Audi R8 LMS Media Info 24H Nürburgring
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MediaInfo 24h Nürburgring Foreword Content Since 2009 Audi offers a thoroughbred customer sport race Audi at the 2009 Nürburgring 24 Hour race .................... 4 car in the form of the R8 LMS. With the support of Audi Audi Sport ..................................................................... 6 four of the fascinating GT3 models compete at the 24-hour The Audi R8 LMS ............................................................ 8 race around the Nürburgring. A driver line-up of winning The Audi teams .............................................................14 long distance racers share the cockpits of the cars. They are The Audi R8 LMS drivers ................................................16 united by no less than 27 overall victories in 24-hour races Schedule ...................................................................... 31 all over the world. The track ......................................................................32 Equally fascinating are the race cars, track, driver line-up Worth knowing ............................................................ 34 and the event staged since 1970. Each year more than The Audi partners .........................................................36 200,000 spectators visit what is arguably Germany’s Nürburgring and Le Mans 24 Hours ............................... 38 largest motorsport event. Roll of honour Nürburgring 24 Hours .............................39 For the brand the marathon in the Eifel is, at the same time, Media Service .............................................................. 40 a part of a 24-hour double header, Audi Communications Motorsport ................................. 42 as the new R15 TDI starts at Le Mans only three weeks later. Jürgen Pippig AUDI AG Head of Communications Motorsport 4 5 Ultimate endurance test for the new Audi R8 LMS In the course of the further development of the Audi R8 Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing managed to LMS, an ultimate endurance test is on the agenda for the form high-caliber driver squads consisting of five current new GT3 sports car of AUDI AG at the end of May: On May Audi “factory” drivers, four DTM Champions, four Le Mans 23/24, teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing, with winners and five drivers who have won the 24-hour race at “factory” support by Audi, will field a total of four cars in the Nürburgring at least once. All 14 drivers are regarded as the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Audi at the 2009 Nürburgring 24h the 2009 Nürburgring Audi at “The 24 Hours is not only one of the biggest motorsport events in Germany,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is considered one of the world’s toughest and most demanding race tracks. Similar to Sebring for the sports prototypes, it is superbly suited for revealing the final improvement potential of any new race car. This is exactly what we’re planning to do at the 24-hour race before delivering the R8 LMS to customers, starting this fall.” Four Audi R8 LMS compete at the Nürburgring 14 drivers share the cockpits of the four Audi R8 LMS outstanding endurance racers who are intimately familiar by Christian Abt, Jean-François Hemroulle, Pierre Kaffer and with the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Lucas Luhr. They include reigning DTM Champion Timo Scheider, who Marc Basseng, Mike Rockenfeller and Frank Stippler – together with his DTM team mate Mattias Ekström and drive one of the two cars fielded by Phoenix Racing. With three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner – will compete multiple Le Mans winners Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro for ABT Sportsline. To celebrate the Audi brand’s 100th and Hans-Joachim Stuck as well as Marcel Fässler, who is anniversary their Audi R8 LMS will contest the event as car entered in both cars, the second R8 LMS fielded by Phoenix number 100. The second ABT Sportsline R8 will be driven Racing has a particularly prominent cockpit crew. The start number 100 celebrates the anniversary of Audi 6 7 Audi Sport Three race cars from Audi Sport Approximately 200 employees in Ingolstadt and The A4 DTM of the R14 plus model range as successor to the Neckarsulm are primarily responsible for developing and R14 for the DTM, the R15 TDI as first diesel race sportscar of testing the race cars. Audi Sport is affiliated with AUDI AG’s the second generation and the R8 LMS for international GT3 Technical Development (TE) and is therefore answerable to customer motorsport. Michael Dick, Board Member for Technical Development. Head of Audi Sport since November 1993 is Austrian While Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm continue to Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. Audi Sport was restructured and look after the factory motorsport program, the organization aligned for the future in 2007. Towards the end of 2009 for GT3 customer racing was systematically expanded. Audi Sport will complete the construction of the first stage Absolute responsibility for development is in the hands of a customer sport