The Audi R15 TDI, commonly abbreviated to the R15, is a
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were create ...
(LMP)
racing car
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
constructed by the German
car manufacturer Audi AG
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
The o ...
. It is the successor to the
Audi R10 TDI
The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a diesel-powered racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car dominated Le Mans, winning each year from its 2006 introduction until it was replaced by the R15 in 2009. It was design ...
.
Like its predecessor, the R15 TDI uses a
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
, although the R15's
V10 engine
A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V10 engines are much less common than V8 and V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder pis ...
is physically smaller than the R10's
V12 V12 or V-12 may refer to:
Aircraft
* Mil V-12, a Soviet heavy lift helicopter
* Pilatus OV-12, a planned American military utility aircraft
* Rockwell XFV-12, an American experimental aircraft project
* Å koda-Kauba V12, a Czechoslovak experim ...
. The smaller engine is pushed further toward the middle of the car than in the R10, resulting in a more neutral weight balance that gives the car better agility around the corners than its predecessor.
History
2009
The car was tested for the first time in December 2008, and made its competition debut at the
2009 12 Hours of Sebring race, 21 March 2009. The R15 got off to a perfect start by winning the 12 Hours of Sebring, setting a new race record in the process.
Three R15 TDIs participated in the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
in June 2009, under the control of
Joest Racing
Joest Racing is a sports car racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. Their headquarters are in Wald-Michelbach, Germany.
Early years
As a combined driver/team owner, Reinhold Joest first began to ...
.
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
, its rival, with its
908 HDi FAP, took the top two spots in the 24-hour race, ending Audi's five-win streak that lasted back to
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
with the gasoline-powered
R8.
Audi did not defend their
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' hea ...
, or
Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
titles with the R15 TDI.
The R15 TDI features a
Turbocharged Direct Injection
TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) is Volkswagen Group's term for its current common rail direct injection turbodiesel engine range that have an intercooler in addition to the turbo compressor.
TDI engines are used in motor vehicles sold by th ...
(TDI)
turbodiesel
The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, ...
V10 engine
A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V10 engines are much less common than V8 and V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder pis ...
, rated at over and torque. The electrical system uses a
lithium-ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...
, a first for Audi sports prototypes, as well as
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
headlights
A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
, and a unique system of LED rear lights that are mounted on the rear wing endplate.
In the week running up to the
2009 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: 24 Heures du Mans 2009) was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club ...
, rivals Peugeot lodged a protest against the R15, claiming that its bodywork did not comply with regulations stating that parts of the bodywork cannot be fitted with the sole purpose of generating downforce. However, after the Wednesday free practice session, the ACO rejected Peugeot's protest. At the 2009 Le Mans, Audi was unable to continue its winning streak that dated back to 2004. The No. 3 R15 ran off at Indianapolis corner in the beginning of the race but eventually finished 17th. The No. 2, driven by Luhr, crashed and retired. In the evening, the No. 1 Audi lost a lap to the leading Peugeot which was faster, and further technical issues dropped it a full 7 laps down the order. The No. 1 Audi clinched a podium finish, finishing in third place.
Audi announced on 25 August 2009 that two R15s would race at the
2009 Petit Le Mans
The 2009 Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda6 was the twelfth running of the Petit Le Mans and the ninth round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, Georgia, on September 26, 2009. Originally ...
. Both Audis led for approximately 90% of the race but a late spin during the final rain-soaked caution handed the victory to one of the
Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP is a sports prototype racing car built by the French automobile manufacturer Peugeot to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, starting in 2007 and eventually winning in 2009. This effort, in development sin ...
s entered by Team Peugeot Total. This loss was Audi's first since competing in Petit Le Mans since their initial attempt at Road Atlanta back in 2000.
R15 TDI Plus (2010)
In response to losing the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Petit Le Mans to the Peugeot 908s, Audi updated their R15 for the 2010 season, creating the R15 plus. 2010 Regulations reduced the size of diesel LMP1 air restrictors and turbocharger boost pressure. However, despite this, Audi's engineering team led by Ulrich Baretzky were able to achieve engine power and performance that was comparable to the 2009 powerplant. Aerodynamic efficiency was also a major area of focus for 2010. The frontal area of the car was redesigned to reveal the raw crash structures. The front fenders were also lowered in an effort to reduce drag while the concept of air running through the car was abandoned for a more conventional design. The air channel that exited to the side of the car was redesigned resulting in a more conventional configuration, and a new headlight concept was introduced. Audi stated that they had improved the fuel tank and cooling system as well.
