"Some see rules and regulations as restrictive, something to hinder performance. The engineers at Audi look at rules and see them as an opportunity to innovate. Take the 2011 #2 Audi Sport North America R18 TDI, Audi’s 2011 LMP1 competitor in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. Thanks to a host of rules changes between 2010 and 2011, here is a car that could scarcely be more different from its predecessor. Unlike the R15 of old, the R18 is a closed cockpit LMP1 sports car, the first fielded by Audi in more than 10 years. The R18 is light (thanks to copious amounts of carbon fiber construction) and puts a heavy premium on aerodynamic efficiency, and it’s powered by a 3.7 liter V6 TDI engine, featuring the use of a single turbo (a big change from the twin turbo V10s and V12s from previous years). Despite all of those changes, the R18 manages to have one thing in common with its predecessors: a penchant for victory, as the R18 managed top overall honors during the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans."—forzamotorsport.net[1]
The 2011 Audi #2 Audi Sport North America R18 TDI is an LMP1 sports prototype by Audi.
It appears in Forza Motorsport 4 as part of the February American Le Mans Series Pack.
Synopsis[]
The final iteration of the Audi R LMP cars, the R18 TDI is one of the most different iterations both visually and mechanically. With the 2011 regulations for Le Mans now requiring the use of a tailfin over the engine cover, it was decided that the R18 would have a closed cockpit design, something which hadn't been seen on an Audi LMP car since the R8C in 1999. In terms of the internals, the R18 continues to use a diesel engine just like its previous two iterations, but the number of cylinders has once again decreased. The engine in the car is a 3.7L V6 with a single turbocharger, which is the smallest engine in terms of both cylinders and displacement of any of the R cars and the first to not use two turbos. Due to still being in the final stages of development, a minorly updated R15+, dubbed the R15++, was used as a stand-in at the 12 Hours of Sebring.[2]
The #2 competed in the 2011 International Le Mans Cup (ILMC) season, with the car having two sets of teams throughout the season. The first of these teams would consist of André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer, and Marcel Fässler who would pilot the car at the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car would finish 5th at Spa, with its sister cars, the #1 and #3 finishing just ahead of it in 4th and 3rd respectively.[3] Le Mans however would be a different story, with the #2 claiming pole and going on to win, claiming Audi's 2nd straight Le Mans victory and 10th in 12 years. The rest of the podium would be taken up by Peugeot 908s due to the other two Audis being crashed out of the race, with both coincidentally being caused by Ferrari 458 Italia GT2s running into their rears and causing the two R18s to spin out.[4]
From the 6 Hours of Imola onward, the #2 would be driven by Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish who had piloted the #3 and one of the stand-in R15s. However, even with the change in drivers, Le Mans would the only high point of the car's season. While the #1 would finish on the podium at both Imola and the next race at Silverstone, the #2 would finish 4th and 7th.[3] At Petit Le Mans, Kristensen and McNish would be joined by Rinaldo Capello, fully reuniting the #3 crew. However, Audi would have their worst overall race of the season, with the #1 crashing out and the #2 retiring a couple of laps later due to mechanical issues caused by contact to and by slower cars.[5] At the season ending 6 Hours of Zhuhai, things did not get much better for the #2 as it would retire due to a short circuit caused by a rear-end collision from another LMP1 car. Due to Peugeot taking victory in every race of the ILMC season aside from Le Mans, they were easily able to take both the manufacturers' and team titles.[3]
For the 2012 season, the ILMC would be morphed into the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The #2 would make one final appearance at the opening round of the season at Sebring along with the #1 and #3, with the team in the car being the same one that competed at Petit Le Mans the previous season. Unlike its predecessor, the #2 would end its racing career on a high note by taking the win, with the #3 joining it on the podium to give Audi their first 1-2 since the 2010 edition of Le Mans. The #1 would end up finishing 16th, about 15 laps down on its two sister cars. The next two evolutions of the R18, the ultra and e-tron quattro, would make their debut at the next race on the WEC calendar, the 6 Hours of Spa.[6]
Statistics[]
|
Speed 9.9 Handling 10.0
Acceleration 9.7
Launch 8.6
Braking 9.9
|
R1 986 |
|---|---|---|
Required DLC:
Requires the February American Le Mans Series Pack | ||
Unlock Requirements
Car Dealer:
Purchase from the car dealer for 2,500,000 CR | ||
Performance & Body Style
Body Style: Prototype 1
Value: 2,500,000 CR
Speed:
Top Speed: 206.7 mph (332.6 km/h)
Acceleration:
0-60 mph (0-97 km/h): 2.900 secs.
0-100 mph (0-161 km/h): 5.800 secs.
Braking:
60-0 mph (97-0 km/h): 85.4 ft (26 m) 100-0 mph (161-0 km/h): 200.9 ft (61.2 m)
Lateral Gs:
60 mph (97 km/h): 1.44 g
120 mph (193 km/h): 2.03 g | ||
Conversions[]
- No conversions available.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
References[]
- ↑ "February ALMS Pack" . forzamotorsport.net
- ↑ "Audi R18" . wikipedia.org . Retrieved 06-23-2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup" . wikipedia.org . Retrieved 06-23-2025.
- ↑ "2011 24 Hours of Le Mans" . wikipedia.org . Retrieved 06-23-2025.
- ↑ "2011 Petit Le Mans" . Robert Blanshard . Retrieved 06-23-2025.
- ↑ "2012 FIA World Endurance Championship" . wikipedia.org . Retrieved 06-23--2025.