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The Audi Technology Magazine2/2014

Encounter online The Audi Technology Magazine on the Web

Enjoy the features and videos of this issue on Encounter online Audi Communications information website. You will find plenty more stories there on the subject of technology, brand and environment. Thanks to responsive web design, Encounter online runs on all devices regardless of their technology platform.

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Simply send an e-mail containing your address to: [email protected]

The 24 Hours of Le Mans are a legend and an irrepress-ible urge that consumes all motorsport fans. In 2013, we celebrat-ed the 90th anniversary of the historical race and the magnificent victory of the Audi team. In 2014, Le Mans takes place very much under the spotlight of the new, energy-based regulations and the sporting competition between Audi, Porsche and Toyota.

We enter the toughest, most demanding and exciting race of this motorsport season as 2012 and 2013 world champions. And we are putting our full force into achieving victory once again. The new Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the most complex race car we have ever developed. Its electrified quattro drive combines a four-liter V6 TDI engine with well over 500 hp at the rear axle with a hybrid system generating more than 230 hp at the front axle. Never before has an Audi race car achieved such good lap times with so little energy input.

But we wont know how good our chances actually are until we are on the track. Going head-to-head at Le Mans this year are a lineup of completely different technical concepts. Our Audi R18 e-tron quattro diesel hybrid will have to work without one major advantage used by diesel engines in road traffic. Its higher efficiency compared with gasoline engines has been neutralized through the amount of available energy. The higher weight of the diesel engine also reduces the installable electric power of the hy-brid line. This means that our team will have to work with an ex-tremely clever strategy and make absolutely full use of the charac-teristics of the R18 e-tron quattro.

We are approaching this enormous challenge in perfor-mance and efficiency with the same sporting ambition that has been driving our engineers, technicians and race drivers in motor-sport for decades. In mid May, we took part in the traditional Grand Prix Historique in Monaco with two racing icons the Audi Union Silver Arrows. For someone like me, with a real passion for tech-nology, it was a very special experience to be able to drive a 12-cyl-inder, twin-supercharged race car from 1939 on the legendary city circuit through Monaco. I have enormous respect for the achieve-ments of the engineers and drivers of the Silver Arrows. Some images from Monaco are included in the pages of this magazine.

Also on the following pages, you will read about how we are preparing ourselves for Le Mans with maximum innovation, precision and passion, and what has connected Prof. Ferdinand K. Pich, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, with Le Mans for decades.

Motorsport is the toughest test bed for series produc-tion. We have first tested countless technical developments on the race track, before successfully transferring them into series-pro-duction Audi models. One good example is the TFSI (turbocharged direct injection) technology that brought us victory in Le Mans in 2001. The lithium-ion battery, the production version of which is used in our hybrid models, was premiered at Le Mans in 2009. The same goes for lighting technology: We are now offering customers our energy-efficient Matrix LED headlamps, which we used for the first time in 2013 in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

What stands as a major challenge in Le Mans, also ap-plies to series production. Top performance and top efficiency are critical for success on the finish line and in the showroom.

Our customers expect Audi to deliver sporting charac-ter, emotion, premium quality in every detail and, at the same time, utmost sustainability and efficiency matched to their indi-vidual mobility requirements. Not every customer needs the very top variant of what is technically feasible. And, the more complex the technology, the more intuitive it must be to use. This is also very much the definition of Vorsprung durch Technik. Being close to the customer means offering concepts that are exactly the right fit for their needs. A special efficiency matrix will help achieve this.

Performance and efficiency are the major parameters of our development work en route to becoming the most sustain-able premium manufacturer. At the end of the day, achieving the crucial lead at the finish line is just as important as the lead in the competition to secure enthusiastic customers for our brand.

Enjoy!

Yours,

We are approaching this enormous challenge in performance and efficiency with the same sporting ambition that has been driving our engineers, technicians and race drivers in motorsport for decades. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hackenberg Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AGTechnical Development

2 Encounter Technology 3 Encounter Technology

Mindset.16Long Way HomeThe Audi R8 LMX with Laser High Beam

24Le Mans RulesThe New Efficiency Rules for the 24 Hours

28The Masters ChoiceFerdinand Pich and His Le Mans

32Time LordsA Conversation about Time and Timekeeping

skills. Passion.Contents

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94Days of ThunderAudi at the Grand Prix Historique

96The Champions LeagueThe Successful Volkswagen Group Brands in Le Mans

104Speed WorkerA Conversation with Generations of Le Mans Winners

112The Sound of SuccessThe Motorsport Heroes of the Audi Brand

120Imprint

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42Saving at the LimitsThe Technology of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro

52The Force FieldAudi and its Competitors

54The EngineerWhat Will Drive Audi in Future

58Light My FireTDI The Most Successful Efficiency Technology

74Fit to RunThe Race Drivers and Their Sport Program

80Life in the Pit LaneThe Choreography of Pit Work

88Grip TeaseThe Racing Tires for the Le Mans Prototypes

lMXThree letters designate the new top version of the Audi R8 high-performance sports car.

The 99-unit limited edition will be presented in Le Mans. Where else?

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New LuminanceThe laser high beam considerably increases nighttime visibility ideal for a sports

car like the Audi R8 LMX, the worlds first series-production car with this technology. However, it is also ideal for a race car which is why the combination

of LED and laser high beam is making its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro. This sees Audi continue its

tradition of testing new production technologies in motorsport.

pit stops, or even more, could occur for all three Audi R18 e-tron quattros always depending on how the race unfolds, on the weather, on vehicle reliability and on the

accident-prevention skills of all competitors.

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Real TeamworkMovements rehearsed to the point of perfection, absolutely reliable

equipment and one-hundred percent understanding among all co-workers the optimum pit stop demands perfect choreography and

permits not a single error. An endurance race may not be won in the pits but it can certainly be lost there.

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horsepower, equal to 395 kilowatts, perhaps a few more, are generated by the new four-liter race engine. The TDI was and is the superlative efficiency technology

although the new Le Mans regulations certainly dont make life easy for it.

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Technology for Road and TrackAudi has been successful in Le Mans with the TDI since 2006 first a revolution,

then a consistent great. The new 4.0 TDI is already the fourth completely new development and, once again, the dynamism of competition on the race track

is driving technology forward. This is also very much to the benefit of customers, as many developments from this, the worlds toughest test bed,

have already found their way into series production.

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Seconds CountDecades ago, mechanical stopwatches were sufficient. You could measure

on an ongoing basis whether the individual lap times where still within the desired range. Today, telemetry delivers high-precision data from the

race cars in real time, which is decisive for selecting the right race strategy and for monitoring compliance with the rules.

86,400seconds, 1,440 minutes, 24 hours Le Mans lasts a whole day

and a whole night. It takes all 86,400 seconds to win, but it takes just one to lose.

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Mindset. Mindset It was the courage to innovate that put Audi at the top.The company wants to expand its lead with a constant stream of new ideas and with a clear approach.

16 Long Way Home 24 Le Mans Rules 28 The Masters Choice 32 Time Lords


long Way HoMe

The Bright ImpressionThe Audi R8 LMX is the worlds first series-production car with laser light technology. It is a very special pleasure indeed to drive such a car through France to Le Mans the place where, in a few days, the R18 e-tron quattro will turn night into day on the race track, thanks to its laser high beam.


Around 150 kilometers west of the Vosges, the 570 hp R8 LMX passes the impressive 19th century Chaumont viaduct. To build the train line from Mulhouse in Alsace to Paris, French railway engineers had to bridge the depths of the Marne Valley. After little more than a year of construction, the first steam train puffed its way across the 53-meter high and 600-meter long structure on November 25, 1856. It was an amazing feat of engineering. 2,500 workers ultimately built 60,000 cubic meters of stonework. The sandstone blocks were brought from nearby quarries by 300 hors-es and worked to their finished size and shape on-site.

Back then, around 30 years before the Patent-Motor-wagen Nr. 1 took its first test drive in Mannheim in July 1886, travel was considerably more time consuming and arduous. Never-theless, the local press of the day attested that this carriage will have a good future. They were referring, of course, to the very first automobile, which was more like a motorized coach than a confi-dence-inspiring, hi-tech driving machine.

Weaving through the bends of the French Vosges in a sports car like the Audi R8 is

enormous fun. Most would, of course, do it by daylight, but the Ara blue R8 LMX entices every driver to partake of a night drive. The laser beam pierces the darkness like a light saber, transforming the asphalt for up to 500 meters in front of the sports car from night into day. This is thanks to the very latest technology: Inside the so -called phosphor converter, the original blue of the laser beam, with a wavelength of 450 nanometers, meets with yellow phos-phor. The result is a beam of white light with twice the range of LED light.

