Just over a week after the World Championship winning Audi R18 e-tron quattro race car’s last run in a race, its successor has already hit the track. Tests of the new LMP1 sports car, which has been kept under wraps up to now, have commenced on the U.S. race track at Sebring (Florida).
Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm has developed a new Le Mans prototype that corresponds to the Technical Regulations for 2014 and is designed for greater efficiency. The development started in 2012, while the roll-out took place in the early autumn of 2013.
“We’ve reached a crucial stage in this project,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “After building the first prototype, testing on various race tracks is now taking center-stage. The tests are mainly focused on achieving high mileage, coordinating the highly complex hybrid drive systems and working out an efficiency optimised total package that has never before been as complex as this one.”
Audi has won the manufacturers’ and drivers’ classifications in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the second time in succession and the Le Mans 24 Hours for the twelfth time this year. The brand plans to present the next generation of its hybrid sports car before the end of December.
Source: Audi
