Audi RS5 Turbo DTM
The Audi RS5 Turbo DTM is a "Class One" touring car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG for use in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. The car is an updated version of the previous Audi RS5 DTM that had a naturally aspirated engine. The Audi RS5 Turbo DTM will still be based on the production Audi RS5. The car made its DTM début in the 2019 season under "Class One" regulations and will be used until 2020 season. The RS5 Turbo is the Audi's first-turbo powered DTM car.
_FP1_2.jpg.webp) The Audi RS5 Turbo DTM driven by Nico Müller. | |||||||||
| Category | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (Class One Touring Cars) and Super GT GT500 Class One car | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor |  Audi | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Audi RS5 DTM (NA) | ||||||||
| Successor | Audi R8 GT Pro | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic monocoque with steel tubing roll cage | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbones with Eibach spring and DSSV damper units to front and rear axles, actuated via pushrods | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | As front | ||||||||
| Length | 4,958 mm (195 in) including rear wing | ||||||||
| Width | 1,950 mm (77 in) | ||||||||
| Height | 1,150 mm (45 in) | ||||||||
| Axle track | 1,950 mm (77 in) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,750 mm (108 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | Audi RC8 2.0 TFSI 2.0 L (122 cu in) inline-4 direct-injected with 4-stroke piston Otto cycle inter-cooled with efficiency combustion process and greater emission engine burning, single-turbocharged (supplied by Garrett), front engined, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland DTT-200 6-speed + 1 reverse sequential semi-automatic paddle shift with limited-slip differential | ||||||||
| Battery | Braille B128L Micro-Lite lithium racing battery 12 volts | ||||||||
| Power | 610 + 30 hp (455 + 22 kW) (2019) later 610 + 60 hp (455 + 45 kW) (2020-present)[1] including push-to-pass | ||||||||
| Weight | 986 + 84 kg (2,174 + 185 lb) including driver and fuel (1,070 kg (2,359 lb) of total weight) | ||||||||
| Fuel | DTM-mandated Aral Ultimate unleaded 102 RON racing gasoline | ||||||||
| Lubricants | Castrol EDGE SUPERCAR (Abt Sportsline, Team Phoenix and Team Rosberg) and Total Quartz (Team WRT) | ||||||||
| Brakes | AP Racing carbon brake discs with 6-piston calipers and pads | ||||||||
| Tyres | Hankook Ventus ATS (2019-present) wheels | ||||||||
| Clutch | ZF 4-plate carbon fibre reinforced plastic clutch | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Abt Sportsline Phoenix Racing Team Rosberg.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Team WRT[2] (DBA  Audi Japan Team Hitotsuyama for Super GT × DTM Dream Race at Fuji Speedway only) | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |  Robin Frijns Nico Müller Loïc Duval Mike Rockenfeller Jamie Green René Rast Jonathan Aberdein Pietro Fittipaldi Andrea Dovizioso Harrison Newey Fabio Scherer Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg Benoît Tréluyer | ||||||||
| Debut | 2019 DTM Hockenheim round | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 2 (2019 and 2020) | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 2 (2019 and 2020) | ||||||||
With a total of 12 wins, 12 pole positions, 18 podium finishes and a total record of 1,132 manufacturer's championship points in 2019, the RS5 Turbo DTM is statistically the fourth most dominant DTM car in the history of the sport with a win percentage of 66.67% against the sport's most dominant car, the 2003 Mercedes CLK DTM with a record of 90%. The car brought Audi's first year of domination of the sport in a history in 2019.
At the end of the 2020 season, Audi Sport will leave the DTM after 31 years of participation (with an exception of 1993-1996) as they will be focusing to Formula E; this will be the last Audi vehicle in the DTM to date.
Design
Chassis
Audi carried over the RS5 DTM car to undergo a major development for the Class One project which will be used for the 2019 season and beyond and rebrand it as Audi RS5 Turbo DTM. The aerodynamic packages of the RS5 Turbo DTM also has significant change including front splitter length cut to 90 millimetres, radiator grill revamp, rear wing width increased to 520 millimetres and also DRS improvement to make cars aggressive for overtaking compared to the Audi RS5 DTM naturally-aspirated. The car made its first shakedown at Circuito do Estoril on 8 November 2018.
The design also features the newly-firewall interior cockpit protection to deflect debris away from a driver's head in the event of an accident.
Engine
The RS5 Turbo DTM features a brand-new RC8 2.0 TFSI engine package built specifically for the car. The aging Audi 4.0 L (244 cu in) V8 naturally-aspirated engine—which had been used since the inaugural season of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters— was replaced by a 2.0 L (122 cu in) inline-4 turbocharged direct-injected RC8 engine developed by Audi based on the Audi 2.0 R4 16v TSI/TFSI (EA888). During the car's shakedown and preliminary testing phase at the Circuito do Estoril, drivers noted that the change from natural aspiration to a turbocharger meant that the RS5 Turbo DTM required a different driving style to its predecessor, the Audi RS5 DTM NA, as the turbocharger produced more torque and thus required the driver to exercise greater control over the throttle. The Audi RC8 TFSI I-4 turbo engine will also feature the push-to-pass for overtaking manoeuvre improvement.
Début
The first shakedown of Audi RS5 Turbo DTM was carried by Nico Müller, René Rast and Mike Rockenfeller on 12-15 November 2018 at Circuito do Estoril. Nico Müller commented “The new DTM car has terrific muscle and momentum, the turbo engine has awesome thrust".
The RS5 Turbo DTM made its official test début at EuroSpeedway Lausitz on 14 April 2019 and will make its race début at Hockenheimring on 3 May 2019 and thus René Rast won the 2nd leg of 1st Hockenheimring round.
References
- Haidinger, Sven (26 December 2019). "DTM-Hersteller einig: Push-to-pass 2020 doppelt so stark, mehr Freiheit bei DRS". motorsport-total.com (in German). Motorsport Total GmbH. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- "WRT becomes Audi customer team in the DTM". DTM.com. 12 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
