Paris Motor Show 2018: Audi R8 LMS is the new Le Mans racer from Ingolstadt

0
10
Paris Motor Show 2018: Audi R8 LMS is the new Le Mans racer from Ingolstadt

–    The R8 LMS GT3 is an evolution of 2016 Audi R8 LMS race car for customer racing. 

–    Comes with evolution upgrade kit for existing race cars as well.

–    Audi Sport will deliver the first customer race cars in November for a price of 398,000 Euros (Rs 3.36 crores)

Audi had performance in mind when arriving at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. We already saw the much desirable SQ2, but Audi Sport brought in another surprise in the form of R8 LMS GT3 race car. Developed for customer racing, the R8 LMS is the fourth iteration of the race car since its introduction back in 2015.

In the last four years, the R8 LMS has been competing in major endurance races. Moreover, it has also won laurels in worldwide championship titles, plus international success in the FIA GT World Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge. However, there is room for improvement, believes Audi Sport. And therefore this R8 LMS GT3 is the newest race car which we’ll see in action pretty soon.

The new version of the R8 race car is tailored according to the customer requirements regarding technology and operating costs, says the carmaker. Talking about the new race car, Chris Reinke, head of Audi Sport customer racing,, said, “In developing the evolution of the car, we’ve put an even greater focus on our customers and their needs. The pre-design stage for the second evolution of our current model generation centred on many discussions with our teams”.

The development of the race car was focused on optimising the aerodynamics and cooling for greater consistency under various dynamic driving conditions. The durability of the power transmission was also another focal area. The evolution package of the Audi R8 LMS has a perfect balance of racing and economy. Whether the teams already own a second-generation Audi R8 LMS or buy a new model, the changes of the new LMS GT3 can benefit everyone since it can be retrofitted to existing race cars.

Audi Sport has priced the new R8 LMS GT3 at 398,000 euros (Rs 3.36 crores) with deliveries commencing in November. The retrofitted kit will cost around 28,000 euros. Following FIA homologation, the new R8 LMS race cars will begin racing from January.

[“source=carwale”]