Posted by just sharing
Sunday, March 24, 2013
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By Tarek Ramchani
Audi won the 12 Hours of Sebring overall for the eleventh time. A fantastic 1-2 victory for Audi Sport Team Joest with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. The #1 Audi of Benoit Treluyer, Oliver Jarvis and Marcel Fassler ahead of the sister #2 machine of Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Lucas di Grassi. This was the last time ever for Audi Sport at Florida's classic with an LMP1 car. The new formed United SportsCar Racing which will replace the ALMS and the Rolex Series won't use anymore the top LMP1 class.
Our friends from the lendurance.co.uk have a great coverage on site for what was Audi's goodbye to the American Le Mans Series. Here a selection of great photos by Nick Busato one of the talented photographers at the British based sportscar website.
Posted by just sharing
Sunday, March 17, 2013
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Audi Press Release
First triumph of a hybrid race car at Sebring
One-two victory of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro on U.S. debut
Fässler/Jarvis/Tréluyer win endurance classic
Ingolstadt/Sebring, March 17, 2013 – Another historic racing success for Audi: The Audi R18 e-tron quattro’s victory marked the first ever of a hybrid race car at the Sebring (Florida) 12 Hours in the history of the U.S. endurance classic.
On the – provisionally – last running of the LMP1 sports cars that feature sophisticated technology at Sebring, Audi Sport Team Joest achieved a commanding one-two victory. Right from the start, the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars set the pace, during the entire race an Audi was at the front of the field made up of 42 prototypes and GT sports cars. The third-placed Lola-Toyota was trailing the winner by five laps at the finish.
For twelve hours, the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars fought a fierce duel for victory and repeatedly overtook each other in close battle. In total, the lead between the two R18 cars changed 20 times. A damaged under-floor of car number “1” that was ultimately victorious caused some headaches for Audi Sport Team Joest. The necessary repairs could be performed without any major time loss during caution periods though.
In the thrilling duel between the team’s two cars the current Le Mans winners and World Endurance Champions Marcel Fässler (CH) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) plus Sebring newcomer Oliver Jarvis (GB) prevailed by a narrow margin. All three celebrated their first Sebring triumph. For Jarvis, after the GT success with the Audi R8 GRAND-AM at the Daytona 24 Hours, this marked the second victory at a classic U.S. endurance race.
With a gap of only 7.679s, Lucas di Grassi (BR), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) completed the Audi one-two result. A 60-second time penalty due to a collision with a slower sports prototype had been imposed against the 2013-specification Audi R18 e-tron quattro shortly before the end of the third hour.
In 14 races at Sebring with Le Mans prototypes, this marked Audi’s eleventh overall victory. Eight times the brand with the four rings celebrated one-two results. The premium manufacturer’s tally reflects 24 podium places. Ten times an Audi started from the pole position – more often than any other manufacturer in the history of the race that has been held since 1952. The Audi R8, the R10 TDI and the R15 TDI each celebrated victorious debuts at Sebring. With the first victory of a diesel sports car in 2006 and now the first triumph of a hybrid race car Audi achieved two historic victories. Audi took the first podium and the first win at a sports car race at Sebring as well. In addition, Audi regularly used the track in Florida to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours.
This time, Audi Sport Team Joest will again stay at Sebring after the race for tests with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro that has been subjected to further development. It still remains to be seen whether or not there will be a future for Audi at the U.S. endurance classic. After the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and the GRAND-AM Series merged to form the new “United SportsCar Racing” series no LMP1 sports cars will be permitted to run anymore as of 2014.
U.S. fans will be able to see the Audi R18 e-tron quattro soon again in the United States nonetheless. On September 22, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will visit the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (Texas).
Quotes after the race
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “That was a perfect finale! I’m very happy about this one-two victory in a race in which both of our cars battled against each other all the way to the finish and delivered a fantastic show to the many fans. The entire squad worked hard, so winning after a long twelve hours is the sweetest reward. After victories with TFSI and TDI technology, Audi on clinching the win today with a hybrid car has continued the success story at this race.”