The laser light in the R8 LMX is the first step. As the virtually ideal single-point light source, the laser unlocks still un-imaginable possibilities for the future, explains Stephan Berlitz, the man at Audi responsible for the development of lighting in-novations. Berlitz works closely with his colleagues from motor-sport. As a consequence, the combination of LED and laser light will enter service for the first time mid June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro. With the R8 LMX, which has been available to order for just a few weeks, Audi is already offering this innovative technology in a series-production car. The race at La Sarthe, with its extreme demands on man and machine, is always an ideal test bed.

TextArmin Gtz

PhotosBernhard Huber

Today, another 128 years later, this future is driving through the impressive viaduct. Only 99 units will be built of this limited series with laser light. The high-revving mid engine acceler-ates the R8 LMX with the aluminum bodyshell featuring ASF (Audi Space Frame) construction to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds. The 5.2-liter V10 engine sends torque of 570 Nm to the crankshaft at 6,500 rpm. Its top speed of 320 km/h where traffic regulations permit delivers travel times that nobody could possibly ever have dared dream of in the 19th century.

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Future meets history the 600-meter long and up to 53-meter high railway viaduct by Chaumont has endured for almost 170 years.

By day and by night weaving through the bends of the provincial roads in the R8 LMX is pure joy.

Aesthetic powerhouse 570 hp accelerate the sports car to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds.

Blue wonder above 60 km/h, the R8 LMX activates the laser spot by night for optimum visibility.

Perfect workstation black interior with blue accents such as those on the steering wheel and seat stitching.

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Its a good 100 kilometers from Chaumont to Troyes in the heart of Champagne a distance that can be covered quickly on the A5 highway or on smaller and, at times, winding provincial roads. Both are fun with the R8 LMX even in bad weather or when the sun has long dropped behind the horizon. The laser light brings with it a genuine safety benefit.

The town, with its 60,000 inhabitants and lovely half-timbered houses, lives primarily from tourism. Many come to enjoy a glass of what is surely the worlds finest drink champagne. Virtually all of the regions grapes are pressed into the famous spar-kling wine. Also in Troyes is Devanlay better known as Lacoste one of the last textile companies still to produce in France. The cloth ing and accessories emblazoned with the crocodile are almost as famous as the softly bubbling liquid specialty.

The blue Audi contrasts well with the ancient town walls. Passersby gaze in amazement at the extraordinary sports car in the twilight. Then it is time to move on. The R8 LMX leaves Champagne and heads for its ultimate destination the Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans. After around 120 kilometers, it is worth taking a detour to the Chteau de la Bussire a little farther south one of the famous Loire Chteaux. Along the river and its tributaries, a host of fortresses and castles have been built since the Middle Ages in a wide array of architectural styles they bear impressive test-imony to European cultural history.

Champagne and great visibility lightshow of the R8 LMX in Troyes.

Chteau de la Bussire the red anodized brake calipers command respect, even from the stone lions.

Exclusive the special edition of the R8 LMX is limited to 99 cars.

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We reach the circuit in La Sarthe. A few weeks before the big race, there is not much evidence of the hectic activity that will unfold here in June. Then, the professional teams and private drivers will roll in with their trucks and all the equipment necessary for the toughest of all endurance races over 24 hours.

Special clearance permits the R8 LMX onto the track for one hour a brief venture into the special atmosphere of this place that knows so many legends, and a few photos. For a short time, the R8 LMX dominates events on the track. The six race cars that have spent the whole morning running their test laps, spend this time parked in the pit lane. Their drivers disappear for a lunch break.

Quite by accident, the intruder meets three bright red Audi RS4 safety cars; you might say the vanguard of the Audi Sport troop that will arrive here in a few days with the R18 e-tron quattro. Like its series-production sibling, the R8 LMX, the race cars will turn the night on the race track into day with their laser light. This will most surely be a slight advantage for Filipe Albuquerque and his teammates, who perhaps will be able to cover each lap those deci-sive few seconds faster by night than their rivals from Porsche and Toyota seconds that could ultimately lead to victory.

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Control unitBase plate with fanLow-beam light group (3 modules with a total of 6 reflectors)Casing for indicator/daytime running light with LEDs on FlexboardLaserlight design faring with backlit technologyHigh beamDesign faringThick-wall daytime running light with backlit design faringCasing for daytime running light with LEDs on FlexboardLaser moduleLow beamConverterLaser beam 450 nmLaser diodesCasing

Brothers in light the laser light connects the R18 e-tron quattro race car with the R8 LMX sports car.

Range comparison the laser beam illuminates the darkness for twice the distance of an LED high beam (A: LED low beam; B: LED high beam; C: Laser spot as of 60 km/h).

Audi R8 LMXLaser light

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The town of Blois on the Loire the mighty, ancient stone bridge allows access from the south-east.

Pit lane in Le Mans for one hour, the race track belongs to the R8 LMX.

Made it the R8 LMX at the legendary Circuit des 24 Heures.

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The Chteau close to Gien is now in private ownership and can be viewed from April until October. It is most definitely a pleasure to attend one of the classic concerts that take place from time to time within these ancient walls. Today, however, visitors to this historical place are more amazed by the futuristic looking R8 LMX. The most distinctive elements are the engine cover, the side flics and the large rear spoiler made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), which increases the downforce on the rear axle. From the front, too, the titanium grey Singleframe grille and the air intake mesh generate a strikingly sporty look.

Back on the A19, the sports car continues its way west-ward. The last stop before the town with gasoline in its veins is Blois. At the center of this seat of royalty, first mentioned in the 6th century, is the Renaissance castle of Louis XII. The mighty 18th century stone bridge allows access from the southeast. However, anyone wanting to explore the town should be in good shape it was built on several hills, accessed by countless flights of stairs.

Just under 150 kilometers or one and a half hours sep-arate the Ara blue sports car from the race track. The excitement rises after all the tranquility behind it, this fireball wants to prove itself on the track. There wont be many laps, though, as there is testing underway on the track on an almost daily basis and the sporty Audi cant be allowed to get in the way.

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Scan the QR code and experience the laser light in the animation.


The New Rules at Le MansWe all know them, right? Games that initially get on your nerves with complicated rules,

but then provide hours of thrilling entertainment. Its much the same for the new regulations governing the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), which includes the

famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.

What initially sounds simple, plausible and progressive is, in its implementation, incredibly complex. This applies to the sport regulators as much as to the engineers at Audi and its com-petitors.

How, for instance, do you limit energy consumption and, at the same time, generate the incentive to drive fast? If this contradiction is not addressed, it threatens to create the very op-posite of exciting racing those who drive slowly have the best chances of consuming the least fuel. Therefore, if Le Mans awarded the most fuel efficient, it would probably be the last traditional race result. The bible quotation The last will be the first should not set the bar at La Sarthe. The sheer boredom of such an approach at Le Mans would soon send racing to its grave.

So it is not about fuel economy, but about efficiency about the ratio of energy used to speed achieved and lap time. Previously, while energy consumption may not have been com-pletely irrelevant, it was certainly unlimited. The tank volume was restricted, but the teams were allowed to fill up as often as they wanted. Now, energy consumption has been fundamentally turned on its head: An upper consumption limit has been set for each lap, while the flow rate of fuel within the car has been set to a maximum amount. Audis diesel is permitted to consume a maximum of 3.95 liters per lap, while the gasoline engines used by the competition can use up to 4.79 liters still without any influence from the hy-brid systems. This will be monitored by the race management in real time via telemetry data from the cars. The drivers must comply with these figures under all conditions or compensate for any ex-cess within two laps by reducing fuel consumption, or be subject to severe time penalties.

This is therefore not just a matter for the technology, but also for the people. It is expected that all race drivers adapt their driving style to suit for instance, by lifting off the gas earlier ahead of a bend, saving fuel without any significant loss of speed. Refined measurement and display systems in the cockpit help the Audi works drivers to remain within the specified limits.

The 2014 season marked a major shift in endurance racing. In order to achieve some

very straightforward targets, the powers that be had to put to-gether a set of complicated rules: How can we cut fuel consump-tion? And how do we ensure the most efficient wins, not the most powerful?

Two years ago, in summer 2012, the Automobile Club de lOuest (ACO) and the Fdration Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA) presented a first draft, which ultimately led to a new set of regulations. Those responsible were guided by a few fundamental principles:

1.Efficiency and sustainable development. Fuel consumption should fall by up to 30 percent.

2.The sporting spectacle itself must not suffer. The race has to remain understandable and the one that is first to cross the finish line must also be the winner. There cant be, as in the past, an index-based evaluation for calculating fuel consumption.

