Audi LMP1 Discussion

[gustavobamba]

Originally Posted by ger80

huh? whats that?

That is for a game/simulator called C.A.R.S. , i think

[Gil Abobeleira]

Originally Posted by gustavobamba

That is for a game/simulator called C.A.R.S. , i think

You are right, sir.

[Acid09]

Originally Posted by Gil Abobeleira

You are right, sir.

Not completely, it's called "Project CARS"

http://www.wmdportal.com

[joeb]

Originally Posted by gustavobamba

Look how would be a private R18, fabulous job

http://h7.abload.de/img/80c978ea39f8fe7b4558267u1a.jpg

Originally Posted by ger80

huh? whats that?

It's stellar looking, that's what it is!

[mackteck]

http://www.quattroholic.com/2011/11/...s-le-mans.html

[AGD]

It seems that Treluyer is considering ending his Super GT career to participate in the WEC should that offer (presumably from Audi at this point) arrive. As he points out, the schedule conflict between the WEC and Super GT is contributing to this.

Benedict was particularly distressed to last SUPER GT race he does not know if it will run again next year in Japan:


"The calendar has just been unveiled WEC and Spa proof falls together with a round of Super GT 2012. I have not yet formal proposals to participate in the new Endurance World Championship, but if they arrive, they will fit with the direction I want to give my career! If the calendar does not change Super GT, it will really make that choice. But whatever happens, it will be a goodbye, not a goodbye ... "

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...ance-8787.html

[chernaudi]

After what he and Lotterer did at LM this year, if I'm Audi, I'd hire them to if nothing else put them on retainer to that Nissan and Toyota can't nick them out from under Herr Doktor's nose. We know that Dindo will probably be gone next year, and who knows how long Allan and Tom will hold out after their disastrous 2011 (though that seems to be more down to the R18's seating arrangement than McNish and TK losing their touch--they did very well at Zhuhai until Jani rear-ended Allan and that caused electrical issues later). Even if they return to form next year, McNish and Kristensen can't hold out forever, and Timo and Roman will likely be taken back up by Porsche, so they'll need to be replaced, and I don't think that Audi will want to move up drivers from the GT ranks too early and make the same mistake that Red Bull did with their NASCAR team and move up rookie drivers too early.

So Ben and Andre are safe bets, and Ben's willing to run in the WEC if Audi offers him a ride, and we'd have to believe that Andre might be in a similar position it Toyota doesn't offer him a ride, as he's not listed as one of their drivers currently.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

After what he and Lotterer did at LM this year, if I'm Audi, I'd hire them to if nothing else put them on retainer to that Nissan and Toyota can't nick them out from under Herr Doktor's nose. We know that Dindo will probably be gone next year, and who knows how long Allan and Tom will hold out after their disastrous 2011 (though that seems to be more down to the R18's seating arrangement than McNish and TK losing their touch--they did very well at Zhuhai until Jani rear-ended Allan and that caused electrical issues later). Even if they return to form next year, McNish and Kristensen can't hold out forever, and Timo and Roman will likely be taken back up by Porsche, so they'll need to be replaced, and I don't think that Audi will want to move up drivers from the GT ranks too early and make the same mistake that Red Bull did with their NASCAR team and move up rookie drivers too early.

So Ben and Andre are safe bets, and Ben's willing to run in the WEC if Audi offers him a ride, and we'd have to believe that Andre might be in a similar position it Toyota doesn't offer him a ride, as he's not listed as one of their drivers currently.

Im sorry. But that's all very loose speculation, all which is very sensitive to small changes and doesn't contain enough information to give a believable result.
There are MANY things that determines what a driver or a team is going to do. Wurz's switch to Toyota being a perfect example of this.

In fact, Allan McNish and Tom K is because of their age, experience, and still proving their worth, the only drivers who we can be pretty secure in that they will stay where they are, as long as they feel they can win.

Let's please not make a sportscar "silly season" rumor mill where everybody is going to make extreme decisions. Please remember "Occam's razor", "The simplest explanation is most likely the correct one".
Let's keep the speculation to actually sourced rumors, instead of creating our own .

