Audi's return to Le Mans will take place in 2023, with Audi Sport already unveiling the first teaser of its machine for the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) category.
It is the return of one of the most victorious brands ever in the legendary endurance race, having won 13 victories (only Porsche surpasses it, with 19). The last was in 2014 with the very successful R18 e-tron quattro and now Audi Sport lifts the edge of the veil on its successor.
Obviously, this first teaser reveals little or nothing about the car that Audi will return to endurance competitions in — after all, we're still two years away — however, it gives us an idea of what to expect.
Predictably, the prototype Audi will compete with in the LMDh class will take on forms similar to other prototypes, largely due to regulations that define what is and is not possible to do. An example of this is the central “fin” that connects the rear wing to the cockpit (in the shape of a canopy). There is freedom, however, for some distinct elements, such as the format of the optics, which here assume a vertical orientation.
join efforts
Despite not “opening up the game much” about this prototype, Audi has already given us some indications about its development. One of the most interesting is that the successor to the R18 is being developed in cooperation with Porsche, which has also announced its return to Le Mans.About this, Julius Seebach, managing director of Audi Sport and responsible for motorsport at Audi said: “The great strength of the Volkswagen Group is the collaboration of the brands in the development of road cars (…) We are transferring this proven model to motorsport . However, the new prototype will be a genuine Audi.”
As for the new category, Seebach declared: “it fits perfectly into our new position in motorsport (…) The regulations allow us to put fascinating cars on track in prestigious races all over the world”.
Multi-front bet
Developed at the heart of Audi Sport, this new Audi prototype for the LMDh category has the “companionship” of another project by the German brand: the SUV that will race on the Dakar.
According to Andreas Roos, responsible for all commitments in motorsport at Audi Sport, the two projects are being developed in parallel.
Regarding the Dakar project, Roos said: “It is clear that the team for the Dakar is under greater time pressure, as we have less than eight months to our debut in the Dakar Rally in January 2022”.