New Audi R18 TDI all set for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

MANILA, Philippines - The brand new Audi R18 TDI coupe is now ready for the Le Mans 24 Hour race slated for June 11/12. The sports car made with ultra-lightweight technology is equipped with a new type of ultra-compact 3.7 liter V6 TDI engine paired with a six-speed transmission. The new R18 TDI is fitted with a single turbocharger featuring variable turbine geometry (VTG) tech that sits above the engine and draws its air directly through the air scoop mounted on the roof. This year, Audi has dropped the “roadster” concept and adopted the closed car for more aerodynamic efficiency.

Of significant advantage, the Audi R18 TDI is the first Le Mans Sports car featuring full LED headlights. “When you’ve driven once with full LED headlights you don’t want to have anything else,” raves Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen. “The light is stronger and vibrates less than a normal headlight – this is a clear advantage and particularly at Le Mans, a track that has many dark braking points in the night. It is also maintenance free and extremely reliable. Dr. Martin Muhlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sport states, “To date we haven’t had a single LED failure”.

Audi is the first automobile manufacturer to use diverse possibilities of LED as design element. In the R18 TDI, the daytime running light in the left headlight forms a number “1” which is mirrored on the right side. With this, Audi aims to express it’s position as number one in LED technology. It goes without saying that the knowledge Audi Sport gains at Le Mans with the latest generation full LED headlights flows automatically into production car development.

Audi will be fielding three R18 TDI cars at the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Ace factory driver Allan McNish (Scotland) will team up with regular co-drivers Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Dindo Capello (Italy). Between the three of them, these seasoned drivers have 13 Le Mans wins.

In the other R18’s, Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France), Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) will group together. Likewise, Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), André Lotterer (Germany), Benoît Treluyer (France) will compete in the third car.

For more information on the Audi R18 and available Audi models, visit Audi Philippines at 201 EDSA Mandaluyong City or call 727-0381 to 85.