Audi R8 (LMP)
Under the designation Audi R8 since 1999 primarily the Le Mans prototype from Audi announced that have won five victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The racer used from 2000 to 2006 is considered with 62 victories in 79 races as one of the most successful sports prototypes ever made.
Prehistory
In 1997, several works have been active in endurance racing, and so Audi Motorsport decided in 1998, and from 1999 also participate. As the code of the project was assigned to R8 and developed a V8 turbo engine. Audi commissioned at Dallara with the R8R an open roadster, similar to the built by Williams F1 BMW V12 LMR. Given the successful closed GT1 race cars such as Porsche 911 GT1, Mercedes -Benz CLK GTR and Toyota GT -One and the rule change to LM -GTP Audi was no longer sure whether this faster, at least on a round concept was not yet the better. So rtn additionally got in Norfolk in the fall of the contract to build a coupe, the R8C.
Premiere of Audi R8C and R8R
1999 Audi began participating in races in Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There, the built in less time and much less tested Audi R8C Coupé the Englishman proved to be unreliable, in contrast to the Audi R8R. The Roadster was set up by experienced Joest team, so that the reliability was ensured. Due to lack of speed, the Audis were not winning candidates, but arrived after precipitation of the competition the third and fourth place - the latter even after three gear changes.
Based on this experience, was then added together with Joest for 2000 the R8 developed. The R8C was deferred and experiences of development went into the Bentley Speed 8 a.
At the same time Mercedes, BMW and Toyota withdrew in favor of Formula 1 back from the sports car racing. Porsche renounced the use of a new racing car with V10 engine and developed it further the engine for the Porsche Carrera GT.
Achievements in 2000
The new R8 immediately won the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced the changing of the guard last year's winner BMW V12 LMR, which has not been further developed and its factory team did not compete. The rest of the season was successful with wins at the Petit Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series.
For the 1000 km Nürburgring, which were revived after a decade break, the strong German team of BMW and Audi were considered favorites. However, it won in the rain, the quirky front-engined Panoz LMP -1 by Jan Magnussen / David Brabham in front of a BMW V12 LMR, an Audi R8 and the second Panoz.
Dominance from 2001
Between 2000 and 2005 the Audi R8 won five times the famous 24 - hour race at Le Mans. In this case, by 2002 three victories were achieved in sequence, characterized Audi was allowed to keep the trophy and since then exhibit in the company museum in Ingolstadt. In 2003, the Group was allowed to go first Bentley, who won against the R8 to the customer teams with unofficial support the work of teams and Joest.
On April 25, 2001 Michele Alboreto was killed during testing due to a puncture with the R8 on the oval next to the Euro Speedway Lausitz. Then Audi equipped the R8 with air pressure sensors in the tires, to recognize a " slow puncture " early.
The victories at Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series usually double or triple success has been driven out by Audi drivers. Only the Cadillac Northstar LMP were represented as a factory competitors, otherwise only private teams or small manufacturers such as Panoz, Lola, Zytek, Courage, Riley & Scott and Reynard.
With the restructuring of the two overall winning prototype classes LMP900 and LMP675 in a hierarchical structure with faster LMP1 for plant and more professional private teams and cheaper LMP2 new technical regulations introduced by the Automobile Club de l' Ouest. All older cars were allowed to drive with adjustments as so-called ' hybrid ' until 2006. Audi decided not to develop a new vehicle for this transition period, had in return from 2003 to compete in the ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with reduced engine power, in 2005 in Le Mans also with only 520 hp, 50 kg additional weight and 80 instead of the usual 90 liters of tank capacity.
The end of 2005, the Audi R8 was officially decommissioned and announced a street sports car of the same name. In the ALMS racing prototype was also used after the premiere of R10 at Sebring until mid-2006. On 1 July 2006, the Audi R8 won his last race at Lime Rock Park Lakeville. In Lime Rock Audi Sport North America launched for the last time with the "good old" R8. For the farewell race in the United States, Audi Sport came up with a special paint for the R8: On the vehicle, the names of all 18 drivers were seen who had won the R8 race, as the names of the 23 world's race circuits where the R8 won - the successful debut at Sebring in March 2000 to 61st triumph in Houston. At the wheel of the R8 were at last use Rinaldo Capello and Allan McNish, the former leader in the LMP1 category of the American Le Mans Series. Capello took 18 wins with the R8, was successful only Frank Biela with 21 victories.
The successor in racing was was driven from 2006, the R10 TDI, which by a 5.5 -liter V12 turbo diesel engine with 475 kW ( 646 hp) and 1200 Nm. Thus, the TDI Audi came a year earlier for use as a diesel Peugeot. The R10 TDI continued the success story of the R8 with three Le Mans overall victories from 2006 to 2008.
List of Achievements
- 2000 Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans ( triple victory )
- Winner 12 Hours of Sebring
- Winner " Petit Le Mans"
- Third 1000 km Nürburgring
- Winning the American Le Mans Series
- 2001 Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans ( double win )
- Winner 12 Hours of Sebring
- Winner " Petit Le Mans"
- Winning the American Le Mans Series
- Winners European Le Mans Series
- 2002 Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans ( triple victory )
- Winner 12 Hours of Sebring
- Winner " Petit Le Mans"
- Winning the American Le Mans Series
- 2003 Winner 12 Hours of Sebring
- Winner " Petit Le Mans"
- Winning the American Le Mans Series
- Winner 1000km of Spa -Francorchamps 1000 km and Le Mans
- 2004 Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans ( triple victory )
- Winning the American Le Mans Series ( 13 wins in 14 races )
- Winner Le Mans Endurance Series
- Winner 12 Hours of Sebring
- Winner 1000 km race at Monza
- Winner 1000 km Nürburgring
- Winner 1000 km Silverstone
- 2005 Winner 12 Hours of Sebring
- Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Winner 1000 km Silverstone
- Winning the American Le Mans Series
Specifications
Performance of the Audi R8C/R8R how it was used in the 24- hour race at Le Mans in 1999:
- V8 engine
- 3600 cm3
- 600 hp
- About 900 kg Weight (with driver)
- 345 km / h
Performance of the Audi R8, as it was used in the 24- hour race at Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series in the years 2000 to 2002:
- V8 engine (from 2001 with FSI)
- 3600 cm3
- 610 hp
- About 900 kg Weight (with driver)
- 335 km / h
Performance of the Audi R8, as it was used in the 24- hour race at Le Mans in 2003:
- V8 FSI
- 3600 cm3
- 550 hp
- About 900 kg Weight (with driver)
- 325 km / h
Performance of the Audi R8, as it was used in the 24- hour race at Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series in 2004:
- V8 engine with FSI
- 3600 cm3
- 550 hp
- About 900 kg Weight (with driver)
- 325 km / h
Performance of the Audi R8, as it was used in the 24- hour race at Le Mans in 2005:
- V8 engine with FSI
- 3600 cm3
- 520 hp
- 950 kg Weight ( with driver)
- 310 km / h
Performance of the Audi R8, as he was inducted into the American Le Mans Series in 2005:
- V8 engine with FSI
- 3600 cm3
- 550 hp
- About 900 kg Weight (with driver)
- 325 km / h
Performance of the Audi R8, as he was inducted into the American Le Mans Series in 2006 for three races:
- V8 engine with FSI
- 3600 cm3
- 520 hp
- About 930 kg Weight (with driver)
- 310 km / h