center in Ingolstadt for the new GT3 of Audi Sport in Ingolstadt. At the same time two other motorsport program. sites are integrated in this project: The bodyshell is taken from the quattro GmbH production line in Neckarsulm. The New routes in customer sport engine for the race car originates from Györ in Hungary. Audi has developed three race cars for the 2009 season: Three Audi race cars: The R8 LMS (left), the R15 TDI (center) and the A4 DTM (right) Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich Klaus-Dietrich Krieger Dr. Martin Mühlmeier Werner Frowein Head of Audi Sport Head of Finance and Head of Technology Managing Director Project Management quattro GmbH Wolfgang Appel Ulrich Baretzky Joachim Hausner Head of Vehicle Head of Engine Head of Complete Development Development Vehicle Romolo Liebchen Oliver Straube Project Leader R8 LMS Marketing R8 LMS Audi Sport employs 200 people in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm 8 9 Ready for the world’s toughest track Audi R8 LMS Audi R8 The Audi R8 LMS was developed by Audi in 2008 for power plant is mounted longitudinally as mid-engine in customer sport use in international GT3 motorsport. The front of the rear axle. The power is transferred to the rear mid-engine sportscar, which carries the name and genes of wheels via a six-speed, pneumatically operated six-speed the Audi R8 race sportscar, made its first starts at the start gearbox. of the 2009 season. For use in the 24-hour race around the Nürburgring, During Audi’s near 30-year modern motorsport history the probably the world’s toughest race track, Audi has made R8 LMS is the brand’s first thoroughbred customer sport small detail modifications to the car in many areas. The car. The sportscar is powered by a 5.2 liter V10 engine. The basic classification according to the FIA GT3 regulations The Audi R8 LMS complies with the GT3 regulations but is specially adapted for the Nordschleife remain in original form. However, the “balance of performance” is valid at the Nürburgring. With this control A new supply coupling for the pneumatic air-jack system the 24-hour race organizer aims to increase the numbers among the variety of cars on the grid, to reduce the costs for teams changes and to allow a broader spectrum of cars to fight for overall victory. As a result, GT3 cars are, in comparison to the former more expensive special designs that dominated the experience on the Nordschleife into the special shock race in recent years, capable of winning for the first time. absorber set-up required for this competition. Audi adapted the R8 LMS to suit the extraordinary Furthermore, a long-distance racing steel brake system conditions experienced on the Nordschleife by replaces the standard ceramic production braking system. implementing special modifications primarily in the chassis, Due to the loads experienced during a 24-hour race the bodywork and electrical areas. The suspension on the brake-pad change expected with the previous system sportscar with the aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF) was would only have been possible with greater time loss. A retained. The wishbones are now equipped with spherical brake-balance bar system replaces the standard production bearings. These steel components replace the standard production rubber mounts and are perfectly suited to the permanent loads exerted on every part for 24-hours. In addition, the Audi R8 LMS now has ten millimeters more ground clearance, or ride-height as it is called, specifically for this track to cope with the climbs, compressions and other peculiarities presented by the track in the Eifel. The shock absorbers are structurally identical to the R8 LMS components used in GT3 race series’. Partner Bilstein, however, introduced its expert and long-standing The ceramic braking system has been replaced by a steel counterpart 10 11 Various electric and electronic innovations are used for driver safety during the 24-hour race Audi R8 LMS Audi R8 brake booster and enables the drivers to adapt the brake re-positioned. Because the car’s rear end is vulnerable to bias perfectly to suit the inconsistent track grip level potential collision damage the coupling has been moved experienced in unsettled weather conditions. to the upper side of the rear-right fender. At a pit stop it is supplied by a new, angled air jack lance from partner For the lighting conditions at night two additional Stäubli. Xenon headlights were integrated into the front apron. Illuminated film makes rapid identification of the start A tire-pressure monitoring system acts as additional numbers possible. safety measure for the drivers. It is related to the device used in the Audi R15 TDI sports prototype. It also requires The fuel cell refueling coupling is new. It was developed for additional light units and extra an data-logging interface in the standard fuelling system stipulated by the organizer. the Audi R8 LMS electrical system. Audi omitted installing The connection for the pneumatic air-jack system was also a theoretically allowable but costly telemetry system, instead the existing data-logger stores all the necessary information, which can be downloaded during the pit stop.