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “This is an outstanding result for what has at least provisionally been our last run here at Sebring. I’m happy about this one-two victory at which either of our two teams would have deserved first place. In the beginning, both cars were running on different strategies. At some point in time they were nearly in parallel and at the finish not even ten seconds apart. We’ve been enjoying the atmosphere here at Sebring with brilliant weather and unique fans. This victory is a nice reward for the whole squad some of whom worked through the whole night before the race and then delivered perfect pit stops for twelve hours straight.”
Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “Celebrating Audi’s last race here at Sebring with a victory is simply fantastic. It was an incredibly close race in which both cars would have deserved to win. In the end, we were the slightly more fortunate ones. The pole position yesterday, victory today, great team-mates – things couldn’t be any better today.”
Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “What a start into the 2013 season! This isn’t a dream; it’s a lot more than that. Winning with Audi at Daytona already was an incredible experience. But now an overall victory on my first run at Sebring on top of that is more than I’d ever dared to hope for. A huge thank you to Audi and to Marcel (Fässler) and Ben (Tréluyer) – they’ve been the best team-mates I could imagine.”
Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “We won the last race of the LMP1 sports cars at Sebring – we’re very proud of this. I think that the fans witnessed a thrilling race in which we had to give one hundred percent to beat our sister car. For us the American dream has come true today. Thank you to Marcel (Fässler) and Oliver (Jarvis) fora great week here at Sebring. Normally, André (Lotterer) is part of our team as well – I’m sure that he’d have been on top of the podium here too.”
Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “This was my first 12-hour race, my first race in the dark and my first run at Sebring – the podium position is a brilliant conclusion of the weekend. It was a very close race with a few incidents and a controversial penalty. More would have been possible for us but as far as I’m concerned the joy about the second place with Audi outweighs anything else.”
Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “It was a memorable, tough and fast race. We had the chance ourselves to win today – but we didn’t make it. So, ‘well done’ to the guys from the ‘sister car’ and all other winners here at Sebring. Aside from our second place I’m taking a lot of memories home with me from all the years and the fastest race lap on today’s farewell. It’s for a man who has given me the passion for motorsport.”
Allan McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “What a fantastic race! We arrived here with Audi in order to say goodbye to our fans at Sebring with a thrilling performance – and I believe we managed to do that. It was a fierce battle from the first to the last lap. I’d like to congratulate the team of our ‘sister car.’ On a very personal note, I’m absolutely pleased with the race. Some of my stints were the best I can remember in the past few years.”
Results
1 Fässler/Jarvis/Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) 364 laps in 12h 00m11.638s 2 di Grassi/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) + 7.679s 3 Prost/Heidfeld/Jani (Lola-Toyota) - 5 laps 4 Graf/Luhr/Dumas (HPD-Honda) - 6 laps 5 Beche/Cheng/Belicchi (Lola-Toyota) - 10 laps 6 Tucker/Franchitti/Briscoe (HPD-Honda) - 18 laps 7 Tucker/Hunter-Reay/Pagenaud (HPD-Honda) - 19 laps 8 Kimber-Smith/Zugel/Lux (Zytek) - 22 laps 9 Cheng/Guasch/Ostella (ORECA) - 28 laps 10 Marcelli/Cumming/Johansson (ORECA) - 28 laps
Posted by just sharing
Saturday, March 16, 2013
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By Johan Laubscher
Audi Sport Team Joest has won the 2013 Sebring 12 Hours. A 1-2 finish after a very long race. Victory went to the #1 driving crew of Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and Oliver Jarvis in the 2012 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. The #2 squad of Lucas di Grassi, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish finished second in the 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.
