Month: August 2020

Audi R8 LMS GT3

1-2 victory in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie: Two teams from Audi Sport customer racing celebrated first and second place with the Audi R8 LMS in preparation for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. 16 changes in the lead marked the longest round of the NLS season with six hours of racing. Only in the last lap Audi Sport Team Land prevailed, after the leading Ferrari had to drive slowly to save fuel and cross the finish line at all. Nordschleife rookie Mattia Drudi had shared the cockpit of the victorious car with his Audi Sport teammates Christopher Mies and Kelvin van der Linde, who had clinched the pole position. The team of Wolfgang and Christian Land with a wealth of experience already celebrated its 25th victory at the NLS including the predecessor VLN series. Audi Sport Team Car Collection crossed the line only 3.9 seconds behind the winners. Audi factory driver Robin Frijns from the DTM had shared the cockpit of the Audi R8 LMS with the three Audi Sport drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock in Peter Schmidt’s team.

Uwe Alzen remains unbeaten with Audi: Former professional driver Uwe Alzen remains the measure of all things in the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy in the 2020 season. On the third race weekend of the sports and touring car racing series at the Assen circuit in the Netherlands, the driver from Betzdorf won both sprints from pole position. In addition to the Spirit Race Team Uwe Alzen Automotive, Berthold Gruhn, another private driver in this popular sport category has been relying on the Audi R8 LMS for years. In the first race, the entrepreneur achieved third place and in the second sprint to second place, in each case a podium success in his class.

Audi R8 LMS GT4

Class success at the Nürburgring: The Giti Tire Motorsport by WS Racing team won the SP8 class as the only participant at the fifth round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. In the cockpit of the Audi R8 LMS GT4, the privateers Henrik Bollerslev/Niklas Kry/Carrie Schreiner/Guido Wirtz took turns in the 6-hour race.

Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup

Maximilian Paul is the man to beat: After Tim Reiter had won both races at the season opener of the Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup, Maximilian Paul who returned to the one-make cup was unbeatable on the second weekend in the Czech Republic. In the first sprint race on the Most circuit, Kris Heidorn, another returnee, took the lead after the start of the race. But in the first corner, the 2018 champion left the racing line and had to let Maximilian Paul and last year’s champion Robin Rogalski pass. The fastest trio also crossed the finish line in this order. In the rainy second race, Paul had to defend himself almost the entire race distance against the attacks of Kris Heidorn, who finished second only half a second behind. Tim Reiter secured the trophy for third place after a lap-long duel against Robin Rogalski and leads the table with a 17-point lead over Tom Spitzenberger.

Coming up next week

04–06/09 Fuji (J), round 1, Super Taikyu Series

04–06/09 Road Atlanta (USA), round 5, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge

04–06/09 Road Atlanta (USA), round 6, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

04–06/09 Hockenheim (D), round 4, 24H Series

05–06/09 Nürburgring (D), round 2, GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

05–06/09 Brno (CZ), rounds 5 and 6, TCR Eastern Europe

05–06/09 Brno (CZ), round 2, TCR DSG Europe

05–06/09 Brno (CZ), rounds 5 and 6, Eset V4 Cup

05–06/09 Brno (CZ), rounds 7 and 8, FIA CEZ

05–06/09 Smolenskring (RU), rounds 9 and 10, TCR Russia

05–06/09 Sydney (AUS), rounds 5 and 6, New South Wales Production Sports Car Championship

– End –

“At last year’s premiere, Assen was immediately one of the highlights on the DTM calendar,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “The promoter did an excellent job. There were many fans on site. The atmosphere was great and both races were exciting. Even though the huge grandstands will not be as full as last year due to the strict hygiene regulations, it’s great that we are driving in front of spectators again for the first time with the DTM this year.”

The Audi drivers see things similarly. “The Netherlands has very enthusiastic fans who love racing,” says championship leader Nico Müller. “The fact that spectators can be present at the DTM for the first time this year makes the races at Assen very special for us. The DTM has been at Zandvoort for many years. With Assen, the DTM has found a great new home in the Netherlands. The track is spectacular and has a very flowing layout. In 2019, I fought for victory in both of the races. I want to do the same this year.”

Defending champion René Rast experienced two difficult races at Assen last year: In the rain on Saturday, he finished third behind Marco Wittmann (BMW) and Nico Müller. On Sunday, he enjoyed a commanding lead before a puncture caused him to drop back to ninth place. In the end, it was enough to finish fifth. “I hope things will go better this year,” says Rast. “I like fast tracks. Assen has one of the fastest corners on the calendar, which we drive at around 255 kph. The fact that 10,000 spectators are allowed at the track every day is a good sign for motorsport in general.”

The Netherlands will always have a very special significance for Rast: In 2016, he made an unexpected DTM debut at Zandvoort when Adrien Tambay was sidelined on Sunday due to an injury. The call that was to change Rast’s career came on Saturday evening. “We were celebrating my girlfriend’s 30th birthday when my mobile phone rang around nine o’clock, nine thirty,” the Audi driver recalls. “I was asked if I would like to drive in a DTM race. Of course, I accepted immediately. Fortunately, I still had my helmet in the trunk.”

