Handicapped Audi R10's Still Dominate Sebring

Despite new regulations, the Audi R10 TDI remains the sports car to beat. By achieving an impressive victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA), AUDI AG made a perfect start into the 2007 motorsport season with its revolutionary diesel sports car and also a successful dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16/17 June. It was the eighth victory in a row in the classic American endurance race for the manufacturer from Ingolstadt.

The Audi R10 TDI, which remains unbeaten in its ninth consecutive race, had to start for the first time with a 10 percent smaller fuel tank (81 instead of 90 liters). This meant the Audi had to come to the pits for refueling up to five laps earlier than their competitors. Despite the R10 TDI being the fastest car on the 3.7-mile track, also setting a new track record, newcomer Acura/Honda was able to get into the lead on various occasions with its 150-kg lighter LM P2 cars. Only in the penultimate hour, Frank Biela (Germany), Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany) took the lead for good in an extremely exciting and competitive sports car race. Frank Biela equaled Tom Kristensen’s record of four overall Sebring victories.

The 2007-spec R10 TDI ran without the slightest technical problem during the whole 12 hours on the extremely demanding track. The only unscheduled pit stop was caused by a puncture in the second hour costing the winning car two laps. Also two time penalties and a stop-and-go penalty were imposed against the winning Audi team.

The updated engine, featuring among other things more compact diesel particle filters from Dow Automotive, further developed suspension, the latest generation of Michelin tires and the weight-optimized transmission of the R10 TDI worked perfectly during the Le Mans dress rehearsal.

Meanwhile the Sebring week did not run to plan for the second Audi team with the defending champions of the American Le Mans Series, Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) plus Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen (Denmark). Following an accident in Thursday evening’s night practice session, the R10 TDI had to be completely rebuilt over night. Despite not having the opportunity to set up the car perfectly, Capello/McNish/Kristensen were leading the race before the starter and the battery had to be changed twice. Finishing fourth overall, they finished second in the LM P1 class scoring precious points.

rg12345 - 3/20/2007 10:53:38 AM

+2 Boost

They always do that. They handicapped the Quattro (about 25 years ago) to keep it away from winning the races (they imposed smaller tire than competition, for less traction) and still the Audi came up as the winner.
Any way, who cares? Audi has the best cars at LeMans for over 8 years in a row !

matt635 - 3/20/2007 11:39:22 AM

+1 Boost

It's not just Audi, plenty of other teams have to accept handicaps in order to keep things exciting for fans, not just fanboys, in all forms of motorsport.

"Any way, who cares?" Audi fan boys it seems..
"Audi has the best cars at LeMans for over 8 years in a row !" Within the last 8 years BMW and Bentley have also won.

jmrA480 - 3/20/2007 12:34:23 PM

+2 Boost

bentley won the 24 hours of le mans in 03, but the the works Audi team quit in 2002, thats the team that won le mans in 2000,2001, and 2002. Audi's factory team did not field a team in 03'.
The bently also used a heavily modified 4.0 L version of the turbocharged V8 engine from the Audi R8, and Tom Kristensen, who won the previous three 24 Hours of Le Mans races in an R8, drove the bentley.

IamEvilHomer - 3/20/2007 12:52:35 PM

+2 Boost

matt Bently won with Audi cars
learn before you speak

S4cabriofoxone - 3/20/2007 4:34:47 PM

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The Bentley was a re-badged R8.

matt635 - 3/21/2007 5:39:48 AM

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So it is actually truer to say that Volkswagen Audi Group has won at lemans for the last 7 years?

S4cabriofoxone - 3/21/2007 1:06:31 PM

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Yes.

d1sinfo - 3/20/2007 2:42:38 PM

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Congrats to Audi. They have a serious package. It is kinda wild how a maker can focus and dominate in a particular series.

Josh

matt635 - 3/21/2007 5:33:13 PM

+1 Boost

AlexTx, I don't know anyone other then myslef and my best mate who has ever watched an endurance race, but everyone I know has watched an F1 race at some stage.

Audi fans... stop building up Le Mans racing so much...!!! when Audi leaves and starts somewhere else you just going to have to waste hours convincing everyone that whatever it is that Audi do next is the most watched, most important, most prestigeous racing ever.. then you'll just look like lying hypocrits...

And by the way... a week or two ago BMW continued their dominance in WTCC in the 320Si... How many articles did we see about that??? yet we are up to 3 or 4 for this victory of Audi's....

... Audi fanboys will jump back with "nobody cares about WTCC"... the same fan boys that talk about Audi's transfer of technology between road car and race car... WELL YOU CAN BUY A 320Si!!!! They race in a homologated road car.... you don't get much closer to road car tech than that in a world class championship.... it isn't like you can buy anything even close to an R10!!!

WTCC is also all raced in the same class, so you always race against competitive cars... unlike ALMS where you only race against cars in your class... which in LMP1 consists of what!!!??!?

Audi fans seem to be so pro Le Mans racing because they have nothing else to be proud of in recent years!