[chernaudi]

The Treluyer to WEC rumors are well sourced, as they were lifted from an Endurance-Info interview with him, and he's considering--reportedly--running WEC next year, in part due to the date clashes. And of course, if he does the WEC next year, Audi will be the logical choice. I do know of rumors of Nissan coming in, but that seems to maybe be a choice that they'll make for 2014, because unless they've really had something in the pipes for a while, they have nothing for 2012 and I don't think they'll come in for 2013 for a one and done year under the current regs.

So unless Nissan has a WEC factory program for 2012 to be announced soon, then if Ben goes to the WEC, it's most likely Audi who will provide the ride.

It also stands as logic if Toyota doesn't pick up Lotterer, then Andre, if he wants to run in the WEC, may jump ship to Audi. The problem is what will happen after 2012? Toyota, if they feel that the program is worth its merit, will naturally want to expand, and there's the Nissan question. If Ben's signed to Audi, Nissan will for sure have a fight to get him back, and the same applies for Toyota with Andre.

But you do bring up an interesting point to ponder: Are Ben and Andre factory drivers for their respective brands in Super GT and have been allowed to drive for Audi because Audi isn't (yet) a direct competitor to Nissan and Toyota? I don't follow the business side of Super GT so I don't know what the particulars are there, but it seems that Ben might be in a contract year now and has a choice to make regarding his motorsport future next year, be it Nissan in Super GT, or Audi (?) at Le Mans/WEC.

That is confirmed that he's thinking of running WEC next year for someone--likely Audi at this stage--in part at least to the WEC/Super GT date clashes, of which there are a couple of big ones.

[Acid09]

I think Treluyer's quote is a very strong hint that Nissan is the rumored other Japanese manufacturer, good stuff.

Audi's practice of just loaning out drivers instead of finding a squad of their own is really going to bite them in their behinds in 2012 and beyond.

[R4z3rw33n]

Originally Posted by CTD

Let's please not make a sportscar "silly season" rumor mill where everybody is going to make extreme decisions. Please remember "Occam's razor", "The simplest explanation is most likely the correct one".
Let's keep the speculation to actually sourced rumors, instead of creating our own .

Originally Posted by Acid09

I think Treluyer's quote is a very strong hint that Nissan is the rumored other Japanese manufacturer, good stuff.

Audi's practice of just loaning out drivers instead of finding a squad of their own is really going to bite them in their behinds in 2012 and beyond.

At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, and disregarding CTD's suggestion, is it worth considering Audi's inaction in regards to driver lineups the result of a long term, planned exit strategy?

Of the current lineup, the below assumptions *could* be made for 2012:
- McNish, TK, Capello (2/3 - We know Capello's likely out post-LM24).
- Rockenfeller*, Bernhard, Dumas (potential 3/3 - DTM commitments likely for Rockenfeller).
- Lotterer*, Treluyer*, Fassler (2x known non-contracted, 1x unconfirmed but likely).
- Bonanomi (Unconfirmed).

*Potentially conflicting commitments elsewhere.

It might be likely we'll see the full lineup enlisted for 2012 but, is anybody exempting McNish/TK confirmed or, expected to be contracted beyond 2013?

I'm not suggesting Audi's departure will, or won't occur. It's possible Audi are just waiting for the official release to announce confirmations.
Just highlighting a point for consideration (before I'm taken by the firing squad).

[gustavobamba]

Audi have a few driver´s from it´s DTM program that could pass to sportscar´s:

-Marco Bonanomi
-Filipe Albuquerque
- Eduardo Mortara
- Martin Tomczyk
- Matias Ekstrom

And some of them are faster...

[henk4]

I suggest to open a new thread: R18 Plus, because the R18 is history....

[CTD]

Originally Posted by R4z3rw33n

At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, and disregarding CTD's suggestion, is it worth considering Audi's inaction in regards to driver lineups the result of a long term, planned exit strategy?

Of the current lineup, the below assumptions *could* be made for 2012:
- McNish, TK, Capello (2/3 - We know Capello's likely out post-LM24).
- Rockenfeller*, Bernhard, Dumas (potential 3/3 - DTM commitments likely for Rockenfeller).
- Lotterer*, Treluyer*, Fassler (2x known non-contracted, 1x unconfirmed but likely).
- Bonanomi (Unconfirmed).

*Potentially conflicting commitments elsewhere.

