The must anticipated pricing and details were released today by Audi USA. The 2013 Audi RS5 will start at $68,900. The RS 5 is powered by the potent 4.2L FSI engine that puts out 450HP and comes standard with Audi quattro and the sport differential. 

The base model will include the following features: 

• 19″ 10-spoke forged wheels with 265/35 summer tires*
• Audi drive select controls
• Audi music interface with iPod® cable
• Audi concert radio (1CD) with SIRIUS satellite radio
• Audi xenon plus front lighting with LED DRLs & taillights
• Auto-dimming interior mirror with compass
• Auto-dimming, heated exterior mirrors 
• RS-design Carbon Fiber inlays 
• Color driver information system with trip computer 
• Garage door opener (HomeLink®) 
• Heated, 12-way power front seats with driver memory 
• Preparation for mobile phone (Bluetooth®) 
• 3-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel with shift paddles 
• Audi adaptive light 
• Audi advanced key 
• Headlight washer system
• RS exterior kit:
• Wide-body design
• Speed-activated rear spoiler
• Matte Alu-optic mirror housings & grille
• Dual oval-outlet exhaust, silver pipe finishers
• V8 badging on front fenders, RS 5 logos on grille & trunk lid
• Fine Nappa leather RS-embossed sport seats
• Tire sealant / mobility kit with tools and car jack
• Split-folding rear seatback
• RS-specific sport suspension & brake system
• Three-zone climate control
• Tilting glass panel sunroof with retractable shade
• Audi quattro with sports differential
• Front and rear acoustic parking sensors
• 174 mph top speed limiter

OPTIONS:

Audi MMI Navigation plus package $3550

• Bang & Olufsen Sound System HDD 
• Navi with voice control
• 1 CD/DVD-player & HD radio 
• MMI “high” control panel
• Audi rearview camera 
• Audi connect with online services

Driver Assist package $3,240

• Audi adaptive cruise control 
• Audi dynamic steering
• Audi side assist

Titanium package $2500

• Exterior mirror housings in body color (Alu-optic delete) 
• 20″ 5-arm-Rotor-design wheels with 275/30 summer tires*
• Black Optics kit (gloss black grille & matte black window trim)

20″ 5-arm-Rotor-design wheels, silver finish, with 275/30 summer tires  $1,000

Ceramic Front Brakes $6,000

Leather / Alcantara S Sport seats $750

Aluminum Race inlays  $0

Sports exhaust system with black finishers $1,000

Power rear window sunshade $350

Available standard colors include:

• Phantom Black Pearl Effect
• Panther Black Crystal Effect
• Daytona Gray Pearl Effect
• Suzuka Gray Metallic
• Ibis White
• Prism Silver Crystal Effect
• Misano Red Pearl Effect
• Sepang Blue Pearl Effect

We will let you know when we get more information, for now, get on the list at your dealer!

• Three 24-hour races within ten weeks
• Five Audi teams at Nürburgring 24 Hours
• New Audi R8 LMS ultra competes in large field of GT3 class

Audi is contesting three 24-hour races as factory commitments within the space of ten weeks this year – at the Nürburgring and at Spa with the R8 LMS ultra GT3 sports car and at Le Mans with the R18 LMP sports car. The classic Eifel event on May 19/20 that will be held for the 40th time and at which seven Audi R8 LMS ultra cars meet with strong competition marks the beginning of this marathon.

Audi is starting into the Nürburgring 24 Hours with a carefully orchestrated new formation. For the first time, Audi Sport Team Phoenix as the exclusive factory team is representing the brand with the four rings with two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. In addition, four other teams with support from Audi Sport customer racing will line up on the grid. They all are relying on the latest generation of Audi’s GT3 sports car, the R8 LMS ultra that has been clearly revised for the 2012 model year. This gives Mamerow Racing, Raeder Motorsport, Speedhunters Team WRT and the Audi race experience the chance of scoring top results as well. 
 
The Audi R8 demonstrated its capabilities at the Nürburgring 24 Hours on as many as three previous occasions. On its debut in 2009 and in the two subsequent years the race car with the V10 mid-engine was always the car to be beaten in the GT3 class. Yet in those years only more complex and higher-powered GT2 models were in contention for overall victory. This year, the SP 9 class for GT3 vehicles with no less than 30 vehicles of eight renowned brands in the field is regarded as the top category. 
 
The changes of the 2012 season include single timed laps of the 40 top contenders in qualifying on Friday. This guarantees clearly higher equality of opportunities than in the past. Another welcome new feature that also encompasses the Spa 24 Hours on July 28 and 29: For the first time, there is a joint trophy by the organizers of both events to be won by the teams that achieve the best aggregated results in the Eifel and in the Ardennes.
 
From May 18 to 20, Audi Sport is tackling a double race weekend. Whereas Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich coordinates the activities at the third DTM round at Brands Hatch Dieter Gass, Head of Racing Commitments at Audi Sport, is responsible in the Eifel.
 