3.Technological freedoms should motivate the manufacturers to realize top-quality development work.

4.Safety must be further improved.

5.The new technologies must be relevant to the further development of series-production cars.

TextAlexander von Wegner

IllustrationsBarbara Stehle

24 Encounter Technology

This gives powerful hybrid systems the advantage. However, their greater power comes with increased size and weight. Because, with a minimum weight of 870 kilograms, the race cars are permitted to be 45 kilograms lighter than last year, the room for maneuver is tight. Plus, Audi is using a diesel engine, the fundamental structure of which is considerably heavier than that of a gasoline engine. This means we dont have the chance to choose freely between all the hybrid classes, without ending up on the grid with an overweight car, says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. We absolutely have to achieve the minimum weight, as well as a bal-anced weight distribution, if we are to be successful. Audi is there-fore starting in the 2 megajoule class.

The issue of weight gains added importance this year through a second key aspect of the regulations. Alongside effi-ciency is also the matter of safety. A layer of the extremely tear-resistant material Cylon along the sides of the cockpit provides the driver with even better protection in the event of an accident. A new carbon structure at the rear end absorbs the energy in a rearward collision e.g. after spinning on contact with a crash barrier. Eight retaining cables two per wheel reduce the danger of a wheel flying off during an accident. Plus, the test loads for the mono-coque that protects the driver have been raised. This means yet more improvement to the high standards of safety in our sport, stresses Audis motorsport chief. Audi is also using a seven-speed transmission for the first time. Altogether, these steps add more than 20 extra kilograms to the scales.

More than ever before, the manufacturers are therefore compelled to build efficient race cars. And how do we measure whether they were successful? The best and, in motorsport, only reward that really counts is the one revealed by lap times. The latest generation of LMP1 race cars is more or less as fast as the last, yet consumes up to 30 percent less. And the sport retains its thrill. The sports prototypes are once more proving themselves as a lead-ing class in international racing, sums up Dr. Ullrich. The regula-tions must ensure that the different drive concepts have the same chances. The efficiency targets are perfectly in tune with the targets that the auto makers have to achieve with their products. There is a concrete incentive for technology transfer. This is what makes motorsport such a valuable test bed.

The fundamental idea of the efficiency regulations gives the teams a very simple incentive: Each manufacturer has to extract the maximum from a fixed amount of energy, sums up Audi Motorsport boss Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. Those who come farthest in a given amount of time have done the best work, built the most efficient race car and therefore have the best chances of victory.

So much for the key parameters. But there are further factors. A table also regulates the relationship of gasoline to diesel engines, because drives such as Audis modern TDIs are signifi-cantly more efficient than gasoline engines. Therefore, the diesel engine is artificially limited in order to preserve the chances for gasoline engines. In principle, the TDI is far superior to the compe-tition. As a consequence, over 100 kilometers in Le Mans, the Audi drive has to make do with around 6.2 liters of fuel less than the gasoline engines.

Furthermore, the regulations specify a tank volume of 54.3 liters for the diesel engine, while the gasoline-powered cars are permitted to fill up with 68.3 liters. This results in different pit stop intervals for refilling. If Audi makes optimum use of its maxi-mum amount of energy per lap, the R18 e-tron quattro can theo-retically cover 13.74 laps at Le Mans on one tank. The competition from Porsche and Toyota theoretically dont have to come into the pits for 14.26 laps not counting residual amounts in the tank and fuel system. In plain English Audi has to fill up every 13 laps and the competition can go one lap further. If the race runs smoothly, i.e. without safety car, accidents, heavy rain, repairs or other inci-dents, Audi would have to come in for its 14th fuel stop after 182 laps. In the same lap, the Toyota and Porsche drivers would be re-turning to their pit crews for just the 13th time.

From a tactical standpoint, this makes the race more transparent, because the spectators can work out this spacing for themselves with the help of the specified energy quantities. This wasnt possible before, because the teams kept their consumption secret. What is strange, however, is that spectators familiar with the benefits of TDI from their own experience (e.g. its high range) will nevertheless have to watch Audi refuel earlier on the race track flying in the face of all real-life experience.

But it is not just fossil energy that is regulated. The rules for hybrid drive are also highly differentiated. The previous situation in Le Mans was that a maximum of 500 kilojoules of en-ergy could be used at seven points on the track, i.e. 3.5 megajoules per lap. Now there is an incentive to develop more powerful hybrid systems. At least one system is mandatory and up to two are per-mitted. Works teams like Audi have to decide whether to use 2, 4, 6 or 8 megajoules per lap. The more powerful the hybrid system, the more energy can be recuperated and fed back into the system. Those with more hybrid energy at their disposal can accelerate faster and can therefore achieve better lap times. However, to en-sure discrepancies are not too great, race cars in higher hybrid classes are entitled to less fuel. This classification the increase in hybrid energy paired with a decrease in fuel quantity is, neverthe-less, in no way proportional. There is a definite incentive to use more hybrid energy.


tHe Masters CHoiCeFERDINAND PICH AND HIS LE MANS

THE CHALLENGE OF THE 24 HOURS HAS BEEN A CONSTANT PRESENCE FOR THE CURRENT CHAIRMAN OF VOLKSWAGEN GROUPS

SUPERVISORY BOARD THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE ENGINEERING LIFE.

Ferdinand Pich has a very special kind of bond with Le Mans. As a technical visionary,

he values the 24 Hours as a test bed. The stronger the technical interplay between sport and production, the more valuable such activities become, he stresses. Audi demonstrates this extremely convincingly. In the last 15 years, Audi has won Le Mans twelve times. And on almost every one of those occasions, Ferdinand Pich has been there as a silent observer. But he also knows the electrify-ing atmosphere of this marathon from another perspective. Five decades ago, he stood here at the pit wall as Porsches head of motorsport sometimes round the clock. And there are not many managers who have shot down the Hunaudires straight at 350 km/h as Pich did in 1969 with the Porsche 917. This was, how-ever, after the race, when the sports cars were driven home to their garages in Mulsanne on the still closed track.

For todays Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, Le Mans is the toughest test in motorsport. Pichs assessment is unequivocal, This race is a synonym for extreme endurance and for the most demanding engineering skill. This is why he sees the upcoming competition between Audi and Porsche as something positive with zero reservations. Perhaps it was even he who pushed for this slugfest. The better team should win, he reckons. The anticipation brings a rare smile to his face. There can be no doubt that the racing world will experience a showdown evoc-ative of the colt dual in the classic western High Noon. Who is better him or him? But Pich also reveals his cool judgment of the situation when he stresses, My own untamed sports enthusiasm has subsided noticeably. I have become more relaxed, more objec-tive and make a more precise evaluation of the cost-benefit factor.

TextEckhard Schimpf

IllustrationsBernd Schifferdecker


The day-and-night power play on the 13.5-kilometer circuit south of the town of Le Mans is the worlds most famous motorsport event alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. That clearly has to do with its history, as the clas-sic race has been running since 1923. But it is also a question of its technical challenge. It is colossal. 24 hours, foot to the floor with top-class cars packed with cutting-edge technology.

Motorsport, this mix of triumph, tragedy and technical highlights, is exactly 120 years old. Since the very first race (ParisRouen 1894), companies have been battling one another with works cars. That Le Mans, with Audi and Porsche, will now play host to a dual between two world-famous brands belonging to the same group, has never happened before. What other corporate chiefs would prevent with a single command is a matter of pure calculation for the Volkswagen Group. Pich sees the benefits, Racing is a kind of bodybuilding for engineers. He is convinced that it promotes performance, creativity and self-confidence among employees, as well as their pride in the company. Pichs thinking is, Race developments keep engineers on their toes. And thats also good for series production.

The term pioneering achievement may sound a little bit old hat these days. But it still has a clear definition. It means something that nobody has ever achieved before. One example of that is all-wheel drive. It was Pich who sent the Audi quattros into rally battle in the 1980s, winning four world titles. Four driven wheels have now long been available in every single road-going Audi model. In 2012, Audi brought all-wheel drive technology back into motorsport, as the hybrid drive in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. And it was unbeatable at Le Mans in 2012 and 2013. Since its first ap-pearance in Le Mans (1999), Audi has implemented some of the things pushed by Pich during his active time as boss of the Volkswagen Group (until 2002). These include gasoline direct injec-tion (FSI or TFSI). The victorious Audi R8 from 2001 benefited con-siderably from this innovation. Pich: When, thanks to FSI, Audi is able to save two out of every thirty refueling stops, this is a message that the regular consumer can also appreciate. There was another tiny benefit that was only of value in racing. During pit stops, it was possible to shorten the engines starting phase, because the di-rectly injected fuel combusted immediately as Ulrich Baretzky, the great mind of race engine development, once revealed.

