Audi R8 LMS: Second evolution even easier to drive

Since 2015, the second generation of the Audi R8 LMS has been setting standards in terms of lightweight design, safety and aerodynamic efficiency. This was followed at the end of 2018 by a visually and technically modified first evolution version. The evo II variant presented in 2021 continues along the same path. The internationally successful GT3 model from Germany can now be used even more easily in racing classes with an amateur background. Also in 2021, the second generation set a production record with 138 cars built, overtaking the previous model, which was built 137 times. 

The team of engineers has set its sights on five areas for the second evolution: aerodynamics, engine characteristics, interior climate control, chassis and traction control. “In every single area, the customer teams benefit from our new developments in tough everyday racing,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “The Audi R8 LMS is easier to drive and can be set up in a better way. And with the air conditioning it allows for greater conditioning comfort. This enhances concentration in the cockpit.”

The most visually striking change is the new rear wing suspended from behind. It fits seamlessly into the Audi Sport customer racing family look because the GT2 variant of the R8 LMS and the RS 3 LMS touring car also follow this principle. Instead of top aerodynamic values, the focus of the Audi R8 LMS evo II is once again on improved drivability. A smaller proportion of the downforce generated is now accounted for by the floor than before. Instead, a larger percentage is generated via the rear wing. This makes the mid-engine sports car aerodynamically less sensitive under braking.

Audi has already succeeded in achieving more constant downforce across different ranges in the previous evolution stage. Different ride heights achieved by the teams through chassis settings, but also the driving conditions at different speeds or in situations such as braking for corners and during acceleration have since had a smaller impact on the airflow. This results in greater aerodynamic stability, which gives a steadier driving feel.

The engine has a new intake system with a better torque curve. Intake passages extended by 30 millimeters increase torque in the low and mid-range. As a result, the almost standard power unit offers greater potential than before when accelerating from lower speeds. 

The teams also benefit from an improvement in power transmission. The already familiar traction control system adapts the flow of power from the engine via the three-plate racing clutch and the sequential six-speed transmission to the tires to suit the road conditions. Various program characteristics can be selected in the cockpit. A new feature is the ability to regulate the intervention of the traction control system at the apex of the curve and the end of this process independently of one another over the entire adjustment range. Two new switches on the steering wheel facilitate this refined tuning.

The revised components also include the four-way adjustable shock absorbers in the chassis. They replace their two-way variable predecessors. Audi Sport has already tested the new solution in races at the Nürburgring. The advantage for the teams: the wider range of adjustment options in the chassis without additional conversions.

An air conditioning system rounds off the package of the R8 LMS evo II. Its operating principle of extracting heat from the cockpit via a refrigeration circuit, transporting it to the outside and releasing it there, corresponds to that of a standard system in road-legal vehicles. Particularly over longer distances and at higher outside temperatures, the air conditioning helps maintain concentration in the cockpit, avoid mistakes and achieve steadier lap times.

While Audi Sport customer racing presented these innovations in July 2021, the customer teams will receive a concept that has proven itself in all other areas. The chassis of the production model and the race car directly derived from it have been built in the same facility at Audi Sport GmbH at Böllinger Höfe since September 2015. The final assembly of the race car is performed at the customer racing site in Biberach.

In terms of safety, the current generation of the Audi R8 LMS plays a pioneering role, having clearly surpassed the requirements of the regulations ever since its launch. Thanks to a modified structure of the front end and a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) crash element at the rear, the GT3 sports car fulfills the crash test requirements for Le Mans prototypes (LMP). The sophisticated Audi Sport Protection Seat PS03 with its structural stiffness and adaptability to various driver physiques is setting standards in seating technology. It is firmly connected to the chassis, which increases stiffness. A rail-mounted, easily adjustable foot lever unit and a height- and length-adjustable safety steering column can be adapted to individual needs in many ways. By introducing the rescue hatch in the roof of the kind used in DTM race touring cars Audi was a pioneer in GT3 racing in 2015. Following a crash, the hatch makes it possible to pull off the helmet upward in a way that is gentle on the spine and to apply a KED (Kendrick Extrication Device). 

Lightweight design is another one of Audi’s areas of expertise. In spite of the additional weight resulting from the aforementioned innovations, the race car’s dry weight is clearly lower than before. The homologation weight that has been reduced compared with the first generation of the Audi R8 LMS can easily be achieved even in endurance racing trim with additional headlights and air conditioning for the helmet and seat. The intelligent material mix of aluminum in the Audi Space Frame (ASF) combined with the structural CFRP center tunnel and the CFRP back wall as well as the steel roll cage make the chassis alone about 30 kilograms lighter than that of the first generation – since 2015, it has tipped the scales at merely 252 kilograms. At the same time, the torsional stiffness of the supporting frame has increased by 39 percent. 

Although the race car features a more complex material mix, Audi has interlinked the manufacturing process of the production car and the race car even more closely than before. At a manufacturing facility at the Böllinger Höfe industrial park in Heilbronn, Audi Sport GmbH jointly produces both chassis variants. In spite of the race car receiving modified cast-aluminum nodes and a steel roll cage, the racing chassis of the R8 LMS remains integrated in the basic production process up to and including the point of roof assembly and cathodic dip painting (CDP), which is a type of priming. Only after these process steps, the race cars are completed at the Heilbronn-Biberach site. 

Audi uses production parts in the R8 LMS wherever they make technical and economic sense in racing. The V10 engine with 5.2 liters of displacement and up to 430 kW (585 hp) of output in racing is produced on the same assembly line as the production unit. It remains nearly unchanged and, with a scheduled service interval of 10,000 kilometers and rebuild interval of 20,000 kilometers, sets standards in racing. Audi Sport uses modified or completely new assemblies only where they are required by motorsport regulations or by the significantly higher loads encountered in on-track competition. For instance, the production ASF chassis is only modified while the bodywork consists of CFRP. Installed in the suspensions are wishbones that are strictly designed for racing. Fielding in the customers’ hands has proven the durability of the overall construction. Teams that are active in customer endurance racing completed more than 75,000 kilometers in practice, qualifying and racing operations with individual chassis of the Audi R8 LMS in less than three years. 

The Audi R8 LMS has proven its viability as an all-round race car for customer racing around the world. It meets the challenges posed on all race tracks in all climatic zones, has won titles in Saudi Arabia as well as in Central Europe, Asia, Australia or New Zealand. The model has been successful in sprint competitions around the globe as well as in 12-hour races in Malaysia, Australia, and in the Gulf 12 Hours or in the 24-hour classics at the Nürburgring, at Spa, in the GTD class at Daytona, and in Dubai. The long service intervals enable economical operation and thanks to its racing qualities and high safety the Audi R8 LMS is equally popular with pros and amateurs.