Audi R15 TDi - the thread - 10 Tenths Motorsport Forum

Audi has confirmed that it will replace its R10 TDi sportscar with a new model, the R15, next season.

The R10 was Audi's first turbo-diesel LMP1 car and followed the R8, which won the Le Mans 24 Hours five times in six years between 2000 and 2005.

The R10 won Le Mans in each of the three years since its introduction in 2006, and it will be superseded by the R15 TDi from 2009.

Audi claims the new car will have a smaller, lighter and more efficient TDi engine than the R10, and confirmed that it will be another open-topped car.

It is scheduled to test for the first time later this year, but will not be publicly launched until shortly before its race debut in Sebring 12 Hours in March.

"It was clear to us that we must develop a new car if we wanted to continue to be successful at Le Mans," said Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Audi's motorsport boss. "The R15 TDi is the result. The step from R10 to R15 is significantly larger than it was from the R8 to the R10."

The marque also confirmed that Audi Sport Team Joest will again run a trio of its prototypes in the Le Mans 24 Hours next year.

Audi R15 TDI (2009) first pictures | Automotive & Motoring News

You may remember the name Kim Stapleton as the designer behind Audi F1 renderings that this website featured earlier in the year. An architect by day, the Australian also has a passion for Audis as expemplified with works like his imagined Audi F1 design and now an illustration of Ingolstadt’s potential Le Mans future according to rules being adopted by the ACO that will mandate a closed cockpit car by 2010.

After almost two months of design and construction, Stapleton is now ready to share his Audi R15 TDI Coupe Concept projected for the ALMS, Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

With the newly adopted rules change requiring a closed-top design, the current R10 design will be obsolete. The regulations also encourage a specified front-end design that features both the manufacturers’ street car brand design and badge.


For the design, Stapleton drew inspiration from many existing vehicles including the R10, along with the R8, R8C, R8 production car, Bentley Speed 8, Mercedes-Benz CLR GT and the Audi RS4. Much of the design language was pulled directly from the R10, which is evident in the side elevations and the rear spoiler details.

From there, Stapleton took the approach of merging a contemporary Audi street vehicles with this base R10 form, which in the end seems to harken back to the era of GT1 class designs in the late 90’s. He made a conscious effort to stay away from excessive aero packages (i.e. modern F1 designs) as he felt this compromised the clean lines of both the current R10 and the Audi street range.


Some of the other key features of the design include the use of Bio-Diesel, energy saving lights and the inclusion of a kinetic energy recovery system (K.E.R.S.) - a regenerating brake device that recovers and stores wasted heat energy from the brakes in a supercapacitor to be used as additional power by the drivers.

The design was box-modeled in 3ds max and rendered using Vray. The poly count is around 300,000 for those who care. Stapleton admits he had been thinking of attempting such a design for almost a year now, though only now managed to force himself to complete the project in the past few months. Even guessing the sheer number of hours spent on the project scares him a bit.



We’re certainly glad he spent the hours. Works by Kim Stapleton are great tools for imagining Audi Sport’s next move. Whether that be the continuation of diesel technology at Le Mans like this project displays, or a move to F1 as seen in his previous work, his efforts are certainly appreciated.

Audi R15 TDI LMP1 Price, Specs & More | RSportsCars

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Audi R10 TDI

The Audi R10 TDI is dead. Long live the R15. That's the moniker given to the next-generation Le Mans prototype set to wear the interlocking rings. The car will make its race debut in March at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and by the time the 24 Hours of Le Mans rolls around in June, Audi will have three of the cars ready to defend the trophy won by the R10 earlier this year. Details on the new car are very limited at the moment. All that's known is that it'll have a smaller, lighter, more efficient TDI motor, will once again be a roadster, and is a more significant change than Audi undertook when it went from the R8 to the R10.

The car will be publicly revealed closer to the Sebring race. According to the ALMS website, Audi Motorsport honcho Wolfgang Ullrich was quoted as saying, "It was clear to us that we must develop a new car if we wanted to continue to be successful in Le Mans." We read that as code for, "Those Peugeots were f**king fast this year. Here's our answer." By the time the cars hit the grid at Circuit de la Sarthe, the hype's going to be at a fever pitch. Bring it. Thanks to Ashutosh for the tip!

Le Mans News: Audi to replace R10 with R15 TDi

Audi's Record-Setting Endurance Car Gets Big Overhaul, Wins Sebring

It can be stated with some gumption that Audi has been untouchable in the endurance racing world over the last several years with its R10 TDI LMP1 race car. Not content to let other automakers catch up on the technology and components found in the R10 TDI, Audi has developed its second-generation diesel enduro car, which made its debut to a record-setting win at Sebring yesterday.

