[LM24] Audi plans for 2010 revealed

[Audi Racer]

That may be the underpinnings of the R15plus but not the bodywork. the rear fenders viewed form the back are still open i think

[chernaudi]

Chassis/suspension won't change on the R15-the aero most likely will, with the ACO-endorsed changes(rear end louvres and the 10mm blunt trailing edge on the nose flap and front diffuser) and perhaps a refinement of the '09 areo to reduce drag and maintain downforce.

Mulsanne Mike has confirmed that the R15 at Sebring this week was a late '09 spec car, as raced at Petit Le Mans(single vent nose chiminey, twin HD dive planes, tail gurneys and other aero settings) aside from the CF/black primer finish.

Who knows what Audi has in store, but we'll find out in the coming weeks, and perhaps sooner than shortly before Paul Ricard if IMSA has its way as rumored.

[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by Ur Q 83

I keep on thinking there are changes but I think it’s just the colour playing tricks. But one ( very small ) change I can spot is a small NACA duct on the inboard side of the passenger ‘Roll Hoop’/engine cover ( you see it on the rearward shot ).

Anyway I don’t think the R15plus will look that different from the ’09 LM spec R15 apart from the rear with the new ACO louvers and lights.

NACA duct was on the car at Petit.

[chernaudi]

The duct was added at Le Mans to cool the alternator if I remember after the ACO asked Audi to add a vailance panel on the rear deck between the exhaust exits.

[HORNDAWG]

The Audi Teams at Le Mans 2010

#7 Dindo Capello /Tom Kristensen /Allan McNish
#8 Marcel Fässler /André Lotterer /Benoît Treluyer
#9 Timo Bernhard /Romain Dumas /Mike Rockenfeller




L.P.

[cdsvg]

About the rear bodywork ducts on the R15 - don't they help alleviate pressure drag by filling in the wake behind the car? How do they produce drag?

Also we can be certain that the unpainted car we've seen testing at Sebring is not the R15+ as the rear fenders are unchanged.

[Audi Racer]

It is very important that Audi wins Lemans this year. They have lost the 1,2,3 numbers in all three series. ALMS, LMS, and Lemans. Well according to the previuos post.

I'm not so sure that teams like switching numbers like that. Cars are known by their numbers. the 45 car(if you don't know this shame on you)
the 9 car
its also strange how Duncan didn;t stick to the 9 for his acura.
Sorry but i think your very unucky in racing if you take the number 1 away from the Audi Squad. This could be a curse for Duncan Dayton's team. but hey who knows it's just a number right (chill breeze blows by)
Kinda like nascar(thats the only the only thing i like about nascar how the number is an identity. The 88, the 48, the 18 (JIC Earnhadt,Jimmie J, KY Busch)

the 62 risi Ferrari
The 3 corvette the 4 corvette
The 007 Aston Martin
the 009 Aston
The 007 corvette just sounds weird and the 3 aston sounds weird

[Audi Racer]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

The Audi Teams at Le Mans 2010

#7 Dindo Capello /Tom Kristensen /Allan McNish
#8 Marcel Fässler /André Lotterer /Benoît Treluyer
#9 Timo Bernhard /Romain Dumas /Mike Rockenfeller


I think audi has gotten word that Porsche will be back and they're taking their drivers back with them. What is wrong with car manufacturers today. These are the carmakers that should be at lemans 2010 but majority willnot be thier in LMP1. They have absolutely no reason not to.

L.P.

I'd be very happy to see a Bernhard, Rockenfeller, Dumas victory. thats two enduros in a row for Rockenfeller. You know the interesting thing. I think that when Porsche comes back hopefully they'll have a
Bernhard-Dumas combo and a Rockenfeller-Luhr combo the third drivers would be probably Briscoe and Long.

I think audi has gotten word that Porsche will be back and they're taking their drivers back with them. What is wrong with car manufacturers today. These are the carmakers that should be at lemans 2010 but majority willnot be thier in LMP1
Peugeot(Diesel HDI V8) 908HY
Audi (Diesel TDI V8) R16 TDI
Porsche(Petrol Boxer V8) Porsche 912
Aston Martin(The most magnificent sounding V12 engine in the universe) Aston Martin DB12
Ferrari(Petrol V12) Ferrari 459XX
BMW(Twin turbo M Power V10) BMW M1 LMR
Toyota(Petrol V10 LFA sourced)
Nissan(I actually don't know)
Mercedes(6.2 L supercharged AMG V8)
Mazda(yes Renesis Rotarypower) Mazda RXX

[Dead-Eye]

Originally Posted by Audi Racer

It is very important that Audi wins Lemans this year. They have lost the 1,2,3 numbers in all three series. ALMS, LMS, and Lemans. Well according to the previuos post.