Pichs vision of a diesel race car was something that everyone initially considered to be somewhat whacky. None of

those seated at Pichs table in the Hotel Okura in Tokyo was pre-pared to believe what he threw in more-or-less as an aside, Youll see that a diesel will soon win at Le Mans. Of this he was utterly convinced. Hmmm thought all the guests at the table thats a bit of science fiction. Just like the 18-cylinder that he drew on a serviette, and the 1,001 hp that this fairytale power unit would generate. Today, we know that the man sees everything he under-takes through to its conclusion with dogged determination.

And that was what happened with the diesel victory at Le Mans. In 2006, Pich sat with his wife Ursula in the grandstand opposite the pit lane when the sliver/grey Audi R10 TDIs drove across the line in triumphant formation somehow unnaturally quietly. By winning with the V12 diesel, Biela/Pirro/Werner opened a new chapter in racing history. Audis diesel race cars have now long become favorites in Le Mans and elsewhere, too even with ongoing downsizing. The number of cylinders dropped from V12, through V10 to V6, while displacement decreased and lightweight design produced an astonishing stream of new advances. For 2014, Audi motorsport chief Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich summed up the task for the R18 e-tron quattro thus: Its about achieving roughly the same lap times as before with considerably less energy. Making more from less a forward-looking approach. This coincides pret-ty precisely with Pichs penchant for hi-tech superlatives. His one-liter car, the VW XL1, is one of them.

Pich also immediately thought of Le Mans in 1998 when he bought British brand Bentley. The contracts were barely signed when as so many times before the strategist stated his vision: Bentley must return to Le Mans. This brand, always sur-rounded by an air of exclusivity, won there five times between 1924 and 1930. And, with these victories, the Bentley Boys, led by diamond billionaire and playboy Woolf Barnato, laid the foun-dation stone for Bentleys noble sporting image. And so it came to pass in 2003 that a Bentley once more won in Le Mans albeit powered by Audi.

Looking back, Le Mans played a key role early on in the life of Ferdinand Pich. It was here that, more than 40 years ago, he took a big chance that even he sees as the greatest risk of my whole career. What we are talking about is the design of the now-legendary Porsche 917, which, driven in 1970 by Herrmann/Atwood, scored the first victory at Le Mans in what would later become a long series of Porsche successes.

The young Pich, gifted grandson of automotive de-signer Ferdinand Porsche, frequently had to look on between 1963 and 1968 as Porsche failed to come through at Le Mans. When he began his career in Zuffenhausen, Porsche was an underdog. It was a likeable outsider, but one that seemed destined only for class victories. Overall victory was reserved for others Ferrari, Ford, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar. For an ambitious engineer like Pich, this was utterly unacceptable. His thinking was that a sports car company with such a famous name has to dominate the racing scene, and that includes world championship titles and Le Mans victories. This was Pichs conviction when, in 1965, he was ap-pointed Head of Technical Development (and therefore Head of Motorsport). His first race design was the Carrera 6. In 1966, it won the Targa Florio and a host of hill climbs, but was not yet sufficient for an overall victory at Le Mans. Nor was its successor, the 907.

Then Pich decided to go for all or nothing. A strat-egy paper that he put in front of his inner circle on May 9, 1968, noted in a few dry words: Layout: 4.5-liter vehicle. Twelve-cy-linder. Total weight (including fuel and driver) 980 kilos. Weight distribution front/rear: 40 : 60. In top gear, top speed of 420 km/h at 9,000 rpm. It was a task of breathtaking proportions. It was immediately clear to all involved that there had never before been a super racer of this kind with 600 hp generated by what was practically two six-cylinder engines coupled together. The car surged forwards with such mind-blowing propulsion that even battle-scarred professionals took fright. They even refused to drive what they called the abscess.

For four months of 1969, the 917 seemed undriveable. The white giant reached around 400 km/h in Le Mans. But its road holding was so jittery that every lap was an absolute nail-biter. Nevertheless, in August 1970, Jo Siffert/Kurt Ahrens claimed the first victory for the 917 at the Austrian Grand Prix. And, at subse-quent testing on the sterreichring, the engineers suddenly discov-ered the reason for the drive problems. It was a breakthrough. Pich: Back then, we didnt have the aerodynamic knowledge we have now. In 1970 and 1971, the Porsche 917 left the competition standing. It was so vastly superior that the FIA quickly drew up new rules to exclude the all-powerful 917. Porsche turned its attentions to the USA and won the Can-Am Series with 1,000 turbocharged horses. It was precisely then that Pich moved from Porsche to Audi.

Audi gradually changed its image under Pichs influ-ence firstly as technical boss, then as chairman of the board. The company with the somewhat leisurely paced models became one of the sportiest and most innovative auto brands in the world.

In 1969, in parallel to the development of the 917, Pich engineered an unprecedented deployment of 908 eight-cylinders and a dozen professional race drivers. It also helped that Porsche had now attracted a powerful sponsor Volkswagen. The Wolfsburg company committed to contributing more than two thirds of the cost of Porsches racing activities. Pich had negoti-ated the deal with then management board member for sales Carl-Horst Hahn. VWs interest was in promoting the powerful air-cooled engines and thus communicating to the public a certain PR statement: Air cooling is the best. This was the technology that powered not only the Beetle back then, the most prolific car in the world but also the VW 1500. And it would be a valuable mes-sage if the worlds fastest race cars were also now to win with air-cooled engines.

Thus, Porsche steamrollered everything in 1969. Just half way through the season, the Stuttgart company had already secured the manufacturers title in the world championship for the first time in Porsche history. The season had just one blemish Le Mans was lost once again. This race had all the makings of a bestselling novel or action movie after the most exciting final in the entire history of Le Mans, it was once again won by a Ford GT 40, just a few meters ahead of the Porsche 908 after the full 24 hours. Le Mans 1969 was a double blow for Pich, because the new 917s dropped out, too albeit from the leading position.

quattro dominated the rally scene with aces like Mikkola, Blom-qvist, Rhrl and Mouton. In the USA, race cars bearing the four rings showed Americans the meaning of made in Ingolstadt at the Trans-Am Series, the IMSA Series and Pikes Peak. In Germany, Audi outclassed the competition in the DTM of 1990 and 1991. For Pich, there was still one goal left Le Mans. He himself moved to Wolfsburg in 1993 to head up the Volkswagen Group, but rec-ommended the Le Mans task to his successors. In 1999, the Audi R8 rolled onto the starting grid for the first time and just one year later, Kristensen/Pirro/Biela claimed the first of Audis twelve vic-tories.

To-date, Volkswagen Group brands Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Porsche have chalked up 36 victories at the 24 Hours. No other group has been more successful. You can safely say that Le Mans is firmly in the grip of the Volkswagen Group.

THIS RACE IS SYNONYMOUS WITH EXTREME ENDURANCE AND THE MOST

DEMANDING ENGINEERING SKILL.

RACING IS A KIND OF BODYBUILDING FOR ENGINEERS. RACE DEVELOPMENTS KEEP

ENGINEERS ON THEIR TOES. AND THATS ALSO GOOD FOR SERIES PRODUCTION.


Time and TimekeepersIn racing, every thousandth of a second counts. Even a race run over 24 hours depends

on exceptionally precise timekeeping. Audi board member Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg talks to watchmaker Gerd-Rdiger Lang and specialist journalist Gisbert L. Brunner about

dynamic strategy and the fascination for the finest mechanisms.

TextGisbert L. Brunner

PhotosManuel Uebler

tiMeRally suitable

the Chronoswiss Stopmaster is a stopwatch with a central 60-minute

and off-center twelve-hour counter.

Watch lovers Gerd-Rdiger Lang, Gisbert L. Brunner

and Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg discussing timekeeping instruments.

lords


Brunner: Naturalist Charles Darwin once said, Time is the most important ingredient in the recipe of life. In this sense, what does time mean to you, personally, as an extremely busy top manager, Dr. Hackenberg?

Dr. Hackenberg: Time is something you cant buy, and therefore must use with great care. Thats why Im an early riser. And I go to bed relatively late at night. Even at the weekend, if I happen to be free, I still get up at six in the morning in order to make the best possible use of the day in that case, personally, of course. I might go and play a round of golf. But I do that very early, too, to leave me the rest of the day for family and other hobbies.

Lang: I have a completely crazy job, because I can set clocks so that people have more or less time.

Dr. Hackenberg: Thats something I do, too. I put my watch forward in the morning to help me keep on schedule.

Lang: Then I thought about it and came to the conclu-sion that all this manipulation doesnt bring anything in the long term, because it all evens out in the end. In general, time is one of the few commodities that can-not be multiplied, and that makes time particularly valuable. We have to tell people how to use their time sensibly.

