Audi R10: Technology transfer from motorsport to production

Read how motorsports technology can be transferred into production cars.

The LM P1 category is not only the “top class” at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – it is currently the most technically interesting category in motorsport. No other class offers an automobile manufacturer so many possibilities to implement new technology and to test these for production, particularly in the engine sector.

Additionally, the organising Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) place increasing value on environmental compatibility. The ACO’s target is to promote the development of environmentally friendly, quieter and more economical high-performance engines from which production cars can also benefit in the future. Therefore, the regulations stipulate that engine speeds must lie in a similar rev range than production cars. A direct technology transfer from motorsport to production is therefore possible – unlike the extremely high-revving Formula 1 engine.

This is a decisive reason why Audi continues its involvement with Sports-Prototype racing. Audi successfully positions itself as the premium segment’s most sporting manufacturer, whereby the motorsport involvement plays a far greater role than just a marketing instrument: For more than 25 years, the motorsport success of AUDI AG has been based on ground-breaking developments, which established themselves later in production.

The best examples of this are quattro drive, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and TFSI technology which was used for the first time in the 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans and remains unbeaten in the French endurance classic since then. The Audi R8, the most successful Le Mans Prototype ever with 61 victories from 77 races, is still the only racing car in the world to combine turbo-charging and direct fuel injection.

GermanCarBlog, Audi R10

Source: Fourtitude

Audi R10: Technology transfer from motorsport to production

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