2013 24 Hours of Le Mans : Audi Preview

  • Jun 12, 2013
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As the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, Audi will attempt to retain its title for the fourth consecutive year. Will they be able to achieve the feat?

Audi R18 e-tron quattro in action

Although the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro will only start its second race season this year, it has already proven itself as an able successor to the Audi R10 TDI, by becoming the first every hybrid to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the hands of Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer. With 11 wins in the last 14 years, no other manufacturer has dominated the prototype scene as strongly as Audi.

Taking into consideration how they have dominated the sport over the past 14 years, one might simply assume that the Ingolstadt-based team will take top honours once again, but the geniuses at Audi don’t quite think the same way and have been working overtly hard in further developing the Audi R18 e-tron quattro prototype in accordance with the regulations changes and their efforts are already being reflected in the 2013 World Endurance Championship. In fact, even before the 2013 R18 e-tron quattro has moved an inch on the Le Mans circuit, the car was voted by the Automobile Club de l’Quest, which is the largest automotive group in France, as one of the most important Le Mans race cars of all time. 

The 2013-spec Audi R18 has already seen victory this year, having scored wins in the 6 Hours of Silverstone and 6 Hours of Spa- Franchorchamps, but the iconic 24 hour race is a different ball game altogether. For 2013, the R18 e-tron Quattro now delivers 530PS almost 20 horses less than last year and 850Nm of torque. While on paper it is pretty much at par with its arch rival Toyota’s TS030, the R18 e-tron quattro features a 58 litre tank as opposed to its arch rival which can hold 73 litres of fuel. Having said that, let’s not forget that Toyota is a petrol hybrid as opposed to the Audi diesel hybrid. 

The unique body now features several details, to improve the aerodynamics; Audi has employed a rear diffuser akin to that of a Formula 1 car by exiting the exhaust pipes underneath the car. Toyota also experimented with a similar blower on its TS030 but decided to drop this system as they felt that it amplify tyre degradation during the race. Audi has also added a few more camera systems to help improve visibility for the driver and also LED headlights that now utilise Audi’s matrix beam technology for improved efficiency. 

Leaving the technical aspect of the car aside, Audi has an extremely strong line-up of drivers to facilitate them in defending its domination in one of the most gruelling races of the World Endurance Championship. With drivers like Andre Lotterer and Allan McNish who have won the race twice, the Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen who has secured eight victories for the team from 1997-2008, Audi undoubtedly has the best hands behind the wheel of the R18 e-tron quattro. Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer who have been taking top honours in the race for the past two years would also like to take the hat-trick by adding another with to their name. 

Reigning champions of 24 Hours of Le Mans

Though on paper Audi might seems as the strongest contender for the race win, but the going won’t be easy for the four-ringed brand as Toyota, which didn’t quite have luck in its favour last year would want to come back strongly and give them a run for their money. 

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