Dr. Hackenberg: This is exactly my thinking. Time man-agement plays an extremely important role in my life. I have had a wide range of bosses over my career; and some of them had absolutely no consideration for their employees time. They arrived late or sometimes not at all. My approach is to be the exact opposite of that. Naturally, Im not always able to stick to it one hundred percent. Occasionally it takes longer to get there, sometimes another appointment overruns. However, I try to be punctual at all times, because it is not just about my time; its always about other peoples time, too.

Brunner: The first chronograph, or time recorder, was invented in 1821 by Nicolas Matthieu Rieussec, and was a very archaic instrument indeed. It actually wrote with ink. Gerd-Rdiger Lang is known as Mr. Chronograph. So when did we begin in sport to think about measuring even shorter time intervals?

Lang: When the sporting disciplines became ever faster. At the end of the 19th century, the British traveled to Switzerland, to Davos and St. Moritz, in fact, to ride downhill on the ice with the skeleton. Speed increased on skies, too. Something also had to happen with the stopwatches. The recorded units had to become short-er so that the winner could be determined more accu-rately or you could say more honestly.

Brunner: If two individuals are racing, you dont actu-ally need a stopwatch. The winner is the one who is first to cross the finish line.

Lang: I totally agree. However, with motor racing, there are other parameters that are often forgotten. As long as a track is completely visible, theres no problem. At the Nrburgring, to name one example, it takes a long time for a car to reappear after completing a lap. Theo-retically, someone suffering a malfunction could wait for two laps, then drive back out again just in front of the others. Finding this out and avoiding it was a task that, until just 20 years ago, was a job for a timekeeping team consisting of 15 to 20 people.

Brunner: If I remember rightly, the desire to record times more precisely was also related to betting on the race outcome. As well as horse racing, this also applies to dog racing.

Lang: I have to agree. The British, in particular, had a huge passion for betting.

Brunner: Lets talk about cars now, as we are, after all, at Audi in Ingolstadt today. These days, it comes down to fractions of a second, primarily in qualifying, because thats what decides the starting grid. Or am I mistaken, Dr. Hackenberg?

Dr. Hackenberg: Qualifying is crucial for determining the starting positions. But, when you look at it more closely, the matter is a good deal more complex. Through timekeeping, we want to know what speeds are being achieved by whom. If you look at endurance races, such as Le Mans, you have to know very precisely what times you can achieve when and where. The cars are not al-ways driving with their absolutely top times. What it ultimately comes down to is average times. These allow you to calculate how many laps you can manage in what time. You also have to know how long a pit stop takes refueling, servicing, tires and driver change. The car then drives back onto the track with a certain time loss that obviously has to be taken into consideration. This is what you use to calculate how many laps you can cover. In critical situations, you have to think about postponing a pit stop or leaving it out altogether. All of this has to be worked out very precisely in order to know how capable you are of winning, or not.

Brunner: So you cant operate in such cases without your own time strategy.

Dr. Hackenberg: Absolutely right. We have very clean time management for Le Mans and the DTM. We work out extremely precisely how fast we have to complete which actions to ensure we lose as little time as possi-ble. Think, for instance, about the pit stops at the DTM. In Le Mans, what counts in the end is the number of laps you have covered, as the 24-hour duration is strictly defined. So its not about how fast you can drive in this time period, but how far.

We have very clean time management for Le Mans and the DTM. We work out extremely precisely how fast we have to complete which actions to ensure we lose as little time as possible.

Dr. Ulrich Hacken berg

Anniversary watch Audi Tachoscope, a limited-edition automatic chronograph with tachometer scale, developedby Audi for its 100th anniversary.

Authentic sound what did a wrist chronograph from circa 1920 sound like?


Brunner: Working with time is very much ruled by elec-tronics these days clocks, transponders, cameras, etc. Is there data protection, or can anyone access the re-corded figures?

Dr. Hackenberg: The times and figures are published. You see the rankings on the screen and can therefore gauge the competition very well like whether some-one is currently saving tires or fuel. These are things you cant tell from the car driving past; you have to analyze the data.

Brunner: With the aid of these facts and your experi-ence, are you then able to modify the strategy of your own vehicles during the race on a case-by-case basis?

Dr. Hackenberg: Thats exactly what we do. We are all watching each other. And we measure not just our-selves, but also the competition. We can use this to determine strategic modifications. What we are deal-ing with is dynamic strategy adaptation.

Brunner: Your statement suggests that you not only operate systematic time management at Audi, but you also maintain your own timekeeping.

Dr. Hackenberg: We have a big team that does all sorts of things. Measurement equipment and telemetry de-liver a massive amount of information. Time is just one aspect of that. Vehicle data such as temperature, tire pressure and for the first time fuel consumption are just as important. We then have to relate everything to time. In Le Mans this year, the absolute amount and feed rate of the fuel are especially important. It is not permitted to exceed the maximum flow rate for the type of vehicle.

Brunner: At the DTM, in contrast to Le Mans, it is about the first to cross the line.

Dr. Hackenberg: Exactly. This is where the qualifying times for starting position are crucial. But here, too, the pit stops call for extremely precise timing, because this mixes the field up somewhat, as we know. There is no refueling; only tire change.

Brunner: As official time keeper, Gerd-Rdiger Lang still used real mechanical stop watches. Or did you al-ready have electronics back then?

Lang: You have to differentiate between the measure-ment device itself, i.e. the clock, and the trigger, i.e. the pulse generator. It was about always being able to iden-tify clearly those cars masked by other vehicles. This is why we used to use printers that functioned precisely down to thousandths of a second. They were stopped with the help of a Morse key. Someone stood at the fin-ish line and recorded the cars one after the other by pushing a button. The masked cars also had to have their time recorded.

Brunner: The drivers found out their performance with the aid of timetables.

Lang: That was handled by the pit teams mechanics or even the wives measured the times themselves with stopwatches. What was also very important was the time spacing to the next competitor, enabling the driv-ers to react accordingly.

Dr. Hackenberg: You could read the position on the tables, i.e. P1 or P3, as well as the spacing between you and the cars in front and behind, with their vehicle num-bers.

Brunner: Today, there is telemetric data transmission. What information do you give the drivers, Dr. Hackenberg?

Dr. Hackenberg: That is precisely regulated. You can only pass on certain information. I know this from the 24 Hours of the Nrburgring, where I have driven my-self. You were given the lap times for your own orienta-tion, but the Nrburgring is so long that a whole lot can happen during one lap. Individual parameters become less decisive. What was important to me was to know the number of laps driven, because this knowledge gave me the feeling of whether I was lying in a good position or not.

Brunner: At DTM qualifying, it really does come down to thousandths of a second. How important is the plan-ning of when a driver goes out onto the track?

Dr. Hackenberg: Its not just a matter of the overall result, but also about the speed in the individual seg-ments. The segment times tell us, for instance, if a car needs more downforce, or if the spoiler has to be flatter elsewhere for more top speed. From the speeds in the individual segment, we obtain information for the op-timum tuning of the vehicle.

Brunner: Electronics can, of course, fail sometimes.

Dr. Hackenberg: We insure against that with redundant systems.

Brunner: Were there particularly stressful moments for official timekeepers? At the start or finish line, for example?

Lang: Yes, when we heard the word bunch from the boss, we knew that a pack of perhaps twelve cars could all appear together about three meters apart. Then you really had to be on your toes. It called for a strong antiperspirant, as I had to catch all twelve vehicles with the Morse key.

Brunner: Does human reaction time play a role in this?

Lang: Its a matter of practice.

Men who are interested in beautiful things cant resist mechanical watches. I dont actually need a watch, because I can see the time on the likes of my cell phone. But I very much enjoy wearing one, because it offers the greatest possible precision in the tiniest space.


Watchmaking splendor a Longines trailing-pointer chronograph from the 1950s.

For official timekeepers these cases allow only the starting and stopping of the stopwatch.

Leisurely traditional chronographs, like this one from the early 20th century, tick at 2.5 Hertz (above).

Generations wristwatch with resetting second hand, chronograph from the 1930s, Chronoscope from Chronoswiss.


Dr. Hackenberg: (laughs) not to mention that people have ten fingers.

Lang: but there was only ever one button. And we had several teams who, at the end, brought all their record-ed figures together in a lap table, because that was the most important thing. In Formula 1, the teams even had two timekeepers each, but there were still protests from time to time.

Brunner: Dr. Hackenberg, Audi began its rally career in 1981 with the quattro. Did you experience that at all?

