Audi R8
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The Audi R8 is a sports-racing car prepared for sports car racing in the LMP900 class of the Le Mans 24 Hours and American Le Mans Series. The car was developed by Audi Motorsport and Joest Racing and first debuted in 2000. The R8 has won Le Mans five times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005) and the American Le Mans Series five times in a row (from 2000 to 2004).
Joest Racing had had previous experience racing predecessors of the R8, the open-top R8R and the closed-roof R8C during the 1998-99 season. The R8 was almost unforeseen by the automobile industry, as Audi's specialty is undoubtedly all-wheel drive cars.
The R8 won a hat trick at Le Mans (three wins in a row) campaigned by Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest during the 2000-2002 seasons. First time out in 2000, the team won a 1-2-3 finish, which was just a small preview of what this all-new Audi was capable of. Since then, the Audi R8 has won numerous championships and races, including another win at Le Mans in 2004.
(It should be noted, however, that the winning Bentley Speed 8 in 2003 utilised a heavily modified 4-litre version of the engine taken from the Audi R8, campaigned by Team Bentley (Apex Motorsport) with assistance from Joest Racing and Audi Sport, and even driven by the drivers who had won in the Audis the previous three years.)
The R8 is motivated by a 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged and intercooled Audi FSI V8. FSI stands for Fuel-Stratified Injection, which is a new form of fuel injection developed by Audi which maximizes both power and fuel economy at the same time. FSI technology can be found in products available to the normal public, in many of Audi's 2005 models, and will soon be in each model as well as select Volkswagen models in the near future.
The power supplied by the R8, limited to about 591 horsepower (441 kW) during the 2004 race, is sent to the rear wheels via a Ricardo six-speed sequential transmission with an electro–pneumatic gear change. That means it has a computer-controlled clutch that allows the driver to make gear changes without touching the clutch pedal. These gear changes can be done by the computer far quicker than even the fastest human being with a conventional manual transmission.
However, while the R8's speed was quite dominant during the races, speed is but a minor factor in winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The main key is reliability. The R8 was a reliable car, yes; but not far more so than its competitors. The real reason for the R8's dominance at La Sarthe was its ingenious design.
The Audi R8's structure was designed from the very beginning to expedite parts changes during the race. The car has a chassis that has been likened to a Lego model-- anything on the car can be changed, and changed quickly. During its campaign, the Joest pit crew was able to change the entire rear transaxle of a damaged R8 - a process which usually takes between one and three hours - in four and a half minutes, a feat that was unprecedented in its efficiency and speed.
The R8's structure and body are both composed of carbon fiber, a lightweight polymer material which is extremely lightweight and strong, however expensive.
As amazing as the R8 is, its time at the front of the pack is drawing to a close. Cars from other manufacturers and teams are catching up to it quickly, and even sometimes winning, though still rarely. In response to this, development of the successor, known as the R10, is already underway, with a possible debut at Le Mans in 2006.