Audi 2013 Annual Report Download - page 109

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MARCH 2013
DECEMBER 2012
Our countdown begins in July 2012. With the concept
phase for the new R18 e-tron quattro, which is to
race in 2014. The development and testing teams
have to react to the new rules issued by the Fédération Inter-
nationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club
de l’Ouest (ACO), which place the focus on the vehicles’ e-
ciency. In plain text, the teams are only allowed to consume
a certain amount of fuel per lap at Le Mans. The object is
now to drive as fast as possible on this limited supply of fuel.
This is only possible with the help of cutting-edge vehicle
and drive technologies. The new rules allow a certain latitude
when it comes to the drive units. A dicult task, even for
the experienced Audi Sport engineers in Ingolstadt and
Neckarsulm, who have been designing successful sport proto-
types for 15 years. “There is barely a single screw that we
carried over from our championship-winning car from the
2013 season,” says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The rules aren’t
just new ; they force you to reverse your way of thinking,” says
the mechanical engineer, who has headed Audi Motorsport
for 20 years and is thus the father of countless successes. High
performance yield for optimal lap times – that had been one
of the priorities in motorsport for over a century. Engine out-
put is no longer a priority for those responsible for the rules.
There aren’t even the usual restrictions on displacement or air
volume to limit output. The only thing limited is the use of
energy. But let’s get back to July 2012, when all the various
possibilities were being considered and sketched out. Meticu-
lously, since the new rules leave no margin for error – neither
with the aerodynamics values nor with fuel consumption.
The all-new V6 TDI engine for the 2014 race car is put on the
test bench for the first time during the week before Audi’s
12th Le Mans victory in June 2013. Its baptism of fire then
comes at Le Castellet in October. Following the concept
phase, design and parts production, this date marks the start
of the countdown’s decisive stage. At first, the new race car
is perfectly camouflaged with a film featuring a pattern of black
and white swirls. “The pressure from the competition is
now so high that even the outer appearance needs to be kept
secret,” explains Matthias Huber, an Audi Sport test engineer.
Every shape, every wing, all of the surfaces and contours
reveal something about the best solutions that are the key to
optimizing aerodynamic eciency.
After testing in Europe, the test team then put the Le Mans
prototype through its paces on the track at Sebring. With its
ancient concrete slabs, the former airport in Florida is a real
boneshaker. “A high mileage is important for reliability,” says
Huber. The engineer has worked for Audi Sport since 2010.
“We are most concerned with the new operating strategy. The
programs and their tuning are much more comprehensive
/// DESIGN WORK BEGINS
In December 2012, the engineers at Audi Sport began designing
and calculating several thousand individual parts.
/// PRODUCTION OF
THE FIRST COMPONENTS
Audi and its suppliers
began manufacturing the
first components for
the race car in March 2013.
Among the first parts
were transverse links for
the wheel suspension.
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