Three prototypes in the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours

In 2010, the DTM, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the customer sport program with the Audi R8 LMS will again be the three cornerstones of AUDI AG’s motorsport commitment. By participating in the inaugural “Le Mans Intercontinental Cup” Audi has opted for a new, forward-thinking racing series in which alternative drive concepts will be used.

“In 2009, the Audi brand has been celebrating its 100th anniversary and our motorsport squad presented the brand with a particularly nice birthday gift, the successful title defense in the DTM,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Management Board of AUDI AG. “Audi Sport has been a guarantor of successes in motorsport for as many as 30 years now – successes which are of major importance to the development of the Audi brand.”

In the 2010 season, Audi will again rely on motorsport categories that are very closely related to production vehicles: the DTM with the top-selling Audi A4, customer sport with the immediately successful Audi R8 LMS, and the sports prototypes with the Audi R15 TDI that has primarily been subjected to further aerodynamic development and bears the internal model designation “R15 plus” at Audi Sport.

The prototype commitment is of particular importance to Audi because this category makes it possible to field alternative power-train concepts and technologies. “In 2001, at Le Mans, we used a TFSI engine for the first time that has since become standard in production vehicles,” comments Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “In 2006, we were the first automobile manufacturer in history to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel-powered vehicle. And in the future we will use our LMP1 cars to test pioneering technologies and to underscore our ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ claim also on the race track. Therefore, we welcome greatly the fact that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has announced the first international racing series for LMP1 vehicles. We are convinced that this motorsport category, which is particularly attractive from the perspective of technology, has prospects for a great future and fits our times well.”

Author: Lee Sibbald, December 10, 2009
Filed under: Audi,Motorsport