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Hockenheim is similar in layout to Zhuhai, and Audi have only tested the R15 in sprint trim during practice and Paul Ricard in April and since then only once at EuroSpeedway's infield road course--not what I would consider a through or even practical test program, as EuroSpeedway's road course has nothing in common with most of the ILMC tracks.
They could've been shaking down a repaired tub, or maybe Audi knows that they didn't do enough testing with the R15 in sprint race trim, and want to make up the .5 of a second they often lost to Peugeot at PLM on flying laps. Or they may've been testing a setup or maybe even the brakes, as Zhuhai is reportedly hard on brakes, and the Pugs have been rumored to have brake overheating/fade problems at tracks like Sebring and Road Atlanta in the past-possibly why Peugeot had a hard time against Audi in the latter stages of PLM '08 and Sebring '09, though I haven't heard of any such issues since LM '09.
I don't think that Audi was necessarily testing for rain conditions, as Zhuhai's climate on average (and note I said on average) is fairly dry starting in late Oct./early Nov.
Either way, it all probably adds up to Audi getting test miles on the R15 to make one last all out assult against Peugeot in China, which is a big market for Audi and Peugeot, and is likely the last race before the R15 and the 908 become mothballed in museums, possible (but unlikely) revival of Audi's ALMS proposal not withstanding.
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