Rast had never driven the Audi RS 5 DTM before and made such a good impression at his DTM debut without any preparation that he was also allowed to stand in for Mattias Ekström as a substitute at the season finale. The result: a sixth place, his first points and a clear recommendation for a full DTM season. This was followed by the title in his rookie year in 2017 and a second title in the 2019 season, as well as several DTM records.

Robin Frijns is the local hero at Assen. The Dutchman has started from pole position in four of the previous six DTM races so far this year and finally wants to celebrate his first DTM victory at Assen. “The fact that things have been going so well at the Lausitzring lately gives me confidence,” says Frijns. “The Lausitzring has never been particularly good for me. Assen, on the other hand, is exactly my thing, even though I had bad luck there last year. The track is very fluid, comparable to Spa. It’s hard on the tires, but we have a lot of experience in this respect. It’s great that fans are allowed to be there. It’s very strange when you’re on the grid and it’s very quiet, because there are no fans.”

Loïc Duval, Jamie Green and Mike Rockenfeller are also looking forward to the two DTM races at the “Cathedral of Speed.” Rockenfeller won last year’s Sunday race at Assen, where tire management played a decisive role. “We’re not used to driving in front of fans anymore,” says Rockenfeller. “I hope everything works out well and the fans will create a nice atmosphere.”

A conventional stabilizer operates passively, in other words, it just balances the suspension movements on both sides by means of mechanical coupling. By contrast, electromechanical roll stabilization can be specifically controlled. The system consists of two stabilizer halves per axle, with an electric motor operating between them on both the front and rear axle. It can rotate the stabilizer halves in opposite direction of each other and thus generate torque that counteracts body roll torque – individually for each wheel. As a result, it reduces the body roll angles and actively supports them against the physical effects of the driving situation. 

The system receives its commands via control units on the front and rear axle, which are part of the Electronic Chassis Platform (ECP). The ECP is the central brain of the chassis. Within milliseconds, it matches a variety of parameters such as speed, ride height, roll and pitch movements of the car, the friction coefficient of the road surface, the current driving condition such as under- or over-steer, plus the data of the chassis systems involved. From this input, the system calculates the ideal responses for the integrated components and adjusts them quickly and precisely to each other. 

The required electrical energy is supplied to the eAWS by a powerful 48-volt onboard electrical system. Within milliseconds, the system calculates suitable actuation values for the stabilizers. The electric motors deliver their power output via three-stage planetary gearboxes, with torque levels of up to 1,200 Nm being generated at the stabilizers.

“Technology is most environmentally friendly when it remains in use as long as possible. If we can it for other purposes after their initial use, we can save energy and raw materials and reduce the amount of electronic waste. Effective cycles are an important lever for conserving resources,” said Rüdiger Recknagel, Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation. The foundation therefore targets its support to projects for environmentally friendly use of technology under the “Greenovation” action area.

These “second life” use cases conserve resources in multiple ways: using reconditioned materials means less need for primary raw materials – that is, materials that are specifically extracted for production. This conserves raw materials and energy already in the production phase. In addition, reusing the material reduces the amount of scrap that would otherwise end up in residual waste, landfills or recycling. The source of power also helps protect the environment: the power banks are charged with solar energy and not with coal-based electricity, for example.

Nunam co-founder Prodip Chatterjee says: “We are creating win-win situations: Old battery cells that would otherwise end up in residual waste are first reused and then disposed of properly. Scrap dealers earn money by reselling to us and Indian families and merchants benefit from affordable power banks. A five-year-old laptop can serve as a light source for Indian fruit and vegetable merchants at a market, can power a small fan or can charge a mobile phone.” Millions of people in India live without reliable access to electricity and can benefit from solutions like this.

Nunam tests the condition and capacity of every battery cell purchased from electrical scrap. Cells with more than 60 percent residual capacity are assembled into new power banks. These prototypes have a capacity of around one kilowatt hour. According to a user analysis by Nunam, a module of this type is sufficient to charge smartphones or operate smaller household appliances for a day, for example. Cells that can no longer be used are passed on by Nunam to a local battery recycling company which recycles them professionally. The prototypes are connected to the Internet via SIM card and transmit data. This ensures that the powerbanks are returned to Nunam again at the end of their service life. The project collects important findings this way on the reusability, performance and service life of new battery systems made from a maximum variety of different cells.

The Audi Environmental Foundation is funding the pilot phase of the project, during which Nunam plans to develop the new power banks to production maturity. To date around 5,000 battery cells from 1,000 laptop battery packs have been disassembled and tested. More than 25 energy storage systems are to be developed from this. These are being allocated in rural areas of India for a pilot trial. In the long term, Nunam plans to set up a small-scale production facility and transfer the findings to other sources in order to develop additional power sources. The TU Berlin is providing methodical support to the project. Together with the department of Electrical Energy Storage Technology, Nunam is working on a model to better predict the wear and tear of used batteries. At the end of the project, the results, videos, data and other findings from the project will be published in a specially created open source portal for anyone interested. This will ensure that the greatest possible number of interested persons can benefit from these findings and put them to further use.