When the R10 went through its first several years of Le Mans-class racing almost without losing a single race, other factory sponsored racing teams struggled to keep up with the most successful LMP1 car in history, or dropped out of the running entirely at a time when pouring millions into factory race teams is beyond the budget of most of the world's automakers.

The R15 TDI ups the ante in nearly every respect, with a brand-new V10 diesel motor outputting more than 600 bhp and, as to be expected, a tire-melting 1050 Nm of torque. Speaking volumes about Audi's increased drive toward maximum efficiency in its diesel and gasoline models, the R15 TDI actually loses 2 cylinders when compared with the previous generation V12 R10 TDI, which caused maximum confusion with its nomenclature.

In addition to completely new aerodynamics and a revised driveline, the Sebring winner R15 TDI features a lithium ion battery powering its electrical systems instead of a conventional battery. The car is not a hybrid; the lithium ion battery has nothing to do with propulsion. Due to its higher power density relative to weight, it has allowed Audi Sport engineers to free up weight for other more important purposes.

The R15 TDI LMP1 car, like Audi's race program as a whole, is not simply designed to prove racing supremacy at great development cost. Many technologies introduced on the R10 LMP1 car trickled down into Audi's production car product line. Expect the same from the R15. The real hope of enthusiasts, of course, is that some version of the new V10 diesel will make its way into roadgoing Audi R8 models. Fingers crossed, folks.

-RSportsCars






Audi R15 TDI: first “second” generation diesel racing sports car

- Audi launches new LMP1 racing sports car
- New TDI engine and many innovative approaches
- Race debut on March 21 at Sebring (USA)

INGOLSTADT, Germany, Mar 9, 2009 - AUDI AG is the world’s first automobile manufacturer to develop a “second” generation diesel racing sports car. Audi aims to underline its supremacy and consolidate its expertise in car technology once more at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans with the all-new Audi R15 TDI.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is particularly suited for this: Efficient and economical cars are especially required for the French endurance classic. Lightweight construction, environmentally friendly drive concepts and well-thought out aerodynamics are the focus of attention at Le Mans just as they are during the development of production cars. For this purpose the regulations intentionally give the engineers plenty of freedom.

Audi Sport fully exploited this creative freedom and put a new LMP1 race car on the track that differs significantly from all previous Le Mans sports cars. “The R15 TDI has many detailed technical solutions never seen before on a sports prototype,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “To a certain extent we followed entirely new routes.”

Highly efficient TDI engine

The heart of the R15 TDI is a newly developed V10 TDI engine producing more than 600 hp, with a maximum torque output in excess of 1,050 Newton meters and which reflects the latest version of the TDI Technology invented by Audi. The power unit is more compact and lighter than the twelve-cylinder engine used in the preceding R10 TDI model. The specific fuel consumption and associated CO2 emissions could also be reduced. Innovations in the turbo-charging and fuel injection areas simultaneously ensure improved engine response. The R15 TDI is also equipped with a new generation of even lighter diesel particle filters.

The new sports car’s aerodynamics, which play a particularly important role at Le Mans, are extremely refined. Like the DTM 2008 championship winning Audi A4, the airflow around and through the car was optimized with CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). Included among the many innovative detail solutions which can be spotted at first glance are a rear wing suspended from the top and a high nose.

Innovative vehicle electrical system concept

The vehicle electrical system in the Le Mans sports car is entirely new: A lithium- ion battery, as found in some hybrid vehicles, is used for the first time. It is lighter than the conventional battery and supplies a higher voltage.

The headlights fitted to the R15 TDI also benefit from the higher power. At Le Mans, Audi competes for the first time with a low beam unit comprised entirely of light emitting diodes, which represents the next generation of Audi LED technology for road cars.

Innovative approaches

Numerous innovative approaches are also hidden in the chassis and suspension of the diesel sports car. Due to the aerodynamic concept the front and rear suspension have been raised. Thanks to a longer wheelbase and the optimized vehicle weight the R15 TDI is significantly more agile than its predecessor.

Audi is the only automobile manufacturer to have won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel car. “With the R15 TDI we have created the base to be in a position to win also in 2009,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.

The Audi R15 TDI celebrates its race debut in the 12-hour race in Sebring, Florida in the USA on March 21. Audi Sport Team Joest plans to field three cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13/14.

Audi announces new R15 TDI diesel racer for Le Mans

At the Essen Motor Show in Germany, Audi has announced a new part of its 2009 motorsports program. After three years of running its pioneering R10 TDI, Audi's diesel racer is being replaced for 2009. The manufacturer has designed an all-new diesel powered R15 TDI. The R15 remains an open cockpit car like its predecessors, but will use a smaller, lighter and more efficient diesel engine. The R10 uses a 5.5L V12 but Audi has not revealed any other details about the R15 engine yet - and there are no images of the R15 yet. So far, Audi has only revealed a limited program for the new R15 starting with the 12 Hours of Sebring in March and followed by the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Audi will be looking to tie Ferrari with a ninth overall victory at Le Mans. Audi spokesman Christian Bokich tells ABG that the company is not yet ready to announce what plans it might have for the rest of the American Le Mans Series.