I'm not saying their victories aren't impressive but seriously, you sound like school kids, with your constant ALMS is better than your motorsport.... F1 is the closest thing to an even playing field that manufacturers can compete in... everyone has to meet the same rules and regs... so there is no stupid complaining about "Audi handicapped in ALMS because their fuel tank is smaller"...

BTW, Audi fans.. watch DTM every once in a while.... it may open your eyes to Audi in motorsport...

and please... get your info from somewhere other than the Audi Channel.

BMW4me4ever - 3/20/2007 3:24:41 PM

-4 Boost

psst.. come over to F1

AlexTx - 3/20/2007 3:32:54 PM

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pssst...why??
Le Mans attracts more audience lately than F1.
I'm a huge F1 fan, but I have so much more respect for Endurance racing!
How much technology from F1 trickles down to road cars compared to Le mans racing?

d1sinfo - 3/20/2007 3:41:58 PM

+2 Boost

Le Mans is just as advanced as F1, and Le Mans has more teams severed partially from any manufacturer we might have an option to one day buy a product from. I believe there is actually less getting back to the customer in Le Mans.

Josh

truecarlover - 3/21/2007 7:04:32 AM

+3 Boost

Audi must be learning something in racing because the M5 has been beaten by the S6/RS4 in every comparison I've seen so far (Motor Trend-Car and Drvier-Edmunds) and now comes a daily drivers log (as opposed to track testing where the S6 again compares favorably to the M5. So what's the smart answer to this (after you read the link?)

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070316/FREE/70309008/1005

truecarlover - 3/20/2007 5:17:25 PM

+4 Boost

Whether it's Trans Am, SCCA or rallying, Audi has always been successful racing and have always had to be "handicapped". The only exception is DTM in Europe - while they do quite well there - they don't dominate (nobody does). It's not there fault that BMW and Mercedes left LeMans. In any case the three of them face each other in DTM. Finally I agree with AlexTx because just recently we have seen that TFSI of the previous R8 race car made it into production Audi's. All of a sudden every manufacturer wants to have direct injection engines. Yet and still only BMW could DUPLICATE AUDI by putting turbo with the direct injection in (335 and 535 came well after the 2.0TFSI). Funny how BMW used to say turbos were no good. It seems that just because they left LeMans it doesn't mean they weren't watching it.

chewy - 3/20/2007 6:57:31 PM

+3 Boost

Ding, ding, ding. Give this poster a million virtual moneys.

Audi basically invented turbocharged direct injection engines with their R8. Mazda, BMW, Pontiac, came out with similar engines couple of years later. Lexus has direct injection engines as well, but without turbos. Audi beat everyone with this great technology because they raced in Le Mans/ALMS. This is where power is important but so is fuel economy. Now they will make the best diesel possible with the R10. They have already used a 2,000+ bar common rail system on the R10. The brand new V12 and V6 TDIs will have the 2,000 bar common rail system when they come out. Every one else is still stuck @ 1,600.

matt635 - 3/21/2007 5:44:04 AM

+3 Boost

DTM = Audi and Merc

BMW haven't competed in DTM for years.

matt635 - 3/21/2007 6:44:30 AM

0 Boost

I dont recall BMW saying turbo's were no good. They have had a couple of petrol turbo models in their range previously and have used turbos with diesels for years. They also used turbocharging to good effect in motorsports in the '80's.

I think the idea is that they want to make very good naturally aspirated engines first and foremost, it's just part of what they do. Like Audi always prefering Quattro or FWD, to RWD.

validus00 - 3/20/2007 9:49:21 PM

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I think you're misleading our readers. Audi didn't have direct injection engines first. Maybe turbo direct injection engines, but not direct injection engines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_Direct_Injection

truecarlover - 3/21/2007 6:56:11 AM

+2 Boost

No - they didn't invent it. It's just that they started using it in the upper echelon vehicles. Just like how now it is an industry-wide issue - they have the best dual-clutch gearboxs (and interiors). This quote is from the article you posted the link to:

"Although other companies have since developed gasoline direct injection engines, GDI (with a capitalised letter "I") remains a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Motors.[8]

Later GDi engines have been tuned and marketed for their high performance. Volkswagen/Audi led the trend with their 2001 GDi engine, under the product name Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI). The technology, adapted from Audi's Le Mans racecars.

BMW followed with a GDi V12. This initial BMW system used low-pressure injectors and could not enter lean-burn mode, but the company introduced its second-generation High Precision Injection system on the updated N52 straight-6 in 2006. This system surpasses many others with a wider envelope of lean-burn time, increasing overall efficiency.[9] PSA is cooperating with BMW on a new line of engines which will make its first appearance in the 2007 MINI Cooper S."

Spyderman - 3/25/2007 4:23:30 AM

+1 Boost

Just what is the big deal about Audi winning at Sebring ?
Due to the overwhelmingly favorable pro-diesel rules,Audi has no real competition in ALMS (There are no other manufactures competing in P1)

Handicapped? - 10% reduction in fuel tank capacity is just a feeble attempt by the ACO to try and level the playing field.