Audi R10 Diesel LMP1 - 2006 AUDI Is One Step Ahead Of The Opposition Yet Again The inventor of ‘TDI’ will fight, as the world’s first automobile manufacturer, for overall victory with a diesel engine at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new Audi R10 is powered by a completely new 5.5-litre, twelve-cylinder bi-turbo TDI engine which is extremely economical and quiet. The Le Mans Prototype, with over 650 hp and more than 1100 Newton metres of torque, significantly exceeds the power produced by the majority of previous Audi racing cars, including that of its victorious R8 predecessor. Audi ventures into previously unexplored diesel-engine terrain with the V12 power plant manufactured completely from aluminium. The enormous torque of over 1100 Newton metres not only makes extreme demands of the R10 transmission system as even the Formula 1 specification engine dynamometers at Audi Sport had to be reequipped with special gearboxes capable of withstanding the unusual forces. The Greatest Challenge To Date For Audi Sport “The R10 project is the biggest challenge ever to have been handed to Audi Sport,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “TDI technology has not been pushed to its limits in motorsport yet. We are the first to confront the challenge; the demands of such a project are accordingly high. Long-term technology partners such as Bosch, Michelin and Shell support us in our quest. Together we have the chance to write new chapters in both motorsport and diesel history books.” The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the highlight of the sportscar category, one race that attracts more than 200,000 spectators every year in June. Several racing series’ based on Le Mans were born over the years which makes the use of fascinating Le Mans sportscars possible around the world. Since 1999, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) has become one of North America’s most successful racing series and was the first to test the water. There has also been a European championship since 2004 and in 2006, Le Mans expands to Asia. Therefore, in addition to Le Mans, the possibility for the R10 to compete in three championships spread across three continents exists. A special feature of Le Mans and the race series derived from Le Mans is the fact that vehicles representing four different classes compete in the same race but are classified separately. Indisputable “king” is the LM P1 category. It allows the engineers great scope and is therefore currently the most interesting motorsport category. No other class offers an automobile manufacturer so many possibilities to implement new technology and to test these for production, particularly in the engine sector. Distant Relation - R8 & R10 It is clear to see that genes from the extremely successful R8 have found their way into the Audi R10. Nevertheless, the R10 is a completely new design with which Audi Sport pursued many new paths. One of the most significant differences to its predecessor, the R8, is the integration of monocoque and bodywork. The majority of the carbon-fibre parts belonging to the R10 monocoque are now suspended directly in the air flow. Five further important changes are indicated in the photographs. 01 Second Roll-over Structure The LM P1 regulations now also stipulate that a second roll-over structure must be on the “passenger” side. 02 More Pointed Nose The R10 prototype’s nose is now much more pointed, the monocoque more fi tted at the “waist”. 03 “Stepped” Front Splitter The “stepped” front splitter is stipulated by the regulations and reduces downforce. 04 Longer Wheelbase The Audi R10 has a signifi cantly longer wheelbase than the R8, comparable with that of the Audi Q7. 05 New Rear Wing Mounting The R8 rear wing was mounted on supports on the outer extremities, for the R10 its on the car´s centre line. Four-digit Torque Values Audi is the first automobile manufacturer to fight for overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel-powered sportscar and breaks completely new ground as a result. “Up until now there has never been anything remotely comparable”, explains Ulrich Baretzky, Head of Engine Technology at Audi Sport. “We started development with a clean sheet of paper.” The World’s Most Powerful Diesel With over 650 hp and 1100 Newton metres torque, the V12 TDI propelling the Audi R10 is actually the world’s most powerful engine, which also makes