On Monday, Audi unveiled its newest weapon, the R15 TDI. The public launch of the second-generation diesel-powered prototype actually came a week earlier than expected, as the German automaker had originally planned to take the wraps off the car just prior to its race debut at Sebring. But instead, the R15 TDI debuted on a deserted test track in Ingolstadt, with Lucas Luhr handling the driving duties aboard the fully liveried No. 1 machine.
While spy photos of the R15 TDI surfaced on the internet and motorsports magazines weeks before, the official shots released by Audi Motorsport confirms what many had speculated in the last few weeks. Audi has ditched its twelve-cylinder diesel engine for a smaller and more compact V10 unit. Press material states the new engine produces “more than 600hp, with a maximum torque output in excess of 1,050 newton meters.”
(photos copyright Audi Motorsport)
Audi says fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have also been reduced due to the smaller powerplant, and even small improvements such as the use of a lithium-ion battery were mentioned in the release. LED technology has been built into the R15 TDI’s headlights, another energy-saver.
Like Acura’s ARX-02a which was unveiled at the Sebring Winter Test in January, Audi has gone the route of utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to refine the car’s aerodynamics. Marshall Pruett, automotive editor at SPEEDtv.com, has nicknamed the R15 TDI a “platypus” for its large front nose. To me, it’s reminiscent of a WR, or even a Picchio Daytona Prototype, and it may take some getting used to for some.
Hidden underneath the Audi’s front-end is a reworked suspension, hence the raised nose. The R15 TDI even has a larger wheelbase than its predecessor, which should provide more agility on the track.
Overall, I’m quite impressed by Audi’s new baby, although the most disappointing thing right now is the fact that its only slated to compete in two races this year: Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There were reports indicating that an Audi executive confirmed the R15 TDI’s participation at the Petit Le Mans and American Le Mans season-finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but it appears those quotes were taken out of context.
Either way, the Twelve Hours of Sebring is shaping up to be the race of the decade. Audi vs. Peugeot vs. Acura; who will win? Honestly, it’s any body’s guess, especially with two of those three cars being brand new. If you can’t get to the track to see it in person, be sure to stay glued to your television and computer, because it’s going to be a classic!
That’s the question many are asking this week following a heated exchange of words between Aston Martin Racing and racecar constructor Lola, over what Prodrive’s new Aston Martin-powered Lola should be called.
It all started last Friday when Aston Martin chairman David Richards invited members of the media for a tour of the Prodrive facilities where two of the cars are being built up. Richards stated that the Lola has undergone a “radical redesign” by Aston Martin Racing.
“The basic tub and crash structure are Lola, everything else is ours,” Richards was quoted in an Autoweek.com article. “Last year’s car was a bit of an ugly duckling; we’ve tried to turn it into a swan.”
Richards’ words angered Lola, which issued a formal statement this week on the matter:
“Following a number of inaccurate and misleading quotes given by the Aston Martin Chairman David Richards, regarding the supply of the Lola LMP1 chassis to Aston Martin Racing for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Series programme, Lola has decided to set the record straight.
“The Lola Aston Martin is a Lola designed and built car. It is not a ‘radical re-design’ as stated by Aston Martin Racing. Aston Martin has undertaken some body styling cues that required some CFD work to try to reinstate the Lola Aero performance and minor bespoke mechanical changes to accommodate the styling changes. Lola has spent over two and a half years in the research and development of this state of the art car costing several millions of pounds.
“Aston Martin contracted with Lola in December 2008 to buy our cars because they knew that as a result of the 2008 performance that we had the leading LMP1 customer car and Aston Martin didn’t have the time to develop their own car. When Aston first mooted rehomologation of the Lola car and was given the cost of their contribution to IPR and R&D the negotiations broke down. It is completely inappropriate that Aston Martin should now attempt to achieve “ownership” through misrepresentation in the media.
“Lola’s binding contract with Aston Martin is for two cars the nomenclature of which under the contract is that the cars must remain Lola Aston Martin.”
This topic was discussed in detail on Wednesday’s Midweek Motorsport radio show, with a number of auto racing journalists giving their input into this issue. Here are my thoughts:
It appears Aston Martin Racing has indeed put a considerable amount of work into the Lola to create a unique image for the brand. However, most of that stems from bodywork changes, and not the critical components such as the suspension and chassis itself.
