Year by year: The most important successes of Audi in motorsport
1981 3 victories in the World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1982 Winner manufacturers’ classification World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1983 Winner drivers’ classification World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1984 Winner drivers’ and manufacturers’ classification World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1985 Winner Rally San Remo (Audi Sport quattro S1) Winner Pikes Peak Hillclimb Race (Audi Sport quattro S1) Winner Rally Hong Kong–Beijing (Audi quattro) 1986 Winner Pikes Peak Hillclimb Race (Audi Sport quattro S1) Winner Rally Hong Kong–Beijing (Audi quattro) 1987 Winner Safari Rally (Audi 200 quattro) Winner Pikes Peak Hillclimb Race (Audi Sport quattro S1) 1988 Winner TransAm Series (Audi 200 quattro) 1989 7 victories IMSA GTO Series (Audi 90 quattro) 1990 Winner German Touring Car Championship (Audi V8 quattro) 1991 Winner German Touring Car Championship (Audi V8 quattro) 1993 Winner French Touring Car Championship (Audi 80 quattro) 1994 Winner Italian Touring Car Championship (Audi 80 competition) 1995 Winner Italian Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) Winner Touring Car World Cup (Audi A4 quattro) 1996 Winner Super Touring Car Championships Australia, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and South Africa (Audi A4 quattro) 1997 Winner Central European Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) 1999 3rd place Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8R) Winner German Super Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) Winner Swedish Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) 2000 Winner Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8) Winner Sebring 12 Hours (Audi R8) Winner ‘Petit Le Mans’ (Audi R8) Winner American Le Mans Series (Audi R8) 2001 Winner Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8) Winner Sebring 12 Hours (Audi R8) Winner ‘Petit Le Mans’ (Audi R8) Winner American Le Mans Series (Audi R8) Winner European Le Mans Series (Audi R8) Winner Speedvision GT (Audi S4 Competition) Winner Swedish Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) 2002 Winner Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8) Winner Sebring
From quattro to e-tron
The success story of AUDI AG in motorsport Victories and titles since 1981
Audi positions itself as the sportiest manufacturer in the premium segment and has a perfect basis to do so: motorsport. Sportiness, advanced technology and emotive design are the basis for the success of the Audi brand. The genes for this have their origin in racing, since 1980.
The success story began with the Audi quattro Excluding the era before the Second World War that included the legendary Auto Union Grand Prix race cars in the 1930s, the motorsport history of AUDI AG began with the Audi quattro. The dominant victories and two manufacturers’ and two drivers’ titles achieved with the “original quattro” in the World Rally Championship between 1982 and 1984 were an important factor in the market success of the quattro drivetrain. quattro victorious in circuit racing as well After Audi had turned rallying upside down and stormed up Pikes Peak (USA) with the Sport quattro in record time on three successive occasions, Audi also made the quattro drivetrain fit for circuit racing: initially with the Audi 200 quattro and the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO in the United States, in 1990 and 1991 with two championship titles for the Audi V8 quattro in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), and ultimately also with the A4 in the production-based super touring cars. In 1996, the Audi A4 quattro won the championship titles in seven countries. Between 2012 and 2016, the all-wheel drive system returned to the race track as the e-tron quattro. Audi R8 most successful Le Mans sports car in present-day racing After the dominant quattro drivetrain was banned from touring car racing, Audi switched to sports prototypes and also underpinned its slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” in this motorsport category for 18 years. Audi, on making its debut at Le Mans in 1999, the toughest endurance race in the world, immediately managed the leap onto the podium, finishing third overall.
Le Mans trilogy with Audi Tradition
May 21 Ingolstadt: International Museum Day at the Audi museum mobile with Le Mans prototypes and talk with “Dindo” Capello June in Le Mans: Audi Tradition brings winning cars to special exhibition of the “Musée des 24 Heures du Mans” and to the Legends’ Parade July in Goodwood: Driving legends and winning cars at the “Festival of Speed”
A series of victories: No brand has won at Le Mans as often as Audi in such a short period of time. The four rings were at the top of the podium a total of 13 times between 1999 and 2016. In 2023, the “24 Hours of Le Mans” will celebrate its 100th anniversary and Audi Tradition will join in the festivities: in Ingolstadt, Le Mans and Goodwood. “Audi in Le Mans” was recently launched for all motorsport fans; the latest book of the Edition Audi Tradition presents the success story of the four rings at the endurance classic on the Sarthe in great detail for the first time.