The fans on location are not the only ones who can look forward to the major German endurance race. TV audiences will also have excellent opportunities to watch the action. The TV channel Sport1 will provide a total of 23:10 hours of on-air Nürburgring coverage from May 17 to 20. ARD on “Das Erste” is planning to air two live reports of 15 minutes each from the Eifel before and after the DTM race on Sunday afternoon and on Saturday will carry reports in two of its “Sportschau” programs. www.audi.tv will be broadcasting the race by live streaming as well and offering additional coverage of its own. 
 
Quotes by the officials
 
Dieter Gass (Head of Racing Commitments Audi Sport): 

In recent years, we celebrated major successes with the Audi R8 LMS at the Nürburgring in the GT3 class. This year, the big aim is to shoot for overall victory. We’ve got a very strong line-up of teams and drivers plus an updated vehicle. The Nürburgring is even more unpredictable than Spa where we clinched overall victory last year. The weather is hard to judge and you can easily find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong moment. But we’re broadly poised with the factory team and the factory-supported customer teams.

Werner Frowein (quattro GmbH): 

The 40th running of the 24-hour race this year is very special for me. 42 years ago, at the inaugural event in 1970, I participated as a race mechanic in the team of Hans-Joachim Stuck and Clemens Schickentanz and clinched the first ever overall victory. Naturally, there’s nothing I wish for more than an overall victory of the Audi R8 LMS ultra that has won so many endurance races and champion’s titles all over the world. This great endurance classic at the Nürburgring is the only one that’s still missing.

Romolo Liebchen (Head of Audi Sport customer racing): 

This year, the GT3 class at the Nürburgring is playing an even more prominent role than before. Even the overall winners from recent years are now relying on such vehicles. Our factory-supported customers are receiving vehicles that are technically identical to those of the factory team. And they are completely integrated with the network in terms of organization, spare parts logistics, team support and information flow through to radio communications. They can profit from the information of the factory team and vice versa.

Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): 

Our preparations have been completed. We did everything that was possible. Our drivers have perfectly adjusted to the new car in the VLN races. 24-hour races are our passion, and this particular one is our home round. With the new Audi R8 LMS ultra and our driver squads we’ve got every chance this time of finishing at the very top after several attempts.

Vincent Vosse (Team Director Speedhunters Team WRT): 

We’re intimately familiar with the Audi R8 but are competing with it on the Nordschleife for the first time. For our team, this is not new territory, though. Last year, many of our employees were involved in the Volkswagen factory commitment at the 24-hour race. Still, we’ve got a lot of respect for this event and the track. We know that our drivers can handle this challenge well. They’re drawing on many years of experience in professional racing and have all contested this event before.

Peter Mamerow (Team Director Mamerow Racing):

The Nordschleife is our home and now we’re getting to know the Audi R8 LMS ultra for the first time. With our driver line-up we’ve got a good mix of experience and youth on the grid. They can all drive the same pace and get along well with each other. I’m eager to see what we can achieve this year.

Nicki Raeder (Team Director Raeder Motorsport):

Expectations are high. After clinching class victory last year with the TT RS it’s nice to take the next step with the R8 LMS ultra. We’ve fielded GT3 models on previous occasions and started from the pole position in 2009. The drivers are one of our fortes. In addition to good team spirit and cohesion, they have the skills to handle this race very intelligently.

Josef Haider (Sporting Director Audi race experience): 

The Audi race experience is competing at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in the second year. Audi has taken the top spot in the group of automobile manufacturers by offering customers with a sporting orientation the opportunity to contest races. This race is the absolute pinnacle of the season for us. Besides the customer car we’re entering a car strictly driven by professionals. For the many loyal fans, this is a nice opportunity to meet international drivers and to experience them on this challenging track.

Selected quotes from each driver team
 
Marcel Fässler, Audi R8 LMS ultra #2 (Audi Sport Team Phoenix): 

I’m happy to be able to race at the Nürburgring 24 Hours again. It’s a great race track. We’ve already won a few VLN races but have not been able to take overall victory at the 24-hour race yet. I’m convinced that we’re well prepared and thus have the chance to win the 24 Hours. But as everyone knows such races are always a challenge to ‘man and material.’ You can’t afford to make any mistakes and the pace has got to be right.

Frank Stippler, Audi R8 LMS ultra #3 (Audi Sport Team Phoenix): 

I’m again extremely excited about the race coming up this year. In winter, we worked hard on the efficiency of the R8 LMS and continued to develop the car’s ultra evolution. I believe that we’ve got a good base to be in contention for overall victory after three consecutive class wins. It’s a long-cherished dream and wish of mine to win this endurance classic once. It would also be a very nice farewell gift to Werner Frowein, who has been driving this project with a lot of passion for years and will begin his well-deserved retirement at the end of the year.

