mm air restrictor to the less efficient 32 mm restrictor used by the regular cars, effectively reducing available power from 290 PS to 240 PS (approx.) – down more than 17%. CNG cars need more air to operate efficiently. According to insiders at OMV, no one at the commencement of the season envisaged just how successful the project would be, culminating in the team’s phenomenal success in the 2009 Austrian Rally.
Stohl said about this season: “It is a super success. With the rally Vice-Champion title we have achieved more than we ourselves had imagined and others expected. And one thing I say clearly: I am convinced that the future will belong to the gas-powered cars – even and especially in rally motorsports.”
OMV says plans for next year are still open. Reaching second place overall in 2009, can the OMV CNG-powered team do better in 2010?
Meanwhile, enthusiasm for CNG rally cars is spreading. The CNG Mitsubishi Evo which contributed to the result has since been sold by Stohl Racing to another team in the Czech Republic.
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