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2008 ALMS
Audi R10 |
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A vision has become reality |
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Audi yet again demonstrated its courage to
innovate and pioneering spirit with the
vision to build a diesel sportscar capable
of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. What
many regarded as utopia became reality in
June 2006: Audi was the first manufacturer
to triumph at Le Mans with a diesel engine.
The Audi R10 TDI won again at Le Mans in
2007, furthermore the American Le Mans
Series title was also successfully defended.
In its first two years in action the diesel
sportscar |
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remained unbeaten in the LM P1
class.Thirteen overall victories in 21 races
also make impressive reading. The R10 TDI
succeeds the Audi R8, which dominated the
sportscar scene between 2000 and 2005. The
relationship to its successful predecessor
is immediately recognisable.
The R10 TDI was nevertheless a complete new
design at the end of 2005 including numerous
innovative details and design principles,
which have since been frequently copied.
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A TDI engine consumes up to 35 per cent
less fuel |
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The V12 TDI engine produces more than 650
hp |
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Furthermore, the sports prototype was
specifically developed for the use of a
diesel engine.
Over 1,100 Newton metres of torque
The heart of the R10 TDI is a V12 power unit
with the maximum permissible cubic capacity
of 5.5 litres allowed in Le Mans and two
compact Dow diesel particle filters. Audi
extracts more than 650 hp from the modern
aluminium power unit with the help of two
Garrett turbochargers. Thanks to the
enormous torque of over 1,100 Newton metres
the Audi R10 TDI requires only five forward
gears which are selected
electro-pneumatically by activating steering
wheel mounted shift-paddles. Traction
control (ASR) helps to put |
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the enormous power on the road and to spare
the rear Michelin tyres. The clutch is made
of ceramic. The carbon- fibre brake discs
are fully enclosed in ducting to improve air
flow and therefore the cooling.
At first glance the 2008 model Audi R10 TDI
does not look much different to the previous
two years. That the finetuning made to the
aerodynamics during the latest upgrade were
only details changes shows that the R10 TDI
was close to the optimum already on its
debut. The aerodynamic development for 2008
pursued two targets: less aerodynamic drag
for Le Mans and more downforce for the
majority of the other tracks.
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A fundamental development target for 2008
was a further weight reduction. Because of
the V12 TDI engine’s cubic capacity it is
relatively large and heavy. It is therefore
very difficult to achieve the minimum
permissible weight of 900 kilograms at Le
Mans. The lighter 2008 engine makes a major
contribution to achieving this goal. The
engine’s performance was further improved
with the help of optimised injection
technology.
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The unique characteristics of the TDI engine
remain: The full torque is almost available
at idling speed. The gear shift revs are
around 5000 rpm and very low as result for a
race engine. The same can be said of the
noise level. The whispering engine in the
R10 TDI can hardly be heard from the cockpit
and at track side.
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Technical data Audi R10 TDI (2008) |
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