24 Hours of Le Mans
Audi announces its 2009 motorsport programme
© Planetlemans - Marcel ten Caat // Dr. Ullrich announces the R15 TDI
In future, the AUDI AG motorsport programme will be based on three pillars: During the 2009 season, the brand with the four rings will compete once again in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the DTM. Additionally, with the new Audi R8 LMS, Audi Sport offers for the first time a racing sports car specifically developed for customer use.
“We know just how important motorsport is for the success of the brand,” emphasises Michael Dick, who as Chairman of the Board for Technical Development is responsible for the AUDI AG motorsport programme. “Therefore it goes without saying that Audi must also be present on the race track in economically hard times. It is all the more important for us to enter a motorsport category in which the cost-benefit calculation is positive.”
Audi therefore continues to support sport prototypes and the DTM. With the Audi R8 LMS, Audi also offers customer teams a racing car incorporating high-quality technology and the typical Audi traits but which is, however, also easy to operate.
New diesel sports car for Le Mans
Audi aims to demonstrate “Vorsprung durch Technik” specifically in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi is just one victory behind Ferrari in the French endurance classic’s all time winners’ list following its eighth victory last June. Only Porsche has more wins at Le Mans.
Audi targets the ninth victory in probably the world’s toughest car race, in which the development of alternative and fuel-saving power concepts are the focus of attention, in June 2009 with a newly developed LMP1 sports car. The Audi R15 TDI differs significantly from its predecessor, the R10 TDI, at first glance and features many technically innovative details with which Audi aims to maintain its supremacy in Le Mans.
The new Le Mans prototype is equipped with a smaller, lighter and even more efficient TDI engine. During the chassis and aerodynamic development Audi Sport engineers followed similar routes to those exhibited on the current Audi A4 DTM.
“It was clear to us that we must develop a new car if we wanted to continue to be successful in Le Mans,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “The Audi R15 TDI is the result. The step from R10 to R15 is significantly larger than it was from the R8 to the R10.”
Only the basic concept was carried over from the predecessor model: The R15 TDI is also powered by a TDI engine and is an open-topped roadster. Audi does not wish to release any further details at this time.
The first private tests with the new Le Mans sports car are scheduled for later this year. The R15 TDI will only be presented to the public immediately before its race debut in the 12-hour race in Sebring (USA) on 21 March 2009.
Audi Sport Team Joest will field three new R15 TDI prototypes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Development of the 2008 championship winning DTM car
Audi competes in the DTM as defending champions with a development of the 2008 championship winning car and with an ambitious target: Audi aims to be the first automobile manufacturer in the history of the “new” DTM to win the title three times in succession.
The DTM version of the new A4, which set the standards during the 2008 season with eight pole positions and six victories, is optimised in every area and carries the project name “R14 plus” internally.
Four new A4 cars and up to five 2008 cars will be fielded by the proven teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg. Audi also relies on known quantities for its driver squad: Every driver will be recruited from the driver line-up seen in action during the 2008 season in the DTM and R10 TDI.
© Planetlemans - Marcel ten Caat
GT3 race version of the Audi R8
With the GT3 race version of the R8, Audi has specifically developed a racing sports car for customer use for the first time. The Audi R8 LMS is powered by a 500 hp plus V10 engine and is available from autumn 2009 for a proposed price of 262,000 Euro plus VAT.
The new Audi R8 LMS will be seen in action on the race track during the 2009 season: Up to eight customer cars will compete in different European race series and in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, for which Audi Sport develops an endurance version of the R8 LMS. The factory itself does not plan to enter any races with the new GT3 car.
The experienced drivers Christian Abt, Frank Biela and Frank Stippler are involved in the Audi R8 LMS development.
Audi adds another pillar to its existing motorsport programme with the customer programme, which should be self-financing in the medium term. The new customer sport centre in Ingolstadt is conceived as a profit centre.
Motorsport represents huge value for Audi
“2008 was the largest and most successful motorsport programme in AUDI AG history,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “We want to continue this in 2009. In view of the international economic and financial crisis, it is clear that motorsport must also make a contribution to reduce costs further. It is all the more pleasing that we have found a way to continue our two large projects, the new Le Mans sports car and the DTM, and added another string to our bow with the GT3 customer sport programme. This demonstrates just how valuable motorsport is for Audi.”
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Can’t wait to see the New Audi R15 prototype race, it’s an open prototype. And the new Audi R8 LMS why GT3 can it be run in GT2 too. Still can’t wait until the 24 hours of LEMANS
Great, a new diesel! I was hoping for something more exciting (like developing the TFSI system for racing). Hopefully Audi will never win at Le Mans again. They don’t deserve it.
It would be nice to see Audi compete more in North America. The GT2 catagory would be a great spot to see the new R8 LMS, competing against; Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Ford, Aston Martin, Maserati, and now the new BMW GT3R. It would also be a pleasure to see the new A4 compete in the SCCA. Audi does great in Europe, but the Audi enthusiasts of the USA would love to see more envolvement then just the P1 catagory of the ALMS.
Doesn’t look like Stasis will be back in SCCA SWC.
The R8 LMS will race in the FIA GT3 Championship and other series which have GT3 cars. It will not race in the GT2 class. The SCCA hasn’t done that great of a job with the Speed World Challenge series. They didn’t even want the original Trans-Am Series to become as high-profile as it was in the late 1960s and early 70s. Audi is rumored to be out of the 2009 Le Mans Series.
For real GT3 exposure they should race it in the Grand Am Rolex GT class.
Even the FIA GT’s GT3 class doesn’t even get quite the same TV exposure. The only thing is that except for the Porsches it doesn’t feature any other exotic cars.
The 430 challenge and BMW m6s entered are very underfunded privateer efforts.
But that’s where the Speed World Challenge would come in. I think the series is just fine as it is.
Umm -
Bamba are you serious???
Clearly its NASCAR lending think tank believes a common chassis is the way to go and reduces cost (up front only) to purchase cars but not to develop them. You can see they haven’t learned ANYTHING in the Cup Series….
The 430 and M6 are built on common chassis (ie: tube chassis) these are not pure production based cars and besides the spec tire and other things are not competitive.
I thought Kool-Aid drinking was over this Holiday Season.
The game has just been raised in GT3. The Matech GT40’s was a example of starting from scratch with a car developed specifically for the job of racing in GT3 and the “Rat” seem to grow a desire to limit its performance over the season. Wait until the R8 GT turns its first officially test day times…
The SCCA does a poor job of balancing the performance in SWC. They should do that before the first race as the SRO does it with GT3. Will Dallara help Audi with the R15? Robin Miller says that Audi is “100 percent in” with the 2011 IndyCar Series.