Allan Simonsen, Audi R8 LMS ultra #4 (Speedhunters Team WRT): 

I’m very happy to be able to compete with Audi. Two years ago I was on podium. Now a victory would be perfect. Our driver line-up is good, the car is quick and the team is top-notch. There’s a strong brand behind us. In this race it’s crucial to minimize your pit stops. To do so, you’ve got to use your brains at the wheel.

Thomas Mutsch, Audi R8 LMS ultra #9 (Raeder Motorsport): 

We’ve got a good chance of finishing the 24-hour race among the top five with the Audi R8 this year. Obviously, the weather and a bit of fortune are important too. We’ve thoroughly prepared for this marathon. Raeder Motorsport has done a very good job and I’m confident.

Warren Luff, Audi R8 LMS ultra #24 (Audi race experience): 

It’s a nice opportunity to compete on the Nordschleife again with Audi. Last year I already drove a VLN race and the 24-hour race was my goal even then. Now I’m competing with the Audi race experience. Our chief aim is to run without any problems throughout. If we do, then a good result will be possible too.

Marco Werner, Audi R8 LMS ultra #25 (Audi race experience): 

I’m really looking forward to the Nürburgring 24 Hours because it’s my second race this year. There’s almost nothing better than driving on a challenging track like the Nürburgring and a fascinating car like the R8 LMS ultra. That’s a challenge. I’ve got a lot of ties to the Nordschleife, after all, that’s where I drove my first race.

Christian Mamerow, Audi R8 LMS ultra #26 (Mamerow Racing): 

The Nordschleife is our territory. We’ve been active in endurance racing there for many years. With Audi a totally new opportunity has materialized for us. I’m hoping that right in the first year with the R8 LMS ultra we’ll be able to demonstrate this car’s potential. Our whole squad is looking forward to this.

The Audi teams at the 2012 Nürburgring 24 Hours

Audi Sport Team Phoenix 

#2 Marcel Fässler (CH)/Christopher Mies (D)/René Rast (D)/Frank Stippler (D)

#3 Marc Basseng/Christopher Haase/Frank Stippler/Markus Winkelhock (all D)

Speedhunters Team WRT

#4 Oliver Jarvis (GB)/Andrea Piccini (I)/Edward Sandström (S)/Allan Simonsen (DK)

Raeder Motorsport

#9 Frank Biela/Christian Hohenadel/Luca Ludwig/Thomas Mutsch (all D)
 
Audi race experience

#24 Luca Cappellari (I)/Florian Gruber (D)/Warren Luff (AUS)/Alex Yoong (MAL)

#25 Christian Bollrath (D)/Pierre Ehret (D)/Peter Venn (GB)/Marco Werner (D)

Mamerow Racing

#26 Christian Abt/Michael Ammermüller/Armin Hahne/Christian Mamerow (all D)
 
Nürburgring timetable
 
Thursday, May 17
14:30–16:00 Free practice
19:30–23:30 Qualifying 1
 
Friday, May 18
09:35–11:35 Qualifying 2
18:00–18:50 Top 40 qualifying

Saturday, May 19
13:30–15:10 Grid formation
16:00 Start
 
Sunday, May 20
16:00 Finish

[Source: Audi-Motorsport]

• Lightweight design is an Audi core competence – in production and in sport
• Victorious WEC debut of the new Audi R18 ultra
• Five more weeks to go before the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours

Five more weeks to go before the most important race of the year comes up on Audi Sport Team Joest’s agenda: the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16/17. In addition to e-tron and quattro, ultra lightweight technology will again be in the company’s focus there.

Audi has reversed the weight spiral – for the benefit of its customers. Whereas production vehicles used to become heavier from one generation to the next, Audi’s latest models are now pointing exactly in the opposite direction. The new A3 is up to 80 kilograms lighter than the predecessor model. For the consumer, the benefits directly translate into improved efficiency. The current A6 is lighter than its predecessor as well. In the future, this will apply to every Audi model.
 
In motorsport, weight is a central topic too. Yet a look at the Technical Regulations for LMP1 prototypes shows that the minimum weight is set at 900 kilograms – a level which the Le Mans winning Audi R18 TDI stayed below even last year. This created room for ballast which can be used to improve the car’s balance.
 
So, why use ultra-lightweight design in motorsport if the advantage that has been gained has to be compensated for by ballast? The key to understanding this lies in the hybrid concept. Audi has designed the first diesel hybrid sports car in history. Despite advanced construction the components of the hybrid system have a considerable dead weight. Consequently, without special lightweight engineering the weight of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro would exceed 900 kilograms – and the sports prototype would be out of contention. As its base, Audi developed the R18 ultra with a conventional TDI engine because, except for the hybrid system, both cars are largely of an identical design.

