Audi Sport kicked off its 2015 season this morning with an extravagant event held at their new headquarters facility in Neuberg, Germany. The entire 2015 program was revealed and on display, though it was the latest Audi R18 e-tron quattro in full 2015 race livery that garnered the most attention.
Audi Sport reports that its latest iteration of the R18 that will contest both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the full World Endurance Championship (WEC) season has been thoroughly revised. “We focused on various areas this year so that Audi’s hybrid sports car will remain unbeaten at Le Mans for the fourth consecutive year,” Chris Reinke, Head of LMP at Audi Sport, revealed.
From photos, we can tell that Loic Duval piloted the car on several demonstration laps at Neuberg’s track facility, though it was the livery of the #7 that will be piloted by the Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer driver team who won Le Mans last season.
Audi Sport hasn’t officially released specs via PR channels yet this morning, so we’re relying on press who were there for technical details as of this writing. In as much, Motorsport.com is reporting that the car will be running to the 4MJ hybrid sub-class using a front-axle based kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) tested at Sebring earlier this month. The change is said to bump the R18 up some 200 kW in power, roughly equivalent to 275 bhp.
Most of the other improvements to the car are in aerodynamics. These include a longer tail fin, improvements to improve tire wear and stylistic improvements that seem to embrace more lighting signatures from recent Audi road cars like the A6 and A7 range. A second set of bodywork specifically set up for Le Mans is also expected.
One other piece of news from the event is that 2009 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller will serve as Audi Sport’s reserve driver. Mark Gené had filled that role for the last several years, but his departure for the new Nissan LMP1 program meant a replacement was needed. No doubt Audi will be well served, if needed, with Rockenfeller’s own significant experience with Le Mans.
Only one PR photo of the car has been released thus far, and it appears to show the same #7 car that saw use today during the Warm-Up event.
Audi Sport reports that its latest iteration of the R18 that will contest both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the full World Endurance Championship (WEC) season has been thoroughly revised. “We focused on various areas this year so that Audi’s hybrid sports car will remain unbeaten at Le Mans for the fourth consecutive year,” Chris Reinke, Head of LMP at Audi Sport, revealed.
From photos, we can tell that Loic Duval piloted the car on several demonstration laps at Neuberg’s track facility, though it was the livery of the #7 that will be piloted by the Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer driver team who won Le Mans last season.
Audi Sport hasn’t officially released specs via PR channels yet this morning, so we’re relying on press who were there for technical details as of this writing. In as much, Motorsport.com is reporting that the car will be running to the 4MJ hybrid sub-class using a front-axle based kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) tested at Sebring earlier this month. The change is said to bump the R18 up some 200 kW in power, roughly equivalent to 275 bhp.
Most of the other improvements to the car are in aerodynamics. These include a longer tail fin, improvements to improve tire wear and stylistic improvements that seem to embrace more lighting signatures from recent Audi road cars like the A6 and A7 range. A second set of bodywork specifically set up for Le Mans is also expected.
One other piece of news from the event is that 2009 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller will serve as Audi Sport’s reserve driver. Mark Gené had filled that role for the last several years, but his departure for the new Nissan LMP1 program meant a replacement was needed. No doubt Audi will be well served, if needed, with Rockenfeller’s own significant experience with Le Mans.
Only one PR photo of the car has been released thus far, and it appears to show the same #7 car that saw use today during the Warm-Up event.
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