Audi R18 e-tron Quattro Long Tail Makes Track Debut at Spa

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Long Tail has made its track debut at the Six Hours of Spa. It first announced the car last week but refused to release any images that really showed the differences in the car. Now that the race has begun, we can finally compare what Audi did to the long tail that it hopes will provide the edge at Le Mans. 

Above, we have the best view of the side of the long tail that Audi has yet to release. The extra length comes in the sail fin and behind the rear wheel. It is hard to see if this image, but the rear wing is also shorter than on the standard car.

The long-tail #3 Audi

© photo courtesy of: Audi

The standard #1 Audi

© photo courtesy of: Audi

Here are the #3 long tail car and #1 standard car side by side. On the #3 you can see the added section behind the rear wheels compared to the standard car and the shorter wing. The standard car also appears to have a larger rear diffuser than the long tail. 

The first two Six Hours of Spa practice sessions have already been completed for today, and the long tail car has performed well. It was third fastest in the first session and second fastest in the second session. In the first session, it was 0.367 seconds slower than the first place #1 Audi, and in the second session it was 0.101 seconds slower that the first place Audi. Given that the car is meant to be a competition test for Le Mans, the results seem strong.