The 2013 Sebring 12 Hours marked the end of an era. The American Le Mans Series was born at Sebring in 1999 and every year since the Le Mans category cars have competed in North America. 2014 heralds a new era as the ALMS and Grand-Am are merging to form the new United SportsCar Racing series. The new series will combine the existing categories, but LMP1 will be omitted. Thus 2013 was a very special Sebring 12 Hours as it would be the last appearance of the LMP1 category in this classic endurance race. This added significance to the race meant that Audi dearly wanted to win their LMP1 swansong at Sebring.
Race week itself got underway with testing sessions from Monday until Wednesday. Audi Sport Team Joest completed the test sessions steadily, working on race setup. The official practice sessions began on Thursday and the Audis established themselves at the top of the time sheets. Their pace continued into qualifying with Audi taking a 1-2. A mere 0,009 seconds separated the two cars with Marcel Fässler taking the pole ahead of Allan McNish.
A sunny day greeted Sebring on raceday. The 61st Sebring 12 Hours got the green flag at 10h45 local time and the two Audis headed into the distance. The #1 maintained the lead during the first hour. The second hour saw the lead change under braking as #2 passed #1 at the old hairpin. The race began settling into a rhythm with both Audis seesawing between themselves, each loosing and gaining time due to various incidents. A few brief off track moments combined with a 60 second stop-and-go highlighted the opening sequence of the race.
Various safety car sessions ensured that the two Audis remained on the lead lap and in close proximity to eachother. The battle between the two Audis carried on into the afternoon as both cars circulated closely and even traded paint on occasion. The strategies of the two cars eventually became separated, as both crews were determined to go for the win.
The inter Audi fight continued unabated through the afternoon and into the night, with both cars racing each other on the lead lap. The intensity of the racing suggested that there were no team orders. A loose floorboard had developed on the #1 car, causing sparks on the ground, but it did not effect the performance and the battle with their teammates continued. They traded places during the pit stop sequences, and as the final hour approached the pattern had settled with #1 leading #2, by approximately ten seconds. As the race entered the final hour the cars were in sight of each other, and it was a straight fight between Benoît Tréluyer in #1 and Tom Kristensen in #2. The racing became intense in traffic as both cars had near misses. It was certainly a race, as both drivers were going for that special final ALMS Sebring victory.
The battle continued into the final minutes of the race. Ultimately the final pit stop allowed Benoît Tréluyer to gain a cushion and he held offTom Kristensen, leading home an Audi 1-2 finish. This was Audi's eleventh overall victory at Sebring, and a perfect swansong for Audi's LMP1 Sebring legacy.
By Johan Laubscher The Sebring 12 Hours is taking place this weekend. It will be the last Sebring under the current ALMS regulations, and the very last appearance of LMP1 cars at Sebring. This makes it a very special occasion as Audi is aiming for their eleventh overall victory to mark the swansong of the LMP1 category at Sebring. Two cars have been entered by Audi Sport Team Joest. The #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro (2012 spec) will be driven by Marcel Fässler / Benoît Tréluyer / Oliver Jarvis and #2 (2013 R18) driven by Lucas di Grassi / Tom Kristensen / Allan McNish. It should be another great race and we have included a list of links below with which you will be able to follow the race live.
The race is scheduled to start at 15:45 CET today. (10:45 am local time). The broadcasts and live streaming will begin at 10h30 local time.
By Tarek Ramchani Since the debut of the Audi sportscar program with Le Mans prototypes, the German brand has almost always competed at the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring.