extreme demands of the R10 drive train. The power and torque is available to the driver practically from idling speed, a speciality of diesel technology, to which the Audi drivers must now become accustomed. With a usable power band of between 3000 and 5000 revs per minute, the drivers do not have to change gear so often. The very low noise level and the smooth running characteristics are unique for a racing engine. One of the diesel engine’s biggest advantages is the low consumption, particularly on part-throttle and overrun, a disadvantage is the fact that 90 litres of diesel is almost five kilograms heavier than 90 litres of petrol. The Driver Steers, The Steering Wheel Thinks The R10 is fitted with a high-tech steering wheel with integrated microprocessor. The most important functions can be controlled from the steering wheel by the driver. 01 - Light emitting diodes indicate the rear wheel slip 02 - Gear shift light 03 - Two displays for digital information (e.g. engine revs), display in the middle shows gear selected 04 - General warning lamps (e.g. for pressure drop in a tyre) 05 - Start engine 06 - Radio (black) and pit-lane speed limiter (yellow) 07 - Gear shift paddles, left for down-shift, right for up-shift 08 - Manual gearbox operation 09 - Central display, freely programmable screen, several info-pages 10 - High-beam (blue), engine map selection button (green) 11 - Control lamps (e.g. indicator and high-beam) 12 - Various switches, buttons and regulators (e.g. traction control) Permanently Online When the Audi R10 reels off laps around Le Mans, it is in permanent radio contact with the pits. The most important data from the moving car is transmitted by telemetry and monitored by the technicians. Theoretically, up to 500 channels can be transmitted; the readability of data sets the limits. As a rule, three engineers per car monitor data displayed on computer screens at Le Mans. During testing there are almost 100 sensors in the Audi R10 and between 60 and 70 during the race at Le Mans. The Telemetry Prevents Accidents It is not only engine data that is transmitted by telemetry, the suspension data is recorded permanently by computer. If the car’s ground clearance changes, this could, for example, be the result of a damaged suspension component. The values originating from the tyre pressure sensors are of special importance: If the pressure in a tyre suddenly drops this could indicate a tyre failure. The driver receives a visual warning in the cockpit immediately, and is told to reduce speed by his race engineer over the radio. The danger of an accident due to tyre failure is thus minimised. Thanks to the telemetry, the engineers always know the condition of the car and usually know exactly what to do, assuming they have interpreted the received data correctly, in the event of an unscheduled pit stop. Audi R10 TDI Technical Data Vehicle Type Le Mans Prototype ("LM" P1) Monocoque Carbon-fibre composite construction with aluminium honeycomb core. Complies with the strict FIA crash and safety standards Engine 90° V12 turbo-charged engine, 4 valves per cylinder, DOHC, 2 Garrett turbo chargers, 2 x 39.9 mm engine-air intake restrictors (defined by regulations) and maximum turbo pressure of 2.94 bar absolute, diesel direct injection TDI, stressed aluminium crankshaft case, 2 Dow Automotive Diesel particle filters Engine Management System Bosch MS14 Lubrication System Dry sump, Shell oil Cubic Capacity 5500cc Power 650 BHP+ Torque 1100 Nm+ Drive/Transmission System Drive Rear wheel drive Clutch Ceramic clutch Gearbox Pneumatically-actuated sequential 5-speed race gearbox, partner X-trac Differential Viscous-mechanical locking differential Drive Shafts Constant velocity tripod plunge-joint driveshafts Suspension/Steering/Brakes Steering Electronically controlled power steering (rack and pinion) Suspension Independent front and rear double-wishbone suspension, pushrod-system with torsion bar and adjustable dampers Brakes Dual-circuit hydraulic braking system, mono-block light-alloy brake calipers, front and rear ventilated carbon fibre brake discs, driver adjustable infinitely variable brake-balance Wheels O.Z. magnesium forged wheels, front: 13x 18 inch, rear: 14.5 x 18 inch Tyres Michelin radial, front: 33/68-18, rear: 37/71-18 Weight/Dimensions Length 4650 mm Width 2000 mm Height 1030 mm Minimum weight 925 KG Fuel Tank Capacity 90 Litres Copyright ©2000-©2006 TotalMotorSport