While the R10's V12 diesel engine may be something of a motorsport revolution, the majority of the chassis is more a product of engineering evolution - with its 'genes' inherited from the extremely successful R8 - but it still boasts innovative details and new design principles.
"The R8 originates from 1999, we've gathered a huge amount of know-how since then," said Wolfgang Appel, head of vehicle technology at Audi Sport. "All this experience found its way into the new R10."
But one of the most significant differences to its predecessor, the R8, is the integration of monocoque and bodywork. The R8 still had a traditional chassis clothed in synthetic bodywork, whereas the majority of the carbon-fibre parts belonging to the R10 monocoque are now suspended directly in the air flow and therefore require no additional fairings.
This leads to a significant weight saving when compared with the R8, which is of particular importance since the dimensions of the 5.5 litre V12 TDI engine mated to the R10 make it longer and heavier than the 3.6 litre V8 power plant fitted to the R8. That's why the new R10 has a significantly longer wheelbase than its predecessor.
The modular design and serviceability known from the R8 was retained, but further refined, in the basic concept. It is not only the rear bodywork section of the R10 that can be removed at the flick of a wrist, the front section, including crash structure, is also removable to ease access to the front suspension for the mechanics. It is possible to change the gearbox and its internals within a short space of time.
The R10's aerodynamic configuration is even more refined than that of the R8. Although the new LM P1 regulations created by the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest) targeted a 15 per cent reduction in overall downforce, the Audi Sport technicians managed to regain the majority of aerodynamic efficiency lost as a result of this through intensive wind tunnel work. The R10 silhouette is five centimetres flatter than its predecessor and has a much more pointed nose.
The "steps" in the front splitter, the larger distance between the track and the side pods and the additional roll-over structure on the passenger side, which clearly distinguishes the R10 from its predecessor when viewed from the front, are stipulated by the regulations.
The bulk of the changes implemented by the rule makers were made to make the powerful sport-prototypes even safer. Included in this catalogue of changes is the use of the HANS-System (Head and Neck Support), familiar in
Formula 1, that protects the driver's spine in the event of an accident.
Although the R10 prototype's carbon-fibre monocoque has more of a waist than that of the R8, the drivers can sit comfortably in the cockpit - a factor not to be underestimated in a 24-hour race like at Le Mans. The servo steering, which is now electric instead of hydraulic, also helps to increase comfort.