It all started back in 1999, with the all new Audi R8R. The car didn't win but took an honourable third overall. A year later, Audi's Sebring winning legacy started with the Audi R8. The car gave Audi six straight outright wins at Florida's classic from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 a brand new car and new technology debuted at Sebring, the Audi R10 TDI. The car was immediately victorious, winning the race in both 2006 and 2007. The Audi R15 TDI continued a long legacy of Audi cars winning on their debut when Audi won in 2009, and they repeated the debut win with the arrival of the R18 TDI in 2012. The victory last year marked the tenth overall Audi win at Sebring. The 2013 Sebring 12 Hours will be the last LMP1 Sebring, and Audi wants to take their eleventh overall victory as a swansong with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. Here is a complete round up of the ten outright victories of the Audi brand at Sebring. 2000: The race debut of the legendary Audi R8. Two cars entered the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2000. With strong competition coming from Panoz and mainly from the 1999 Le Mans winners BMW with their V12 LMR. Audi won the race with a fantastic 1-2 victory for Audi Sport Team Joest. The winning drivers were Emanuele Pirro, Frank Biela and Tom Kristensen. Second and finishing on the lead lap, the #77 Audi R8 with Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Rinaldo Capello.
2001: For 2001, no less than four Audi R8 cars entered the 12 Hours of Sebring. Two fielded by the factory Audi Sport Team Joest and the others were privately run cars from Champion Racing and Johansson Motorsport. A stunning 1-2-3-4 Audi win. Victory went to the #1 Audi R8 driven by Dindo Capello, Laurent Aiello and the late Michele Alboreto. Again the sister car finished on the lead lap, the #2 Audi of Emanuele Pirro, Frank Biela and Tom Kristensen.
2002: The 2002 race was the final one for Audi as a full factory team with the Audi R8. Three cars entered the race. Two fielded by Audi Sport Team Joest and the third a privateer car from the American team, Champion Racing. The Audis battled with each other, but also had to attend to the strong Panoz team and the growing competitors of Team Cadillac. After a much fought race, victory went to the #2 Audi in hands of Dindo Capello, Christian Pescatori and Johnny Herbert. The #38 Champion Racing car finished in a strong second place, a lap behind the winning car, with drivers Andy Wallace, Jan Lammers and Stefan Johansson.
2003: The 2003 season and a new era for the Audi R8. With the full factory Audi Sport program being over, all the teams were privateers on both sides of the Atlantic. For the 12 Hours of Sebring three Audi R8 cars were entered. Team Joest. Champion Racing and Audi Sport UK each fielding a single car. The factory Team Bentley also entered the race with their new Speed 8 GTPs. After a titanic battle between Joest Racing and Champion Racing, the German team was victorious. The #1 Audi R8 took race win with drivers Frank Biela, Marko Werner and Philip Peter. The #38 Champion R8 finished in second on the lead lap with Emanuele Pirro, JJ Lehto and Stefan Johansson.
2004: For 2004, Joest Racing stopped their sportscar efforts after four straight victories at Sebring. Three Audi R8 cars entered the 12 hour race. Two from Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx, and a single car from Champion Racing. The three cars gave Audi a clean 1-2-3 win. Victory in the end for the #28 Audi R8 of Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx with drivers Allan McNish, Pierre Kaffer and Frank Biela. Champion Racing with Emanuele Pirro, JJ Lehto and Marco Werner finished in second, but five laps down from the winning car.
2005: The final race of the Audi R8 at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Only two cars entered the 2005 race. The two Audi R8s from team Champion Racing, the reigning ALMS champions. While facing a very small field of LMP1 competitors, the two Champion R8s battled with each other during the whole race. In the end a 1-2 victory with the #1 machine taking the overall win with drivers Tom Kristensen, JJ Lehto and Marco Werner. The #2 Audi was driven by Allan McNish, Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela. A few months later, the Audi R8 won its final ever race at Le Mans 24 Hours.
2006: A new car and a new technology. Audi made history by debuting in and winning a major international race with a Diesel powered race car. Audi Sport Team Joest was back to Sebring as a full factory team, the only American race for them, as they were preparing Le Mans 24 Hours. The brand new Audi R10 TDI stormed Florida's race taking victory with the #2 car of Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen. The #1 Audi failed to finish, the car was driven by Emanuel Pirro, Frank Biela and Marco Werner.
