The Audi RS 3 prototype represents the epitome of unadulterated driving dynamics. This is Audi’s first vehicle to feature the RS Torque Splitter, which distributes drive torque between the rear wheels in a fully variable manner. This results in optimal stability and maximum agility – especially when cornering at high speeds.

 

How does the RS Torque Splitter work?

The RS Torque Splitter makes active, fully variable torque vectoring between the rear wheels possible. Unlike the rear axle differential and the previous multiple disc clutch package on the rear axle, the torque splitter uses one electronically controlled multiple disc clutch each on the respective drive shaft. During dynamic driving, the torque splitter increases the drive torque to the outer rear wheel with the higher wheel load, which significantly reduces the tendency to understeer. In left-hand curves, it transmits the torque to the right rear wheel, in right-hand curves to the left rear wheel, and when driving straight ahead to both wheels. This results in optimal stability and maximum agility – especially when cornering at high speeds. When driving on closed roads, the torque splitter enables controlled drifts by applying all of the engine power at the rear axle to just one of the rear wheels – up to a maximum of 1,750 newton meters of torque. The exact distribution of drive torque always depends on the mode selected in Audi drive select and the respective driving situation.

Each of the two multiple disc clutches has its own control unit, which use the electronic stabilization control’s wheel speed sensors to measure the wheel speeds. Other influencing factors include longitudinal and lateral acceleration, the steering angle, the position of the gas pedal, the selected gear, and the yaw angle, i.e. the rotational movement around the vertical axis. In addition, the torque splitter is connected to the modular vehicle dynamics controller as a higher-level entity.

Why does the torque splitter improve driving performance?

Due to the difference in propulsive forces, the car turns into the curve even better and follows the steering angle more precisely. This results in less understeer, earlier and faster acceleration when exiting corners, and particularly precise and agile handling – for added safety in everyday use and faster lap times on the racetrack. The torque splitter also compensates for oversteer by directing the torque to the wheel on the inside of the curve or, if necessary, to both wheels.

How is the torque splitter integrated into the driving dynamics system?

Audi drive select modifies the characteristics of the torque splitter and thus the car’s handling depending on the selected mode. Five characteristic curves – Comfort/Efficiency, Auto, Dynamic, RS Performance, and RS Torque Rear – are saved in the system. In this context, engine power is distributed to all four wheels in the Comfort/Efficiency modes, with priority given to the front axle. In Auto mode, torque distribution is balanced, which means that the RS 3 prototype neither understeers nor oversteers. Dynamic mode, on the other hand, tends to transmit as much drive torque as possible to the rear axle – for maximum agility and increased dynamics. This is taken to perfection in RS Torque Rear mode, which allows drivers to perform controlled drifts on closed roads. The highly rear-heavy distribution of the engine power leads to oversteering behavior, with up to 100 percent of the drive torque directed to the rear ending up at the wheel on the outside of the curve. In addition, Audi has adjusted the engine and transmission characteristics. This specific setup is also used by RS Performance Mode, which is designed for the racetrack. It is specially tuned to the Pirelli P Zero “Trofeo R” performance semi-slick tires. In this mode, the torque splitter delivers a particularly dynamic, sporty ride along the longitudinal axis with as little understeer and oversteer as possible. This results in fast acceleration out of corners and thus better lap times.

What role does the modular vehicle dynamics controller play?

The modular vehicle dynamics controller (mVDC) ensures that the chassis systems interact more precisely and more quickly. To do so, this central system captures data from all the components relevant to lateral dynamics. The mVDC synchronizes the torque splitter’s two control units, the adaptive dampers, and the wheel-selective torque control for high-precision steering and handling. All in all, it increases the agility of the entire vehicle, especially on dynamic stretches of road.

 Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com


The Audi R8 LMS is on course for its first title success in the 2021 season in New Zealand. Before the finale in two weeks, Neil Foster/Jonny Reid have taken the lead of the standings. Further trophies in European GT3 and TCR racing round off a successful weekend for Audi Sport customer racing.

 

Audi R8 LMS GT3

Lead in the standings extended ahead of the finale: The Audi customer team IMS is on course for its next title success in New Zealand. After the tradition-steeped squad already clinched a total of five championship victories with the Audi R8 LMS in 2016, 2018 and 2019, the driver duo Neil Foster/Jonny Reid achieved a decisive success in the third of four endurance races in the North Island Endurance Series. The two New Zealanders secured their second consecutive victory of the season on the Taupo circuit. Having previously been tied on points, the Audi privateers as sole leaders of the standings now have a five-point advantage. The title decision will be made at Pukekohe on June 27. Initially, the title contenders from Aston Martin took the lead in the three-hour race but a safety car period caused their advantage to shrink. After Gentleman driver Neil Foster handed over the Audi R8 LMS to Jonny Reid, the Audi privateer overtook the Aston Martin, increased his lead confidently and eventually even lapped it. With Andrew Fawcett/Sam Fillmore, a second Audi driver team managed to make it onto the podium. The two privateers finished third in their R8 LMS. Two more trophies from Taupo were brought home by two Audi teams in the one-hour competition. Anthony Leighs crossed the finish line in second place, followed by Geoff and Martin Short in another first-generation Audi R8 LMS.

