Audi has finally taken the covers off of their revised R15, the R15 Plus (or alternatively R15+, depending on whom you read.) I believe the proper name is R15 Plus according to Audi, but regardless we can all see the same thing: it's a bit of an ugly duckling. That's not to say it's entirely unattractive, as it does look quite purposeful and that's always a good thing, and of course all of this is very likely a case of form following function. It's just not all that elegant compared to the classics, like the 956 / 962, or the R8, or the Ferrari 333SP. If this proves to be a step forward for the R15 in terms of competitiveness, this new look will certainly become more attractive with a race win under its belt, especially if said race comes during the month of June.
And to be totally honest: After comparing to the plain old O.G. R15, the R15 Plus would seem to be a substantial step forward on all fronts. I think it's better looking than the older model. Audi really dropped the ball last year, as the R15 lacked in straight-line speed and reliability, and it's clear they have been busy with CFD and in the wind tunnel. Very little remains from the previous design, and although no-one would accuse it of looking slippery, it looks a lot less like a brick, that's for sure. I must admit that I was sort of looking down on Audi for not going all-in and running this car at Sebring, despite the lack of testing, but it's clear that the R15 Plus represents a whole new philosophy in terms of air management, and it is probably more 'Plus' than it is 'R15', if you know what I mean.
Still, one has to wonder what Audi is doing with their full assortment race-rig haulers sitting outside of the Sebring gates, as I type, if only to consider some sort of last-minute blitzkrieg entry into the event? I've been chatting with some others about it and we're all about 50/50 on odds of that happening. Nothing has been said of it or even hinted at by anyone from Audi, so if they do have an ace up their sleeve a mighty good poker face has been put on by all those involved. As someone who is smarter than I in what is typical for testing and what is not says, "they wouldn't have the whole shebang there if they weren't doing something..."
My guess is this: Audi will begin their testing over the next few days and see what the shake-down runs of the R15 Plus yield. If results are not good and the Plus needs work, no problem...they're just doing what they said they would, everything is going according to their publicized plan. If things go better than expected however, (or perhaps, as expected, since a team as experienced as Joest and Audi expect to get it right the first time), Audi will enter at the very last minute, do their best to dominate the event, and completely demoralize Team Peugeot in the process.
Final judgement on the R15 Plus: It looks like more of a winner than the R15 did, let's hope that it is.
Things are getting very interesting in the ALMS as we get closer to opening day...at the very least, Audi has confirmed they will be testing at Sebring immediately before and after the event this Saturday, and you can be sure we'll grab as many pictures as we can if the R15 Plus is spotted out and about this week....maybe even in the 12 hours itself!
_WRS
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