“In production development, the weight spiral is a very important issue. With the ultra concept, Audi started to intensively work in this direction at a very early stage,” stresses Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “For us in motorsport, the R18 ultra has provided the basis that made it possible to implement the e-tron quattro in the first place. If we hadn’t managed to implement the weight difference between the 2011 R18 TDI and the 2012 R18 ultra there would have been no chance for a competitive hybrid.” 
 
But how can the ultra lightweight concept that was achieved last year be carried to extremes for the 2012 season? After all, at the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16 and 17 the race cars have to reel off a distance of several thousand kilometers at an expected average speed far above 200 km/h without any problems. “The only chance to become around 10 percent lighter lies in designing every component for lighter weight,” reveals Dr. Ullrich. Naturally, the differences vary greatly. The carbon fiber gas pedal of the new R18 generation, for instance, has been optimized again – the resultant savings are in the range of grams. By contrast, the developers can be proud of the transmission.
 
“At the rear end, the weight reduction is really valuable,” adds Dr. Ullrich. “We’re relying on a V6 TDI engine installed in front of the rear axle. Yet diesel engines, due to their design, are heavier than gasoline engines. With the flange-mounted new carbon fiber transmission housing we managed to make the largest single innovation leap compared with the predecessor model.” Something like this has never existed in an LMP sports car before. What differentiates this design from a formula race car, in which this technology is already used, is that the fully structural transmission has to bear a much higher base load of 900 kilograms. In addition, it holds up to endurance distances of several thousand kilometers straight. And with more than 850 Newton meters the engine torque that acts on the transmission in the R18 clearly exceeds the corresponding torque level in a Formula One car. 
 
The highly integrative hybrid system of the R18 e-tron quattro is another example of lightweight design. The shared housing of the MGU (motor generator unit) for two electric motors, two planetary transmissions and two converters is extremely compact and the hybrid system control unit which is integrated with the existing engine control unit is another clever solution that makes the car lighter.

“On the other hand, compromises in terms of safety are totally out of the question in the search for weight savings,” explains Dr. Ullrich. The high-strength carbon fiber monocoque of the Audi R18 TDI helped Allan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller survive two serious accidents at Le Mans unharmed last year. Instead of compromising on safety, the engineers review even the smallest details for lightweight potential. Metal parts calculated and milled with particularly high precision – such as on the rear wing mounts, the stabilizer supports or the transverse links – are regarded as true masterpieces of mechanical engineering in the professional world. Attentive race spectators can even catch a glimpse of a piece of lightweight design themselves. Four red triangles mark a field below the cockpit doors. “This is the only area in which our drivers should support themselves when getting in and out of the vehicle,” explains Dr. Ullrich. Outside these areas even carbon fiber, the “magic material,” would yield.
 
The new Audi R18 ultra and the R18 e-tron quattro impressively mastered the “dress rehearsal” for the season’s pinnacle event in June. At the WEC round at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) the four prototypes of Audi Sport Team Joest were in a class of their own.

[Source: Audi-Motorsport]

Boston.com reports that Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was involved in a minor traffic accident in his R8. Ortiz somehow managed to deactivate the traction control system on his White R8 V10 Spyder sending it spiraling into the street after he pressed the accelerator pedal presumably a bit too hard. Nobody was hurt and Ortiz schedule to play tonight. 

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz said he was unhurt when he was involved in a minor traffic accident involving another motorist Friday afternoon as he was making his way to Fenway Park for Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians.

Ortiz said he had just stopped to get gas at a service station on the corner of Boylston and Ipswich Street and was pulling his Audi R8 onto Boylston Street when he said the car’s rear traction control was accidentally engaged.

Ortiz said it over-revved the sports car’s engine and caused him to lose control, spinning several times on the street. He sideswiped a female motorist, who was stopped at the intersection’s traffic light. The woman was accompanied by a young girl in the back seat. Neither occupant was hurt, according to a preliminary police report.

“I hit this lady on the side, it wasn’t anything bad,” Ortiz said before the game. “I must have hit some button that was for the back traction [control] of the car and once I took off, it started asking more [power] something crazy and I lost a little bit of control and hit this lady.

“It wasn’t anything bad,” Ortiz said. “She was fine. I’m OK. These are fixable things.”

Ortiz said the traffic incident would not keep him out of the lineup.

“It wasn’t anything bad,” said Ortiz, who was penciled in as the DH, hitting out of the No. 3 hole. “It was a lady and a little girl and I just wanted to make sure that they were fine and everything was fine.”

Boston Police had yet to issue any citations, pending the completion of an official traffic report.

[Sources: Text: Boston.com / Image: Audi USA]

• Chairman Rupert Stadler: “By the end of April we had already delivered more than 471,000 cars, and thus achieved strong growth worldwide.”
• Record operating profit of €1.4 billion in the first quarter of 2012

Words and Photos by Elaine Bak

Some combinations just don’t mix well, such as greasy Deals Gap burgers and Dragon turns or local troopers and caravans of fast cars. But when you take a warm May weekend and add in the elements of family, friends, Audis (and other European cars) and their enthusiast owners, thrilling drives, waterfalls, and the Great Smoky Mountains, you are bound to have the winning ingredients for a memorable experience.  