The car is still homologated as a Lola. Aston Martin Racing elected not to go through the process for it to become a pure “Aston Martin” due to alleged financial reasons. Therefore, it was entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Le Mans Series as a “Lola Aston Martin.”
It’s obvious that both companies want to take credit for this new and exciting project. But from these public statements, it’s clear there’s some friction between the two British firms. Will that go away when the cars hit the track? Probably not. Could it impact the future of this project? Possibly.
It’s not a good sign to have executives in a war of words before the car even hits the race track. Let’s hope that things get ironed out and the results will speak for themselves.
On Monday, Didier Theys announced his retirement from the sport, leaving some sports car loyalists reflecting back on the Belgian’s storied career. While writing the news story for Motorsport.com on his retirement, I couldn’t help but realize how much of an impact Theys had on endurance racing over the past fifteen years.
It hit a soft spot for me in particular, as some of my earliest memories of sports car racing involved Theys. I still remember watching ESPN’s telecast of the 1998 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, where he and co-drivers Gianpiero Mortelli, Mauro Baldi and Arie Luyendyk sailed to victory in their Doran Racing/Momo Ferrari 333 SP. And of course there was 2002 – the final year for SRPs at Daytona – when Theys went to Daytona victory lane for the second time piloting Doran Racing’s Lista Dallara Judd. Daytona was a magical place back then.
Theys’ SRP championship in 2002 was also memorable. He even took a stab at Daytona Prototype racing the following year, although only for a handful of races. He and Lienhard were itching to go back to “proper” prototype racing and after entering a few ALMS events with Lienhard’s Dallara, the duo took up a new challenge in the European-based Le Mans Series. Theys enjoyed success there too, picking up two LMP2 class wins with Horag Racing – the last coming at the Monza 1000km in 2007 – with Lienhard and Eric van de Poele.
Theys’ retirement actually comes one year earlier than expected, as he had hoped to once again compete with Horag Racing in the Le Mans Series with Lienhard’s Porsche RS Spyder. However, with Lienhard retiring last year, and the current economic climate, funding wasn’t apparently found for the program to continue, which is a real shame.
Over the years, Theys never had to prove himself on the race track. He always had the speed, consistency and veteran mentality to bring the car home in one piece, and usually on the top. You don’t see a lot of that today, as young ex-open-wheel hot shoes are brought in and told to go flat out, sometimes risking it all. The star power in sports car racing has changed, and while it has made for intense racing and increased exposure, it’s not the same as it was ten years ago.
Luckily, Theys will not vanish from the sport, as he’s already become active in driver coaching and instructing. He’ll likely be showing his face at the racetrack from time to time, reminiscing on his storied past.
Below, you will find a selection of my photos from the 2007 season when Theys made select American Le Mans Series appearances. That year, he, Fredy Lienhard and Eric van de Poele steered Horag Racing’s Lola Judd at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Theys, Lienhard and Andrea Bertolini were a part of Doran Racing’s two-race effort with a Maserati MC12.
It seems like the critics come out of the woodwork every February when the the Automobile Club de l’Ouest releases the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I must admit that I’m no exception. Each year, I prepare my own list of “probable” entrants I’d envision the ACO to select in the days prior to its release. Usually I’m not perfect, but almost every time, a few surprises pop in. Surely enough, the 2009 edition was no exception.
photo by: John Dagys
Today, the ACO revealed its selections for the 77th edition of the “Grand Prix of Endurance,” and by all means, the organizers did a commendable job to shape this year’s field. Considering there were 83 applicants for 55 spots (plus 10 reserves), the ACO had to make some tough decisions.
Without a doubt, an incredible group of competitors were selected for the two prototype divisions. Audi Sport Team Joest enters three brand-new Audi R15 TDIs, while Team Peugeot Total returns with three of its 908 Hdi-FAPs, seeking revenge. To add to the mix, Aston Martin Racing has taken its factory team to the prototype ranks and fields three V12-powered Lola Coupes.
That’s nine fully factory backed P1s right there, but there’s more. Audi will be lending support to Colin Kolles, who will run a pair of year-old Audi R10 TDIs. Peugeot didn’t want to be outdone and has given one of its 908s to Le Mans stalwart Henri Pescarolo to campaign.
