Audi motorsport director Ullrich: “Technology transfer is particularly timely” – Business Week

Sebastian Schaal

Thirteen victories Audi has moved into Le Mans since 1999. In an interview, Motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich as Audi victory number 14 seeks to establish and why the Ingolstadt continued to believe in the diesel.

Last year, Audi did not have the fastest car in Le Mans, with the constancy but you have won anyway. In the first two WEC races you’ve won on their own. What makes Audi 2015 different?
Audi won the race last year not only with consistency. Endurance races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans make high demands on the performance, as well as on reliability. Since 2014, the performance also defined by a factor of efficiency. Especially the aspect of reliability but is underestimated in public perception sometimes. More than once there were competitors who were faster on a lap as Audi, who have not mastered the distance.

Audi has retracted in 16 starts since 1999 until today 13 victories at Le Mans and won a total of 31 podiums. Such quotas are not an accident but the result of hard work. The victories in the first two WEC race in the 2015 season show that we have set the right priorities in the winter. Us is the least fuel-energy set of all manufacturers. With a good overall concept including an efficient drive and a sophisticated aerodynamics, we have demonstrated our capability. At the same time we have high respect for our opponents, because the victories were hard-won.

Personal

• Wolfgang Ullrich

  The graduate engineer heads since 1993, the sports department of Audi. Today he is responsible for the Le Mans and the WEC commitment to DTM appearance of Audi and the customer sport program with the R8 LMS.

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technologies such as direct fuel injection have made it out to Le Mans racing car in the street cars of Audi. If such a transfer in the present regulations still possible or are about the hybrid rules when R18 e-tron quattro to specifically?
technology transfer is now even particularly topical. For 35 years Audi uses motorsport to test technologies for the series – starting with the all-wheel drive quattro to the Audi laser light. Today, it is primarily about efficiency technologies that summarizes Audi under the term ultra. So specifically, the racing regulations might be: The general aim of these rules is exactly the requirements of our product developers. It comes to getting more out of less. One year ago, our race car Audi R18 e-tron quattro has 22 percent less fuel than its predecessor. This year, the consumption will turn out even lower, but we drive faster lap times. It is not only about efficient motor, but the fact that all areas are optimized. And that is also the goal for all automobiles from Audi.

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During the weekend Audi, Porsche and Toyota take the 24-hour race at Le Mans to race. They seek not only a sporting winner -. But also the technology for road cars for tomorrow

In the past year it was said by Audi, the Equivalence of Technology disadvantage the diesel tank in weight and size. Yet you seem to be very competitive with the speed this year. If you have especially touched up on the drive or in other areas such as aerodynamics?
It is for the ACO, the FIA ​​and the WEC anything but easy to classify very different concepts so that a balanced and exciting competition arises. This is exactly what the leaders this year apparently very well have succeeded if you look at even the narrow gaps in the first two WEC races at Silverstone and Spa. We have reviewed the Audi R18 e-tron quattro improved in all areas and has set priorities. The aerodynamics is again more efficient than in the past year and the hybrid system is significantly more powerful. With our tire partner Michelin, we have been working hard to make optimal use of the potential and the reserves of the tire. All of this has paid off.

Is for Audi also a different concept than the V6 diesel hybrid possible?
We have proved in the past that we control other concepts. Between 2000 and 2005 we have won Le Mans five times with the Audi R8 with gasoline engines, including four times since 2001 with the TFSI gasoline direct injection. And also in the diesel era since 2006 we have realized major conceptual differences. We started with a V12 TDI with 5.5 liter displacement, in 2009 came a V10 TDI 2011 then a V6 TDI with 3.7 liters. Meanwhile, we have a V6 TDI with 4 liter displacement and an electrified front axle. We keep up to date on the V6 TDI fixed, because we are convinced that the TDI technology of Audi a particularly efficient form of propulsion is -. In the series and in motor racing