Dr. Hackenberg: Yes, as a student in Aachen. And I was certainly interested. On one side was Audi with quattro drive and then the drivers like Hannu Mikkula, Stig Blom-qvist and, of course, Walter Rhrl. When I joined Audi in 1985, this first quattro phase was just coming to an end. At rallies, where the start and finish line were far apart from one another, electronic time measurement brought enormous benefits. Mechanical stopwatches had to be very carefully calibrated against one another and then brought a hundred kilometers to the finish line. At the start, both clocks had to be activated at ex-actly the same time. This took a huge amount of effort.

Lang: I can only agree. At the 1972 Olympic Rally that went all the way through Germany, I handed out the mechanical clocks to the timekeepers. They then had to write everything down extremely precisely.

Dr. Hackenberg: At our vintage rallies these days, its a shame that there are electronic instruments with digi-tal displays hanging at the starting ramp. They should really be mechanical clocks.

Brunner: Whats the significance of time measurement at vintage and classic rallies, in which you yourself par-ticipate, Dr. Hackenberg?

Dr. Hackenberg: I prefer to drive in the so-called hour-glass class. We need several obviously purely mechan-ical clocks, one for the overall time, then for the some-times overlapping special stages. You need a separate clock for each of these stages. I always have two me-chanical clocks in the vehicle and one on my wrist, be-cause there are secret stages that you dont find out about until just beforehand. And thats where I need a stopwatch that I can use quickly.

Lang: I, too, only use mechanical clocks and have even been successful with them, once at the Silvretta Classic.

Brunner: Does using mechanical clocks put you at a disadvantage against the extensive electronic equip-ment used by the competition?

Lang: In principle, yes. But the fun you have with good old mechanical clocks is far more important.

Dr. Hackenberg: But there is also the aforementioned hourglass class, where you are together with likeminded people.

Lang: This has existed for the last eight years, with its own judging and its own cup. And quite rightly so.

Brunner: Its a contradiction to travel with a classic car, yet equip yourself with the latest time electronics.

Dr. Hackenberg: I agree entirely. In rallies, you work with a co-driver. My navigator is always my wife. And we always work very well together. You have to synchronize starting the clock precisely with driving over a hose or with passing a light beam; although, I always do that my self, because I have a better feel from the steering wheel. After the clock has started, its over to my wife, who counts down the time and tells me when I have to drive across the line. There are now electronic clocks that do all that for you, too.

Brunner: Would you agree that people with a penchant for beautiful, high-quality or special cars also have a passion for unusual watches?

Dr. Hackenberg: At least disproportionately, yes. Men, in particular, who are interested in beautiful things, cant resist mechanical watches. For me, a watch is a piece of jewelry than a man can wear. Thats how it works for me, at least. I like wearing watches, but I wouldnt wear a neck chain. I dont actually need a watch, because I can see the time on the likes of my cell phone. But I very much enjoy wearing one, because it delivers the greatest possible precision in the tiniest space. I change my watch every day and pay attention to whether it matches by belt or shoes. Ideally, every-thing should fit well together.

Brunner: And Gerd-Rdiger Lang?

Lang: I like to consciously wear a watch every now and then, because its something beautiful. If I can also see and feel the clockwork mechanism, it gives time a whole different dimension, especially if you have to wind up the watch by hand. Thats just wonderful.

Dr. Hackenberg: You can compare it with firing up a motorbike with a kick starter in the morning. What matters is authenticity. When designers show me one of the big new cockpit displays and are proud of the virtual stainless steel look, it doesnt do anything for me at all. If something looks like stainless steel, it should be stainless steel. Fake or adulterated things are not for me. That applies to watches and to cars, as well.

Incorruptible Longines trailing-pointer chronograph with timekeeper case (above).

Time document Gerd-Rdiger Langs timekeeper ID from 1983.

Mr. Chronograph Gerd-Rdiger Lang explains the procedure of timekeeping.

It took a sizeable portion of courage in 1983, when quartz timepieces were conquer-

ing the world, to establish a watch company under the slogan The fascination of mecha-

nisms. It was in accordance with this principle that Gerd-Rdiger Lang (born 1943),

established the Chronoswiss label, which very quickly gained international renown.

Strictly speaking, this was an idea born out of necessity. From 1964 until 1981, the

master watchmaker had been in the service of sports watch specialist Heuer. His job

included official timekeeping at various For-mula 1 races and, in 1980, at the Olympic

Games in Moscow. In 1970, at the filming of cult movie, Le Mans, Lang even met

Steve McQueen in person. Then came the an-nouncement that Jack W. Heuer had to

liquidate his company for financial reasons. Aside from severance in the form of watches

and replacement parts, the newly redundant Lang had nothing. With the growing suc-

cess of Chronoswiss, came the return of Langs passion for classic Jaguars. And his col-

lection of old timepieces grew as well. In 2012, Gerd-Rdiger Lang sold his lifes work

to a pair of Swiss entrepreneurs. But peace and quiet remained nevertheless elusive,

because historical timepieces and vehicles will never let go of the now 71 year-old. His

motto is A classic car is like an antique watch; only in unadulterated condition does the

spirit of its creator live on unbroken.

Gerd-Rdiger Lang: Passion for watches and classic cars

Its not just a matter of the overall result, but also about the speed in the individual segments. The segment times tell us, for instance, if a car needs more downforce, or if the spoilers have to be flatter elsewhere for more top speed.



skills. Skills Audis great strengths include the skills of every single one of its employees. It lays the foundation for perfection and innovation.

42 Saving at the Limits 52 The Force Field 54 The Engineer 58 Light My Fire 74 Fit to Run 80 Life in the Pit Lane 88 Grip Tease


saving attHe liMits

saving attHe liMits

tdiA completely new power unit that consumes even less fuel than its triumphant predecessor.

HyBridIntelligent use of energy recuperation brings efficiency and speed.

Motorsport is teamwork. It calls for perfect communication between race car, racing driver and pit team.

TextHermann Reil

PhotosFerdi KrlingUlrike Myrzik

netWorking

aero dynaMiCs

The Technology of the Le Mans Racer The new Audi R18 e-tron quattro is not only one of the fastest cars in the world, it is also among the most technically complex. Four engineers from Audi Sport talk us through a few of the highlights.

The optimum management of airflow hasnever been as important as in 2014. Even the tiniest detail has to be absolutely spot on.


tdiPoWer Play

Transmission

Ulrich BaretzkyHead of Engine Development

Consumption

R10 / 2008 100%

92%

79%

62%

R18 / 2011

R15 / 2009

R18 2014 / 2014

The R10 TDI was already a fuel-efficient race car. But, since 2008, fuel consumption has been reduced by almost 40 percent more while maintaining roughly the same fast lap times.

4.0liter displacement

The first thing you notice is the larger displacement, which has grown from 3.7 to 4.0 liters. No application here of the downsizing principle that Audi is applying very successfully to its production models. Production and racing are not comparable in this respect, explains Baretzky. The customer on the road drives largely under partial load. In Le Mans, on the other hand, we almost never enter partial load. We spend 73 percent of our time under full load, with the rest made up of braking, shifting and coasting. And, under full load, the specific consumption of the 4.0-liter is up to 30 percent lower than for its predecessor. It has to be. At the end of the day, the regulations for 2014 permit 25 percent less energy than last year.

On the other hand, the engine can now breathe freely. In previous years, the intake air was always limited by a restrictor. This makes driving incredibly inefficient, says Baretzky, because, to make use of every molecule of oxygen, you usually have to inject a bit more fuel. This year, its the other way round. And that brings us back a good deal closer to the requirements of a production en-gine. The basis for optimum combustion is fuel injection at the highest possible pressure, with pressures of more than 2,800 bar having long been achieved. This is where racing has advanced pro-duction-engine development a great deal over the last few years.

At 4.0 bar, the permitted charge pressure is also a lot higher this year. And this comes in very handy for Ulrich Baretzky. One of the efficiency drivers for diesel is ignition pressure and this is based on compression and charge pressure. Here, too, we are now again a lot closer to the requirements for production engines.

Completely untypical for a diesel, however, is the range of the current Audi R18 e-tron quattro. On the road, the TDI has a distinct advantage compared with the gasoline engine. At Le Mans, in contrast, the 54.3-liter fuel tanks specified for the Audis in the regulations means they will always have to come into the pits one lap sooner than the competition with their 68.3-liter gasoline tanks. This flies in the face of any real-life situation, complains Ulrich Baretzky. Furthermore, the R18 will be filled with standard commercial diesel fuel, while the gasoline engines are allowed to use a designer fuel with special additives.

