Audi says it is taking a two to three month break on the LMDh project, but there are doubts as to whether the Le Mans top class project will still come to fruition
What’s going on with Audi’s LMDh project? While Porsche has been testing with the new chassis built by Multimatic for some time and is still due to compete in the new Le Mans top class, the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2023, Audi Sport’s project has been conspicuously quiet of late. And this despite the fact that the car was supposed to have made its test debut in March.
There’s a reason for that, because Audi’s LMDh bolide is not currently being worked on. “We are now taking a break of two or three months on the project”,
In fact, the coronavirus crisis, Brexit and also the war in Ukraine, where many parts are manufactured, are currently causing delays in the car industry, which also affect the production of racing cars. Nevertheless, Porsche has already tested over 2,000 kilometres with its racing car, which, apart from the silhouette, resembles the Audi concept.
Complete halt to project not ruled out
The colleagues of ‘Sportscar365’ write that the Audi project could have been “completely stopped”. This was learned from “numerous industry sources”.
Audi’s LMDh project, in which the engine was developed by Porsche, was in any case somewhat smaller in size than its Volkswagen Group sister – and unlike Porsche, it had not planned to compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but in the WEC and Le Mans from 2023.
Vincent Vosse’s WRT squad had been earmarked as the entry team for the factory commitment, with Rene Rast and Nico Müller confirmed as drivers for the two cars so far. For the two DTM aces, who are already preparing with LMP2 entries and for whom a start in the top prototype class at Le Mans is a major goal, a cancellation of the project would also be bad news.
Plan of all Volkswagen brands with Multimatic wobbles
By the way, Audi’s Formula 1 plans are unlikely to be the reason for the LMDh halt. One possible factor, however, is the cost of the Dakar project, which turned out to be higher than expected. In addition, it looks as if some areas of the vehicle, which presented itself surprisingly strong despite its excess weight, will have to be significantly further developed, which also has an impact on the budget.
Due to the current unclear situation around the Audi LMDh project, the plan for all brands of the Volkswagen Group to use the Multimatic chassis is also wobbling. From today’s point of view it cannot be ruled out that in the end only Porsche will use it.
Audi’s Italian subsidiary Lamborghini has been waiting for clarity on its LMDh plans for some time.
The luxury sports car brand and the Italian manufacturer have a long tradition of technical cooperation. Dallara was also a partner in the development of the Huracan GT3 Evo.
While Lamborghini does not want to enter the race until 2024 and only with customer teams, Bentley is even more cagey. They are interested in principle, but have no concrete plans.
