Audi Banks on Efficiency at Le Mans

LE MANS – March 19, 2010: Audi will fight for victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours on the 12 and 13 June, with an evolution of the R15 TDI diesel race sports car. An extensive testing program with the revised LMP1 vehicle has just begun in the United States.

“From Audi’s perspective, the LMP1 is the better alternative to Formula 1 because this motorsport category features technologies and developments which are relevant to production vehicles,” the Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, explained.

“At Le Mans, efficiency is of paramount importance – and today, more than ever before, it is a key deliverable of production vehicles as well and it is one of Audi’s special strengths,” he said.

Efficiency was a main focus during the R15 TDI evolution project – particularly in the complex area of aerodynamics. Head of Technology at Audi Sport, Dr. Martin Muglmeier, explained how this year’s Le Mans regulations prescribe air restrictors with a smaller diameter and reduced supercharging pressure for diesel-powered vehicles.

“Due to the reduction of engine power as a result of the regulations we have tried to make the car’s aerodynamics even more efficient than before and to improve the Cd value and downforce parameters,” he said.

Audi had to completely modify the front section of the R15 TDI after a late change in regulations that was only announced in November 2009, making the work more difficult for engineers. Consequently, the diesel race sports car that is internally designated as “R15 plus” now has a new, distinctive face featuring a split nose.

The entire shape of the R15 TDI’s body has also been revised for maximum efficiency. The same is true for the modified cooling and fuel tank system. The V10 TDI engine has been optimised for the smaller air restrictors and reduced supercharging pressure.

“Our objective was to keep power loss to a minimum despite the limitations imposed by the regulations,” the Head of Engine Technology at Audi Sport, Ulrich Baretzky, said. “We managed to do that through a lot of detailed work.” The 5.5-litre engine continues to deliver more than 440kW of power.

“After Le Mans 2009, our specifications for the R15 plus listed about 20 key items,” Dr. Martin Mühlmeier said. “Efficiency and reliability were at the top of the list but we also looked at details like improved night time lighting of the track. We were able to meet this wish of the drivers with a new headlight concept.”

The evolution version of the Audi R15 TDI completed its roll out on the Audi test track at Neustadt (Germany) on 3 March. The vehicle was then flown to the United States for two weeks of in-depth testing. Before the race at Le Mans in June, Audi Sport Team Joest will complete an extensive testing program on various

European race tracks and test races at the 8 Hours of Le Castellet (France) on April 11 and at the 1000-kilometre race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) on 9 May.

A new partner has now joined the project: the logo of the renowned watchmaker TAG Heuer will be featured on the Audi R15 TDI.