Audi focuses on efficiency while updating R15 for Le Mans 2010

2010 Audi R15+ TDI - Click above for high-res image gallery

After being soundly defeated at Le Mans in 2009 for the first time in a decade, Audi went back to work on improving its then-still-fresh R15 TDI prototype. Race cars need to be able to run reliably and run long distances between fill-ups. For the 2010 edition of the 24 hours of Le Mans the team has produced what it is calling the R15+ with a focus on efficiency and not breaking. Reductions to boost limits and air restrictor sizes mean Audi had to re-calibrate its 5.5-liter diesel V10. In the process, they’ve managed to maintain its 590+ horsepower output while using less fuel.

For race cars that run at speeds of well over 200 miles per hour on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, aerodynamic efficiency is paramount. Race cars need down-force, but that typically comes at the cost of increased drag. Audi engineers have spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel over the past nine months and have devised a whole new front end for the R15+ that gives better down-force and a lower coefficient of drag. It should make for some interesting competition in France this June.

Gallery: 2010 Audi R15+ TDI