Fwd: Audi prototype

[Richard Beels <beels@technologist.com>]

>  News courtesy of Jacques Steiner in Paris:
>  
>  The following information (including what I could glean from the
>  photographs) comes from the 21 October issue of Auto Hebdo (France).
>  The words and observations are mine, though, so there's no copyright
>  violation.
>  
>  Audi has released photographs of its '99 Le Mans LMP1 prototype, which
>  first turned a wheel two months ago. For the moment called the R8, the
>  car is a joint effort of Audi and Dallara. The latter is responsible
>  for the monocoque, the former (with the help of ex-TWR man Tony
>  Southgate)
>  is responsible for the design, aerodynamics, and engine. At the
>  moment,
>  the car carries a turbocharged eight cylinder (no further data are
>  available, but one presumes it is of a V configuration), but Audi has
>  not confirmed that this will be the engine run at Le Mans.
>  
>  Reinhold Joest has been engaged to run the team. For the moment, four
>  drivers are helping develop the car: Frank Biela (D), Emanuele Pirro
>  (I), Rinaldo Capello (I), and Yvan Muller (F). Two other drivers will
>  be engaged for the race. I suppose Joest's involvement means that
>  Porsche
>  will have to form a new team to run its prototypes (if any) next year.
>  
>  [Yvan Muller will drive for Vauxhall in BTCC next year, but has been
>  given clearance to drive for Audi at Le Mans - David]
>  
>  It's hard to make out details of the car itself, since the photographs
>  released seem deliberately chosen to conceal the flanks in shadow.
>  Further confusion is added by some of the photographs printed being
>  reversed. Audi's four rings being such as they are, I can't make out
>  which are
>  the proper photos and which the reversed. Several seem to indicate
>  that the car is left-hand drive, which would be somewhat surprising
>  (though
>  the Benz GT cars, amongst others, have recently been designed with
>  lhd).
>  On the other hand, one photograph shows the car with rhd. Very
>  frustrating.
>  
>  The car looks unusually long, but that could be due to the black paint
>  or to the camera lens. What is clear is that Audi has put a lot of
>  thought into the aerodynamics of the car. It goes one step further
>  than the BMW V12 of this year and does away with external air intakes
>  all
>  together (which leads me to believe that the turbocharged engine will
>  remain).
>  The flanks, shadowed as they are, appear to be cut-out along the lines
>  of
>  the BMW and the Toyota GT-One, both of which used such designs because
>  of the flat-bottom rules.
>  
>  The front is very interesting since it looks like there may be free
>  airflow beneath the panel which stretches between the front wheel
>  wells. I would be interested to know if that piece is designed with an
>  airfoil
>  section. The reason I believe it to be free flowing is that the
>  driver's
>  compartment and associated bodywork is clearly recessed from the
>  airspace used by whatever flow comes out of the forward section. Those
>  of us who pay attention to such things have seen a recent revolution
>  in sports racer bodywork. It looks like Audi is continuing in the
>  obvious directions.
>  
>  Unlike the BMW, the Audi has a very high mounted rear wing. In front,
>  there is a protuberance between the front wheels directly in front of
>  the driver, which I suppose could be part of the steering gear.
>  Otherwise,
>  the design looks remarkably clean; the sharp changes of line of the
>  Riley
>  & Scotts and Ferraris of just a few years ago are mostly absent.
>  


Cheers,
	Richard
	88 90Q - K+N, new vac hoses, still gets 0.0 bar....
	88 Golf GTi - PRO Rally