One
week before the Le Mans 24 Hours race in France celebrates its 90th anniversary, it is worth noting that some 15 years
of engine development have been shaping Audi's prototype racing commitment.
Through intensive development work the engineers have repeatedly compensated
for the restrictions imposed by the regulations while consistently enhancing
efficiency of the engines fielded.
Two
major eras have shaped Audi's commitment at Le Mans from the perspective of
Ulrich Baretzky, head of engine development at Audi Sport: Until 2005, gasoline
engines powered Audi's LMP race cars, since 2006 the engines have been diesel
units. For Audi, this is linked to numerous innovations.
The Le Mans project began
with a 3.6-litre gasoline engine that delivered around 400 kW (544 bhp), but growing to over 449 kW (610 bhp) only a year later.