2012 marks the eighth annual Quattro de Mayo event in the southeast region, an event that began when a group of Audi Club members from Ohio decided to make a road trip to Tennessee in order to drive the Tail of the Dragon, an 11 mile road with 318 curves. Simultaneously another group from the Audi Club chapter in Tennessee was making the same trip. The groups inevitably met up and thus they created a new tradition. Each year since, the event forever dubbed “Quattro de Mayo” grew in popularity and attendance. Though the locale for the event headquarters fluctuates to add variety, the basis for the event remains the same; enthusiasts from all over meet together for a weekend centered around driving on some of the most challenging and beautiful roads in the country.

Nantahala Village Resort & Spa in Bryson City, NC was headquarters for Quattro de Mayo 2012. In addition to drives organized around The Tail of the Dragon, routes were available for Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, Foothills Parkway and Wayah Road. There was also a bonus Waterfalls and Wineries route available on Friday. Other family-friendly activities were available such as hiking and horseback riding. On Saturday morning, some of the ladies chose to have a spa day and relax while being pampered. For our family, the obvious choice activity was to drive The Tail of the Dragon since we had never been privy to that experience.

Like something straight out of a video game, I was sitting next to my husband helping to navigate as he maneuvered the APR Stage II+ S4 through the twists and turns of the Tail. Our son was intermittently watching the route on the navigation screen and warning of sharp lefts and hairpin rights. My husband laughed as he said it made him think of being a kid and watching the old-time action movies where it looked like hero drivers were just moving the wheel back and forth at super fast speeds. Only in this case he wasn’t sitting in a remotely operated bouncing vehicle in front of a green screen, that is unless the blanket of thick shrubs and lush green trees that framed the mountain side count as a screen of green.

While experiencing The Tail of the Dragon for the first time, we happened to be in the midst of a column of Audis in the third drive option for the morning. Throughout all the drive options, the groups made multiple stops at scenic overlooks in order to take pictures and socialize. It was a great opportunity to learn from other drivers in attendance since many of the drivers there have had years of experience with driving schools, track events, and other challenging road courses. Drive leaders briefed the groups on maintaining a safe distance, choosing lines, braking to enter curves and accelerating out of them. We were reminded that we were sharing the road with aggressive motorcyclists and that while we couldn’t expect the bikers to be predictable, we were to always ensure that we were predictable in order to keep everyone on the road as safe as possible. As Ted D. so philosophically put it, “On the road, what’s in your rearview mirror is of no importance to you” 

2012 was another huge success for Quattro de Mayo. Over 90 people were in attendance with over 60 Audis, a handful of VWs, one Lotus and one Ducati. With the event running so flawlessly, it’s not difficult to imagine the months of preparation that went in to it. Thanks to the hard work of ACNA officers and members for all their planning, the many trips they made to the locale to run routes meet with the chefs and work with the resort.

Quattro de Mayo 2012 was hosted by ACNA and presented by Jim Ellis Audi (who kindly made the overall cost of the event affordable by all). Quattro de Mayo has grown into a huge tradition, and that’s apparent by both the quantity and the quality of the sponsors. During the banquet on Saturday night, guests feasted on a spread of German foods while prizes were given out from APR, Atlanta Sports and Imports/Atlanta Auto Salon, Audi Collection, Butler Tire, Dents & Dings, Detailers Domain, Forge Performance, Mirror Detailing and ModShack.

Quattro de Mayo has an element of enjoyment that is in a class of its own as Roger L. tells us after he attended QDM this year for the first time:

I was so pleased with this year’s event. While my first QDM, it’s not my first foray into the Western North Carolina Mountains with a German car club. Let’s just say Roundels and Quattro have no comparison in this venue. I found this event to be simply the best organized, most professionally run such trip, I’ve enjoyed in more than 30 years. Sure, driving schools are more intense, perhaps orgasmic for some – but practically, shorter and more singularly satisfying – less shared with fellow club members than this really. This provided for me at least a wonderful driving and socially engaging experience, surely to be looked forward to next year, and for many more too…My congrats and sincere thanks to the team for their outstanding efforts.

As Paul G writes on the Audi Club of Georgia Facebook group, “The Audi Club of Georgia has done a wonderful job this year. Very happy to see QDM turn into a featured event nationwide!” We definitely are looking forward to seeing what 2013 will bring in terms of adventure, growth and support. See you there!

