Audi's Le Mans winning R15 plus TDI in detail ...

At Le Mans this June, Audi scored its ninth win in the legendary 24-hour race in just twelve attempts. It was probably the most unlikely of all their wins as the German team looked utterly on the back-foot for much of the race. Their more conservative tactic paid off in the end as the three much faster Peugeots still running on Sunday all retired with a spectacular engine blow-up. This resulted in a one-two-three victory for Audi and its innovative R15 plus TDI. Not only had the Germans swept the podium but also shattered the distance record that had stood since 1971. As its name suggests, the R15 plus was an evolution of the V10 engined R15 that had a troublesome debut season in 2009. Its ingenious but also complicated aerodynamics package had proven too much for even Audi's talented squad to handle. The changes made to create the 'plus' still looked insufficient to get on a level playing field with the very fast Peugeots, which dominated the year before and after Le Mans. Fortunately for Audi, all pieces fell into place when it mattered most. Next year massive rule changes will come into effect, forcing Audi and Peugeot to both build brand new cars. Audi has already revealed the new R18 TDI, which combines some of the R15 plus' aero cues with a fixed-head roof for better efficiency.
In honour of Audi's Ferrari equalling ninth win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we have dedicated our final news feature of the year to the R15 plus TDI. Our detailed technical and season review is illustrated by a colourful 48-shot gallery complete with pictures of the car's engine. With the new rules designed to peg the cars back considerably, the R15 plus is set to remain the fastest to have ever won at Le Mans for a long time to come.

Enjoy the links:

[url="http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4480/Audi-R15-plus-TDI.html"]2010 Audi R15 plus TDI - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]