The Audi museum mobile is presenting a whole range of Le Mans racing cars for International Museum Day on Sunday, May 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Among them are several winning cars such as the Audi R10 TDI from 2006, the first diesel-powered racing car to claim a victory at Le Mans. At 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in the Customer Center of the Audi Forum Ingolstadt, talk sessions will be held with exciting guests from the world of motorsport, including Rinaldo “Dindo” Capello. Following the talks, the three-time Le Mans winner will be available to sign autographs. In addition, there will be a highlight tour in the museum on the motorsport history of the four rings. And there’s also something for the younger guests: In addition to a handicrafts corner, they can look forward to a special driving course with a pit stop where they can demonstrate their tire-changing skills.
Modern race cars in historic dress: 24h Nürburgring with design icons from Audi
Flair of rallying, touring cars and sports prototypes in the Eifel region Four Audi R8 LMS in the design of historic Audi racing models A total of six Audi R8 LMS at the 24-hour race
Audi Sport customer racing will contest the 51st edition of the Nürburgring 24 Hours from May 18 to 21 with four Audi R8 LMS cars in epoch-making designs. Audi’s expressive liveries reflect its motorsport history. They remind the public of unforgettable times for the brand in racing and rallying. In sporting terms, Audi, as the most successful brand of the past decade, is already aiming for its seventh overall victory after 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022.
“This year the audience at the Nürburgring can look forward to a special appearance,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “The four Audi R8 LMS offer the many fans of this race and the Audi brand, as well as photographers and cameramen, an exciting reinterpretation of unforgettable liveries.” The audience is instantly reminded of legendary times of the four rings in motorsport. “After six victories in the past eleven years, we now want to race for our seventh success in the world’s biggest endurance race,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “The Audi design department team has taken historical motifs as a model to develop four new designs for the R8 LMS. They are completely unique, but immediately call to mind images of earlier Audi race cars.” Each of the four GT3 sports cars cites features from individual eras. While these four race cars will be competing on behalf of Audi Sport customer racing, the private team Scherer Sport PHX will bring two more R8 LMS to the Eifel.
American flair at the Nürburgring: Number 1 Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX pulls up as last year’s winner with the number 1. The team from the Eifel region has already won the race four times with Audi. For many fans of the brand, the design of the car with the coveted starting number is associated with legendary successes.
Audi RS 5 DTM “seems to be made” for Spa
DTM season opener at the famous race track in the Ardennes Audi drivers with many good Spa memories DTM-winning car left strong impression during testing
Next weekend (August 1–2), the most compact DTM season of all time, all within just 100 days, will kick off on a very special race track: For the first time, the Audi RS 5 DTM will compete at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Sections of the circuit with resounding names such as La Source, Eau Rouge, Blanchimont or Pumont make the hearts of motorsport fans and racing drivers beat faster. “Right at the start of the season, Spa is THE highlight on this year’s DTM calendar,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “It’s one of the classic drivers’ circuits that everyone loves. I expect great slipstreaming on the straights and two very thrilling races. In addition, you’ve always got to be prepared for anything regarding the weather in the Ardennes.” So far, the DTM has only once raced at Spa-Francorchamps: In 2005, Mattias Ekström and Tom Kristensen secured a double podium with the A4 DTM for Audi Sport. At that time, a DTM car had an output of about 460 hp. Today, with push-to-pass, the Audi technicians produce more than 610 hp from the compact and highly efficient four-cylinder turbo engine in the RS 5 DTM. This corresponds to an additional output of around 30 percent, while at the same time, significantly reducing fuel consumption. Benoît Tréluyer was impressed after having had the privilege of testing the current Audi RS 5 DTM for a day in the Ardennes in July. “The RS 5 seems to be made for Spa,” says the Frenchman. “It’s a dream to drive this car flat out through Eau Rouge. The many changes of direction are also fun. The drivers will love Spa and so will the fans at home in front of the TV screens. I’m expecting some very special races and I’m definitely going to be sitting in front of the TV and watching them.” The six Audi factory drivers are all looking forward to the DTM comeback at Spa.
Audi unveils the new R18 e-tron quattro
Spectacular drive in public traffic of Le Mans Fresh graphics and more cubic capacity for higher efficiency Concept decision followed extensive testing
Audi began the 2014 WEC season with a spectacular appearance. The new Audi R18 e-tron quattro did not do its initial kilometers at Le Mans on the legendary race track in Western France but in public traffic. Audi factory driver Tom Kristensen, with nine victories under his belt the record holder of the Le Mans 24 Hours, drove the diesel hybrid sports car from the Saint-Julien du Mans cathedral in the city center to the famous race track.