I'm not so sure that teams like switching numbers like that. Cars are known by their numbers. the 45 car(if you don't know this shame on you)
the 9 car
its also strange how Duncan didn;t stick to the 9 for his acura.
Sorry but i think your very unucky in racing if you take the number 1 away from the Audi Squad. This could be a curse for Duncan Dayton's team. but hey who knows it's just a number right (chill breeze blows by)
Kinda like nascar(thats the only the only thing i like about nascar how the number is an identity. The 88, the 48, the 18 (JIC Earnhadt,Jimmie J, KY Busch)

Thankfully, Le Mans isn't NASCAR.
The 1 goes to the reigning winner/champion, and that's it.

(although I would like to know why the manufacturer that doesn't have the #1 always gets the 7, 8 and 9 - Peugeot up to now, and when Audi came back as a full works outfit in 2006 they ran #7 and #8 as well)

[Dani Filth]

some numbers do seem like "reserved" ... 16,17 for pesca, 10-11 for Oreca .. and i'm pretty sure there're others ..

[Ur Q 83]

Originally Posted by MulsanneMike

NACA duct was on the car at Petit.

Its good to know that people have better eyes then I do !.

Ps Mike, any idea if or when the R15 will be added to your website ?.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by Audi Racer

It is very important that Audi wins Lemans this year. They have lost the 1,2,3 numbers in all three series. ALMS, LMS, and Lemans. Well according to the previuos post.

I'm not so sure that teams like switching numbers like that. Cars are known by their numbers. the 45 car(if you don't know this shame on you)
the 9 car
its also strange how Duncan didn;t stick to the 9 for his acura.
Sorry but i think your very unucky in racing if you take the number 1 away from the Audi Squad. This could be a curse for Duncan Dayton's team. but hey who knows it's just a number right (chill breeze blows by)
Kinda like nascar(thats the only the only thing i like about nascar how the number is an identity. The 88, the 48, the 18 (JIC Earnhadt,Jimmie J, KY Busch)

the 62 risi Ferrari
The 3 corvette the 4 corvette
The 007 Aston Martin
the 009 Aston
The 007 corvette just sounds weird and the 3 aston sounds weird

Not really true... after all, it's Joest Racing running the cars, and we know about Joest's Lucky Number Seven. 5 wins for the team at Le Mans in cars with number 7 on them.

[chernaudi]

As far as the R15"+" goes, we may know more about it in a few weeks, as in the EI article(sourced from an Audi Sport press release) where Audi anounces that the R15+ should be fully rolled in late this month.

[HORNDAWG]

Lucas named as reserve driver for Le Mans. Marco will be staying somewhat within the Audi family in a customer R8 LM, Lucas also did some testing at Sebring in the R8 LM, is he headed there also?





L.P.

[The Badger]

Like Johnny Kane was reserve driver for the Bentley ..... its called covering ones ass !!!

[cmk]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

Lucas named as reserve driver for Le Mans. Marco will be staying somewhat within the Audi family in a customer R8 LM, Lucas also did some testing at Sebring in the R8 LM, is he headed there also?





L.P.

That is certainly what the press release implies, though unlike Marco (and Frank) it sounds like he is still a contracted driver.

It seems the nature of the test at Sebring as a shakedown for the new boys in an interim car is confirmed by the same release.

[WMUCarGuy]

Audi's Motorsport media page lists just 7 factory drivers for 2010. McNish, Capello, Kristensen, Rockenfeller, Lotterer, Fassler, and Treluyer. If Luhr is a reserve driver, he's been dropped from the guild of "Factory drivers".

[Gendebien]

Originally Posted by WMUCarGuy

Audi's Motorsport media page lists just 7 factory drivers for 2010. McNish, Capello, Kristensen, Rockenfeller, Lotterer, Fassler, and Treluyer. If Luhr is a reserve driver, he's been dropped from the guild of "Factory drivers".

Audi has much more factory drivers, don´t forget the DTM-Guys.

Luhr is an official factory driver 2010, but not in the R15-Crew.

[cmk]

Originally Posted by WMUCarGuy

Audi's Motorsport media page lists just 7 factory drivers for 2010. McNish, Capello, Kristensen, Rockenfeller, Lotterer, Fassler, and Treluyer. If Luhr is a reserve driver, he's been dropped from the guild of "Factory drivers".