The diesel has always had one disadvantage based on its fundamental concept: It is heavier than a comparable gasoline engine. So Baretzky and his engineers have shaved every last gram out of their new racing unit. We are now a good deal lighter than 200 kilograms, says Baretzky. In terms of its power-to-weight ratio, this engine is certainly the best diesel of all time. And we have used absolutely no exotic materials. We want to stay as close to series-production as possible, in order to make sure that the tech-nology transfer from track to road works in future, as well. Nevertheless, the weight of the TDI impacts the challenge of select-ing the hybrid system and other vehicle components. At the end of the day, the minimum vehicle weight of 870 kilograms is the same for all 45 kilos less than a year ago.

When it comes to efficiency, this high-performance race car would presumably do well in a comparison with road cars. However, the question on how much the Audi R18 e-tron quattro would consume in the EU cycle for series-production cars, of course, remains unanswered. Baretzky: Our car would never drive as slowly as required by the standard cycle.

Ulrich Baretzky is well used to worry. Not because his engines lack power or are too

temperamental definitely not that. The head of racing engine development at Audi Sport is one of the most successful and expe-rienced engineers in his field. And nobody can remember the last time a works race car with the four rings failed to cross the finish line because of an engine defect. It certainly hasnt happened in the last 20 years.

Its neither the ignition pressures nor the crankshaft stiffness that has given Baretzky cause for concern in recent weeks, but the FIA the people who make the rules for the World En dur-ance Championship (WEC), with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the absolute climax. Just shortly before the first race of the new WEC season, they once again changed the classification for the amount of energy available for diesel and gasoline engines. As the only competitor with TDI technology, Audi now has less fuel at its dis-posal per lap, the permissible flow rate is now lower, the tank ca-pacity has been reduced by 0.5 to 54.3 liters and the flow cross section during refill is now smaller for the R18 e-tron quattro. At the same time, the figures for the LMP1 teams with gasoline en-gines have been raised.

Its going to be really difficult for us this year, says Ulrich Baretzky. Nobody disputes that the TDI the diesel engine with direct injection and turbocharging is still by far the most efficienct internal combustion engine. In the last eight years, die-sel technology has dominated Le Mans unchallenged. In 2014, however, the TDI must make optimum use of every single molecule of fuel, because the regulators are allowing it considerably less energy than the gasoline engines. The bottom line is that it is per-mitted to consume 138.7 megajoules per lap, while a gasoline engine in the comparable classification is permitted to use 147 megajoules. This becomes even starker when converted into liters: 3.95 liters of diesel per lap compared with 5.05 liters of gasoline whereby the higher energy content of diesel is obviously a factor.

Naturally, we want to win anyway, says Ulrich Baretzky and he is certain that the completely new engine that he and his team have developed for the 2014 car will play an important role in that. In its basic architecture, Baretzky is depending on the suc-cessful formula used in the victories from 2011 through 2013 i.e. six cylinders arranged in a V. The large cylinder-bank angle of 120 degrees ensures a low center of gravity. The hot, i.e. the exhaust side, lies on the inside between the two rows of cylinders, which is where the variable-geometry turbocharger is mounted. The block is made from cast aluminum, the cylinders coated with Nikasil and the pistons and conrods are in forged steel. Despite this tried-and-tested concept, virtually every single screw is new, every detail fundamentally rethought and redesigned.

The sequential 7-speed manual transmission has a housing made from carbon fiber one example of absolute perfection in lightweight design at Audi Sport.

The new TDI engine is optimized for the full-load profile at Le Mans. Despite its slightly higher displacement, it is considerably lighter than its predecessor.

1 Cylinder bank angle of 120 degrees, for a flat layout and low center of gravity2 Extremely compact format and further weight reduction, despite increased displacement3 Turbocharger with variable geometry, mounted on the hot side, between the cylinder banks4 Engine block and cylinder heads in aluminum; pistons and conrods made from steel.5 Outward-facing intake manifold

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4.0bar charge pressureThis year, the engine is finally allowed to breathe freely without a restrictor. Plus, the permissible charge pressure has been increased. This makes conditions for the race engine once again similar to those for production engines.

Scan the QR code and experience the Audi R18 e-tron quattro in an animation.


eleCtriCPoWer

Thomas LaudenbachHead of Electrics, Electronics and Energy Systems

RecuperationMotor Generator Unit

Flywheel accumulator

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1 Flywheel accumulator integrated in the middle of the vehicle2 Energy status display in the steering wheel

High voltage1 High-voltage connection to the flywheel accumulator2 Power electronics3 Motor generator4 Differential5 Drive-shaft connection

Energy can be recuperated in all the main braking phases. It has to be fast, though. Even when braking from more than 300 km/h, there is barely enough for five seconds.

The central hybrid unit is a compact assembly mounted at the front axle. During braking, it supplies electrical energy and,under subsequent acceleration, additional boost.

The energy accumulator is located in the middle of the vehicle, to the left of the driver. Its usable capacity is more than 600 kilojoules. A display in the steering wheel keeps the driver continuously informed of the current energy status per lap.

The motor generator unit is a truly high-performance piece of equipment. In a matter of seconds, braking energy is converted into electrical energy or vice versa back into propulsion. The system works on high voltage and is cooled by a dedicated low-temperature circuit.

170kW (230 hp)

As engineers, we are always looking for the best solution. And we obviously want to

show that our technology package is better than the competitors. Although he may not be happy about some details of the new Le Mans regulations, Thomas Laudenbach is satisfied with its basic idea. The different manufacturers have a great deal of freedom to go head-to-head with a very diverse range of concepts.

As Head of Electrics, Electronics and Energy Systems at Audi Sport, Laudenbach is responsible for the hybrid concept in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. And, like his colleague Baretzky with the TDI engine, he has also turned to a concept that has proven victori-ous in previous years: the combination of motor generator unit (MGU) at the front axle and flywheel accumulator in the cockpit next to the driver. During braking, the kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy, stored in the flywheel and then converted back into propulsion by the MGU during acceleration. During these phases, the R18 e-tron quattro runs on all-wheel drive.

So far, it all sounds familiar from last year. In reality, however, everything is, of course, new further developed, opti-mized, adapted to the regulations and thus a very different operat-ing strategy. The new MGU now has an electric motor with more than 170 kW (230 hp) that is connected to the front wheels via a differential. The MGU is water cooled and has integrated power electronics.

The new flywheel accumulator has a usable capacity of more than 600 kilojoules, which can be absorbed and released again within an extremely short space of time. The electrical energy is converted into kinetic energy, bringing the rotor to a speed of up to 40,000 rpm. As soon as the energy is needed again, the generator brakes the rotor and delivers the resulting electrical energy to the MGU at the front axle with very low losses. For us, the very high power density makes this solution better than the battery or ca-pacitor concepts used by the competition, comments Laudenbach.

So much for the hardware. Also critical, however, is the operating strategy. We have put a great deal of thought into what amounts of energy we use on which parts of the circuit in order to achieve the optimum lap time, reveals Laudenbach, adding that all considerations are, of course, supported by sophisticated sim-ulation calculations, optimized in detail or refuted. Last year, we were only allowed to boost with a limited amount of energy in pre-defined zones. In 2014, we have a lot more freedom in the operating strategy and can therefore make more efficient use of the recuperated energy.

What is limited, however, is the amount of energy that can be supplied by the hybrid system per lap. The regulations allow for several levels up to a maximum of 8 megajoules per lap. Audi has opted for the 2-megajoule class. More hybrid energy means more weight, explains Laudenbach. The accumulator is corre-spondingly heavier and you then need a far bigger MGU. And we have to be very careful with weight because of our TDI.

Countless hours of engineering have gone into the pro-gramming of the drive control system, with a combined control unit forming the brain of the TDI engine and hybrid system. One ex-tremely difficult aspect is calibrating the recuperation profile in the interaction with the mechanical brake. The MGU at the front axle also has a braking effect when it is absorbing energy, sometimes a very powerful one. That cant be allowed to have an impact on the dynamics as the car is constantly traveling at the absolute limits. This determines how much can be recuperated in certain bends, in order to make absolutely sure that the system does not over brake. And the driver mustnt notice any of this. He needs to have the familiar, reliable braking and steering feel, says Laudenbach, ex-plaining the complexity of the task. We have learnt a whole lot in recent years.

In principle, his colleagues from series development are faced with the same task. The new Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, with its plug-in hybrid drive, uses the front axle for energy recu-peration. Its just that our colleagues there are dealing with much smaller amounts of energy and most operating conditions on the road are far from the edge of the performance envelope. Never-theless, the challenges of efficient racing are very similar to those of efficient road cars.

Does the hybrid drive make the R18 any faster? Very much so, stresses Laudenbach, and were not just talking about tenths of a second.