It might be likely we'll see the full lineup enlisted for 2012 but, is anybody exempting McNish/TK confirmed or, expected to be contracted beyond 2013?

I'm not suggesting Audi's departure will, or won't occur. It's possible Audi are just waiting for the official release to announce confirmations.
Just highlighting a point for consideration (before I'm taken by the firing squad).

Tom K is the driver who in my opinion is most likely to challenge Pescarolo's record of most entries. So yes i expect to see Tom K signed for 2013, especially if Audi continues at Le Mans.

[chernaudi]

And there's also the question of what Audi will call the 2012 car that will be based off the R18, due to rumors that the hybrid system being introduced is reason enough to change the car's designation.

Today, Audi released photos of their updated 2012 R8 LMS, which is coined the "Audi R8 LMS R16 'Ultra'". I think that the '12 car will likely have a fairly rediculous name of "Audi Rxx TDI Hybrid Ultra" or something equally as contrived. But then again, if it's going to be R18 based as Ullirch said a few months back, why not add "Hybrid" to the R18's name, because we all know that commentators will make the mistake of calling it the R18 based on looks, no matter what the Audi press kit says.

It's just like starting at LM '10, Audi dropped the "Plus" designation for the facelifted R15, and simply referred to it from there as the "R15 TDI" irregardless of variant. But we do know that the German language is famous for use of large compound words, and I do wonder how many words, given Audi's nomenclature, will find their way on the 2012 R18 derivative?

[AGD]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

And there's also the question of what Audi will call the 2012 car

Are they going to have a hybrid in 2012? They did not seem to excited about the hybrid regulations. Actually, they did not sound excited about any of the regulations. But, anyway, if they do, how about Audi R18 TDI Hybrid Quattro*

* = Only at speeds above 120 km/h

[cdsvg]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

And there's also the question of what Audi will call the 2012 car that will be based off the R18, due to rumors that the hybrid system being introduced is reason enough to change the car's designation.

Today, Audi released photos of their updated 2012 R8 LMS, which is coined the "Audi R8 LMS R16 'Ultra'". I think that the '12 car will likely have a fairly rediculous name of "Audi Rxx TDI Hybrid Ultra" or something equally as contrived. But then again, if it's going to be R18 based as Ullirch said a few months back, why not add "Hybrid" to the R18's name, because we all know that commentators will make the mistake of calling it the R18 based on looks, no matter what the Audi press kit says.

It's just like starting at LM '10, Audi dropped the "Plus" designation for the facelifted R15, and simply referred to it from there as the "R15 TDI" irregardless of variant. But we do know that the German language is famous for use of large compound words, and I do wonder how many words, given Audi's nomenclature, will find their way on the 2012 R18 derivative?

It will be called the R18+. Too sexy to be viewed by those under 18

[insane.nick]

The LMP1 Audi R18 TDI.....We need to be able to download this amazing machine!!!! also what about the LMP1 Aston Martin and updated Pugeout 908??

[cdsvg]

From racecar engineering twitter:

Suspect that Audi is going to announce the R18 hybrid tonight in Ingolstadt, should be there but my passport is still with the US government

http://twitter.com/#!/RacecarEnginee...50581741355008

[CTD]

Originally Posted by cdsvg

From racecar engineering twitter:



http://twitter.com/#!/RacecarEnginee...50581741355008

Nice!
Then we will see Toyota and Peugeot following soon!

[chernaudi]

Toyota has announced that their car will be a gasoline engined hybrid, and has thus beaten Audi and Peugeot to the punch with having a car with a hybrid system from the start. However, there's no physical car yet that we know of, and only a few concept sketches that while they look good (it sort of looks like a 908 in the illustrations), we don't have any indication of the finished product yet, and even that might not be the "final cut", as Audi and Peugeot had already produced modified body kits for their cars last year by LM.

However, both Audi and Peugeot have beaten Toyota to the punch as far as intent, with Audi stating that the R18 was designed for a hybrid system from the beginning, and Peugeot's clear intent to adopt one for the 908, as well as testing it recently

As for Audi, this is supposed to be the Essen Motorshow, and that's where they usually announce their motorsports plans for the following season. Of course, they've launched their cars in stand alone events (the R8 just before Christmas '99, the R10 in Paris in '05, and the R15 in the late winter/early spring of '08/09), and the last car that they launched in Essen was the R8 LMS in '08.

