Autoblog

The thrilling and historic first season for the Audi R10 TDI in the American Le Mans Series has concluded with Audi's two-car team scoring a 1-2 victory, its third of the year, at this season's final race at Laguna Seca. The victory caps an eight-race all-out win streak and mark's the first time an ALMS car has gone undefeated in its debut season. Though Audi did win every race outright this season, the two races occurring in between the 12 Hours of Sebring season opener and 24 Hours of Le Mans were ran by the R10 TDI's predecessor, the R8, that won both. Much credit should be given to the R10 TDI itself, not just for the win at Laguna Seca but for the entire winning season, as its extremely frugal use of fuel (for a 650-horsepower race car) often gave its four drivers a big competitive advantage. The drivers themselves, however, which include Allan McNish / Dindo Capello and Emanuele Pirro / Frank Biela, deserve a good deal of credit, as well, along with their teams. Most races throughout the season were never in the bag for the Audi team, each win being earned through excellent driving, pit management and the confidence that comes from piloting these Audi-engineered racers. Congrats to Audi for the unbeaten season and Capello and McNish for winning the Drivers' Title.

Check out a full gallery of R10 TDI pics at Laguna Seca here.

[Source: ALMS via Fourtitude]

Audi's gonna do it. According to a German report, they're putting a race-derived 6.0-liter V12 TDI in the Q7 SUV for 2008. The street version of the V12 TDI will be the most powerful passenger car diesel in the world, with -- get this -- 500 horsepower and a staggering 720 lb ft of torque on tap. And it doesn't end there. According to the same report, the monster diesel will find its way into the next A8 sedan, due in 2010.

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that the V12 TDI is the engine that led the Audi R10 to American Le Mans Series dominance this year, and powered Audi to overall victory at the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Now, the million-dollar question is this: Will we see this engine here?

We sure hope so. Keep your fingers crossed...

[Source: Stimme.de via German Car Blog]

With their victory at Mosport on Sunday in the #2 Audi R10 TDI, factory drivers Allan McNish and Dindo Capello locked up the LMP1 title for Audi with two races still to go on the schedule. For McNish, this is his second ALMS title and for Capello, his first. The pair guided the #2 car to a hard-fought win over Dyson Racing's pair of Lola-AERs, which finished second and third and were just seconds behind the Audi.

The 2006 ALMS season for Audi saw them open at Sebring with their new R10 TDI racers. After securing the opening round win, the V12 diesel prototypes were spirited away to prepare for the 24 Hours of LeMans. With the R10s out until after LeMans, Audi called upon the legendary R8, which won overall at Houston, finished first in class at Mid-Ohio, and then ended its racing career in style with an overall win at Lime Rock. The R10s returned after Lime Rock, fresh off a win at LeMans, and haven't lost since. Next up on the to-do list is locking up the manufacturer's championship in the final two weeks.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: Audi Motorsport]

Audi's R10 TDI racer is proving itself a worthy successor to the legendary R8 and an outstanding poster cars for diesel technology. The Ingolstadt-based automaker is commemorating the R10 TDI's historical win at Le Mans with a special A6 Le Mans Edition package that includes £2,300 worth of options for only £115.

Based on the S-line version of the A6 3.0 TDI quattro, the Le Mans Edition will feature 19-inch, 7-arm double spoke alloy wheels also seen on the RS4 quattro, as well as metallic or pearl effect paint. The interior benefits from the Luxury Pack option that normally costs £975 and adds Volterra leather upholstery, heated from sports seats, rear acoustic parking and LED interior lighting. Because it's an S-line underneath, the Le Mans Edition also benefits from a sports suspension lowered 30mm, upgraded braking components, and other S-line accoutrement. The car's 3.0-liter V6 TDI produces 229 horsepower and 331 ft-lbs. of torque, good for 6.9-second trips to 62 mph while also achieveing 35.3 mpg (Euro spec).

Only 1,000 right-hand drive examples will be built in both Saloon and Avant body styles, with pricing starting at £34,575 for the sedan and £35,845 for the wagon.

(Audi's full press release can be found after the jump)

[Source: Audi]

The final page of the Audi R8's chapter in motorsports history was written yesterday as an R8 driven by Dindo Capello and Allan McNish took the checkered flag at Lime Rock Park for the last time. The race was not a lock for the Audi LMP1 team, as a pair of persistent Porsche LMP2 cars traded the lead with Capello and McNish multiple times. The R8 lost the lead with an hour to go when it was stopped entering pit lane by officials and forced to go another lap before refueling. McNish regained the lead, however, with 30 minutes to go and never looked back until it crossed the finish line 11.812 seconds ahead of the second place Porsche.

The win gave the R8 its 63rd win in 80 races, including five victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The winning R8 car at Lime Rock was sporting a sticker that read "My other car is a diesel," referring to the pair of R10 TDI prototypes that will replace it in the American Le Mans Series beginning with the next race in Salt Lake City on July 15th.

[Source: Audi]