Audi R10 TDI

Audi
R10 TDI
Production period:	2005-2008
Class :	race car
Racing series	LMP1
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Diesel engine : 5.5 liters (475 kW)
Length:	4650 mm
Width:	2000 mm
Height:	1030 mm
Wheelbase :	2900 mm
Empty weight :	925 kg
Previous model	Audi R8
successor	Audi R15

The Audi R10 TDI is a racing car from the automobile manufacturer Audi . It was introduced at the beginning of the 2006 motorsport season as the successor to the Audi R8 and replaced by the Audi R15 TDI at the beginning of the 2009 motorsport season , but continued to be used in the European Le Mans Series and in Le Mans by the private Kolles team in 2009. In 2010 the Audi R10 only contested the Le Mans 24-hour race.

history

In 2006, the Audi R10 was the first racing car in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to achieve overall victory with a diesel engine . The racing car presented in Paris on December 13, 2005 is powered by a newly developed, 5.5-liter, twelve-cylinder TDI engine with twin-turbo charging. With over 475 kW and 1200 Newton meters, the Le Mans prototype surpasses the performance data of most previous Audi racing vehicles - including those of its successful predecessor, the R8 . The V12 engine housing is made entirely of aluminum .

The R10's V12 engine, equipped with two particle filters, is hardly noticeable from the outside as a diesel engine due to its smoothness. However , the special features of the TDI engine presented the engineers at Audi Sport with a whole series of challenges. The injection pressure of the common rail injection is well above the 160 MPa that can be achieved in series production. The usable speed range is between 3000 and 5000 revs and is therefore at a low level compared to a petrol engine designed for racing. Thanks to the favorable torque curve of the TDI engine, the driver in the R10 has to change gear much less frequently than in the R8.

The maximum torque of 1.2 kilonewton meters places special demands on the power transmission of the R10 - even the Audi Sport engine test beds had to be converted to other transmissions in order to cope with these high torque loads.

The chassis of the car also had to be adapted: the R10 has a significantly longer wheelbase than the R8. So far, the particularly wide front tires are unique for a Le Mans prototype. New techniques were also in the development of the monocoque made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic used. Chassis, engine and transmission form a torsion-resistant, fully load-bearing unit.

The first test drives were carried out at the end of November 2005. Until the 24-hour race of Le Mans on 17./18. June 2006 a test program was completed, which also included a deployment at the 12-hour race in Sebring on March 18, in which a car driven by Marco Werner , Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela failed after 117 laps due to engine overheating. The second car drove with the Rinaldo Capello / Allan McNish / Tom Kristensen team to overall victory with a total of 349 laps, four laps ahead of the runner-up. The team of Reinhold Joest supported the development team from Audi Sport like with the R8 project.

In 2007, the regulations reduced the tank capacity by 10%; This reduced the tank volume from 90 to 81 liters . This was done to take into account the 10% higher calorific value of diesel fuel compared to racing gasoline. As a result of a rule change in ACO 2007, diesel vehicles in the LMP category had to use bio-diesel from 2008 .

Technical specifications

Audi R10 TDI (front view)

Audi R 10 TDI
Vehicle type	Le Mans Prototype (LMP1)
Engine type	V12 diesel engine with turbocharging
Displacement	5500 cc
power	over 475 kW (646 PS)
Torque	1200 Nm
V max	approx. 335 km / h depending on the gearbox
Drive type	Rear wheel drive
coupling	Ceramic coupling
transmission	Sequential, pneumatically operated 5-speed sports transmission
Brakes	Hydraulic dual-circuit brake system, internally ventilated, carbon fiber reinforced brake discs front and rear
length	4650 mm
width	2000 mm
height	1030 mm
Tank capacity	81 liters
Weight	min. 925 kg

Races

Le Mans 24 hour race

With the Audi R10 TDI , a diesel engine won a Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time in 2006 . In front of 235,000 spectators, Frank Biela , Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner clinched the sixth Le Mans victory for Audi. Rinaldo Capello , Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish drove up to third after trying to catch up. The R10 TDI achieved the seventh success for the brand in 2007 with the same line-up as in 2006 with Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner. In 2008 , the third overall victory was achieved with the Audi R10 TDI at Le Mans. The drivers were Tom Kristensen , Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello.

Petit Le Mans 2006

For the first time, a diesel sports car won the American endurance classic " Petit Le Mans ". With the victory in Road Atlanta in the US state of Georgia , Audi secured the manufacturers' championship in the LMP1 class of the American Le Mans Series ahead of schedule. The new Audi R10 TDI remained unbeaten in its seventh race and also won the third major endurance race of the year in its debut season after the 12 Hours of Sebring in March and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

chassis

No.	year	team
102	2006	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 8)
103	2006	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 7)
202	2007	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 1)
203	2007	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 3)
204	2007	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 2)
301	2008	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 1)
302	2008	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 3)
204	2008	Audi Sport Team Joest (No. 2)
201	2009	Audi Sport Team Kolles (No. 14)
101	2009	Audi Sport Team Kolles (No. 15)
201	2010	Audi Sport Team Kolles (No. 14)
101	2010	Audi Sport Team Kolles (No. 15)

See also

• Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
• Audi R15 TDI
• Audi R18

Web links

Commons : Audi R10 TDI  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• "Audi R10 - With Diesel to Victory?" Report on SPIEGEL ONLINE (Dec. 2005)
• LMS website ( Memento from September 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• Official website of the ACO