Racing history
![Lemans-20100613-final](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Lemans-20100613-final.jpg)
The new vehicle was a success at the 2010 8 Hours of Le Castellet, winning five laps ahead of the next competitor Aston Martin. The Oreca Peugeot, which was supposedly its rival, dropped a full eight laps down the order because the airjacks failed to come off. Audi continue to go flat out and in the end finished ten laps ahead of the Peugeot. Audi had now been able to achieve both the speed and reliability combination that they considered sufficient to match the Peugeot challenge for Le Mans. A full squad of three cars was entered for the next race which was the 2010 Spa 1000 km, finishing third (#7, behind the two Peugeots – No. 3 took first, No. 2 took second), fifth (#9) and twelfth (#8) respectively. Audi treated the race as a setup exercise for car configuration at Spa that would then be used for the
2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans race got off to a tightly contested start with Peugeot occupying the top spots (as they did for qualifying) and for a large part of the race. However, it was apparent throughout the race that Audi were unable to match the pace with the Peugeots, but were working according to a different race strategy. By pushing the French manufacturer to the limit, three of the Peugeot cars experienced engine problems due to connecting rod failure towards the latter part of the race. With engine troubles for three of the Peugeots that forced the cars to retire before the end of the race, and an early exit by the No. 3 due to a suspension failure, the three Audis would finish 1–2–3 (the No. 9 took first, No. 8 took second and No. 7 took third), with all cars exceeding the previous distance record of set in the
1971 race by Dr
Helmut Marko
Helmut Marko (born 27 April 1943) is an Austrian former professional racing driver and current advisor to the Red Bull GmbH Formula One teams, and head of Red Bull's driver development program.
Biography
Marko was born in Graz, Austria. He wa ...
and
Gijs van Lennep
Gijsbert van Lennep (born 16 March 1942, in Aerdenhout, North Holland) is a Dutch racing driver who competed in eight Formula One races. However his main achievements were in sports car racing. He is a member of the untitled Dutch nobility.
Ca ...
: the winning No. 9 car, led by
Mike Rockenfeller
Mike Rockenfeller (born 31 October 1983), nicknamed "Rocky", is a German professional racing driver and was an Audi factory driver competing in the DTM and the FIA World Endurance Championship. He won his first DTM title in 2013, driving for ...
and two
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
factory drivers
Timo Bernhard
Timo Bernhard (born 24 February 1981) is a former driver from Germany. He was a sports car driver from Porsche, but was seconded to Audi for selected events in 2009 and 2010. He is a winner of the Triple Crown in endurance racing. On 29 June 20 ...
and
Romain Dumas
Romain Dumas (born 14 December 1977) is a French racing driver and a Porsche factory driver. He first started out in karting and single-seater before becoming an expert driver in endurance racing, GT and sport-prototype. He has won the greatest r ...
, set not only a record-tying number of laps around Le Mans of 397 laps, but eclipsed the distance record outright at a distance of .
Post-Le Mans Audi did not collect any more victories and lost all three remaining races to the Peugeot 908, which happened to be part of the ILMC championship. Audi fielded two cars into the Silverstone 1000 km but the No. 7 crashed and retired. The sole remaining No. 8 finished third. At Petit Le Mans two cars were entered but both lost to a Peugeot 1–2 victory. At the R15's last race, two cars were entered into the Zhuhai 1000 km. Both cars were leading the 908s by thirty seconds after Sebastian Bourdais make contact with a GT2 Porsche. A late safety car session saw the Audi's lead shrink to thirteen seconds. Afterwards a controversial team-work by Peugeot saw the No. 1 908 slowed down the No. 7 Audi enough to let the No. two Peugeot come out of the pits just two seconds ahead. The race ended with Peugeot No. 2 winning four seconds ahead of the Audi. Audi did not win the LMP1 Le Mans Series team championship nor the ILMC LMP1 championship.