Directly from the press release: Audi has nominated "factory" driver Lucas Luhr as a reserve driver for the 24 Hours fo Le Mans.

Take from that what you will.

[chernaudi]

I've just though of something that's car related as far as the R15 goes. A lot of talk has been voiced over the "channel" concept, from this forum to Audi Sport itself. I know that Mulsanne Mike and others less technically inclined(myself included) have been trying to put out scinerios about the channels and if such solutions are practical.

What I was thinking about is the channels themselves. I know that it would be impractical for Audi(concept and cost-wise) to do away completely with the channels. But what I was wondering is if Audi could modify the side pod channels based on the following suggestion-the ducting mounted in front of the rear wheels.

The R15 there uses a concept as old as the 2000 Lola B2K/40 LMP675/2 car, and it works in much the same way-the duct feeds air to the rear brakes and what doesn't get used is vented out over the rear diffuser. Audi extended that to the side pods to help extract air our from the front diffuser as well. That adds a ton of downforce-I wouldn't be surprised if the R15 was pulling downforce numbers to rival Group C and IMSA GTP cars. However, unlike IMSA GTP and Group C cars, the R15 had a compensating amount of drag-the R10 has proven faster than the R15 on long straightaways, and with the R10's biggest failing against the Peugeot 908 being straightline speed, we all know what that meant for the R15 at Le Mans.

But the channels seem to be a concession to Audi running in the ALMS full time in '09, which we all also know now didn't happen. With Audi unlikely to do any major ALMS running save for Petit Le Mans(and dependant on the LMS/Asian LMS races they do), could Audi block off the sidepod mounted intakes for the channels, and focus on the Lola-esque rear section of the channels to produce the downforce they need and use the nose chimney to maybe regain what they loose up front, or(as I'm almost certian of) is it far more complex than that?

[MihokS5]

Chernaudi- where can I find some sites talking about the technical aspect of the R15 regarding its aero package? You seem to know a lot about the concepts used and I would like to read up on it. Also on www.audiblog.nl there is a press release from Audi regarding the testing at Sebring last week, but you have to use Google Translate to read it

[chernaudi]

Info here:

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/a...i-r15-tdi.html

[MihokS5]

Thanks!!

[chernaudi]

I think that the cutaway of the rear will explain what I mean by the rear vents-LMP675 and LMP2 Lolas use a similar device.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

I've just though of something that's car related as far as the R15 goes. A lot of talk has been voiced over the "channel" concept, from this forum to Audi Sport itself. I know that Mulsanne Mike and others less technically inclined(myself included) have been trying to put out scinerios about the channels and if such solutions are practical.

What I was thinking about is the channels themselves. I know that it would be impractical for Audi(concept and cost-wise) to do away completely with the channels. But what I was wondering is if Audi could modify the side pod channels based on the following suggestion-the ducting mounted in front of the rear wheels.

The R15 there uses a concept as old as the 2000 Lola B2K/40 LMP675/2 car, and it works in much the same way-the duct feeds air to the rear brakes and what doesn't get used is vented out over the rear diffuser. Audi extended that to the side pods to help extract air our from the front diffuser as well. That adds a ton of downforce-I wouldn't be surprised if the R15 was pulling downforce numbers to rival Group C and IMSA GTP cars. However, unlike IMSA GTP and Group C cars, the R15 had a compensating amount of drag-the R10 has proven faster than the R15 on long straightaways, and with the R10's biggest failing against the Peugeot 908 being straightline speed, we all know what that meant for the R15 at Le Mans.

But the channels seem to be a concession to Audi running in the ALMS full time in '09, which we all also know now didn't happen. With Audi unlikely to do any major ALMS running save for Petit Le Mans(and dependant on the LMS/Asian LMS races they do), could Audi block off the sidepod mounted intakes for the channels, and focus on the Lola-esque rear section of the channels to produce the downforce they need and use the nose chimney to maybe regain what they loose up front, or(as I'm almost certian of) is it far more complex than that?

The first thing that comes to mind about making an "conventional" front end, is that we are talking MAJOR redesign of the car.
If you look at inboard videos of the R15, you can see that inside of the wheel isn't covered up (like on the GT-ONE) alone that would demand major redesign to cover up, as it would affect how the air flows to the rear.
You must remember that the Channel design that Audi uses is most functional when there can be a clean flow from front to rear.