If Audi plan on displaying the R18 Hybrid tonight, then the car--or at least the hybrid system--must have had some form of testing, which is why Audi did so much with the early test cars, though the R18 was launched with only a couple of days of function testing last year.

And I wonder if Audi has any driver announcements for the WEC to make, considering that Dagys has stated in the WEC lineup article that Tréluyer or Lotterer may join Fassler if the Porsche drivers won't be available, and Tréluyer is looking for a WEC ride for 2012.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Toyota has announced that their car will be a gasoline engined hybrid, and has thus beaten Audi and Peugeot to the punch with having a car with a hybrid system from the start. However, there's no physical car yet that we know of, and only a few concept sketches that while they look good (it sort of looks like a 908 in the illustrations), we don't have any indication of the finished product yet, and even that might not be the "final cut", as Audi and Peugeot had already produced modified body kits for their cars last year by LM.

However, both Audi and Peugeot have beaten Toyota to the punch as far as intent, with Audi stating that the R18 was designed for a hybrid system from the beginning, and Peugeot's clear intent to adopt one for the 908, as well as testing it recently

As for Audi, this is supposed to be the Essen Motorshow, and that's where they usually announce their motorsports plans for the following season. Of course, they've launched their cars in stand alone events (the R8 just before Christmas '99, the R10 in Paris in '05, and the R15 in the late winter/early spring of '08/09), and the last car that they launched in Essen was the R8 LMS in '08.

If Audi plan on displaying the R18 Hybrid tonight, then the car--or at least the hybrid system--must have had some form of testing, which is why Audi did so much with the early test cars, though the R18 was launched with only a couple of days of function testing last year.

And I wonder if Audi has any driver announcements for the WEC to make, considering that Dagys has stated in the WEC lineup article that Tréluyer or Lotterer may join Fassler if the Porsche drivers won't be available, and Tréluyer is looking for a WEC ride for 2012.

Talking about intent and testing: Peugeot already demonstrated a 908 Hybrid version at the Silverstone LMES race of 2008....

[chernaudi]

Any news on this rumored announcement (as it's 11:00 or midnight in Germany)? If not Essen Motorshow weekend, could this be another stand alone unveiling, and if so, what guesses are there to be the most opportune time?

[henk4]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Any news on this rumored announcement (as it's 11:00 or midnight in Germany)? If not Essen Motorshow weekend, could this be another stand alone unveiling, and if so, what guesses are there to be the most opportune time?

the traditional Audi Pressconference at the Essen Motorshow has been abolished for the past three years or so, there are also no other Audis on show there.

[chernaudi]

I know that a lot of focus has been on rumored Peugeot Sport driver shuffling, which if it happens to the extent of those rumors, will be significant.

But some more fuel has been added to the fire at Audi. In addition to their yet to be announced R18 Hybrid, there's more on the driver front. We already know that Tréluyer has said that he'd run in the WEC next year if he can get a ride (possibly with Audi), Lotterer has said that he not only wants to drive for Audi next year in the WEC, but in Japanese Autosport, he says that he desires a long term contract with Audi. So it seems that Andre may be willing to sever ties with Toyota to run for Audi at LM and in the WEC if they offer him a long term deal.

Of course, if either Andre, Ben, or both get offered rides at Audi Sport next year, who'll get the boot if they get a full season deal? One seat is easy--Bernhard will have to be let lose to go back to Porsche if they want him, and he's as of now at least still a Porsche factory driver. So he may get demoted to running the endurance races in preparation for Porsche's return. But if both get contracts, who get's benched as far as a full season ride, or will Audi/Joest enter three drivers per car for at least one team, or run 3 cars if they can get enough drivers to do so, because I doubt that they'd want to sit down Fassler, let alone Alan or Tom if they have the resources to have everyone one race, and with Oreca no longer being a Pug customer team, they can out number Peugeot at most WEC rounds.

This, of course, is too long term to put anything down as being fact or even likely to happen, but Lotterer has stated an interest to drive for Audi full time next year, and it would appear that he would prefer to do so for a while to come.