Accompanied by TV cameras and photographers, and featured in a live worldwide broadcast on the internet, Audi’s new LMP1 race car completed the near-ten-kilometer distance through the city in a motorcade, did a lap on the Circuit Bugatti and arrived in front of the race track’s modern Welcome Center amid the applause of the invited international journalists and guests. “I’ve been competing at Le Mans since 1997 but this was absolutely new for me, too, and very exciting,” said Tom Kristensen, who in 2006 had driven the revolutionary Audi R10 TDI on its world premiere – in Paris – in public traffic as well. Aside from the unusual drive which brought back memories of a Le Mans era from the distant past when the drivers would arrive in their own race cars, Audi surprised the public with a new livery of the Le Mans car. While the body of the new R18 e-tron quattro was still black with red details when the car made its world debut in December, a striking color scheme now catches the eye. The new color scheme of white, silver, red and black stands for fresh, expressive graphics. “The colors are symbolic,” explains Dirk van Braeckel, Design Manager Motorsport and Special Projects at Audi. “Silver emphasizes the past success in racing. As a very quiet color, it provides the base for our livery. White, as the second color, harmonizes well with silver and appears very light.
Mood at Le Mans anniversary dampened
Two pieces of sad news overshadow the 90th anniversary celebration Audi R18 e-tron quattro for the museum at Le Mans Inauguration of “Place Dr Wolfgang Ullrich”
At the 90th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi was a protagonist not only on the race track. Around the ‘Circuit des 24 Heures,’ the most famous endurance race of the world was under the symbol of the four rings as well. The anniversary has been clouded by sad news on Saturday afternoon.
Two tragic deaths clouded the mood at Audi on Saturday at Audi: At Le Mans, Aston Martin driver Allan Simonsen succumbed to the injuries he sustained in a serious accident shortly after the start. At the VLN race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, ‘Wolf Silvester’ died at the wheel of an Opel Astra presumably due to health problems. Both drivers had also contested races in the Audi R8 LMS. Audi Sport and Audi Sport customer racing are deeply saddened by the two deaths. The Audi motorsport family extends its sympathy primarily to the family members of the two deceased. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi handed the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship winning Audi R18 e-tron quattro over to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). The car will be exhibited in the museum located alongside the Le Mans race track. During the traditional Audi press conference, Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich symbolically presented ACO President Pierre Fillon with the steering wheel of the hybrid race car. A great honor for Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: A square has been named after the Head of Audi Motorsport in the center of Saint Saturnin. The small suburb of Le Mans has traditionally been the hub for fans traveling to the event from Great Britain. Mayor Bruno Jannin and Stéphane Auvrignon, President of the ‘Classic British Welcome,’ unveiled the ‘Place Dr Wolfgang Ullrich’ on Friday in the presence of the Head of Audi Sport, who was visibly moved.
Audi sports prototypes: ultra-lightweight design in perfection
Le Mans prototypes show development steps in ultra-lightweight design Lightweight design quality of monocoque more than doubled since 1999 Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: “Many of the ultra-lightweight design ideas from motorsport have the potential of positively influencing the development of our production models.”
Four more weeks until the Le Mans 24 Hours celebrates its 90th anniversary. Audi has set standards with its ultra-lightweight design in the area of the sports prototypes. In 15 years of development, the motorsport engineers have achieved best marks.
Since 1999, ultra-lightweight design has been playing a central role with Audi’s Le Mans prototypes (LMP). Materials, such as CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), harbor major potential for optimizing weight. “In the space of 15 years, we’ve also achieved major progress in the area of ultra-lightweight design,” stresses Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Audi’s LMP sports cars have continually become lighter, stiffer, safer in crashes and more efficient. There is hardly another motorsport discipline in which the creativity of the engineers is rewarded as highly as it is with the Le Mans prototypes. Whether in terms of engineering design details or materials: many of the ultra-lightweight ideas from motorsport have the potential of positively influencing the development of Audi’s production models. Reducing the weight of the cars is the key to our successful future – in motorsport and in production.” Even in its first LMP sports car – the 1999 R8R – Audi used a carbon fiber monocoque. Audi has significantly been reducing weight to this day: -As the central chassis component, the monocoque supports the front axle, the front and lateral body parts and, since 2012, the hybrid system. The engine is directly connected to the rear.