Audi launches 2016 LMP1 Challenger

The chaps over at Audi Sport have spent the off-season developing their 2016 WEC challenger. Officially dubbed the Audi R18, the 2016 car has almost nothing in common with the car they fielded in 2015. The most significant updates include a more aggressive aero package, which includes a new safety cell. Audi also fitted a new battery-operated hybrid drive system, along with a heavily reworked V6 TDI powerplant. To accompany the shiny new bits in the drivetrain department, Audi also redid the electronics to match. The end result? A more capable racing machine that can produce more than 1000 hp, whilst using 10% less fuel than any of the cars it succeeds.  Why would any firm alter a relatively good package so dramatically though? Well, as regulations in the WEC are relatively open, manufacturers are allowed to do pretty much whatever they desire, hence, the development race is a very heated one. The FIA WEC regulations have been providing automobile manufacturers with incentives to build increasingly efficient race cars since 2014. Starting in the 2016 season, this competition will intensify, as the upper limit for fuel consumption will considerably decrease by 10 megajoules per lap at Le Mans. “The result is a race car that manages energy even more effectively than before.