Skip to main content

NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Audi R8 LMS GT4

By

Audi joins BMW, Porsche and Aston in producing a more accessible GT4 racer
Audi has become the latest European brand to confirm it will go GT4 racing, joining BMW with its M4 GT4, Porsche with its Cayman GT4, Aston Martin with its Vantage GT4 and KTM with its X-BOW GT4.
GT4 racers like them and the Ford Mustang GT4 are less modified that the popular GT3 racers and therefore cheaper to produce and run.
In the case of the Audi R8 LMS GT4, which made its world debut at the New York motor show overnight, Audi claims it’s closely related to the road-going R8 Coupe V10.
Audi has offered the R8 LMS GT3 to customer race teams since 2009, after which it was replaced by a second-generation model in 2015, and also joined the TCR category with its RS 3 LMS in 2016.
Slotting in between is the GT4 version of the R8 LMS racer, the newest addition to the Audi Sport customer racing program.
“Directly derived from the road-approved Audi R8 Coupe V10, the GT4 is powerful and offers a high level of safety,” says Audi.
“At the same time, it is an affordable choice in terms of purchasing price and cost of ownership. It is the ideal race car for amateur campaigners, in line with the spirit of the GT4 regulations that continue a great sports car tradition, as fascinating road-going sports cars were a popular base in GT racing around the world more than half a century ago.”
The R8 LMS GT4 will debut at the Nürburgring 24 Hours over May 25-28, when Audi will join another international motorsport category, which will be heavily promoted from this year, when GT4 race series will take place in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.
“Thirteen racing series in which GT4 models can compete worldwide already exist today worldwide,” said Audi Sport GmbH managing director Stephan Winkelmann.
“Audi Sport GmbH is one of the leading manufacturers offering cars in the GT3 and TCR customer sport categories. Now we’re targeting the GT4 class at exactly the right time. These fast-growing business segments and the DNA shared by our racecars and production vehicles underscore our ambition to become a true global player in the high-performance league.”
All the latest 2017 New York motor show news
According to Audi, the GT4-spec R8 shares more than 60 per cent of its assembly components with the road-legal Audi R8 Coupe, alongside which it is produced at its Böllinger Höfe facility.
“Customers of the new race car benefit from these synergies in terms of purchasing price and cost of ownership,” says Audi, adding it will offer an extensive network of service, spare parts logistics and professional support for the GT4.
Producing 364kW depending on category rules, the R8 GT4 is currently under development before final homologation, racing approval and production begins in the second half of this year, followed by first deliveries by the end of 2017.
The German car-maker also used the New York show to unveil the R8 Coupe Audi Sport Edition, which will be limited to 200 units worldwide.
Draped in the silver, red and black colours of Audi Sport both inside and out, the R8 special-edition goes on sale in may ahead of first deliveries by August.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Audi goes hypercar

By
Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and… Audi? Audi will make the massive jump from premium sedans, wagons and coupes up into a genuine supercar maker within the next three years, if the Bavarian carmaker’s newest board member gets his way. Audi’s Wolfgang Durheimer is deep into an optimistic program to take the hugely successful R18 e-tron Quattro Le Mans champion and turn it into a very exclusive road car along with a hard-core sports car to fight against Porsche’s Cayman. Planned to sit well above Audi’s existing sports car flagship, the R8 V10 Plus, the R18-based hypercar would use a slightly modified version of the Le Mans winner’s diesel-electric hybrid powertrain. “We don’t take as much benefit from the Le Mans Program as we probably could,” Mr Durheimer told Motoring.com.au during the Detroit Motor Show. “We are looking at a product that is directly received from the racing car and adapted for street use.  “We are pushing for diesel-hybrid high performanc...
Post a Comment
Read more »0001

Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2 replica is a testament to the golden era of rally racing

By
Group B rally racing is often referred to as the golden era of rallying. Established in 1982 by the FIA, the short-lived Group B era birthed some of the most legendary rally racers even to this day. That includes the famed Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2. The Sport Quattro in the video from  Petrolicious  isn’t the real thing, but the impeccable replica is probably as close as one can get to it. Volker Gehrt, the owner of the replica, states a toy model his wife purchased for him to keep on his desk was the inspiration to go out and build his own Sport Quattro S1 E2. After crossing paths with Roland Gumpert, the father of the Quattro as well as a former Audi motorsport boss and founder of the Gumpert supercar brand, both gentlemen thought it would be a fun undertaking to rebuild the car just as it was in the ‘80s. Of course, this kind of undertaking is a lot easier when you have a former Audi motorsport boss on board, who was able to source the obscure and rare parts for the pr...
Post a Comment
Read more »0001

Audi A8 L Price List Review

By
Elegant design, sumptuous quality, advanced lightweight construction and an abundance of high-end gadgets exemplify Audi’s flagship offering – the A8L. For 2014, Audi has introduced a new, exhaustively updated model which features more powerful yet more efficient engines, updated interiors and unique Matrix LED headlights. Exterior The design of the new A8L is more expressive than before, thanks to the sculpted hood, the single-frame grille and the redesigned front bumper. Furthermore, the lower edge of the headlights is straight in this new model. Talking about the headlight, Audi is now offering its unique Matrix LED technology as an optional extra. The high-beam comprises of 25 individual light-emitting diodes per unit which are activated and deactivated or dimmed individually according to the situation. This enables the system to react precisely to oncoming vehicles, thereby adjusting the high beam and illuminating the road where needed. At the rear, the LED lights on the t...
Post a Comment
Read more »0001