Report: Aston Martin won't switch Le Mans Prototype to diesel

When it comes to alternative fuel and drive systems in motorsports, Le Mans-style sports car racing has been at the forefront for several years. Peugeot and Audi have led the way with diesels, Dyson Racing in the ALMS is running on biobutanol and Corvettes and Porsches are running on cellulosic E85. One team that won't be going down that path just yet is Aston Martin. AM Racing boss David Richards told Autocar that his team won't follow Audi and Peugeot down the diesel path since updated rules for 2011 are expected to level the playing field for gas, diesel and hybrid power systems.

Instead, Richards would like to see rules that would allow Aston Martin to build a lighter gasoline-powered car with similar performance and better efficiency. In any case, even if Aston chooses to stick with its spark ignition V12 engine, we'd still like to see the team pursue other fuels like butanol or ethanol.

[Source: Autocar]