# Audi R18: It's Official



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Audi aims to continue its string of victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a completely new LMP1 sports car development. Since its debut in 1999, the brand with the Four Rings has won the world’s most important endurance race as many as nine times with the R8, R10 TDI and R15 TDI models. In doing so, Audi has equaled this feat in the race’s roll of honor with Ferrari. With the new R18, which was presented at the Audi Sportpark in Ingolstadt on the evening of Friday, December 10, 2010, Audi is aiming for its tenth Le Mans success in 2011. 

* Full Story *


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## iThread (Sep 27, 2005)

Looks great, too bad it won't be at Sebring.


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## mynameisnigel (Mar 4, 2006)

I can't wait to see the R18 race against the Peugeot 908/90x ! I hope that the fight will be close. 

I like the design of the 1-shaped daytime LED headlights: 









Just hope that the R18 will end up first at Le Mans in 2011...


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Looks like it will be for 2011. I wonder if Kolles or anyone else will run the R15s.


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## tdimeister (Feb 19, 1999)

I'd be very interested to see what bank angle was chosen for this V6. A 90° V6 requires offset crankpins for an even firing order, but this greatly weakens the crankshaft. Living with uneven-firing sets up undesirable harmonics and large torque fluctuations that's also not good for the transmission or engine. 

I speculate that this V6 has a 120° bank angle. You get even firing, low center of gravity and no need for splayed crankpins. Neither 90- or 120° V6s are mass-balanced, but for racing engines you don't really care. A boxer-6 engine would have been the best of all worlds.


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Boy a boxer would have been interesting huh... especially given Audi's newest corporate sibling.


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Some more links of interest/content we have run since the car's debut. 

* Photo Gallery: Audi R18 Reveal Ceremony * 

* Press Release: Audi Extends Motorsport Commitment with new R18 Racecar * 

* Press Release: Allan McNish & Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich on the New Audi R18 
* 

* Photo Gallery: Audi R18 *


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## sg207ptg (Jul 6, 2000)

Wow, the headlights are huge!


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## chernaudi (Oct 6, 2006)

Anyone read this?: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/lemans-inside-the-audi-r18/ 

Interesting theories about some of the ducting/venting on the car, but I think that the more practical reasoning behind such things (engine intake on the roof, and the nose duct is to cool the cockpit or something else in the nose like on the 908) may be more on the money until further notice. 

I think that it'll be an interesting read for all.


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## tdimeister (Feb 19, 1999)

chernaudi said:


> Anyone read this?: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/lemans-inside-the-audi-r18/


 The article supports my speculation that the V6 has a 120-degree bank angle. Interesting.


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## chernaudi (Oct 6, 2006)

An article that answers a question that many of us have had--what "R" cars came before the R8: http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=396290 

Also has a gallery, though the photos can be found here.


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## mynameisnigel (Mar 4, 2006)

> Anyone read this?: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...-the-audi-r18/


 This article is quite interesting and demonstrates that Audi have once again worked quite hard to come out with a thoroughly thought and designed R18. I hope that these changes will help close the gap to the Pugs. The changes made to the Peugeot 90X that was tested in Monza a few weeks ago do not seem as "radical". It is however to be expected that the 90X has further evolved since then. 

I am looking forward to seeing how the new V6 TDI behaves in comparison to the engine solution that will be used by Peugeot. The move to a V6 engine (especially with its radical 120-degree angle configuration and turbo+exhaust pipes arrangement reminiscent of the 80's) must have taken Peugeot somewhat by surprise. It is possible that Peugeot may move to a V6 engine as well (even though a move to a V8 seems more likely in my view), but I doubt that the engine solution will be as radical as the one chosen by Audi. 

The most radical change will surely be for the Audi drivers who have been accustomed to driving open-top cars. The (lack of) visibility and optical distortions created by the sharply curved windscreen are going to be critical for the drivers. 

Can't wait to see the car race against the competition !


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## lappies (Apr 10, 2006)

Regarding the motorsport.com article about the “R” numbers. I speak under correction but that list cannot be correct. I heard they started the numbering with the R8 and then just continued with it from the R10 onwards. I have heard that the “R” was for race models and the “8” was for the 8 cylinder engine in the R8. No “R9” exists. Also the list is missing some crucial Audi Race Cars. It is missing the “A1” and “A2” two derivatives of the original Quattro and the “E1” and “E2 (S1)” derivatives of the Sport Quattro. And most notably missing the Audi A4 Super Touring car, and some of the introduction dates are very wrong. I do not think that is a real list, I think someone wrote it up for the article taking a guess, that didn’t come from an Audi press release for sure...however I could be wrong, what is everyone’s take on the article? 

You could argue that the A1 and A2 are the R1 and R1 + and that the E1 and E2 are the R2 and R2 +, but I still don’t think that R numbers were used at Audi before the R8.


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## Suspekt (Oct 1, 2006)

Wow


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## mynameisnigel (Mar 4, 2006)

*R18's rival LMP1 racer*

Peugeot have now revealed the R18's rival which sticks to the "908" moniker:
autosport.com news article

Peugeot have opted, as anticipated, for a V8 diesel engine configuration. No hybrid drivetrain though.

Aesthetically, the car appears to be an evolution of the previous 908 LMP1 racer, with the addition of the now mandatory "shark's fin" at the back. Nothing really revolutionary, at least on the surface of it.

From the point of view of the aerodynamics, the R18 appears to have undergone far greater work and thoughts than the "updated" Peugeot 908 (let's call it the "908+" / "908 Plus"). One striking feature on the R18 is the fully integrated rear wing support that is flush with the shark's fin at the back. The 908 is far more conventional in that respect. I am a bit disappointed by Peugeot I must say. I trust however that they have worked hard on the mechanical side after the debacle of Le Mans 2010 and the "conventional" look of the car might be misleading.

Let's see how it runs on the track and if it can handle a 24h race...


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Thanks for posting it. 

That quote about the closed cockpit car being safer is interesting. Seems like a jab at Audi.


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## chernaudi (Oct 6, 2006)

In French, so you'll need a translator, but here's TK's take on driving the R18: http://www.autohebdo.fr/endurance/l...160211-kristensen-contents-de-notre-audi-r18-


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## R_Way (Jan 16, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> Some more links of interest/content we have run since the car's debut.
> 
> * Photo Gallery: Audi R18 Reveal Ceremony *
> 
> ...


Great links... Thanks.


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## chernaudi (Oct 6, 2006)

Another article about driver impressions on the R18--again general stuff, and an online translator is needed to read it in English, but here it is: 

http://www.endurance-info.com/version2/actualite-endurance-6313.html

Also, a poster on Ten-Tenths.com says that the R18 is 10% more effcient areo wise out of the box compared to the R15 last year, and that it's making more front downforce than the R15 did and that the car, possibly because of the wider fronts, has a slight front end aero bias.


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