Audi R9 Has Been Confirmed!!!

[Garrett]

This is just in. At LMSR.net, it is reported that Audi has confirmed their return to Le Mans as a factory team with the new long awaited R9. LMSR.net also suspects tht the R9 will be a GTP car, and possiably will feature a diseal V8, though when the R9 debuts, it will hold the reliable 3.6 liter twinturbo charged V8. This sounds good!!! Hopefully, as Audi return to LM in 2005, it will attract other factory teams such as Nissan, it has been hinted that Nissan may return within 2005/2006, and Mazda, possiably in 2005/2006 LM return also! AWSOME!!! All we need is for Porsche to return as a factory team with a GTP and the next few years at Le Mans will kick ass!

[Félix]

Racing against a team that has already tested all there is to test can be scary for Nissan or Porsche or whoever wants to win on the first year and thinks it could be worth it compared to F1; sad...

No new LMP entrant in the last... ehh, who was the last to enter? (Cadillac in 2000, MG in 2001, Bentley doesn't count) euhhh, it's been more than 2 years!!

[Dauntless]

Yeah, but have you seen the new Audi drivers' uniforms...?

[Es Nes]

if itll be a gtp, then why not use the 03 bentley 4l v8?

[Garrett]

I don't know why they wont use the 4 liter V8 that Bentley used, they probably want to stick to what is truley something that they haved used all along. And if Porsche came back, it would take them no time to be a top compeditor at Le Mans. Say they came in 2005, they would race the 05' LM race as a test, test for a whole year, redesign the car for 2006 LM and come back and win LM, just as Audi did in 1999 to 2000. And the rumors about Nissan, the ACO reported about a year ago that they went to Japan to met with Nissan, Mazda, and Toyota about returning to Le Mans. Nissan stated that when their Paris-Dakar rally program is finished with that they would return to LM, probably in 2005 or 2006. Mazda also said that were looking at coming back. Mazda even developed a car for the 2003 race, but never ran it due to the rule changes for 2004. As for Toyota on the other hand, they need to pull out of F1 and come back to Le Mans to win outright. F1 is too dominated by Ferrari right now! So, I hope the future looks bright for Le Mans right now because the racing has been down for a few years in terms of factory teams racing for the overall victory.

[rdjones]

The story was in Autosport on Thursday, at the end of the day we have all know that they have working on the car for the last year or so anyway.

[Hooper]

Exellent news. But it would be a shame if they return whith a diesal engine... I woud prefer a great evolution of their legendary fsi twin turbo v8. They should keep this technology which has proven to be realy efficient and which is also their trademark...

[Russfeld]

Has anyone ever, anywhere, seen Audi refer to it as the R9?


Btw you guys seen pics of the R8s from Monza? The LMES graphics they have to carry are obscene

[JAG]

Originally posted by Hooper
Exellent news. But it would be a shame if they return whith a diesal engine... I woud prefer a great evolution of their legendary fsi twin turbo v8. They should keep this technology which has proven to be realy efficient and which is also their trademark...

Couldn't disagreemore. Sportscar racing is about variety and a state of the art diesal should be awsome.

[PascaLM]

We can use restrictors on engines, not on invention and initiative !

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by Russfeld
Has anyone ever, anywhere, seen Audi refer to it as the R9?

As long as its an R9C and not an R9R, I don't mind.....

[Fab]

It could be R10... and gossips say 'coupé'...

[Aysedasi]

Bring back those rooves, sportscars need you.........

[Russfeld]

Itll probably be R8(something)

D for diesel? assuming its still a V8

[Fab]

Originally posted by Russfeld
Itll probably be R8(something)

D for diesel? assuming its still a V8

What about R8 HDI ?

[jhansen]

Well I'm anxious to see this new car. But, I'm also a bit disappointed as I doubt the ALMS will get to see this car. Unless they offer it to customers straight away, which is doubtful.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally posted by Garrett
This is just in. At LMSR.net, it is reported that Audi has confirmed their return to Le Mans as a factory team with the new long awaited R9. LMSR.net also suspects tht the R9 will be a GTP car, and possiably will feature a diseal V8, though when the R9 debuts, it will hold the reliable 3.6 liter twinturbo charged V8. This sounds good!!! Hopefully, as Audi return to LM in 2005, it will attract other factory teams such as Nissan, it has been hinted that Nissan may return within 2005/2006, and Mazda, possiably in 2005/2006 LM return also! AWSOME!!! All we need is for Porsche to return as a factory team with a GTP and the next few years at Le Mans will kick ass!