In this economic climate, nobody would have imagined a few months back that there would be a dozen factory backed or manufacturer-assisted cars on the P1 grid this year. But there is. I believe this speaks volumes for Le Mans-branded racing worldwide, and the automaker’s will power to stay in the sport. Sure, Audi has pulled the plug on its American Le Mans Series and European-based Le Mans Series programs, but it’s still rolling out a brand-new car and remains faithful to Le Mans.
If you look at the depth in the LMP2 category, you can see manufacturer presence there, too. Despite dropping its factory backing in the American Le Mans Series, Porsche is continuing to support its RS Spyder privateers in Europe. In fact, two new teams, Team Goh and Vitaphone Racing, have entered RS Spyders for Le Mans. And Team Essex has risen from the ashes to take one more stab at the twice-around-the-clock classic.
Mazda, on the other hand, has increased its support on both sides of the Atlantic, with a two-car program with Dyson Racing in the ALMS and four teams with Mazda MZR-R power at Le Mans. Then of course there’s Chevrolet, which has continued to fund its Pratt & Miller-run Corvette Racing squad despite the brutal US car market, and fields two Corvette C6.Rs in the GT1 class.
The ACO knows it needs to have a good balance of manufacturers and privateers in order for its rather complicated formula to succeed. If you look at this year’s entry list, the organizers have achieved that in P1. Sure, there’s certainly some disappointed teams today, finding out the news that they’re not in the race. I feel for Autocon Motorsports and ECOSpeed Racing, teams that didn’t get an entry. But there’s only 55 spots, and only so much room, especially this year with the increased factory presence.
However, It was interesting to note that the ACO only selected eight GT1 entries out of 22 that filed a request. Was that decision based on the current level of competition (or lack there of it in the ALMS and LMS), or the category’s future? Next year, both GT1 and GT2 will be restructured under new regulations proposed by SRO Chairman Stephane Ratel. Ratel is pushing ahead with plans for a World GT Championship, and the ACO is so far going along with those changes.
photo by: John Dagys
A lot of questions remain over what exactly will happen in 2010, though. The rules, which call for current GT2-style cars with engine displacements of over 5.5 liters being classified as GT1 and below 5.5 liters as GT2, doesn’t seem to be gaining much momentum, with only one manufacturer (Nissan) possibly showing interest to race in GT1, and the rest of the marquess content to stay in GT2 (Chevy, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin). Those “big four” have been calling for a single GT category, but Ratel isn’t responding. What will come of all this, and could the GT1 category’s low entry count at Le Mans have any political ramifications?
Did the ACO only select eight cars on purpose? There were a handful of teams that had the right qualifications (professional drivers, full-season entries in the Le Mans Series), but still didn’t get an invite. Take a look at Larbre Competition for instance. Here’s a team that has been at Le Mans for the last 16 consecutive years, and is put ninth on the reserve list. Or Full Speed Racing, a new team run by GT specialist Graham Nash that recently signed sportscar ace Christophe Bouchut. Was there just not enough room for these two teams, or does the ACO have a grand new plan for future GT regulations?
Even without Larbre and Full Speed, the GT1 grid at Le Mans will be very strong – something the ALMS and LMS has lacked in past seasons. Between Corvette Racing’s two factory racers and a pair of Luc Alphand Corvette C6.Rs, along with two strong privateer Aston Martin DBR9s and Reiter-engineered Lamborghini Murcielagos, there is potential for a competitive race.
Fourteen entries make up GT2, with an overwhelming majority being Prancing Horses. But to the ACO’s credit, five of those were automatic invites for Ferrari’s success on the racetrack from last year. The three Porsche teams, Flying Lizard Motorsports, IMSA Performance Matmut and Team Felbermayr-Proton, are certainly all very strong squads, as long as they don’t run into trouble. Last year, two of the Porsches collided in the early hours, knocking one out of the race and severely delaying the other.
Aside from the Porsche and Ferrari battle, there’s some variety in the category with an Aston Martin Vantage GT2 and Spyker C8 Laviolette. While it may not be completely balanced, the ACO did the best job it could given the circumstances.
If this entry doesn’t get you excited for Le Mans, I’m not sure what will. Without a doubt, Le Mans will be the sportscar race of the year. I’m already counting the days…