The Audi Environmental Foundation (Audi Stiftung für Umwelt GmbH) is an active promoter of research into new technologies and scientific methods for a future worth living. Its stated goal is to make a contribution to environmental protection and to create and promote ways of sustainable action. The foundation focuses in particular on the promotion and development of environmentally compatible technologies, environmental educational activities and the protection of the natural resources of humans, animals and plants. It was established in 2009 by AUDI AG as a wholly owned subsidiary and is part of its social and environmental commitment.

Audi R8 LMS GT4

First victory for Audi privateer team: Daniel Díaz-Varela and Manel Cerqueda in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 celebrated their first victory in the GT Cup Open racing series in an exciting race. At the second round at Le Castellet, Manel Cerqueda from Andorra secured first place on the grid for the first competition. At the start of the race he dropped back to fourth place, but in the second lap he regained one position. After the end of all mandatory pit stops on lap 16, Daniel Díaz-Varela, who had taken over the cockpit, was already in second place. Two laps later, the Spaniard took the lead on the high-speed circuit in southern France. After 25 race laps, Team Baporo Motorsport achieved their first victory with Audi in the pan-European GT Cup Open with a 0.573-second lead. In the second sprint, the Iberian driver duo took third place and was once again the best amateur team in the field. After four individual races, the two Audi drivers are third in the overall standings and lead the amateur table by five points. 

Three times second place: At the start of the GTC Race racing series, the private outfit T3-HRT-Motorsport took second place in its class three times with the Audi R8 LMS GT4. In the Goodyear 60 race Dominique Schaak and Antonio Citera shared the cockpit, in the two subsequent sprints Citera drove the production-based sports car.

A trophy in California: At the second round of the Trans Am West Coast Championship, the Audi R8 LMS GT4 achieved a podium result in America. At the Sonoma circuit, Natalie Decker took second place in the SGT class in the sports car race for Team N29 Technologies.

Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)

A strong start in TCR Europe: Team Comtoyou Racing was one of the protagonists of TCR Europe with the Audi RS 3 LMS in the first of six events. In a field of 24 drivers and five brands, Mehdi Bennani was the best of three drivers of the Belgian Audi customer racing team in the south of France. The Moroccan qualified at Le Castellet for second place on the grid in the first race. While Daniel Lloyd, who started the race from third position, overtook the two drivers in front of him and won the race, Bennani passed John Filippi, who had clinched pole position. Audi driver Bennani had to admit defeat by 0.406 seconds after ten laps and came home second. 35 points and a trophy were the reward for his performance. In the second race, Bennani improved from ninth on the grid to fifth position, collected 24 more valuable points and, as the runner-up in the table, is only one point behind leader Daniel Lloyd.

Three podium places in Eastern Europe: At the second round of TCR Eastern Europe, Sandro Soubek was delighted with two trophies. The Austrian, who competed for the first time in this racing series with Audi, took two third places in the RS 3 LMS of the Mair Racing Osttirol team. At the Slovakiaring near Bratislava, the race series with 17 participants and five brands had a larger field than many other TCR race series in the current season. Team Hornak-Aditis achieved more silverware with an Audi RS 3 LMS at the same event. In the 60-minute endurance race for the Eset V4 Cup, the Czech Radim Adámek finished second as one of five participants in the touring car class.

Second place in Russia: At the fourth round of TCR Russia Andrey Radoshnov was the best Audi privateer. The driver of the Carville Racing team had started from pole position in the second sprint at the Moscow Raceway and led the race for a long time. On the penultimate lap Hyundai driver Klim Gavrilov attacked the leading Audi and overtook it. While trying to regain the lead, Radoshnov then lost another place and crossed the finish line in third place. However, after a time penalty Gavrilov lost his victory and Radoshnov moved up to the second position. For the Audi RS 3 LMS it was already the fifth podium place on four race weekends of TCR Russia.

Coming up next week

28–29/08 Skellefteå (S), rounds 3 and 4, TCR Scandinavia

28–30/08 Assen (NL), rounds 5 and 6, Spezial Tourenwagen-Trophy

28–30/08 Imola (I), rounds 5 and 6, TCR Italy

28–30/08 Imola (I), round 2, Campionato Italiano GT Endurance

28–30/08 Calabogie (CDN), rounds 5 and 6, Canadian Touring Car Championship

28–30/08 Road America (USA), rounds 9 to 11, TC America TCR

28–30/08 Road America (USA), rounds 9 to 11, GT4 America 

29/08 Nürburgring (D), round 5, Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie

29/08 Valencia (E), round 2, Campeonato de España Resistencia

29–30/08 Motegi (J), rounds 3 and 4, TCR Japan

29–30/08 Most (CZ), rounds 3 and 4, Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup