<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Back in Germany, the development proved continuous as for the Le Mans pre-qualifying, a third evolution of the R8R was rolled out. The latest version combined most of the Sebring body with the TT-inspired headlights of the original design. Le Mans also saw the debut of the R8C, which resulted in a slight re-shuffle of the driver line-ups. Assigned to pilot the R8R were Alboreto, Rinaldo Capello and Laurent Aiello (#7) and Biela, Pirro and Didier Theys (#8). The 1999 edition would go down as one of the most hotly disputed of all 24 Hours of Le Mans races, with in addition to the four Audis, works teams from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Nissan lining up.
As at Sebring, the new Audis failed to match the rivals on outright pace but as the race progressed the two R8Rs moved up the order. Eventually they finished third and fourth with #8 car claiming the final podium position behind the winning BMW and the second placed Toyota. It was an altogether different story for the R8Cs, which clearly suffered from a lack of development time. Neither car managed to reach the finish and they were not raced again. The impressive results at both Sebring and Le Mans had convinced Audi Sport to continue the development taken with the open R8R. Already focusing on the following season, Audi did not race again in 1999.
Using the lessons learned, the virtually all-new R8 was developed for the 2000 season. Only the tried and trusted drivetrain was carried over from the R8R. The new car took a debut victory at Sebring and would go on to dominate sports car racing for years to come. The R8R was pressed into service for two American Le Mans Series (ALMS) races early in 2000 while the R8s were readied for Le Mans back at base. A third at Silverstone was the best result. Despite having been raced in just four events, the R8R has proven to be a vital element to establish Audi as the endurance racing giant it is now. Highly impressive for a brand new racer, the R8R had a 100% finishing rate, which was also a sign of things to come. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Back in Germany, the development proved continuous as for the Le Mans pre-qualifying, a third evolution of the R8R was rolled out. The latest version combined most of the Sebring body with the TT-inspired headlights of the original design. Le Mans also saw the debut of the R8C, which resulted in a slight re-shuffle of the driver line-ups. Assigned to pilot the R8R were Alboreto, Rinaldo Capello and Laurent Aiello (#7) and Biela, Pirro and Didier Theys (#8). The 1999 edition would go down as one of the most hotly disputed of all 24 Hours of Le Mans races, with in addition to the four Audis, works teams from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Nissan lining up.