Audi is not about to roll over for Porsche, shows updated 2014 R18 E-Tron Quattro LMP1 race car

[Sticky]

So you might have heard of a little race called Le Mans that is 24 hours long and takes place in France. Well, Audi has dominated this race this past decade to put it mildly. They have won the last four 24 Hour of Le Mans races and twelve of the last fourteen. Audi has a total of twelve victories putting them in second place behind... sibling Porsche who has sixteen victories. Porsche intends to keep their lead announcing back in 2011 they are returning to Le Mans with an LMP1 effort to challenge for the overall title.

Porsche has shown just how much effort they are putting into development and they definitely know who it is they need to beat. Audi is not about to roll over for Porsche and has updated their R18 E-Tron Quattro car for the updated 2014 rules and has put an emphasis on fuel efficiency.

In a 24 Hour race, the frequency of pit stops often makes the difference between victory and defeat. Audi motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich stated, "We've reached a crucial stage in this project. After building the first prototype, testing on various racetracks is now taking centre-stage."The tests are mainly focused on achieving high mileage, co-ordinating the highly complex hybrid drive systems and working out an efficiency-optimised total package that has never before been as complex as this one."

So who will win? Audi or Porsche? We will have to wait and see. It is nice to see Audi finally getting a real challenge though even if it has to come from the same automotive group.

Ingolstadt/Sebring, 2013-12-08
U.S. test for new Audi R18 e-tron quattro

- Audi's new LMP1 sports car is being tested
- Further details to be published before the end of December
- Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Ullrich: "Crucial stage has been reached"

Only a week after the World Championship winning Audi R18 e-tron quattro race car's last run in a race, its successor is ready to hit the track. Tests of the new LMP1 sports car, which has been kept under wraps up to now, commence today on the U.S. race track at Sebring (Florida).

Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm has developed a fundamentally new Le Mans prototype that corresponds to the Technical Regulations for 2014 and is designed for maximum efficiency. The development started in 2012. The roll-out took place in the early fall of 2013. Starting today, the next-generation Audi R18 e-tron quattro is being tested on the race track where all new Le Mans prototypes of the Audi brand have had to prove their worth: at Sebring.

"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-optimized 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. Before the end of December, Audi will present the next generation of its hybrid sports car and announce further details.

[whoosh]

Should be an interesting race next year. I'm pulling for Porsche, naturally.

[Sticky]

I'm pulling for Porsche too.

[Nemesis07r]

Me three