With the new Audi R8 unveiled for the world to behold, it will only be a matter of time before we see the Four Rings coming out with a racing version of this new supercar. Surely enough, there is no better time other than the Geneva Motor Show for Audi to unveil this new GT racer to the masses.
Other than meeting the new GT3 regulations soon to be introduced in 2016, new Audi R8 LMS is also lighter and safer than before and featuring more race car technology as well as improved aerodynamics. The guys from Quattro GmbH managed to make the car 25kg lighter than its predecessor without compromising the safety aspect.
According to Audi, the new R8 LMS surpasses the safety requirements of the 2016 GT3 regulations, thanks to a modified structure of the front end and a CFRP crash element at the rear which is being used for the first time in a GT3 race car. Such improvements allowed the R8 LMS to meet the crash test requirements even for the lighter Le Mans Prototype (LMP) like their own R18 e-tron Quattro.
The car weighs only 1,225kg and features an intelligent material mix of aluminium in the Audi Space Frame (ASF), a structural CFRP component and a steel roll cage. This had contributed in making the chassis 30kg lighter as well as increasing the torsional stiffness of the stressed frame by 39-percent.
With the new 5.2-liter V10 engine in place, the R8 LMS gets 577-horsepower and all of them are sent to the rear wheels via a new six-speed sequential transmission with paddle shifters. The aerodynamics have also been revised where it is fitted with a fully lined underfloor and an integrated rear diffuser.
This new race machine will be making its debut at the 24-hour races at the Nurburgring and Spa, happening in May and July. Orders for the new R8 LMS will be open in the seconds half of the year, with deliveries taking place somewhere by the end of 2015.