• Inauguration of high-voltage battery project house
• From concept through to battery testing – everything under a single roof
• Michael Dick, Board Member for Technical Development: “A major step toward electric mobility”

Research, development and testing for the lithium-ion battery: AUDI AG is setting new standards in the development of high-voltage (HV) technology. On the eve of its 123rd Annual General Meeting, the Company opened its high-voltage battery project house in Gaimersheim near Ingolstadt. In this competence center, Development, Production and partner companies are working together for the first time to construct a prototype for these special battery cells.

“The new high-voltage battery project house is another major step toward electric mobility for our company,” says Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. “Here we are building up important development and manufacturing expertise for high-voltage batteries with a view to future model series. At the same time, we are ensuring that they meet Audi’s exacting quality requirements.” Alongside the production of prototypes, future small-series production is another conceivable option.

Automotive electrification has a substantial impact on the production process: “The close collaboration in the high-voltage battery project house paves the way for efficient, sustainable series production of electric cars,” emphasizes Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management for Production. “New technologies constitute new areas of value creation for Audi. Production must be involved right from the initial product cycle in order to move to series production quickly and reliably.”

Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG: “For the workforce this project house is an important investment in securing jobs through new business segments and increasing the depth of value added. This visibly symbolizes bridging the gap to electric mobility. And this opens up many opportunities, particularly for employees. New vocational qualification profiles and new, highly qualified jobs are being created. We intend to take full advantage of these opportunities. In this respect, the high-voltage battery competence center will make its contribution.”

The project house for the high-voltage battery technology is located two kilometers from the Ingolstadt plant. Around 100 electronics experts newly hired by Audi specifically for this project work at the facility, which covers 3,500 square meters. Panasonic is a key external partner and is responsible for supplying the battery cells. The basic concept behind this competence center is to promote close collaboration between all the disciplines involved in high-voltage technology. BFFT Gesellschaft für Fahrzeugtechnik mbH was responsible for the detailed planning of the high-voltage battery project house. Particular attention was paid to safety in terms of using the sensitive equipment. Construction began in April 2010 and was completed in May this year.

The key areas of focus of the high-voltage battery project house include:

• The high-voltage (HV) testing area: testing of HV batteries at cell, module and system level
• The battery pilot plant facility: prototyping and small-series production of 
  HV battery systems
• The design and development of own hardware and software for all components
• The development and manufacture of batteries for the Audi R8 e-tron and all Audi A1 e-tron fleet batteries

The name “Audi e-tron” is the Audi brand name for electric mobility. The electric drive and the requisite high-voltage technology constitute an important component of Strategy 2020 for Audi. Audi’s aim is to offer an e-tron model in every segment by then.

[Source: Audi AG]

• Sales chief Schwarzenbauer: “16th record month in a row in the United States”
• Around 125,200 cars delivered worldwide in April, up 14.4 percent
• Strong growth in Germany and France

• Andrea Sonvico and Christian Montanari clinch clean win in Vallelunga Race 1 and podium finish in Race 2; Davide Di Benedetto and Alex Frassineti post Race 1 Top3 finish

2012 Italian Gran Turismo season kick-off had a pretty good load of new things in store for Audi Sport Italia. The drivers’ line-up underwent a major overhaul, as in Vallelunga the lone familiar face was 2011 runner-up Andrea Sonvico. He was splitting his time in the seat of the brand-new R8 LMS ultra with Christian Montanari. The other car was handed over to Davide Di Benedetto and Alex Frassineti. All of them had to make acquaintance with their new weapons on Friday at the Piero Taruffi circuit, as the completion of the cars upgrade had been carried out a few hours before the team trucks headed south to Rome.

On Saturday morning the dearth of valuable track time in the upgraded GT3 car may have somehow hindered the Audi drivers’ pole position chase, but none the less did not scarred the Emilio Radaelli-led troops, which were pretty confident of their possibilities come race time. As it is, if Saturday morning belonged to BMWs, which grabbed both poles, on Saturday afternoon it was up to an R8 LMS ultra pair to have the last laugh.

Sonvico got ahead of poleman Stefano Colombo’s Z4 at the start and was never challenged throughout the 30-lap afternoon race. Whilst Sonvico’s team mate Alex Frassineti and the BMW driver challenged each other for the runner-up spot, Sonvico steadily edged away from the rest of the pack, moreover setting Race 1 fastest lap.

Audi Sport Italia’s latest recruit Montanari, who is standing in for Audi Works driver Dindo Capello, was fired up to make a big impression: he just did so when he resumed the race at the front of the pack. The leading group of three drivers pulled away from the rest of the field as the 30-lap race developed, with the #31 Audi eventually beating the best BMW to the chequered flag by 5.982 seconds. Davide Di Benedetto stepped in for Frassineti in the second half of Race 1 and tried hard to pass Thomas Biagi in the closing laps, but ultimately settled for third, sealing a double Audi Top3 finish. 

