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The Audi R8 is the most successful sportscar of the
present day. In the past
three years, the Audi works team has achieved three victories at the Le
Mans 24
Hour race plus three titles and 25 victories in the American Le
Mans Series (ALMS)
with the R8. The Audi R8, developed by Audi Sport under the direction of
Wolfgang Appel (vehicle) and Ulrich Baretzky (engine) has set a new
benchmark
in the area of sport prototypes.
The current R8 made its debut at the start of the 2000 season and
has since
been improved time and time again in detailed aspects. Most of the
modifications
have been carried out underneath the bodywork and are hardly visible, even
for
experts. Other changes, however, could be identified immediately, for
instance
the modified rear section that has resulted in a better airflow around the
rear wing
since the middle of last season.
As there will be new regulations for sports prototypes from
2004 onwards, that
will be valid not only in Le Mans and the ALMS, but also for the sportscar
races of
motorsport’s worldwide governing body, the FIA, development of the R8 was
discontinued after the third victory at Le Mans halfway through last year.
Nevertheless, the sports car from Ingolstadt is still the best in its
class and the car
to beat.
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The only
change to the R8 for the 2003 season compared to last year came as a
result of the regulations: in order to reduce the speeds
at Le Mans and in the ALMS, smaller air restrictors are generally required
for all cars and categories. For the V8 twin turbo engine in the
Audi, the diameter of the air intake was reduced from 32.4 millimeters to
30.7 millimeters. “This made the engine lose some ten
percent of its output, but the maximum torque hardly changed”, says Head
of Audi Sport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. Instead of previously 610
hp, the 3.6 liter V8-biturbo engine of the Audi R8 now has an output of
approximately 550 hp.
Audi
R8 Motorsports Official Website
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