Looking back at the Audi R8

[Chikane_GTR]

Looking back at the first version of the LMP R8 Still amazes me how they went from this

To this in only one year

 

[Grandea GTR]

Those look like TT headlights, but they probably aren't.

 

[GTPorsche]

Those look like TT headlights, but they probably aren't.

Somewhat designed to look like them at least.

 

[Pete05]

Looking back at the first version of the LMP R8 Still amazes me how they went from this

To this in only one year

From what I remember, the original R8 in open-top form as displayed above, shared the same chassis as its closed-top sibling, the R8C.
To say neither of them set the world alive is saying nothing really so, in the space of 12 months, Audi corrected all that was wrong with the debut brothers & left everyone else gob smacked by how good that redone version was.
For it to stay as competitive as it did for so long against the best other manufacturers could com up with speaks volumes.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Err.. What other manufacturers? They all left after 1999. Audi had it all to themselves until Peugeot came back.

 

[JR98]

Err.. What other manufacturers? They all left after 1999. Audi had it all to themselves until Peugeot came back.

Panoz (2000 & 2003), Bentley (2001-2003) and Cadillac (2002) are the main high finishers.

Pescoralo Sport were also running LMP's from 2000 as well, even managed a second place finish in 2006.

 

[TheElbows]

I still think the R8 was the finest prototype car they've run/made. The Audi LeMans Prototype project has to be one of the finest run motorsport ventures in history.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Panoz (2000 & 2003), Bentley (2001-2003) and Cadillac (2002) are the main high finishers.

Pescoralo Sport were also running LMP's from 2000 as well, even managed a second place finish in 2006.

Pescoralo was a privateer with some manufacturer backing. Bentley was a VAG car with an Audi engine, Audi pulled the Audi works team out of Le Mans and ran the Bentley the year it won. Panoz? Up there with the likes of Audi? Not a chance. Didn't even realise Cadillac competed outside ALMS though.

In other words Audi beat toddlers. Everyone of consequence left after 1999 and no thread to them emerged until Peugeot turned up. You can, of course, only beat the opposition that you face, they did that but it is nothing, in my opinion, to be proud of.

 

[catamount39]

Should be mentioned though that the R8 was the last LMP car to be made by a manufacture, run by their factory team and also sold to privateers. Like the last American team/privateer team to win overall at Le Mans, Champion Racing in 2006.

 

[-Fred-]

Should be mentioned though that the R8 was the last LMP car to be made by a manufacture, run by their factory team and also sold to privateers. Like the last American team/privateer team to win overall at Le Mans, Champion Racing in 2006.

Unless you mean privateers getting same year factory cars, you're forgetting Kolles, who ran previous year R10s in 2009 and 2010 at Le Mans, although with not much success. The 908 also ran privately with Pescarolo and Oreca/Matmut.

 

[JohnBM01]

I always refer to the Audi R8 specifying either the LMP or the road car. When I think of the R8, it's the former I usually relate to unless you are talking about the fabulous supercar (the latter). Hardly anyone could beat Audi the previous decade. Panoz took it to the Audi R8 LMP in the former American Le Mans Series, and I still remember when even a lone MG/Lola chassic took down the Audis at the track nowadays known as Sonoma Raceway, also in the former American Le Mans Series. Love or loathe Audi, it was tough to beat the Audi R8 LMP in its time.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Audi didn't exactly have it easy even though they were the only factory team competing at Le Mans for some time. The car was pegged back a bit more year after year. In 2005 the R8 was struggling to overtake the GT1 cars down the straights, whereas the Pescarolo breezed by. With that said, even though the car was neutered the team itself was still as strong as ever. On paper Pescarolo should've won in 2005 but the race fell apart for them.

 

[TheElbows]

I've always wondered if Cadillac would have continued the LMP program had Audi not been around. I remember a stark moment in one race (I believe it was LeMans) where both an Audi and a Cadillac LMP pitted due to a similar issue - gearbox perhaps.

Cadillac took around an hour or more to replace said gearbox. Audi came in, replaced the gearbox in something like 12 minutes and were back on track. The Cadillac guys just looked...stunned. I'd imagine Audi's all-conquering performance etc. probably aided the decision to cease the effort.

I don't doubt they're the "model" after which all endurance teams seek to mimic/learn from. Really impressive stuff to watch.

 

[-Fred-]

It was a revolutionary design and was built in sections, and built like a tank (well, aside the gearbox). I think one of the most memorable feature on the 2000 spec R8 was the quick change rear end... 3 minutes and a half to change the complete rear end, something that took 10x as long for Cadillac at Le Mans that year.

 

[Pete05]

I've always wondered if Cadillac would have continued the LMP program had Audi not been around. I remember a stark moment in one race (I believe it was LeMans) where both an Audi and a Cadillac LMP pitted due to a similar issue - gearbox perhaps.

Cadillac took around an hour or more to replace said gearbox. Audi came in, replaced the gearbox in something like 12 minutes and were back on track. The Cadillac guys just looked...stunned. I'd imagine Audi's all-conquering performance etc. probably aided the decision to cease the effort.

I don't doubt they're the "model" after which all endurance teams seek to mimic/learn from. Really impressive stuff to watch.

It was a revolutionary design and was built in sections, and built like a tank (well, aside the gearbox). I think one of the most memorable feature on the 2000 spec R8 was the quick change rear end... 3 minutes and a half to change the complete rear end, something that took 10x as long for Cadillac at Le Mans that year.

That's one of the things about Audi & their design of the R8.
They knew reliability wouldn't always be like clockwork so they designed & built serviceability into the car. That gearbox was a 'cassette' type design so that's what made it a 12 minute job.

 

[-Fred-]

Just to clarify, the pitstop in itself took 12-13 minutes, but the actual rear end change apparently only took 3 minutes 16 seconds. It was literally held to the rest of the chassis with 4 bolts. It was so ingenious the ACO instantly banned transmission casing changes during a race.

It was fast, it was reliable, but above all else, Audi always had the best drivers behind the wheel to make it go fast. Kristensen obviously, but McNish, Pirro, Capello, Biela, Lehto, Herbert, Werner, Johansson, Salo... the list goes on and on, and they're all world class drivers.

 

[TheElbows]

Yep, agreed. I was also quoting numbers out my arse, because I only remember watching the race, I haven't seen any info since. But it was, obviously, a night-and-day moment during the race for poor Cadillac.