Audi have completed development of their new customer sports racing car. Two new vehicles will now be prepared for the Daytona 24 hour race in 2012 after test driver Frank Stippler successfully completed 1000 test kilometres in the new Audi R8 GRAND-AM.
After fine-tuning in the US State of Florida at the Daytona race track, Audi’s new sports car passed its 1000 km test in Ingolstadt, meaning that it can go into production in time to be delivered to the first customers by January. Two vehicles will also now go into production in time for the 2012 Daytona 24 hour race.
The new Audi R8 GRAND-AM is based on the hugely popular Audi R8 LMS, which has racked up over 13 titles and 110 victories. Using that as their starting point, GmbH developed a new car for the Grand Touring class of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series – the R8 GRAND-AM.
The new car includes significant modifications from the older GT3 on which it is based. Due to GRAND-AM regulations on modified body components around 70-80% of aerodynamic grip has been lost, with the new front splitter only allowed to protrude forward past the front contours by 38mm. Also the rear diffusor corresponds to the production car components, the front underbody is flat, and the new standardised rear wing is now much slimmer at only 152 cm. According to the Head of Engineering at Customer Sport Quattro GmhH the loss of downforce meant that softer spring rates and modifications to the damper characteristics were essential.
In addition to testing these modifications, the Daytona test track also gave Audi the chance to try out the GTR and GTO tires from series’ exclusive tire supplier – Continental, and fine-tune the suspension to work with them.
Another key difference for the new car compared to the R8 LMS is the fact that ABS and traction control have been deactivated. The optimised radiator package which was seen previously on the R8 ultra has, however, made it into the new car.
Audi has now made one of the 5.2-litre V10 FSI engines available to series engineers, who will go through a rigorous performance analysis. It is only after this has been completed and the engine has been given a rating that key stats such as the engine’s power output will be known.
The first race team to field the Audi R8 GRAND-AM in competition will be APR Motorsport from Opelika, Alabama, USA, who are planning to enter it into the Daytona 24 hour race with their own driver combinations. But they will certainly not be the only buyers for the new R8, with three other teams already in the closing stages of negotiations. Only four cars will be delivered in time for the 2012 racing season, so that Audi are able to guarantee individual support and coordination of logistics.
You will be able to see the R8 GRAN-AM competing in Daytona on January 28th and 29th.
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