BMWs had sweeped Sunday’s grid front row, but as the cars — all on slick Avon tyres — took the start, heavy clouds started to move on. As umbrellas started to sprout across the grandstands, former FIA WTCC driver Alessandro Balzan’s Porsche leapfrogged BMW Italia’s Z4s to lead the first half of the race, with the Bimmers in close attendance. Montanari’s R8 LMS ultra was in P5 snapping at the rear fender of Enrique Bernoldi’s Ferrari 458 Italia and Di Benedetto was toiling in P7 just before the mandatory pit-stop. The latter was to prove a major hindrance for Audi Sport Italia’s duo, as they had to discount the time penalty triggered by the brilliant Saturday results and moreover they were prevented from reaching the pits before their leading rivals by an unfriendly pitstop window.

All drivers then went out on wet tyres and in the closing stages as rain turned into drizzle the fastest cars on this surface proved to be the R8 LMS ultras, which impressively made up ground on the opposition. Sonvico edged the second BMW to grab P3 on Lap 25, whilst Frassineti had a brief tussle with Michela Cerruti Z4 at Roma corner before sneaking back in P4. BMW winning duo Biagi-Colombo took possession of the lead in the Italian GT3 standings, three points ahead of the best placed Audi pair, Montanari-Sonvico. Fellow Audi drivers Di Benedetto-Frassineti are a step behind, 15 points adrift of the lead.

 

CAMPIONATO ITALIANO GRAN TURISMO –

Autodromo Piero Taruffi, May 5 2012. Round 1

1. CHRISTIAN MONTANARI/ANDREA SONVICO (AUDI R8 LMS ultra) 30 giri in 49’54″702 alla media di 147,316 km/h

2. Thomas Biagi/Stefano Colombo (BMW) + 5.982S;

3. DAVIDE DI BENEDETTO/ALEX FRASSINETI (AUDI R8 LMS ultra) + 7’151;

4. Stefano Comandini/Valentino Fornaroli (Ferrari) + 22’292;

5. Alessandro Balzan/Giacomo Barri (Porsche) + 29’583.

 

CAMPIONATO ITALIANO GRAN TURISMO : 

Autodromo Piero Taruffi, May 6 2012. Round 2

1. Thomas Biagi/Stefano Colombo (BMW), 26 laps 51:05.036 average speed 124.747 kph

2. Enrique Bernoldi/Michael Lyons (Ferrari) + 7.457s;

3. CHRISTIAN MONTANARI/ANDREA SONVICO AUDI R8 LMS ultra) + 38.407s;

4. DAVIDE DI BENEDETTO/ALEX FRASSINETI (AUDI R8LMS ultra) + 58.103s;

5. Tommaso Rocca/Davide Romanini (Ferrari) + 1:23.962s.

 

CAMPIONATO ITALIANO GRAN TURISMO 2012

Provisional points standings after 2 rounds:

 

1. Biagi-Colombo 35 total points;

3. MONTANARI-SONVICO 32 pts.;

5. DI BENEDETTO-FRASSINETI 20 pts.;

7. Lyons-Bernoldi 18 pts.;

9. Balzan-Barri 12 pts.

[Source: Audi.it]

• Audi Top Service extended invitation to attend DTM at the Lausitzring
• Artistic gymnast Philipp Boy is turning into a DTM fan
• Audi R8 LMS ultra wins GT3 season opener in Italy

The crowd of 72,000 that had turned out for the DTM at the Lausitzring also included 1,100 Audi mechanics from the Region East.

Audi Top Service: 1,100 mechanics from Audi’s partner operations in the Region East experienced a very special day. To thank the Audi companies for the top service they deliver Audi Germany extended an invitation to a DTM event day at the Lausitzring. Highlight of the activities was an exclusive pit walk just before the race started. A race taxi ride in the Audi R8 LMS was raffled among the guests. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, the two-time DTM Champion Timo Scheider and Ernst Moser, Team Director of Audi Sport Team Phoenix, visited the high-performing mechanics at the Audi Top Service Hospitality.

Success in Italy: Andrea Sonvico and Cristian Montanari in the Audi R8 LMS of Audi Sport Italia were victorious at the Italian GT Championship season opener at Vallelunga. Their team-mates Davide Di Benedetto and Alex Frassinetti celebrated a podium result as well by finishing Saturday’s race in third place. At the second race on Sunday, Sonvico and Montanari clinched another podium result in third place. 
 
DTM fan: Philipp Boy is turning into a real DTM fan. The artistic gymnast and candidate for medals at the Olympic Games in London visited the DTM race at the Lausitzring, just a 50-minute drive from his home in Cottbus, only a week after having attended the Hockenheim DTM season opener.
 
Quick taxi driver: Markus Winkelhock, who will be contesting the Nürburgring 24 Hours on May 19/20 in an Audi R8 LMS ultra for Audi Sport Team Phoenix, drove a race taxi at the Lausitzring for Audi. In addition, the quick driver from Germany’s Swabia region won the second round of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup as a guest entrant on Saturday. 
 