Audi Motorsport Based on Three Pillars in the Future

- New LMP1 sports car for the Le Mans 24 Hours
- Development of the Audi A4 for the DTM
- Customer sport programme with the Audi R8 LMS

the AUDI AG motorsport programme will be based on three pillars: During the 2009 season, the brand with the four rings will compete once again in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the DTM. Additionally, with the new Audi R8 LMS, Audi Sport offers for the first time a racing sports car specifically developed for customer use.

"We know just how important motorsport is for the success of the brand," emphasises Michael Dick, who as Chairman of the Board for Technical Development is responsible for the AUDI AG motorsport programme. "Therefore it goes without saying that Audi must also be present on the race track in economically hard times. It is all the more important for us to enter a motorsport category in which the cost-benefit calculation is positive."

Audi therefore continues to support sport prototypes and the DTM. With the Audi R8 LMS, Audi also offers customer teams a racing car incorporating high-quality technology and the typical Audi traits but which is, however, also easy to operate.

New diesel sports car for Le Mans

Audi aims to demonstrate "Vorsprung durch Technik" specifically in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi is just one victory behind Ferrari in the French endurance classic's all time winners' list following its eighth victory last June. Only Porsche has more wins at Le Mans.

Audi targets the ninth victory in probably the world's toughest car race, in which the development of alternative and fuel-saving power concepts are the focus of attention, in June 2009 with a newly developed LMP1 sports car. The Audi R15 TDI differs significantly from its predecessor, the R10 TDI, at first glance and features many technically innovative details with which Audi aims to maintain its supremacy in Le Mans.

The new Le Mans prototype is equipped with a smaller, lighter and even more efficient TDI engine. During the chassis and aerodynamic development Audi Sport engineers followed similar routes to those exhibited on the current Audi A4 DTM.

"It was clear to us that we must develop a new car if we wanted to continue to be successful in Le Mans," explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. "The Audi R15 TDI is the result. The step from R10 to R15 is significantly larger than it was from the R8 to the R10."

Only the basic concept was carried over from the predecessor model: The R15 TDI is also powered by a TDI engine and is an open-topped roadster. Audi does not wish to release any further details at this time.

The first private tests with the new Le Mans sports car are scheduled for later this year. The R15 TDI will only be presented to the public immediately before its race debut in the 12-hour race in Sebring (USA) on 21 March 2009.

Audi Sport Team Joest will field three new R15 TDI prototypes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Development of the 2008 championship winning DTM car

Audi competes in the DTM as defending champions with a development of the 2008 championship winning car and with an ambitious target: Audi aims to be the first automobile manufacturer in the history of the "new" DTM to win the title three times in succession.

The DTM version of the new A4, which set the standards during the 2008 season with eight pole positions and six victories, is optimised in every area and carries the project name "R14 plus" internally.

Four new A4 cars and up to five 2008 cars will be fielded by the proven teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg. Audi also relies on known quantities for its driver squad: Every driver will be recruited from the driver line-up seen in action during the 2008 season in the DTM and R10 TDI.

GT3 race version of the Audi R8

With the GT3 race version of the R8, Audi has specifically developed a racing sports car for customer use for the first time. The Audi R8 LMS is powered by a 500 hp plus V10 engine and is available from autumn 2009 for a proposed price of 262,000 Euro plus VAT.

The new Audi R8 LMS will be seen in action on the race track during the 2009 season: Up to eight customer cars will compete in different European race series and in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, for which Audi Sport develops an endurance version of the R8 LMS. The factory itself does not plan to enter any races with the new GT3 car.

The experienced drivers Christian Abt, Frank Biela and Frank Stippler are involved in the Audi R8 LMS development.

Audi adds another pillar to its existing motorsport programme with the customer programme, which should be self-financing in the medium term. The new customer sport centre in Ingolstadt is conceived as a profit centre.

Motorsport represents huge value for Audi

"2008 was the largest and most successful motorsport programme in AUDI AG history," explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. "We want to continue this in 2009. In view of the international economic and financial crisis, it is clear that motorsport must also make a contribution to reduce costs further. It is all the more pleasing that we have found a way to continue our two large projects, the new Le Mans sports car and the DTM, and added another string to our bow with the GT3 customer sport programme. This demonstrates just how valuable motorsport is for Audi."

Audi R15 TDI