R18 V6 TDI, Audi's new weapon

If the Audi R15 TDI won the last 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi wants to hit hard with the R18, who wants to be the best of its representatives. In front of Peugeot , which will also present a new car (90X), the Ingolstadt firm could not do in half measures.

Made with very aggressive lines, the R18 is a closed prototype, “like” Peugeot, and which contrasts with the latest Audi cars, which were open prototypes. But, adapting to the new regulations in order to find the best compromise, Audi has chosen the closed passenger compartment.

For Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, boss of Audi Motorsport, this is a logical choice. ?In the future, aerodynamic efficiency will become more important at Le Mans than in the past. Therefore, in this context, a closed car is more suitable. Our tests confirmed this in the wind tunnel and during the first tests on the track. »

In addition, the German manufacturer persists in the path of diesel engines, with a 6 liter V3.7 TDI engine. “From our point of view, the diesel engine continues to be the most efficient technology,” explains Ulrich Baretzky, head of the Engine Department. The propellant has been tested on the bench since last summer, while development of the R18 began in mid-2009. As for the first track tests, they were carried out by Allan McNish at the end of November 2010.

Unlike the R15, the first race of the R18 will not take place at Sebring. It is at Spa-Francorchamps, during the 6 Hours of Spa, that the Ingolstadt car will debut in competition. Audi will then have one month left to fine-tune its settings for the most important race of the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.