Thieves at work: Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline had an unpleasant surprise during the DTM round at the Lausitzring. All four wheels of an Audi A6 of the team were stolen in front of the team hotel during the night from Friday to Saturday. Autohaus Gera-Nord provided non-bureaucratic assistance by furnishing replacements.
 
Speedy Abt squad: Tire manufacturer Hankook is again rewarding the quickest pit stop in the DTM this year. At the Lausitzring, Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline received the award for the fastest job of servicing Mattias Ekström at Hockenheim. 
 
Fifth debut win: Audi’s youngest sports car generation experienced a brilliant start. The Audi R18 commenced its racing career at the second WEC round at Spa with a 1-2-3-4 victory, thus continuing a tradition. After the R8 (2000), the R10 TDI (2006), the R15 RDI (2009) and the R15 plus (2010), the Audi R18 of the 2012 model year is now the brand’s fifth sports prototype to win its debut race.
 
Future challenge: At Spa-Francorchamps, ten-time Le Mans winner Audi met its future challenger Toyota for the first time. Even though the Audi R18 e-tron quattro was not pitted yet against the rival’s hybrid vehicle in competition the two race cars “met” for the first time on track for a photo shoot on Wednesday. The first comparison between them will take place at the Le Mans test day on June 3 and the first outright competition at the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16 and 17.
 
Much-admired premiere: Audi welcomed around 200 guests at its VIP Lounge for the second round of the WEC at Spa. The VIPs experienced the premiere of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro and the R18 ultra directly above the pits. Audi’s race team received visitors on the weekend as well.Yves Weerts, co-founder of the WRT team, and his team principal, Vincent Vosse, Laurens Vanthoor, the leader of the FIA GT1 World Championship in the Audi R8 LMS ultra, and the former Audi factory driver Vanina Ickx would not miss the premieres either. 
 
Fit for the race weekend: Tom Kristensen arrived at Spa in perfect shape. The Dane had participated in the Stamina12 competition, a twelve-hour bicycle race in Denmark, on the previous weekend. Near Roskilde, the Audi factory driver and his team-mates Thomas Bonne and Morten Laustsen from the Traedtkil.dk team took second place overall among 750 mountain bike riders. Kristensen’s squad supported a campaign of the Danish Cancer Society through its participation.

Full agenda: Loïc Duval has little time to celebrate his victory at the Spa 6 Hours. As early as on Wednesday, the Audi factory driver is flying to Japan to spend two weeks contesting several Formula Nippon races. Afterward, he will return to Europe for the Le Mans 24 Hours pre-test on June 3 and immediately go back to Asia. In Malaysia, he will be competing in the Super GT series on June 9 and 10. On June 16 and 17, the new leader of the WEC standings will contest the Le Mans 24 Hours for Audi. 
 
Historic moments in Monaco: On May 12 and 13, fans of the legendary Auto-Union-race cars are in for a special treat at the Grand Prix Monaco Historique. The six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx in the 1936 Auto Union Type C will be giving the crowd goose bumps with the unique thundering roar of the sixteen-cylinder engine. 
 
Barcelona commitment: The experience of the eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen is in demand in Formula 1 yet again. Next weekend, the Audi factory driver will be assisting the race stewards at the Spanish Grand Prix in the role of driver steward.
 

A word from … Romain Dumas 
 
Together with your team-mates Loïc Duval and Marc Gené you won the Spa 6 Hours in the new Audi R18 ultra. Are you surprised?

That was a surprise indeed. It was clear that the Audi R18 e-tron quattro has an advantage in adverse weather due to all-wheel drive. But at the end of the first race hour we made a bold tire choice. Then we were all the way in front with our lap times and the whole squad did an impeccable job as well. And it was fun working with Loïc and Marc – two new team-mates for me in the past two races. Marc was incredibly strong at the end of his stint, despite the fact that he’d never driven this car in rain.

The suspense rose once more at the end of your stint. Wouldn’t you have had to change tires again?

I made a bold decision and continued to run on one set of tires for a very long time. I didn’t want the rival behind me to have any chance of closing the gap to us. The last 20 laps were definitely not easy.

What did you learn at Spa about the new car?

Today’s vehicle generation is so sophisticated that even small temperature differences can have a major impact. I was very pleased in the race after things hadn’t been looking so good the day before. We’ve still got to more carefully analyze such phenomena because in the next race at Le Mans it’s usually quite warm during the day but then cool at night. That’s why consistency is crucial. With our set-up I managed to take it easy on the tires in the end at Spa. That brought us victory. But at Le Mans the conditions will be altogether different. And there we’ll also be meeting with Toyota for the first time.

Coming up next week
 
May 12 Karlskoga (S), round 1, Swedish GT Championship
May 13 New Jersey (USA), round 4, GRAND-AM

[Source: Audi-Motorsport]