# RACING VERSION OF AUDI TT FWD RS



## danda (Mar 10, 2011)

Came across this news article online at Autoblog, dont know how accurate and if its been on here before in this detail.

RACING VERSION OF AUDI TT RS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ORDERING

- New Audi customer sport race car available for 2012
- Nürburgring victory marked successful completion of testing phase
- Production-derived five-cylinder engine makes high mileage possible

Ingolstadt, September 8, 2011 - Alongside the successful R8 LMS, Audi Sport customer racing is now offering another attractive customer sport race car: the racing version of the Audi TT RS can be ordered effective immediately.

The front-wheel drive TT RS powered by an engine with an output of about 279 kW (380 HP) has been developed by quattro GmbH in collaboration with Technical Development of AUDI AG for the SP4T class of the VLN Endurance Championship and extensively tested for about one year. After class victory at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in June, the testing phase culminated in an impressive performance at the 6-hour race on the world's toughest race track at the end of August: the first pole position of a front-wheel drive vehicle in the history of the VLN and overall victory ahead of rivals with higher power ratings.

"In the TT RS Audi is making the next attractive customer sport race car available to interested teams," says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. "In line with the products our customers have come to expect of us, the TT RS is another car that has been designed for a wide range of racing conditions and easy handling. The TT RS perfectly mastered the load at the 24-hour race while being able to prove its exceptionally forgiving handling characteristics at the 6-hour race in the unpredictable conditions of constantly changing weather."

As a production-derived unit the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine is designed for extremely high mileage. Its power drives the front wheels via a sequential six-speed racing transmission. Paddle shifters allow customers to fully concentrate on the action on the race track.

Audi has developed a race car body for the TT RS that is designed for maximum safety and high aerodynamic efficiency. But downforce is not the only thing that helps to put the power on the road. A sophisticated racing suspension with a wide range of adjustment options that are easy to operate assures supreme road-holding and particularly good balance.

Audi Sport customer racing offers the ready-to-race TT RS to its customers at the price of 180,000 euros (net). "For this model we also provide optimal support to our customers," says Werner Frowein, Managing Director of quattro GmbH who is responsible for the customer activities at Audi. "They benefit from our experience with the R8 LMS and the extensive testing program we have completed with the TT RS. Customers can look forward to a reliable, easy-to-drive and affordable high-tech sports car plus the Audi service to which they have become accustomed."


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## TT-REX (Jun 3, 2011)

180.000 euro ? u can buy a ferrari instead,


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## TootRS (Apr 21, 2009)

And only 380hp? Mapped standard cars can push 410-420 easily.

Also. why would they design a "race" version and make it FWD?


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

toot3954 said:


> And only 380hp? Mapped standard cars can push 410-420 easily.


It could be to do with regulations or it could be for fuel economy.



toot3954 said:


> And
> Also. why would they design a "race" version and make it FWD?


Aren't the FWD cars faster round a track than the quattro cars? It could also be regulations.


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

Regulations of the particular racing class that it is eligible for dictate what Audi have specced for this car

If I remember rightly, there are few, if any, 4wd cars allowed in track racing (as opposed to rallying) - it's felt that it provides too much advantage compared to fwd or rwd competitors, even with weight penalties.


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## TootRS (Apr 21, 2009)

wja96 said:


> Aren't the FWD cars faster round a track than the quattro cars? It could also be regulations.


The point I was making was that surely a pure race version would be RWD?


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## danda (Mar 10, 2011)

I believe in the VLN race series the TT has been using for development 4 wheel drive is allowed, the golf gt runs in this format, the article comments did also list all of the first's for this car, as in first FWD to win various catagories etc and an outright race win so possible marketing potential etc


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

A while back someone posted some German magazine test results that showed the FWD 2.0T was faster round a track than the quattro equivalent. That's where I was coming from.


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## Anakin (Apr 19, 2011)

wja96 said:


> A while back someone posted some German magazine test results that showed the FWD 2.0T was faster round a track than the quattro equivalent. That's where I was coming from.


thats fine with a 2.0T with 210PS, I think the front wheels can get the power down fine in the dry. Problem is adding more horses, then the quattro will help you get it down.

My Scirocco R for example struggled with the 270bp and putting the power down, esp in the wet and out of corners. In a straight line and rolling it would beat a TTS but add a standing start and some twisties and it a diffrent matter.
I never got the rocco mapped because I would not have been able to use alot of the extra power...