Second place in Austria: Team Rutronik Racing by TECE was the best Audi squad at the second round of the ADAC GT Masters. Audi Sport driver Dennis Marschall and his teammate Kim-Luis Schramm had secured the best starting position for the second race at the Red Bull Ring: Marschall clinched the first pole position of the season for Audi in this racing series and the first ever for the R8 LMS on the mountainous circuit in Styria. For the 24-year-old junior driver, it was already the fourth time to have clinched the best time in qualifying in his career in the ADAC GT Masters. Marschall lost his advantage over the eventual winners from Callaway Competition on the starting lap. In the end, the Audi driver duo was just 0.824 seconds short of victory. Marschall and Schramm were thus the best juniors in the field of 27 competitors on Sunday, as they had been the day before.

Two podium places in Norway: At the second round of the Norwegian Racing NM series, Audi customer Wiggo Dalmo recorded two podium finishes. In the first sprint at Rudskogen, the Norwegian privateer finished third in the Audi R8 LMS, in the third sprint he recorded second place.

Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)

First victory of the season in Poland: The Audi RS 3 LMS recorded its first success in the Central European TCR Eastern Europe race series on the third race weekend. Pole Bartosz Groszek, who competes for the Horňák-Aditis team, came up on top at his home race in Poznán. Last year’s winner of the TCR Eastern Europe SIM Racing Series proved that he is also as fast in the real race car as he is in the computer game. He started from pole position in the second sprint thanks to the reversed starting grid of the best eight drivers from the first race. Initially, Groszek maintained a one-two lead for Audi with his compatriot Łukasz Stolarczyk but Stolarczyk retired after contact with an opponent on lap 6. Bartosz Groszek crossed the finish line after 16 race laps with an advantage of 1.8 seconds. An Audi RS 3 LMS also competed in an endurance race at the same event in Poznán. Adam Bougsiaa/Adam Puciata finished third overall in the fastest touring car of the race amid GT sports cars in the GT3, GT4 and GT Cup classes.

Class victory in France: Team AC Motorsport celebrated a class win at the second round of the Ultimate Cup Series. Stéphane Perrin and Mathieu Detry won the TCR class in the Audi RS 3 LMS on the demanding rollercoaster track at Dijon with a one-lap advantage.

Success in Assen: Frenchman Pierre Arnaud Navarro, German Lucas Waltermann and Italian Roberto Nale won their class at the fourth round of the 100 Series by BGDC at Assen. The international driver trio piloted an Audi RS 3 LMS in the Belgian gentleman’s race series. After 200 minutes of racing, they had established a lead of three laps in their class.

Third place in the Netherlands: At the third round of the DMV NES 500 grassroots racing series, the State Energy Racing Team clinched a trophy. The two Danes Jesper Henriksen/Frederik Vodder finished third in their class in the Audi RS 3 LMS after three hours of racing at Assen.

Podium in British club racing: Simpson Motorsport scored a trophy in the Britcar Endurance Championship. Hugo Cook/Sacha Kakad drove the Audi RS 3 LMS to third place in their class in Saturday’s one-hour race at Oulton Par

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

Audi is the first car manufacturer to fight for overall victory in the famous Dakar Rally with an electrified powertrain, thus also heralding an energy revolution in cross-country rallying. Audi Sport has succeeded in recruiting three illustrious driver teams for the ambitious project.

 

Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist (Sweden), Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger (France) and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (Spain) will compete for Audi in the world’s toughest rally from January 2 to 14, 2022. “It’s no exaggeration to speak of a ‘dream team’,” says Julius Seebach, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and responsible for motorsport. “Stéphane is the most successful Dakar driver of all time. Carlos is a multiple Dakar winner and World Rally champion. With Mattias, we already celebrated many Audi successes in the past. He is one of the world’s most versatile drivers. In addition to a lot of speed, they are all adding an extreme amount of expertise and motivation to our team. The same goes for their co-drivers, who play an increasingly important role in the Dakar Rally.”

“In the end, the drivers and co-drivers make the difference at the Dakar Rally,” says Andreas Roos, who is responsible for the factory motorsport commitments at Audi Sport. “The fact that we will have three driver teams at the very highest level is reassuring. We can put a check mark behind this point. Now it’s up to us to complete the development of our innovative car and kick off the energy revolution in cross-country rallying in January.”

“At the Dakar Rally, teamwork and reliabilty are crucial,” says Sven Quandt, team principal of Q Motorsport. “You need a well-bonded team, a super reliable car and reliable driver teams. You can’t permanently drive at the limit in the Dakar Rally. The right strategy is crucial. I’m very happy that we will have three renowned and strong teams competing for us. We know their qualities very well.”

Mattias Ekström (42) has spent almost his entire career under the banner of the four rings, particularly in the DTM, where he won the title twice with Audi (2004 and 2007). The Swede underlined his versatility by winning the World Rallycross Championship in 2016, as well as successful stints in the World Rally Championship, NASCAR and in Australian Supercars. In 2021, he is competing for CUPRA in the new Extreme E electric off-road series. Earlier this year, he also made his debut in the Dakar Rally.

