 The
2002 R8's most radical difference over '01 chassis were the deep rear wing
endplates/fins. The 'fins' skirted around the restrictive ACO endplate
ruling by not actually attaching to the wing end fences, having a minor
1-2 mm gap. Note the wing shape of the horizontal plate that the
endplate mounts to. Since the plate is above the rear wheel centerline,
its section is free. |
 Note
how small the gap really is...the benefits of deep endplates have been
discussed before. |
 This
shot gives a visual idea of how the endplate effects the airflow underneath
the wing. |
 The
R8's rear wing architecture was revised for the 2004 season to comply with
the regulation changes mandated by the ACO for Le Mans and the Le Mans
Endurance Series (the changes did not effect R8s entered in the American
Le Mans Series). The changes stipulated that chassis built prior
to 2004 had to reduce the span of their rear wing to 180 cm (from around
200 cm). The purpose was to bring older cars in line with the
performance of new for '04 prototypes. Audi simply removed approximately
20 cm (10 cm either side) of the wing's span. Instead of moving the
deep endplate inboard (and dealing with further redesign and new-parts
manufacture), Audi decided to maintain the outboard position of the deep
endplates but attached them to the shortened span via carbon extensions. |
A
close up of the box extensions showing the relative simplicity of the idea.
With carbon extensions bridging the gap one could ask when is a wing not
a wing? Though it must be pointed out that the air flow is anything
but parallel at that point of the endplate and therefore one could argue
that the extensions are a drag inducer and not necessarily very efficient
downforce generators. But maybe the R8 has drag to give away?