Racing History
Following months of testing, the R8R made its racing debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1999. Run by Joest Racing of Germany, the R8Rs showed some initial difficulties in qualifying, managing to set merely the 11th and 12th fastest times. However, during the race, the cars showed their durability by being able to outlast most of the competitors who had initially outpaced them. Even though the also new BMW V12 LMR suffered some problems, one of their entries was far superior in terms of pace and reliability. Following twelve hours though, R8Rs were successful in taking a podium with a 3rd place finish, while the other team car managed 5th.
Following Sebring, the R8Rs returned to testing, joined by the new R8Cs. At Le Mans testing in May, the R8Rs were able to go up against the bulk of the major manufacturers for the first time. The Audis showed their pace by taking the 8th and 11th fastest lap times over the test, beating competitors such as Mercedes-Benz and Nissan.
For the race itself, the R8Rs would again show their reliability. Although they managed to qualify 9th and 11th, they managed to outlast the bulk of their competitors from Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Panoz, Nissan, and BMW. In the end, the R8Rs managed to come home in a respectable 3rd and 4th places, again scoring a podium. They were beaten by a single BMW yet again, as well as one of the Toyota GT-Ones.
Following the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi had to decide which of the two prototypes they'd continue to work on into 2000. The R8Cs, which failed to finish at Le Mans and showed a lack of pace in comparison to the R8Rs, were scrapped. The R8R would be further evolved into an all-new prototype known simply as the Audi R8, sharing nothing mechanical or stylistic from the R8 except for the engine.
However, although the R8 made its debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2000, the car was returned to Europe by Audi to conduct more testing for that year's Le Mans. This left the older R8R to return to the American Le Mans Series to compete in the next two rounds of the season, at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Silverstone Circuit. At Charlotte, R8R managed to 6th place behind the duo of BMWs and the improved Panoz, although the second R8R suffered mechanical woes and finished well down the order. For Silverstone, the two R8Rs would perform better, again taking a podium finish. Beaten once again by BMW and Panoz, the R8Rs would take 3rd and 4th places. Following Silverstone, the R8Rs were retired permanently as the new R8s would race for the rest of the American Le Mans Series season.
The R8R is estimated to boast around 600 hp (450 kW) from its V8 engine, allowing it to hit 335 km/h (208 mph) in 1999 at Le Mans (the original claims were that the car could go 350 km/h (217 mph)).
Read more about this topic: Audi R8R
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