Only a week after the World Championship-winning Audi R18 e-tron quattro completed its last race, its successor is ready to hit the track. Tests of the new LMP1 sports car, which has been kept under wraps up to now, commence this week at the Sebring race track in Florida, USA.
Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany) has developed a fundamentally new Le Mans prototype which complies with the 2014 Technical Regulations and is designed for maximum efficiency. Begun in 2012, the roll-out took place in early Autumn of 2013, with the first semi-public test taking place at a track where Audi has traditionally put all its new Le Mans prototypes to the test: Sebring. Thanks to its very bumpy and punishing track surface, Audi is among many manufacturers who recognise that if a car is able to survive the rigours of the Florida circuit and all it has to offer, it can cope with far less challenging venues.
“We’ve reached a crucial stage in this project,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “After building the first prototype, testing on various race tracks is now taking centre-stage. The tests are mainly focused on achieving high mileage, coordinating the highly complex hybrid drive systems and working out an efficiency-optimised total package that has never before been as complex as this one.”
Further details and a full unveiling of the next generation Audi hybrid sports car will be given later in December.
Fiona Miller
Details from Audi Sport press release