“The Dakar will definitely be one of the most exciting adventures of my career,” says Ekström. “To be able to tackle this exciting project together with the team, with which I celebrated my greatest successes, is fantastic. Although I’ll be turning 43 this year, I feel like a junior compared to Carlos and Stéphane. In this sport, you need a lot of experience in all areas. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Mattias Ekström’s co-driver is his compatriot Emil Bergkvist (26), who used to be a rally driver himself. “I come from the same region as Mattias. He has always been an idol for me, every motorsport enthusiast in Sweden knows him,” says Bergkvist. “When I stopped driving, I called him and asked if I could work for his team. Now, I am his co-driver. It’s an honor for me to be able to work with Mattias and be part of this great project at Audi.”

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

At mid-year 2021, Audi Sport customer racing has reached an important milestone: The 138th GT3 model of the second-generation Audi R8 LMS, which has been marketed since the end of 2015, has been built. The successful predecessor model, which was available from 2009 to 2015, had been produced in a series of 137 units. In a global GT3 market of ten car manufacturers in total, Audi Sport is thus making a clear statement.

 

“As we see in our competitive environment, it is by no means a matter of course that a successor is as commercially successful as the predecessor model or even surpasses it,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “For us, it was never exclusively about sporting success. Since day one, we’ve designed our customer racing program to provide teams on all continents with a high-performance product, individual support and seamless service.” To this end, dependencies have been established in Australia, China, Japan, Canada and the USA. Audi Sport customer racing looks after the European markets from Germany. 

 

The near-production race car shares half of its assemblies with the road-legal model and is partly built in the Böllinger Höfe facilities at the Neckarsulm site. Assembly then takes place at the Audi Sport customer racing workshop in the Biberach district of Heilbronn. Its advanced chassis design with a material mix of aluminum, CFRP and steel, high reliability and economical operating conditions are just some of the key features of the R8 LMS. In the development of the evolution used since 2019, Audi has increasingly taken into account customer requests regarding running times and drivability.

Adding up the first and second generations of the Audi R8 LMS, a total of 275 GT3 sports cars have been built. To date, they have clinched 188 racing titles in various categories in America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific region with Australia and New Zealand. The tally is rounded off by 13 overall victories in 24-hour races and eight in 12-hour competitions, plus further long-distance successes. On both a sporting and commercial level, this makes Audi Sport a leader. Beyond the GT3 model, the brand has two additional racing variants of the R8 in the GT2 and GT4 models. Of these, a total of over 100 additional GT race cars have been built to date. The RS 3 LMS touring car, which has been available in its second generation since this year, rounds off the broad-based model portfolio of Audi Sport customer racing.

 

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

A progressive, profoundly sporty exterior look with a black Singleframe and black side mirror caps, an interior with orange accents – Audi presents its fully electric SUV models e-tron and e-tron Sportback in the S line black edition. Presales just started in Germany and other European markets. 

The S line black edition highlights the sporty nature of the fully electric Audi e-tron models. It builds on the S line exterior, which already features striking accents in the front, sides and rear. For the edition model, the Singleframe as well as the four rings, the side mirror casings and the e-tron badges are all in black. Audi Sport supplies the 21” wheels, also in black, contrasted by the orange brake calipers. The back seat has dark tinted windows, and the new, exclusive metallic finish color options Chronos gray, Glacier white and Mythos black are available. LED lights on the underside of the doors project the words “e-tron black edition” onto the street when the door is opened.

The package expands on the S line interior. The contrast stitching of the black sport seats (standard) and the armrests and seat belts stand out in orange. The center section of the seats and inlays of the doors are of the new Dinamica material – a breathable microfiber that is made of 45 percent recycled polyester such as PET bottles. For the truly discerning, fine Valcona leather is also available. The instrument panel is upholstered in leatherette with decorative carbon inlays.

The new S line black edition is available for the Audi e-tron and the Audi e-tron Sportback in both motorization levels. The Audi e-tron S line black edition 50 quattro, whose two e-machines have an output of 230 kW (313 PS), is listed at 79,350 euros. The Audi e-tron S line black edition 55 quattro

with 300 kW (408 PS) starts at 91,750 euros. The two corresponding sportback versions are each an additional 2,250 euros.

Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback: New details for this popular model

Audi had a very successful start into the era of sustainable mobility with the e-tron. In 2020, the e-SUV, together with the e-tron Sportback, was the most widely sold electric model by a German premium manufacturer, with demand growing by almost 80 percent over the previous year. The Audi e-tron was the most widely sold car in the Norwegian market across all fuel types. The 100,000th e-tron was assembled in April.

The e-tron series will be even more attractive in the 2022 model year. The second integrated charger will be available for all versions and models, increasing performance for alternating current (AC) charging from 11 to 22 kW and significantly reducing charging times. For the exterior, the appearance package black plus is available with black rings and e-tron badges; for the interior, Dinamica upholstery is now available across the board. The streaming service Amazon Music is now available optionally as a new Audi connect service.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

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