Just when I thought LMP1 cars can't get ugly.. View image: a1511506 large 1 View image: Audi R18 2016 face
btw, both Porsche and Audi have announced they will only field 2 LMP1 cars each at LM24 this year, down from 3 each; and Porsche will skip 2016 as a factory GTE squad in WEC (customer cars and support will go on as planned). these changes are directly related to cost savings needed due to the DieselGate problem
I believe this is rather related to the fact that they're working on the 2017 car for the following season (though the LMP1 scale-back is due to cost). Citroen is doing the same in WRC.
that's the excuse the '16 GTE Pro program got pulled last week. '17 car has been in the works for a year.
Well the Diesel issues have really hit them hard. Nissan will be running with two cars only as well. ANy news on Toyota?
two cars for Toyota as well. I'd love to see Rebellion pick up a "customer" program for one of the spare Audi or Porsches but somehow doubt that will happen.
I thought that Nissan's LMP1 was the ugliest...until i i saw Audi's 2016 car. It has something from Nissan's last year car and i find it ugly. Yup, UGLY is the word!
Aesthetic has never been a priority in LMP, efficiency is. The dorsal fin is imposed by the rules, just like some dimensions.
11/28/15 Ingolstadt/Munich Sports ​More powerful and efficient than ever before: Audi R18 celebrates world premiere in Munich Audi Sport Finale 2015 New hybrid race car for the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours The brand with the four rings will be entering the 2016 motorsport season with the most powerful and efficient race car Audi has ever built. The new Audi R18 celebrated its world premiere on the occasion of the Audi Sport Finale at the Audi Training Center Munich on Saturday. Audi Sport has fundamentally re-designed the Audi R18 for the 2016 season. The LMP1 race car that competes in the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) features innovative aerodynamics, represents the next stage in lightweight design and has a modified hybrid system with lithium-ion batteries for energy storage, plus an efficiency-optimized TDI engine. “With our new Audi R18, we’re setting a clear signal: Audi continues to put the pedal to the metal in motorsport, deliberately relying on TDI – the world’s most successful automotive efficiency technology – at Le Mans,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. - End. It is surprising that Audi is abandoning their flywheel approach for the lithium-ion battery set up for 2016. The technology is obviously going in this direction as this will be the approach of Porsche and Toyota for 2016 moving forward, likely more of a weight savings. Likewise, the combination of TDI turbo diesel and move to 6MJ should put Audi level with Porsche and Toyota petrol engined cars that will be in the 8MJ category. The further limits on fuel requirements will see to it that the cars are going to be as light and slippery as possible. Aesthetically, doesn't bother me so much as these cars are being developed with CFD and wind tunnel testing and so there must be an aerodynamic benefit, the cars are getting funky looking which is to be expected. Haven't seen anything lately with regard to Nissan's plans other than they plan to enter two cars at Le Mans. There is a test coming up at Sebring next week, Audi will be there and Nissan was part of this test last year where we remember they discovered a major chassis issue. BHW
Nissan is committed to running the entire 2016 WEC season according to new boss Carcamo. Carcamo (Nissan): ?We Want to Get Back to What We Started with LMP1? - Sportscar365 BHW
Looks like LeMans 2016 is shaping up to be a battle royale. I think with Audi stepping up and Nissan commited to the entire season, Porsche at the top of the heap.......This is going to be a war!!! This should bring some great racing with it. We now return you to Indy Car and NASCAR.....resume boredom!!!
Obviously, the aero is driving the design. Form follows function, but it's not a looker in my eyes. I think the earlier LMPs like the R8 were much better looking. But, looks don't necessarily win. As the bumble bee. CW
And isn't that why we race? We make things better when we try to improve functiion. The more efficent we are, the faster we go!
It's more the rules drive them to make ugly cars. They have a starting point that requires the cars to all be ugly and aero mods make them even uglier. That thing is hideous!!!
Perhaps, but just watch it go. Let's wait until Audi does their annual test at Monza for their high speed test sessions prior to Le Mans. And, as good as they are on the straights, they're even better now in the turns as we learned from Le Mans this year. BHW
Everyone worries about the candy coating when the choclate center is going to determine who is top dog. Look past the candy coating guys. This thing may be the beast to beat, I still say Porsche but Audi isn't laying down.
Nice analogy : ) I also "worry" about all the systems these cars have. They are amazing feats of engineering, but it takes something away from the driver competition IMHO.
Isn't this concern about cars such as WEC and F-1 being "too technical" and the drivers having no input interesting? Remembering back to the days of the FIA Group C, originally a fuel economy based formula. Cars had to run to very rigid (for the time) set of fuel mileage standards. More casual fans (or those whom were biased towards IMSA GTP for example) complained that Group C was "boring" and "fuel mileage" racing. What Group C brought in terms of technical aspects that found their way to the everyday family car was computer monitored electronic fuel injection systems, improved braking, etc, etc. all things which are taken for granted these days, made the Group C cars mechanical and technical marvels of their time. These same people who thought Group C was boring fuel mileage procession back in the 1980s and 90s interestingly now point to this era as one of the greatest racing eras of all time. For the driver's, all that need be done is ask a driver of these cars today what the challenge is and they'll point to a 200 or more page book of engineering systems that they must memorize and be able to manage in the cockpit during the course of a race. Drivers have to be smarter than ever along with being in excellent physical shape in order to do double, triple or quadruple stints in these cars. The current era of WEC is the most relevant form of racing on the planet. And, when manufacturers are able to pass the technology from there racing programs to their road cars, racing is fulfilling its duty as a technical proving ground to the car buying public . We'll see what Porsche and Toyota have up their sleeves for 2016. No matter what, Le Mans is going to be epic again and how many series and races may we say that about these days and really mean it? BHW