2007: The Audi R10 TDI was back to defend its 2006 crown. Two cars entered by Audi Sport Team Joest (under Audi Sport North America name). Once again the competition wasn't that strong in LMP1. The challenger this time came from the lower LMP2 cars, with factory teams from Porsche and Acura. The Joest team won the race in the end with the #2 Audi R10 TDI of Emanuele Pirro, Frank Biela and Marco Werner. The sister #1 car driven by Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen faced some problems and finished fourth overall, 11 laps behind the winning car. This is the last victory for the Audi R10 TDI at Sebring.
2009: In 2008 Audi failed to win Sebring for the first time since 2000. The victory went to Penske Racing and their Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 machine. For 2009 Audi Sport replaced the three year old Audi R10 TDI with the new LMP1 challenger, the Audi R15 TDI. Yet again the race debut for the new car was at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Peugeot and new comers from Acura in the top LMP1 class were the rivals to beat. The race against the Peugeots proved to be one of the most fought for Audi in Florida. In the end the #2 Audi R15 TDI won the race overall with drivers Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen, just ahead of the second placed #08 Peugeot 908. The sister #1 Audi of Lucas Luhr, Marco Werner and Mike Rockenfeller finished in third, 2 laps down.
2012:
After a two year drought at Sebring, Audi Sport Team Joest arrived with the Audi R18 TDI in 2012. Armed with three cars they were determined to reclaim victory at the legendary endurance event. The Audi R18 TDI cars proved to be the class of the field and qualified 1-2-3, a position which they held for most of the opening hours. Various issues dropped the #1 car down the field, driven by Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and Andre Lotterer, who ultimately finish 16th overall, 15 laps down. The race came down to a duel between the #2 Audi R18 TDI (Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish) and the sister #3 car of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Loic Duval. The team mates battled for hours but in the end the #2 crew came home to win the race, leading an Audi 1-2. They won the race by 4 laps, securing Audi's tenth overall Sebring 12 Hours victory.
By Johan Laubscher Audi Sport Team Joest have taken pole postion at Sebring. The #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, driven by Marcel Fässler, set the pole time of 1:43.886, beating Allan McNish by a mere 0.009s. It was a great lap from Fässler in which he was driving a 2012 Audi R18 e-tron quattro against the 2013 car of Allan McNish. The ALMS have been streaming live onboard videos from the qualifying session, and a recording of the qualifying run has been posted by a user on Youtube. The video is onboard the #1 car during Fässler's qualifying run. Enjoy the footage and insight into this high concentration all out drive for pole.
Posted by just sharing
Friday, March 15, 2013
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Audi Press Release
Marcel Fässler achieves new qualifying track record at Sebring
Both hybrid race cars of Audi Sport Team Joest on front row
Tenth pole position in total for Audi at Sebring
Ingolstadt/Sebring, March 15, 2013 – The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is causing a sensation on its first racing commitment in the United States. In qualifying for the 12-hour race at Sebring (Florida) both hybrid race cars from Audi Sport Team Joest clearly beat the previous qualifying track record.
In the cockpits of the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, Marcel Fässler (CH) and Allan McNish (GB) fought a close duel for the top spot on the grid in the 15-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon. In the end, the Swiss with a razor-thin advantage of 0.009 seconds prevailed against his Scottish team-mate. The two-time Le Mans winner and current World Endurance Champion took his first pole position in a Le Mans prototype plus his first one as an Audi factory driver.
Fässler on his fourth flying lap managed setting a time of 1m 43.886s. The Audi racer thus beat the fastest time of the conventionally powered Audi R18 TDI from last year by almost two seconds – as well as the previous qualifying track record set by Marco Werner in 2007 in the Audi R10 TDI (1m 44.974s).
At the – provisionally – last last run of an LMP1 sports car at Sebring, Fässler is sharing the cockpit of a 2012-specification R18 with Oliver Jarvis (GB) and Benoît Tréluyer (F). Lucas di Grassi (BR), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) are driving the 2013-specification Audi R18 e-tron quattro that is celebrating its racing debut in Florida and completed initial test laps in its most current configuration on Monday. An accident by Allan McNish in Thursday morning’s free practice cost valuable track time.
