Tumbo

Article: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

- Great media interest at Sebring’s “Winter Test”
- First public test for the new Diesel sports car
- Three-day test in high temperatures

After the spectacular presentation in Paris in December and a brief appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show at the beginning of January, the Audi R10 is again proving to be a sensation: Since Monday, the new diesel sports car turns its first laps in front of public eyes at the "Winter Test” of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Sebring (Florida). The media interest is correspondingly high: Never before have there been so many journalists, camera teams and photographers attending an American Le Mans Series test. The Audi R10 has even attracted spectators to attend Sebring, the venue for the new Audi sports car’s race debut on 18 March.

The development team of Audi Sport runs two Audi R10 prototypes at Sebring. German Frank Biela and Italian Dindo Capello are driving the two cars. While Biela had completed the roll-out of the R10 in November 2005, Capello was at the steering wheel of the new diesel sports car for the first time on Monday.

On Monday, the two Audi drivers completed a total of 86 laps around the 5.955-kilometre circuit that is especially demanding for machinery due to its bumpy surface and is regarded as an ideal test track for a new race car. Furthermore, the newly developed V12 TDI engine faces its first test in high temperatures: While the previous tests in Europe were run in cool weather conditions, temperatures in Florida are reaching about 30 degrees in the shade.

Curb Zone

 

Carbon

I'm very interested to see how this thing will do this season.

Porsche Guy

The R10 is good but the Porsche RS Spyder looks even better and it's in the prototype 2 class, which is supposed to be slower than the class the R10 runs in, the prototype 1 class. It had the fastest lap of the day. Granted all these cars still are undergoing testing, which means they are only going to get faster, but the Spyder is insane.

"After running only 12 laps, Lucas Luhr's fastest time in the Spyder was 1:49.93 - only 0.1 seconds slower than the fastest qualifier at the 2005 Sebring 12 hours, JJ Lehto in the Audi R8 LMP1."

source: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Alfie

It would be so funny if it won

drronh

I heard from fairly reliable sources that the RS spyder was Don Panoz's idea and he bankrolled it to generate more interest in ALMS.

I don't think the R10 will still be there, but I'm going to Sebring this weekend to drive my GT3. There will also be a car magazine there comparing the new Ford GT to the original GT40. The GT40 is coming form here in Naples. I'll try and get some pics if they allow it.

zetableh

Dang, I'm jealous. I'd love to do some hot lapping in ANY of your cars. Have fun, dude.

*looks outside at the snow and a roommate that keeps dorm room at 45 degrees F*

Enjoy the weather, too.

Audi4Life

haha....sucks to live in the Alfred/hornell region huh???

zetableh

Yeah, it sure does.

Until I get myself a RWD American muscle coupe with some Blizztacs... :-D

Curb Zone