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Audi’s showed its three works cars for Le Mans 2011 during the traditional Easter weekend test session at the Paul Ricard circuit.
Featuring a closed cockpit design for 2011, the three new R18 TDI endurance racers rely heavily on cutting-edge construction and materials.
"Carbon fibre is ideally suited for lightweight design and construction," explained head of Audi Motorsport Wolfgang Ullrich. "We have deliberately made this material and the ultra-lightweight technology visual for Le Mans. Lightweight design has occupied us for many years in motorsport."
SMALLER ENGINES, SLOWER CARS?
Weight reduction is crucial if Audi hopes to defend its Le Mans crown in 2011, due to regulations stipulating smaller engines producing less power - for the Audi R18 TDI this means in excess of 397kW.
Although there is a minimum weight of 900kg for LMP1 cars at Le Mans, the target is to produce a car weighing significantly less than that to optimise the weight distribution with the help of ballast and to lower the centre of gravity as much as possible.
Martin Mühlmeier, head of technology at Audi Sport, stressed: "With the R18 TDI, every component was optimised logically with regard to weight. The same applied to the chassis and the bodywork, the gearbox and the engine. We scoured the car for every superfluous gram."
The carbon monocoque, produced in a single-piece and for which a highly complex manufacturing process was developed, is impressive proof of the company’s lightweight design expertise. It is not only revolutionary for a Le Mans sports car but the same applies for the bodywork which was lightened by 40kg between the first and second version.
"Such a consequent lightweight design is a high technical challenge," said Christopher Reinke, technical project leader at Audi Sport.
NO AIRCON FOR RACING
Ulrich Baretzky, head of engine development, said the V6 TDI engine in the R18 TDI was about 25% lighter than the V10 TDI of its predecessor. "On one hand through downsizing but also to a certain extent because we explored completely new directions and chose an unusual engine concept," he explained.
The new six-speed gearbox contains a lot of carbon-fibre composite material and the complete LED headlights also help to save weight by omitting the lights' electric cooling found in production cars.
The gearshift has dropped its cumbersome pneumatic activation in favour of electricity and optimised airflow through the cockpit should make air-conditioning redundant.
Featuring a closed cockpit design for 2011, the three new R18 TDI endurance racers rely heavily on cutting-edge construction and materials.
"Carbon fibre is ideally suited for lightweight design and construction," explained head of Audi Motorsport Wolfgang Ullrich. "We have deliberately made this material and the ultra-lightweight technology visual for Le Mans. Lightweight design has occupied us for many years in motorsport."
SMALLER ENGINES, SLOWER CARS?
Weight reduction is crucial if Audi hopes to defend its Le Mans crown in 2011, due to regulations stipulating smaller engines producing less power - for the Audi R18 TDI this means in excess of 397kW.
Although there is a minimum weight of 900kg for LMP1 cars at Le Mans, the target is to produce a car weighing significantly less than that to optimise the weight distribution with the help of ballast and to lower the centre of gravity as much as possible.
Martin Mühlmeier, head of technology at Audi Sport, stressed: "With the R18 TDI, every component was optimised logically with regard to weight. The same applied to the chassis and the bodywork, the gearbox and the engine. We scoured the car for every superfluous gram."
The carbon monocoque, produced in a single-piece and for which a highly complex manufacturing process was developed, is impressive proof of the company’s lightweight design expertise. It is not only revolutionary for a Le Mans sports car but the same applies for the bodywork which was lightened by 40kg between the first and second version.
"Such a consequent lightweight design is a high technical challenge," said Christopher Reinke, technical project leader at Audi Sport.
NO AIRCON FOR RACING
Ulrich Baretzky, head of engine development, said the V6 TDI engine in the R18 TDI was about 25% lighter than the V10 TDI of its predecessor. "On one hand through downsizing but also to a certain extent because we explored completely new directions and chose an unusual engine concept," he explained.
The new six-speed gearbox contains a lot of carbon-fibre composite material and the complete LED headlights also help to save weight by omitting the lights' electric cooling found in production cars.
The gearshift has dropped its cumbersome pneumatic activation in favour of electricity and optimised airflow through the cockpit should make air-conditioning redundant.
