DMM season is around the corner and I’m super pumped about the driver line up. I was a bit surprised to see the 2006 cars used but the overall A4 hasnt gone under the knife like the new C-Class. By the list below, I guess Luhr etc will be on 2005 cars.
This winter, Audi’s motto was ‘Model Improvement’. While competitor Mercedes-Benz is going to contest the 2007 season with the newly designed third generation of the AMG-Mercedes C-Cass, Audi mainly focused on fine-tuning measures. The Audi A4 DTM Tom Kristensen, Mattias Ekström, Martin Tomczyk and Timo Scheider will race in 2007 was designed on the basis of the 2006 car.
The new version of the DTM racer from Ingolstadt internally bears the project name ‘R13’. The passenger cell conforms to the one of its predecessor, ‘R12’, while a lot of enhancement work was executed in the areas aerodynamics, suspension and engine. Particularly at the front, it needs just one glance to recognise the difference between the latest generation of the Audi A4 DTM that made its roll-out in late February in Spain and the 2006 car. The reason is a new air duct at the front. The new front was adapted to allow a better perfusion of the car. Generally, the Audi Sport engineers spent a lot of time in the in-house wind-tunnel centre to again enhance the A4 DTM’s aerodynamics. “The 2007 A4 DTM generates more downforce while featuring an improved drag coefficient at the same time,” explains Wolfgang Appel, head of Audi Sport’s vehicle technology.
At the same time, the suspension also was subjected to an extensive enhancement programme. One of the measures is the use of a new shock-absorber version. Furthermore, the suspension settings had to be adapted to the new Dunlop tyres. In spite of the extensive measures, the 2007 DTM season is just an interim year for Audi: Audi Sport already is working on the DTM version of the new Audi A4 that is supposed to be used in the 2008 season.
Still, the engine also was enhanced for 2007. The peak performance wasn’t changed, yet, more horsepower and torque is available at all the rpm ranges – mainly thanks to the reduction of the inner friction. At the same time, the centre of gravity could be lowered another time, compared to 2006. Furthermore, the airbox also was modified. “Due to the strict DTM regulations it’s just impossible to make major progress,” underlines Ulrich Baretzky, head of Audi sport’s engine technology. “All the more surprising that you still succeed in finding something year by year, nevertheless.”
- DTM
Technorati Tags: Audi A4, DTM, Tom Kristensen, Mattias Ekström, Martin Tomczyk, Timo Scheider
