Audi aims to continue its
string of victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a completely new LMP1 sports
car development. Since its debut in 1999, the brand with the Four Rings has won
the world's most important endurance race as many as nine times with the R8, R10
TDI and R15 TDI models. With the new R18, which was presented at the Audi Sportpark in Ingolstadt on the evening of Friday, December 10, 2010, Audi is
aiming for its tenth Le Mans success in 2011.
For the first time since
1999, Audi will contest Le Mans with a closed coupe again. "In the future,
aerodynamic efficiency will be even more important at Le Mans than it was in the
past," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "A closed car has
clear advantages in this respect. Our computer simulations have been confirmed
in the wind tunnel and during initial track tests."
Significantly smaller
engines than those used before will be prescribed at Le Mans in 2011 as the rule
makers aim to achieve a substantial reduction of engine power. By opting for a
3.7-liter V6 TDI unit, Audi retains the diesel concept that saw its first
victorious fielding in 2006. "From our point of view, the TDI continues to be
the most efficient technology," says Ulrich Baretzky, Head of Engine Development
at Audi Sport. "There are good reasons why the share of TDI units among Audi's
production models is as high as it is."
Through the innovative V6 TDI engine
for the Le Mans 24 Hours, motorsport is yet again performing pioneering work for
the production arm at Audi where there is a growing trend towards smaller, more
economical but yet powerful engines.
Another new development is the
six-speed transmission in the R18 which has been specifically modified for use
with the smaller engine.
Numerous Detailed Solutions
With regard
to the chassis Audi Sport wants to live up to its promise, expressed in the
brand's "Vorsprung durch Technik" tagline. Unlike those of the closed Le Mans
prototypes, the carbon fiber monocoque of the R18 does not consist of two halves
but features a single-component design. This saves weight and increases
stiffness.
For the development of the closed R18, engineers at Audi Sport
were able to draw on the experiences gained in 1999 with the R8C and in 2003
with the LMP1 of the corporate "sister brand" Bentley that was victorious at Le
Mans. "Also the Audi A4 DTM, which for example, features a heated windshield,
allowed us to shorten the development cycle with respect to the ventilation of
the cockpit, the doors and the heating of the windshield," explains Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Engineering at Audi Sport.
The chassis and
aerodynamics package contains a lot of know-how from the R8, the R10 TDI and the
R15 TDI whereas the fitting of identically sized front and rear wheels is new to
an Audi Le Mans sports car. This configuration allows a more balanced weight
distribution.
The R18's headlights, which are the first to completely
consist of LEDs with optimized amount of light, are a technical highlight. The
new generation of headlights was developed in close cooperation between Audi
Sport and the Technical Development (TE) division of AUDI AG and by using at Le
Mans, will be prepared for future use in production vehicles. Audi's light
designers had the chance to make their mark on the development as well: The LEDs
of the daytime light form the shape of a "1" which is intended to inspire
associations with Audi's historic brand logo.
The Audi R18 has been
designed for progressive electrification, which Audi Sport is planning to drive
forward step by step. "But efficiency is always the crucial factor for us," says
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "No matter which form of energy recovery we may choose the
key aspect for Audi - in motorsport as well as on the production side of the
house - is that it provides a true advantage."
The development of the new
Audi R18 started in mid 2009. The V6 TDI engine has been running on the
dynamometers since the summer of 2010. The R18, with Allan McNish at the wheel,
completed its first test on a racetrack at the end of November.
The
racing debut of the Audi R18 is planned for the Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) 6
Hours on May 8. Prior to the event, the new prototype will be able to do its
first laps on the race track at Le Mans during the official test day on April 24
and gather important data for the race on June 11 and 12.
Audi is
planning to field three Audi R18 cars at Le Mans, which will be entered by Audi
Sport Team Joest, the most successful Le Mans team of all time. In addition,
Audi Sport Team Joest will contest the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC),
consisting of a total of seven endurance races on three continents (including
the Le Mans 24 Hours) with two cars. At the opening race at Sebring on March 19,
the team will use two "R15 plus plus" cars. "Sending the R18 into a race at such
an early point in time would be difficult in terms of logistics and interfere
with our development program," explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.
Audi Motorsport Events in 2011
Audi R15 TDI
Mar 19 Sebring 12
Hours (USA)
Audi R18
Apr 24 Test day, Le Mans (F)
May 08 Spa-Francorchamps
(B) 6 Hours
Jun 11/12 Le Mans (F) 24 Hours
Jul 03 Imola (I) 6 Hours
Sep
11 Silverstone (GB) 6 Hours
Oct 01 Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta (USA)
Nov
12 China (CN) 6 Hours
Audi A4 DTM
May 01 Hockenheim (D)
May 15
Zandvoort (NL)
Jun 05 Spielberg (A)
Jun 19 EuroSpeedway Lausitz (D)
Jul
03 Norisring (D)
Jul 17 Show event Munich (D)
Aug 07 Nürburgring (D)
Sep 04 Brands Hatch (GB)
Sep 18 Oschersleben (D)
Oct 02 Valencia (E)
Oct 23 Hockenheim (D)
Nov 06 Shanghai (CN)
Audi R8 LMS
Jun
25/26 Nürburgring (D) 24 Hours
Jul 30/31 Spa-Francorchamps (B) 24 Hours