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

Anakin said:


> wja96 said:
> 
> 
> > A while back someone posted some German magazine test results that showed the FWD 2.0T was faster round a track than the quattro equivalent. That's where I was coming from.
> ...


I wasn't saying that was the definitive reason, but Audi must have had options to run FWD, RWD etc. And they picked FWD. They definitely didn't do it for extra legroom in the back!

The marketing angle also makes no sense as the TTRS isn't FWD, so why not just call it a TT?

I think there has to be a performance reason for it.


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

The other thought that comes to mind is that it's actually the running gear of another, already existing, car rebodied as a TT RS.

I've had a quick look at the regulations and the car is allowed to be quattro, but there are quite tight weight and fuel usage requirements that could be a reason for FWD over quattro.

I'd have raced the diesel myself!


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## danda (Mar 10, 2011)

On the posts about the race series - someone posted

"The reason why it is FWD is simple... this car was designed to race the VLN (northloop endurance race series). On slicks AWD cars have no real advantage over FWD in race trim on the northloop, in fact the drive train loss on the two very long straights on the northloop is a larger handicap (much lower top speed and high speed acceleration) than traction advantage out of tight turns (which are rare at the Ring, most turns are mid and highspeed) 
AWD is allowed and raced in the VLN... for example the 400+ hp Golf 24h GT which raced the 24 this year lacked top speed to really race with the big boys of the SP9 (Fia GT3 cars) 
This TT-RS won not only its class during the 7. 2011 VLN 6hour race it set the quickest qualifying time of all cars including R8 LMS, Corvette, GT-R, hordes of GT3, Aston Martin, SLS GT3 etc. and it won the OVERALL race ...

This car wrote VLN northloop racing history..
first time ever a FWD fastest qualifying time and pole position
first time ever a FWD won overall a VLN race
first time ever a SP4T class car won a VLN race overall"

Dont know enough about the circuit and race series to comment on the above and its accuracy.


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## R5T (Apr 24, 2008)

It has already a overall win under his belt. :wink:


























http://www.vln.de/newsausgabe.gb.php?id=2741


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## pffuchser (May 9, 2011)

What's quoted above (and below) is correct but you should tell some additional facts. I was racing the VLN race on 27th August myself and I know the winning Team quite well (Reader Motorsport). Raeder has been developing the TTRS together with Audi for at least 1,5 years now.
The reason for FWD is quite simple. The TT is a car for customer sport and Audi want's to target a big market. There are not so many racing series were AWD is allowed, so no big potential customer base. The Series which allow for AWD (like the VLN) do restrict it. So the VLN Regulations have a minimum weight for FWD of 1.100kg and 1.200kg for AWD. The disadvantageS of +100kg is quite obvious:
* for accel, deccel and cornering I don't have to mention
* higher fuel consumption means again more weight to carry around
* looses much time refueling, though a larger fuel tank is allowed
* higher risk of potential problems, more complex for the teams

The 2,5L Turbo for VLN SP4T is the first racing TT you can buy from Audi. But also there was a 2,0L Turbo Racing in SP3T also run by Raeder, it was 10th in this VLN race. Also there will be a GT4 model (VLN: SP10) with less Aerodynamics. So Audi sooner or later will offer the TT as a modular system with different engines (also without Turbo), different Aerodynamics and different Gearboxes.

The reason for the Pole Position was luck, the TTRS came through as the last car on Slicks at drying conditions before a big accident happened. The reason for winning the race were very difficult and changing condtions and a little luck again. 7 Minutes before the end of the 6h distance the TTRS was standing in the gravel when it started to rain so heavily with all cars on Slicks that the race was terminated with red flags. So the standings of the last lap before the red flag were the final result and that's why the Raeder TTRS won. Nevertheless this was a glorious victory against roughly 50 top GT3 cars Porsche, SLS, R8 LMS, BMWs with up to 570hp.



danda said:


> On the posts about the race series - someone posted
> 
> "The reason why it is FWD is simple... this car was designed to race the VLN (northloop endurance race series). On slicks AWD cars have no real advantage over FWD in race trim on the northloop, in fact the drive train loss on the two very long straights on the northloop is a larger handicap (much lower top speed and high speed acceleration) than traction advantage out of tight turns (which are rare at the Ring, most turns are mid and highspeed)
> AWD is allowed and raced in the VLN... for example the 400+ hp Golf 24h GT which raced the 24 this year lacked top speed to really race with the big boys of the SP9 (Fia GT3 cars)
> ...


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