The R18 saw a world premiere on the occasion of the Audi Sport Finale at the Audi Training Centre Munich last week.
Advertisement
Though Audi is keeping the technical details secret for now, the new race auto has undergone significant enhancements compared to the 2015 Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro.
“With our new Audi R18, we’re setting a clear signal”, Head of Audi Motorsport Wolfgang Ullrich said at the reveal. “Audi continues to put the pedal to the metal in motorsport, deliberately relying on TDI-the world’s most successful automotive efficiency technology-at Le Mans”. Specifically, the hybrid system will now be using lithium-ion battery packs for energy storage recaptured from the car’s engine instead of a flywheel-based scheme. “The new Audi R18 marks a major step that we’re expecting a lot of at Le Mans and in the WEC”.
Piloting the third vehicle Porsche added for Le Mans and the previous World Endurance Championship event at Spa in Belgium, the Whanganui product was the first Kiwi to win one of motorsport’s biggest races since Chris Amon and the late Bruce McLaren triumphed in 1966.
The cherry on top is the efficiency-optimized TDI engine in the R18.
In 2015, the diesel Audi competed against Porsche’s 919 Hybrid and its turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine, Toyota’s gasoline V8 TS040 Hybrid, and the radical Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. But Audi isn’t taking that lying down; it’s preparing an upgraded version of its R18 hybrid racer for 2016.
The automaker also announced other 2016 season racing plans DTM lineiup of drivers the same.
The vehicle also features heavily revised front bodywork in a bid to maximise aerodynamic performance.
But with the German manufacturer’s decision to retain its six fulltime LMP1 drivers for next season and a joint call with fellow WEC powerhouses Audi to only run two cars at Le Mans in 2016, Bamber will miss out on the chance to repeat the historic result.
Advertisement
The R18 will be driven by former champions and Le Mans winners Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler.