The R15's final race was at the 2011 Sebring 12 Hours. Both cars ran in 2010 configuration with new restrictors. The No. 1 Audi finished fifth overall after two consecutive tyre punctures and rear bodywork damage in the hands of Mike Rockenfeller. Later in the race the No. 1 had to serve a penalty for speeding in pitlane. The No. 2 ran at the front exchanging the lead with Peugeot until a shunt by one of the Peugeots at turn 17 put Capello out of contention with a suspension failure. The No. 2 finished fourth overall, albeit five laps down from the winning Oreca Peugeot.
Throughout its career the R15 won three of the ten races it entered; Sebring in 2009, Paul Ricard and Le Mans in 2010.
Replacement
With a change in Le Mans Prototype engine regulations planned for 2011, Audi developed the closed-top
R18 to succeed the R15.
Wolfgang Ullrich
Wolfgang Ullrich, (born August 27, 1950 in Vienna, Austria) is the former Head of Audi Motorsport, the sporting division of German automaker Audi since November 1993. Under his leadership, Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans thirteen times: 2000-2002 ...
cited favourable changes to pitstop regulations and aerodynamic efficiency as the reasons for adopting a closed-cockpit design.
The R18 was Audi's first-ever coupe since the failed
Audi R8C
The Audi R8C is a Le Mans Prototype racecar that was built by Audi and designed by Peter Elleray to compete in the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans under the LMGTP category. It was developed alongside the open Audi R8R LMP category spyder, prior to bein ...
in , although the
Bentley Speed 8
The Bentley Speed 8 (developed from the Bentley EXP Speed 8) was an Autosport Award Winning Le Mans Prototype race car that was designed by Peter Elleray. The EXP Speed 8 debuted in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2001 and won the race in 2003. I ...
, which won in with an Audi-developed engine, was also a closed-cockpit car.
The R15 TDI's final start came at the
2011 12 Hours of Sebring, where it competed as an upgraded R15++, as the R18 was still being developed at the time.
Technical data
Additional images
File:AudiR15.JPG, The Audi R15 TDI, driven by Tom Kristensen
Tom Kristensen (born 7 July 1967) is a Danish former racing driver. He holds the record for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine, six of which were consecutive (from 2000 to 2005). In 1997, he won the race with the Joest Racing te ...
during the '' 2009 12 Hours of Sebring''.
File:Audi R15 TDi - Audi Sport Team Joest.jpg, The Audi R15 TDI, driven by Timo Bernhard
Timo Bernhard (born 24 February 1981) is a former driver from Germany. He was a sports car driver from Porsche, but was seconded to Audi for selected events in 2009 and 2010. He is a winner of the Triple Crown in endurance racing. On 29 June 20 ...
during the ''2009 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: 24 Heures du Mans 2009) was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club ...
''.
File:1 Audi R15.jpg, The Audi R15 TDI, driven by Rinaldo Capello
Rinaldo "Dindo" Capello (born 17 June 1964) is an Italian professional racing driver. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bentley in 2003 and Audi in 2004 and 2008. Capello is a two-time American Le Mans Series champion, ...
during the ''2009 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: 24 Heures du Mans 2009) was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club ...
''.
File:The -7 Audi R15 TDI Plus of Audi Sport Team Joest driven by Rinaldo Capello and Allan McNish at 8 heures du Castellet 2010.jpg, The Audi R15 TDI Plus, driven by Rinaldo Capello
Rinaldo "Dindo" Capello (born 17 June 1964) is an Italian professional racing driver. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bentley in 2003 and Audi in 2004 and 2008. Capello is a two-time American Le Mans Series champion, ...
during the '' 2010 8 Hours of Castellet''.
References
External links
* Audi.com â€
Audi R15 TDI: "second" generation diesel racing sports car* MulsannesCorner.com â€
* MulsannesCorner.com â€
{{Audi vehicles timeline (Europe)
Le Mans Prototypes
R15
24 Hours of Le Mans race cars
Le Mans winning cars
Sports prototypes