5 Ways Audi R8 LMS Race Car Outclasses the Competition

Best Power Units

Everyone loves a V10. The only thing everyone loves more than a V10 is one that has been tuned within an inch of its life to go racing. Producing up to 585 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque, the Blancpain R8 LMS has a 90 degree V10 that displaces 5.2 liters through a 6-speed sequential gearbox that is operated via paddles behind the steering wheel. It’s a serious platform built around a serious engine. Things only get more interesting from here.

Race Weight and Performance Comparison

At approximately 2,700lbs, they aren’t the lightest racing cars on the planet, but their power to weight ratio makes for a tremendously capable package on the race track. Lap times around Silverstone come up in 1:56 to 1:57 during qualifying which is hardly leisure. For comparison, the fastest production car—a Murcielago LP 670-4 SV—will run around 12 seconds per lap slower. It would only take 5 laps to be over 1 minute ahead in the Blancpain R8.

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Gentleman Friendly

According to new reports on the 2019 version of the GT3 class racer, the car has “more consistent” handling that is aimed specifically at gentleman drivers, or as the head of Audi Sport Chris Reinke put it, “particularly beneficial for amateur drivers.” That’s more like it. The point is these are massively fast cars that aren’t difficult to wheel even in the hands of someone who isn’t a pro. For someone who is, this can mean it is easier to clock consistent laps that result in race wins.

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Aero Impact

Aerodynamics on these are stunning from an aesthetic standpoint, but they also serve to chop off valuable time as drivers redline every gear for hours on end. Up front, the cars feature no oversized splitter, but two well-placed canards at each end. The underbody air is smooth and channeled out of a rear diffuser that looks mild and not raked at an absurdly steep angle. Floor height and chassis rake can make or break a race car, so you can expect some of the changes that Reinke was speaking about earlier to come through these aero tweaks.

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Affordable Pricing

Seriously. For a race car, this is actually a bargain, especially when you consider the lap times and reliability of the Audi. $460,000 will get you one of these badass machines to take out whenever your heart desires. If you have an outdated model, it’s only $32,000 to upgrade over all the new go-fast parts for 2019. Think of it this way: if you had the money to buy a La Ferrari, 918, or Pagani, you could get one of these instead, fly all over the world and go racing. So what would you rather do? The answer seems obvious to us. We’ll be keeping an eye on Audi as the 2019 season unfolds.

>>Join the conversation about the R8 LMS right here in the AudiWorld Forum!

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