AUDI TESTS LMP1 SPORTS CAR FOR 2012

Ingolstadt, December 17, 2011 - Audi Sport is intensively preparing for the 2012 sports prototype season. A test team has started the next trial phase of the LMP1 sports car for the 2012 season in the United States this week.

• Tests at Sebring (U.S. state of Florida)
• Allan McNish plus five other Le Mans winners at the wheel
• Preparation for 2012 season

After the previous tests of the further development of this year’s Le Mans winning car took place behind closed doors, Audi is now going into public at a race track for the first time. Today (17 Dec), Audi Sport runs tests with two vehicles at the Sebring (Florida) circuit. The second LMP1 sports car serves to compare the test results. Taking turns at the wheel of the two development vehicles are the 2011 Le Mans winners, the Swiss Marcel Fässler, the German André Lotterer and the Frenchman Benoît Tréluyer. Also involved in the tests are Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish, who were last victorious at Le Mans in 2008.

The tradition-steeped American circuit has a special significance for Audi, not only because Audi has celebrated nine victories at the Sebring 12 Hours since the 2000 season. The 5.95-kilometre track that features 17 highly different types of turns offers plenty of variety, which makes for excellent test conditions. The rough concrete of the former airfield’s take-off and landing strip in combination with the tarmac of the other track sectors puts the material to a particularly tough test. On March 17th, the 12-hour race will open the new FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) as well as the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at this venue.

While the component tests have already started, Audi will not announce the details of the 2012 racing program, the driver line-up and the technical state of the development until a later date.

 

Yep-Audi is testing the R18 Hybrid and I'm assuming they have one hybrid and one regular R18 for comparison

 

The body is slightly different as well. Hopefully the drivers have better visibility now, I'd love to see all 3 finish at next year's 24H race.

Do you guys think it's the pic, or did they dim the brightness of their LED headlights? I've heard that those lights were blinding the oncoming traffic too much and making it hard for the slower cars to understand where exactly the car was as it was approaching at a fast rate of speed. Perhaps dimming them is also a safety measure.

 

I think that in the pic it is only on low beam, looks like half of the LED are on.



Looking forward to another 24hr battle with the Pugs at Le Mans next year.

 

Low beam or not, their 2011 lights were always a bright bluish white...never remotely close to yellow.

 

yellow lights are for GT class..

 

Sigh...

I'm referring to the halogen-like color in the first picture at the top of this thread. I'm fully aware of the GT cars running yellow-tinted headlights and 3000k yellow bulbs.

The color of the light output in the first pic at the top of this thread is noticeably different compared to last year's light setup. That's all I'm trying to say.

 

Yeah ok I get you now, probably just from the pic more than anything.. Maybe the ACO/FIA have made some rule changes in regards to lights..

 

The greatest part about the original R18 TDi? Audi built it as a single turbo V6 with room in the engine tub to go hybrid if they felt like they needed to.

Guess they felt like they needed to go hybrid.

 

Can't wait to see this race at Sebring this March!