For Audi, this marks the tenth pole position in total at 14 events at Sebring. The brand with the four rings has so far won the U.S. endurance classic an equal number of times. In turn 1, Audi is exhibiting four of its Sebring-winning cars this weekend. In addition to the Audi factory drivers who are active at Sebring, four Sebring winners – Frank Biela (D), Dindo Capello (I), Emanuele Pirro (I) and Marco Werner (D) – are on location.
The 61st running of the 12-hour race at Sebring will start on Saturday at 10:30, local time (15:30 CET).
Quotes after qualifying
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “Qualifying was a thrilling event because both of our cars were always very close together. The result is a very good starting base for the race. The race though will show us though that the gaps won’t remain as comfortable. The two positions on the front row are a nice reward for the commitment of the whole squad and perfect motivation as well.”
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “Qualifying yet again showed what we’ve been seeing here the whole time. Whenever our two cars are out on track together we’re experiencing a fight in the range of hundredths. That’s nice and promises a thrilling race. Still, we’ve got to watch out for the competition because the situation can become a lot closer on Saturday. We’ll need a few hours before knowing how the relative power in the field will pan out then.”
Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “It was a really nice feeling to climb out of the car and see my name at the very top of the time monitor. It was another incredibly close duel between Allan (McNish) and me – this time I came out on top in the end. Aside from a thrilling qualifying session, this is obviously a perfect starting base for the race on Saturday.”
Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “I love motorsport in the USA. I already had a great debut at Daytona and with the pole position of our car here I’m experiencing the next highlight right away. But we’ve still got a lot of work to do. There’s so much that can happen in a 12-hour race – not only with respect to our sister car but also regarding the rest of the competition.” Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “Simply cool! I like this track and the unique atmosphere here at Sebring. Marcel (Fässler), Oliver (Jarvis) and I simply feel comfortable as a team of three – in the car just like in the pits and off the track. It was fun to watch Marcel in qualifying. He gave everything and then got out of the car with a big grin.”
Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “This is my first ever race weekend in the USA. The whole week has been a great experience and now I’m looking forward to the race. For the time being, this will be Audi’s last run here at Sebring and that makes it a very special event. I’ll be giving my best and am happy to have two team-mates in Allan (McNish) and Tom (Kristensen) who have already made history with Audi.”
Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “I’ve got to admit that I feel a bit of sadness thinking about all the years and the races we experienced here at Sebring. This weekend we’ll be saying goodbye for the moment. There’s a great race ahead of us with strong competition, above all of course our sister car. We’re lacking a bit of driving time from Thursday plus I only arrived at Sebring at the last moment – still, I’m confident that we’ve got a good chance of winning here on Audi’s last run.”
Allan McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “What a qualifying session! Although we expected it to turn into a duel between the two Audi cars we wouldn’t have thought that the outcome would be this close. The conditions on the track have continuously improved since yesterday so that I was able to really push.”
Posted by just sharing
Friday, March 8, 2013
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By Johan Laubscher
Audi Sport has released the first real-world image of the new 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro (pictured in the cover image), along with a variety of renders. In the last few months a number of spy photos appeared online, prompting the usual pre-season winter speculation. It appeared that the 2013 version of the latest generation Audi sportscar would remain visually similar to the 2012 variant. Based on the renders released today this seems to be the case, but there are a number of significant differences.
The collection of renders published by Audi Sport media offers a look at both Audi R18 e-tron quattro versions, which will be competing at Sebring. Car #1 will be a 2012 version whereas car #2 will be one of the newly updated 2013 cars. We will use these renders for a comparison below, highlighting some of the key visual changes. These renders are professionally done and have been very accurate in the past, thus they form a good basis for the visual comparison. It must be emphasised that the comparison done below was completely based on the renders. They may differ from the actual cars seen at Sebring. Equally the 2012 rendered car may differ from the exact specification seen during 2012, again they are the latest renders released ahead of the Sebring 12 Hours.
