Audi will join the 2017 LeMans Endurance Race but after that, the car maker is reportedly pulling out from the world-renowned racing tournament. The success of the Porsche's sister company on races has lead to its decision to back out.
Audi LMP1 Last Race On 2017
Audi was always a strong competitor on World Endurance Championship (WEC). With the help of LMP1, it helped the racers to win 13 LeMans championships and other endurance-racing titles. This may also mean that after 2017, the LMP1 program will end also.
According to Car and Driver, Audi's pullout from WEC after 2017 is because of the Volkswagen issue regarding the diesel-emission scandals that needed money to be fixed. However, the two car makers are still positive that with the launching of electric vehicles, they will be able to fund themselves for the future.
Officials on the race that are close to Audi's Chairman Rupert Stadler said that the car maker is still set on adding more championship titles up to its last race next year, according to Auto Car. Even if the automaker has decided to drop out in 2018, it is still determined to be the WEC's top contender until the end.
Audi's Improvements For R18 For 2016's 24-Hour LeMans
Audi's success with LMP1 program has given them 13 WEC titles and recognition on other endurance-racing tournaments. The car maker's LMP1 has been awarded Hybrid of the year, according to Road and Track.
"I have to say that Audi really stepped up with the new car to come up with a different strategy on the aero design. We went up in our hybrid systems with 6 megajoules, so now our performance is optimized," said Brazilian professional race car driver Lucas di Grassi.
Di Grassi was referring to an additional horsepower of the engine that can be seen by the performance of the front wheels of Audi R18 e-tron Quattro - a hybrid battery system as the energy storage and aerodynamics that is common with a small-body type of racing car than a sports car.
