Audi R15 TDI 2009

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Designed for ... LMP1 of 12h of Sebring (ALMS), 24h of Le Mans, 10h Petit Le Mans (ALMS) Teams Audi Sport Team Joest Country of origin Germany Introduced in 2009 Engine Type TDI 90º V 10 Diesel (Audi R10 had V12) Horse Power 650 bhp Torque 1050 Nm Weight 900 kilo hp/kg 0.72 bhp / kg Engine Displacement 5.5 liter Engine Aspiration Twin Turbo Engine Fuel Feed Direct Fuel Injection Engine Location Mid, longitudinally mounted Engine Valve Train 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC Drivetrain Rear wheel drive Predecessor Audi R10 TDI 2006 Successor Audi R15 plus TDI 2010

Audi announced end of November 2008 that they will compete Le Mans 2009 with a new LMP1 car, the Audi R15 TDI. The R15 TDI differs significantly from its predecessor, the R10 TDI, and features many technically innovative details with which Audi aims to maintain its supremacy in Le Mans. The R15 is equipped with a smaller, lighter and even more efficient TDI engine. During the chassis and aerodynamic development Audi Sport engineers followed similar routes to those exhibited on the Audi A4 DTM. “It was clear to us that we must develop a new car if we wanted to continue to be successful in Le Mans,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "The Audi R15 TDI is the result. The step from R10 to R15 is significantly larger than it was from the R8 to the R10.”

But despite the new innovations brought by Audi with the R15, the Peugeots showed they could maintain a pace that the Audi's struggled to maintain over the full run. As well, two of the three Audis had off-track excursions in the first 12 hours. During the early evening, the #1 Audi lost a lap to the leading Peugeot and never regained it, and further technical issues would see it lose another seven laps in total to the winner.
Peugeot has beaten Audi with a double win at Le Mans 2009.

2010: Audi will attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 3 improved racers, internally called "R15 plus":