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The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the most complex race car that has ever been created in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. The electronics in the latest LMP1 race car with the four rings are also the most sophisticated they have ever been.

An Audi R18 e-tron quattro generates data on more than one thousand channels, some of it in millisecond intervals. In Le Mans, technicians monitor their race cars uninterrupted for 24 hours. Be it for system functionality, to ensure compliance with the regulations or for drawing strategically important conclusions, the race car is continuously diagnosing its own condition, something like an ECG system in medicine, and transmitting this information to the pit.

The LMP1 sports car has a whole array of CAN bus systems networking a wide variety of control units. Sophis ti-cated sensors measure everything from suspension data to acceleration, temperatures and pressures, as well as a range of parameters in the area of energy management, and this information is used to generate a database for the control units. The R18 e-tron quattro has a master system control unit that primarily handles control of the engine and hybrid system and also communicates with the other control units in the race car.

The race car is directly linked to the computers in the pits via an online connection. It handles high-speed data transmission in real time for operating conditions that dont require a high transmission rate such as temperatures. The sports car also gathers the detailed fine data on each lap and transmits this in a package to the pit via burst signal on dri-ving past.

Two-way transmission is forbidden. The car can send data to the pit, but not the other way round. The only possibility for the team to have an influence on the car is the voice radio contact with the race driver in the car. Should data analysis by the engineers indicate a need for intervention, the driver receives this information via the radio perhaps on the adjustment of brake balance, engine control or the hybrid system.

There is also a telemetry system for officials from the FIA (Fdration Internationale de lAutomobile), who, together with the ACO (Automobile Club de lOuest) monitor compliance with the regulations. Is the hybrid system adhe-ring to the permitted amount of energy? Is the race cars energy consumption within the specified limits? The FIA also uses a GPS system. This year, it will measure whether a race driver maintains the permitted speed in critical situations, such as yellow phases around an accident. Likewise, the acti-vities at marshalling zones such as securing an accident site will be displayed in the cockpit. Thus the driver receives as-sistance that serves to protect the safety of all participants. A modern LMP1 race car is constantly and comprehensively networked with the team and race management.

High-speed transmitter

Watching You

Always in receive mode

Chris ReinkeHead of Le Mans Prototypes Be

ConneCted

We have improved many of the cars individual compo-nents through a process of evolution. In the sum of those, however, the result is a revolution, says Reinke with conviction. If there is one single screw that is identical with one from last years car, then thats because it was determined all over again as the best possible. This year, for the first time, it is not the power that is limited, but the amount of energy used. This naturally calls for completely new solutions in the technology, as well as demanding a great deal from the drivers.

Because, not only do they have to drive fast, precisely and vigilantly, they also have to have a constant eye on consump-tion. Repeatedly exceeding the limits per lap will be immediately punished by the race management with stop-and-go penalties. We assist the drivers of course, says Reinke, primarily with a pre-cise display in the cockpit. The drivers have a constant eye on whether their energy account is in the red or black. If the driver comes up behind a slower vehicle ahead of a bend, for instance, it may be worthwhile to follow him for a moment to save fuel and then overtake after the bend.

The complex technology of the hybrid system itself is something with which the driver ideally should not concern him-self. How and where to make best use of the stored energy are things the car simply knows for itself. It knows its exact position on the track and it knows the line of an optimum lap. However, be-cause conditions are in a constant state of flux the tires wear or the weather changes the optimum lap stored is constantly being compared against the one just completed.

The team engineers closely monitor the health of the complex race car, as expertly as any hospital intensive care unit could ever do. Our cars have long been transmission stations on wheels, smirks Reinke. Via more than 1,000 data channels, the telemetry sends around 20 megabytes of data per lap especially when it is passing the pit lane. The monitoring systems there are constantly checking the maintenance of all set values, such as pres-sures or temperatures. The race engineers are also paying close attention at all times to the key parameters. If something is not running at its best, the driver receives a heads-up over the radio. From outside, away from the pits, the team cant change anything on the car. Any form of remote control is forbidden by the rules.

The R18 e-tron quattro may be one of the most complex and technically sophisticated race cars ever built, but only the driver drives the car. His experience, his precision, his skill are what counts. Reinke: Thats racing. The best drivers perfectly master the fastest car.

When Chris Reinke says new, he means new all new, really new. All that has been

carried over from the Audi R18 e-tron quattro of last year is the name and the key aspects of the technology concept, and even this has been thoroughly checked, assessed against a wide variety of alternatives and only then confirmed. It is the process of continual evolution that makes motorsport exceptional the literally daily process of progression in competition. Everything that was state-of-the-art last year that had proven itself as the undisputed best must this year go right back on the test stand. Every day off is a day of standstill, and every standstill means a step backward, says Chris Reinke, with a perpetually restive look in his eye. Reinke is Head of Le Mans Prototypes at Audi Sport. This is where the strands of technology and team, of planning and strategy all come together.

A diverse array of antennae on the vehicle takes care of the real-time flow of data to its own team and to the race management. The images captured by the on-board cameras for TV transmission are also sent from here.

20megabytes per lapPart of the data is transmitted continuously in particular, the current consumption figures for monitoring by the race management. Substantial data packages are sent via a brief burst signal when the car passes the pits.

The monitoring and remote diagnosis of any race-car sensitivities occupies a sizeable troop of engineers in the pits.

Pit


the computer is also a major factor, with the tiniest changes to surfaces and their effects calculated using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) models. The devil is always in the detail, says Monchaux. The extensive work in the wind tunnel doesnt come until later but is the most important part of the entire develop-ment process. The art lies in keeping the number of wind-tunnel tests as low as possible through good advance work on the com-puter. This means that more positive concepts can be validated in what is always too short a period of time.

There is no such thing as the single valid optimum, says Monchaux, aware that all of the various dishes can taste equal-ly delicious. As an important part of the vehicle menu, the aerody-namic package must simply be as well balanced as possible with the other ingredients like the drive concept. And there it is again, that difference from the subjective appreciation of cuisine at the end of the day, what counts in racing is only the objective lap time.

Jan Monchaux is French and therefore a con-noisseur and hobby chef, which is why he

likes to compare his profession, race-car aerodynamics, with cui-sine. The ingredients and the herbs and spices are the same for all. The dishes seasoned with them can be very different, yet all delicious. The overall menu just has to be right. In racing, however, it is not the subjective taste that counts, but the objective lap time. And a major factor in that is the mastering of airflow and drag.

The R18 e-tron quattro must demonstrate not only speed, but also efficiency. What helps for a start is the lowest possible drag. The width of the cars has been reduced by ten centimeters this year. They have a lower frontal area despite being higher and, above all, the wheels are significantly narrower. Ultimately, the wheels are always the source of poor airflow be it a sports car or a Formula 1 car with open wheels. Our job is to optimize everything around these four great big lumps, smiles Monchaux. A car becomes fast when it has the bad airflow around the four wheels well under control or at least, better than the competition.

The narrower wheels also have an indirect benefit. They generate less downforce, i.e. less of the vertical force that presses the car onto the track. And less downforce usually also means less drag. These days, though, everything ultimately has to fit per-fectly together, says Monchaux. Previously, it was possible to use aerodynamics to compensate relatively quickly for performance inadequacies in the overall vehicle concept you simply added more or less spoiler. Its not that straightforward any more. The more or less downforce and the resulting more or less drag has an immediate influence on drive strategy. At the end of the day, you have to make optimum use of the defined amount of energy on every single lap. Never before in motorsport have areas like aero-dynamics and drive been so closely coupled with one another.

The fact that the completely new R18 for 2014 looks to the lay person a lot like its predecessor does not surprise Monchaux. At Audi, we follow a certain philosophy on race-car aerodynamics even when the basic parameters have changed significantly. And they have. At the front, for instance, it is now permissible to use a real wing with a flap in place of the previous front diffuser. On the other hand, the exhaust stream cannot be used in its previous form for targeted flow along the rear diffuser. The high fin from the driver compartment to the rear spoiler and the four openings above the wheels are specified by the regulations. They are intended to reduce the tendency for uncontrollable flying following accidents.

The target parameters and basic philosophy of a new race car are clear from a very early stage. Then, says Monchaux, comes a very iterative process in accordance with the model test, error and retest, step by step. Besides plenty of experience,

Jan MonchauxHead of Aerodynamics

CFD

Le Mans

WEC 10centimeters narrower

in tHe air tonigHt

1 Air outlet, front wheel arches2 Large fin along the back is stipulated by the regulations for more directional stability in the event of accide

encounter technology magazine 2/2014

Documents

engineer page

limits page

world of audi technology

audi team

audi technology magazineissue

audi technology magazinetwice

audi race car

mans rules page