Audi’s R15 TDI design for 2010 unveiled

Audi has presented the new look for their R15 TDI 24 Hour of Le Mans challenger. For this year’s race the Audi Design Team came up with a new outfit for the innovative diesel race sports car. Rather than the dominant silver color of the 2010 R15 TDI, the 2011 version, internally designated “R15 plus”, will feature more red and will have areas that will be kept in a purist black carbon-fiber look.

“We’re happy that we were allowed to give the car such a progressive look,” say Markus Auerbach and Tobias Drews from the Audi Design Team. “We wanted to add a dash of surprise when the Audi leaves the pits at Le Mans. We practically opened up the bodywork and are exposing the light-weight construction and its uncompromising technical development – and with a little rock ’n’ roll for good measure.”

The 8-hour race of Le Castellet will see the debut of the new design. Audi Sport Team Joest will be racing at the 2010 season opener of the Le Mans Series and the 1000-kilometer race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), in order to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 12/13.

“The race at Le Castellet comes at a very early point in time for us and is nothing but a test in racing conditions,” stresses Ralf Jüttner, Technical Director of Audi Sport Team Joest. “Even though it’s a difficult logistical undertaking, we wanted to gather experiences with the R15 plus at a race as early as possible. Le Castellet offers the opportunity to do this.”

The 2010 version of the Audi R15 TDI has been intensively tested since the beginning of March. The tests started in Neustadt with the prototype then flying to the USA, with the first tests on American soil focusing on aerodynamics. In Sebring (Florida) Audi made a five-day endurance test, with the R15 running almost 5 500 kilometers.