RE: Chris Harris video: Audi R8 LMS
Thursday 16th January 2014
Thought we'd break ourselves into 2014 gently with a test of the Audi R8 LMS Ultra. There was a quick chance to have a go in a V10 street car on the same day, and the comparison is interesting.
Chris Harris video: Audi R8 LMS
How do the latest GT3 racers really compare to their production equivalents? Chris finds out
For me this is rather like finally getting to snog the really pretty girl from school two years after you left. For years I've seen these R8 racers arrive in my rear view mirror at the 'Ring, now I get to drive one, albeit only on the GP track.
The more I'm exposed to these GT3 cars, the more I think they - and not the insectile prototypes - are the future of sports car racing. They are tangible; they look like real cars. Just very cool interpretations of real cars. If only the balance-of-performance rules were less brutal.
This video is an adjunct to a series of films my /DRIVE colleague J.F Musial has created about Audi, Quattro and its racing heritage. Here's a link to his first - a brief history of Quattro.
Enjoy the film. The big metal tests begin again next week.
Discussion
Totally agree with you about the future of endurance racing, try as I have to try and enjoy Le Mans with diesel, hybrid, electric , LMP1 & 2 I just seem to glaze over and then switch over. They are ugly little f
kers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3.
kers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3. Furyblade_Lee said:
Totally agree with you about the future of endurance racing, try as I have to try and enjoy Le Mans with diesel, hybrid, electric , LMP1 & 2 I just seem to glaze over and then switch over. They are ugly little fkers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3.
Well the FIA GT series is just that, and you can watch it online for free.kers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3. The racings rather good, mix of pros and pro ams.
Although I disagree with your ideas on the future of endurance racing, it just needs streamlining, and hopefully give the LMP some more flexibility with design.
Fantuzzi said:
Furyblade_Lee said:
Totally agree with you about the future of endurance racing, try as I have to try and enjoy Le Mans with diesel, hybrid, electric , LMP1 & 2 I just seem to glaze over and then switch over. They are ugly little fkers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3.
Well the FIA GT series is just that, and you can watch it online for free.kers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3. The racings rather good, mix of pros and pro ams.
Although I disagree with your ideas on the future of endurance racing, it just needs streamlining, and hopefully give the LMP some more flexibility with design.
Furyblade_Lee said:
Fantuzzi said:
Furyblade_Lee said:
Totally agree with you about the future of endurance racing, try as I have to try and enjoy Le Mans with diesel, hybrid, electric , LMP1 & 2 I just seem to glaze over and then switch over. They are ugly little fkers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3.
Well the FIA GT series is just that, and you can watch it online for free.kers. But a field of GT3 cars with the silhouettes of road going sportscars and supercars, burning unleaded, now that's exciting. For me it's simple, if you look at the heydays of touring cars in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, and rallying in the same period, the twisted familiarity of the cars wowed the crowds and swelled the grids. Now it's just generic cars shaped by either NCAP demands or wind tunnels just different colours. If you painted them all plain white, just like F1 cars, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference as they all look the same. GT3 doesn't. And that is why I hope you are right! Make the World Championship GT3. The racings rather good, mix of pros and pro ams.
Although I disagree with your ideas on the future of endurance racing, it just needs streamlining, and hopefully give the LMP some more flexibility with design.
Plus its all on their website, and with 2 races and a qualifying race you can spend a lot of time watching it.
I love GT3 and LMP racing and regularly got to Spa Nurburgring and Le Man's 24hours however my issue with GT3 racing is how much they restrict the cars I think the McLaren MP4c is down by roughly a 100bhp or more the R8 is restricted to 419kw the road version has like 459kw I think? The old GT1 and GT2s were where it's at much faster with more noise, in my opinion LMP 1 racing is the best racing in the world and this looks very exciting with Porsche and Webber coming to the fore plus the new Corvette...
Konan said:
I'm not sure I'm any the wiser about either car. See the difference between the two? How? A few long shots and some engine noise?
Agreed; not enough made of the comparison. Comparative lap times, speed at different points of the circuit, maybe G-forces etc would have been nice, even though it was wet so that the race car could not shine. Too much "this is very nice" without much solid information.I only bother saying this because I am a big fan of Chris Harris videos, and of Audi, and so I had hoped for more!
Bionic Billy Nav said:
I love GT3 and LMP racing and regularly got to Spa Nurburgring and Le Man's 24hours however my issue with GT3 racing is how much they restrict the cars I think the McLaren MP4c is down by roughly a 100bhp or more the R8 is restricted to 419kw the road version has like 459kw I think? The old GT1 and GT2s were where it's at much faster with more noise, in my opinion LMP 1 racing is the best racing in the world and this looks very exciting with Porsche and Webber coming to the fore plus the new Corvette...
Probably not a popular opinion, but I think the balance of performance the FIA impose works very well. It allows multiple manufacturers to field cars which are all competitive, allowing close racing. Once the minimum weight is met, you've got aero and power restrictions to keep the field reasonably even - most of the cars on the grid could be tuned to much more power if unrestricted, especially the turbo cars, but that would give a huge cost disadvantage and push the car prices well out of reach of gentleman drivers.
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