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Note: The cover photo (the only real-world photo of the 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro) shows the car fitted with the sprint bodywork front nose. The renders published by Audi Sport show the car with the Le Mans type bodywork front nose. The picture above shows the most obvious difference between the two types of front nose setups. The shape of the front fenders differs significantly, the sprint bodywork (pictured left) is completely smooth whereas the Le Mans bodywork (pictured right) has a step in its contour. This difference has been seen on all the Audi R18 versions (2011, 2012 and now 2013). The cars at Sebring will most likely being using the high downforce sprint bodywork, which would be consistent with the first real-world photo that has been released.
2013 vs 2012 Audi R18 e-tron quattro (Sebring 2013)
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Front View
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1. The first big difference is the addition of the "double rear wing", which was first pioneered on the Toyota TS030 during 2012. The double rear wing is comprised of an extension of the rear bodywork being raised alongside the rear wing, but not connected to the rear wing. It is a clever loophole within the regulations to effectually widen the rear wing, whilst the rear wing itself, remains within the maximum dimensions.
2. The rear wing itself also appears to have a larger surface area with an increased angle of attack on the 2013 car.
3. The front dive plane sections of the front nose have been split. On the 2013 car the dive plane is now split into two distinct sections, on the 2012 car it is only one smooth solid section.
4. On the 2012 car there appears to be a segregation line on the bodywork (dark line in render), which would suggest the bodywork was two separate parts. The 2013 render does not have this segregation line. (However this is said under correction)
5. The 2013 car has a set of cameras mounted on its roof, which is not present on the 2012 car. These new cameras will aid the drivers forward vision, an aspect which has been a problem in the R18 versions due to the driver's view being obstructed from certain angles inside the cockpit.
6. The side mounted dive planes have a slightly different shape and the 2012 car configuration has the dive planes curving further round the front nose.
7. The highest point of the front nose dive plane is higher on the 2013 car than that of the 2012 car, revealing an air exit when viewed from behind. The 2012 car has a smooth surface without an air exit.
Rear View
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8. The 2012 car has a circular exhaust whereas the 2013 car is pictured without the large circular exhaust. (This may only be the case on the render, the real configurations remains to be seen.)
9. The rear fender shape has been altered on the 2013 car. The rear section of the fender now also has a more squared corner, whereas the 2012 car has a more rounded edge.
Side View
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10. The shape of the side pod air exits have changed slightly as well as having an additional horizontal element added on the 2013 car. The horizontal element has been added between the second and third sections of the side pod and between the third section and the main body of the car.
11. The second side pod section’s lower edge has been extended further rearwards on the 2013 car, on the 2012 car this edge was a lot shorter and ended before the third section of the side pod.
12. The first side pod section has a different shape and is angled more towards the car’s centreline on the 2013 car.
13. A rectangular part has been added alongside the side pod, directly behind the front wheel. This was not present on the 2012 car.
14. The angled first side pod section can be seen here, it is clearly angled more towards the car’s centreline on the 2013 car.
Top View
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15. On the 2013 car there is a small bulge on the rear fender, behind the rear wheels. The bulge faces inwards towards the car's centreline. This bulge was not present on the 2012 car and its function is not yet known.
16. The trailing edge of the rear bodywork has a different shape on the 2013 car as it is angled more downward than that of the 2012 car.
17. New air vents are present on the 2013 car's rear bodywork. The purpose of these vents is yet to be known, but it is speculated that they have been added to enhance the cooling and airflow.
This concludes our visual comparison of the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro versions which will be competing at Sebring. Again we emphasise that this comparison is based on the renders released by Audi Sport media. It remains to be seen how the actual cars will look at Sebring itself. Photo credit: Audi Sport Media
Editors note: The text within this article is that of Audi Motorsport Blog (an independent blog), the text is therefore not from Audi Sport Media Info.
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