I thought that when the first word about the R9 was made public, that one of the senior officials at Audi stated that it would be an open-topped car???

This report speculates that it will be a "GTP"....

Is this newest account off the mark, or has Audi changed its plans???


Just wondering...

[Aysedasi]

We can but hope.......

[Es Nes]

id rather have another open top audi, but, with the new rules for open top cars ...

[Tim Northcutt]

Personally, I think the open-topped cars look fine....

and I think more builders will incorporate the air intakes into that headrest, which will make the addition of that part a moot issue...

[JAG]

Major manufactuers have always favoured coupes, even when they have a performance disadvantage, as in the GT1 days. Even Audi tried a coupe, in the R8C.

In fact the original R8R was designed as a GT1 car, and later adapted to LMP900.

[Hooper]

Closed cars would be more wellcomed as it would remember us the glory of the gr C era.....

[Tim Northcutt]

For Audi, the following would not be an issue, but for other makers, and the subsequent customers they would seek, these would be a big issues concerning a closed top car:

1. according to designers, a "roof" or a "lid' adds considerable expense to the overall cost to create the chassis...wouldn't bother Audi...money has never been an object for them....

But it would impact other constructors...because the added costs for a roof would make the chassis more expensive to build and develop properly...and thus more expensive for potential customers to buy....

Everyone was bemoaning the lack of participation by teams and the costs to race prior to this year....a "roof' will certainly add costs..

2. The issues of cockpit heat were a major problem for the Bentley last year....and it will be a problem for Audi as well...another complication that has to be addressed in the design, and will add more $$$ and time to develop the project...

3. The issue of "Fogging" in bad or rainy weather....sure, they can use a stick with a towel on it like drivers have in the past...but is that really smart??? Having your pilot drive with one hand while he wipes down a fogged-up window from the inside at racing speed???

This issue is not easily solved....

I like closed-topped cars, too....

but I don't think it is the right direction for the sport, if the higher costs of racing these days will continue to be an issue for customers and potential participants...

That's just my two cents worth...

[JAG]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
For Audi, the following would not be an issue, but for other makers, and the subsequent customers they would seek, these would be a big issues concerning a closed top car:

1. according to designers, a "roof" or a "lid' adds considerable expense to the overall cost to create the chassis...wouldn't bother Audi...money has never been an object for them....

But it would impact other constructors...because the added costs for a roof would make the chassis more expensive to build and develop properly...and thus more expensive for potential customers to buy....

Everyone was bemoaning the lack of participation by teams and the costs to race prior to this year....a "roof' will certainly add costs..

2. The issues of cockpit heat were a major problem for the Bentley last year....and it will be a problem for Audi as well...another complication that has to be addressed in the design, and will add more $$$ and time to develop the project...

3. The issue of "Fogging" in bad or rainy weather....sure, they can use a stick with a towel on it like drivers have in the past...but is that really smart??? Having your pilot drive with one hand while he wipes down a fogged-up window from the inside at racing speed???

This issue is not easily solved....

I like closed-topped cars, too....

but I don't think it is the right direction for the sport, if the higher costs of racing these days will continue to be an issue for customers and potential participants...

That's just my two cents worth...

Surely these issues are just as valid in GTS/GT.

Can't see it adding to costs myself.

[Tim Northcutt]

In a thread a few months ago concerning the Lister, and specualation about whether or not there had been any intention of making it a "closed-top" car, Mr. Thorby most assuredly stated that closed top cars are much more expensive than open-tops...

The fitting of doors and proper insulating of the cockpit iself, sealing them for proper moisture and/or air-tightness, and the twin issues of dealing with cockpit heat and fogging were all mentioned by him in a response he gave us to that issue...

Like I said...Audi would spend whatever it takes to do it the way they want...so it probably isin't an issue for them...

But I also recall that last fall or winter, an Audi representative had stated that the car would be an "open-cockpit car"

The R-9 has been a thread subject before, guys....

whereas this thread was started with the LMSR report, and "that LMSR SUSPECTS that it will be a closed-top car"....

But the comments I've read on this subject before would make me SUSPECT that the guys from Audi who was referred to in previous R-9 threads might have a much better idea about what the new R-9 will be like....

and tose comments said the care would have an open cockpit...