 The
most substantial modification to the 2001 R8 was the revised air
management
of the rear fender/diffuser/radiator inlet area. Note the large
fender
louvers and double set of dive planes. |
 The
fender forms a pontoon connected to the sidepod. Air exiting
the
underbody can travel freely into the radiator intake or down the side
of
the car. |
 Looking
back into the diffuser. |
| Modifications
for the 2004 season were in response to rules changes to the LMP900
class
in light of the regulations for the new LMP1/2 category. At
the rear
of the car is a rear
wing span reduction, from approximately 2000 mm to a maximum
of 1800 mm. This reduction in rear downforce would need to be
rebalanced
by modifications made to the front end of the car. In that
light,
the '04 Audi R8 appeared with a redesign of the trailing edge of the
front
fender. The front diffuser exit dimension is critical to its
function
and moving the trailing edge of the fender rearward would effectively
reduce
the size of the diffuser's exit and therefore rebalance the loss of
downforce
caused by shortening the span of the rear wing. |
2003/2004
ALMS:
|
2004
LMES/Le Mans:
|
|
 The
trailing edge of the new front fender comes much further reward closing
the gap between the fender itself and the leading edge of the radiator
inlet. Note how the fender is slab sided, nearly flush to the
side
of the car, and with a very sharp trailing edge. |
 Looking
forward into the front diffuser, note the bodywork offset created by
the
differing planform shape of the new pontoon fender compared to the old
fender. |
 The
bodywork offset is even more apparent looking down. |
