This was the very first opportunity for the media to see behind the very tightly closed doors of Audi Sport’s brand spanking new Neuberg facility, the direct replacement for the redeveloped supermarket in Ingolstadt that has been the home of Audi Sport for the past 34 years!
The LMP and DTM engineering teams are already well established on site with Customer Racing (principally the Audi R8 LMS GT3 operation) due to move in in the middle of this year.
The 47 hectare site accommodates over 400 staff (including over 100 recruited for this facility) includes a track used for Audi Customer Experience activities (expected to be well over 90% of the on-track usage) plus other areas used for road car development (including automated vehicles), skid pans, off road courses etc.
Over 1000 customers have already used the facility since it’s opening late last year and there was a steady flow taking part in skid pan activities throughout our visit utilising a large fleet of current Audi roadgoing cars ranging from the little A1 up to and including the R8.
There are two main buildings , one used principally for Audi Customer Experience activities and events also has a restaurant overlooking the facility’s track that is open to the general public.
In truth though it was the main building that held most interest for DSC, this the home of the engineering teams for the major Audi Sport programmes.
It is a facility on an impressive scale, with reminders absolutely everywhere of the sporting heritage of the brand, the main staircase decorated with decades worth of images of success on track and on stage.
The main meeting area is even more extraordinary with a floor to ceiling trophy cabinet unmatched in motorsport featuring silverware from Touring Cars, Rally, DTM and, of course, sportscars, with an amazing array of Le Mans trophies on display, including, in pride of place, no less than three HUGE trophies commemorating Audi’s three win trebles.
“It’s by no means the whole collection,” said a very proud Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, “in fact it took some time to choose which we would display here! It is though the first time we have had the opportunity to display all of these in the same place. They do look good together don’t they?”
That they do, and other trophies are peppered around the whole facility in offices and workshops – Success breeds success!
The behind closed doors part of the tour came with a strict “No Pictures” policy – Unsurprising when you consider what we were about to see.
First up was the Parts store – but that underplays the scale of the automated 300 sq m cavern already in place here (remember this is, thus far, only servicing the LMP and DTM programmes!)
Immediately obvious were spare monocoques for an LMP1 R18 (the 2015 car is built on a modified 2014 chassis) and an RS5 DTM car.
Next up was the DTM assembly workshop with three of the eight 2015 Audi RS5s in build in the 4 bay facility (we’d see a further two cars later).
Along the wide corridor (wide enough of course for complete or part complete cars to be moved around the facility) was the LMP1 assembly shop, again a four bay space, with a replica of the 2013 Le Mans winner in one corner (the real car was outside in the spectacular line up of Audi’s winning cars)
We’d see the first (#7) 2015 R18 e-tron Quattro later but its #8 sibling was looking close to completion ahead of next week’s FIA WEC Prologue at Paul Ricard.
The test rig chassis occupied bay 2 and number three housed a near bare chassis, presumed to be the third car for Le Mans.
On to the engine development area and there was the rare opportunity to see almost the whole evolution of Audi’s decade and a half Le Mans history.
The 3.6 litre turbo V8 that powered the iconic R8 looks beautifully compact, particularly when viewed alongside the monstrous V12 TDI from the R10 TDI and V10 from the later R15 TDI.
Again by comparison the 3.7 litre turbo V6 from the 2013 R18 looks astoundingly small (now ‘upsized’ of course to 4 litres in 2014 and 2015.
This aspect of the facility is still in the process of the move, with the final staff due to move over from Ingolstadt post Le Mans this year. Engine design and production will still take place in the dedicated site at Neckarsulm though with some testing and development moving gradually to Neuberg in the coming months.
There are four test bays on site, two engine test bays and a single bay each for single and two axle testing respectively – Again these are work in progress but the bays are already being put to good use, though Audi were very careful that the bay we were shown gave away no secrets, with the technician’s screens showing only the most basic of data!
Onto the office spaces for the legion of engineers required to kep the Audi Sport programmes ahead of the game. Allowing for the inevitable clean up for our visit (not a gonk or a poster in sight (but plenty of trophies!) the working environment was superb, quiet, airy, plenty of natural light and open plan (at the team’s request, the staff preferring a collaborative working environment).
Down again to ground level and the preparation bay housed another DTM car, this the playboy liveried RS5 of Adrien Tambay, the car attended to by several Team Abt engineers.
Behind a shuttered door there was the first chance for a close up look at the 2015 R18 e-tron Quattro, Leena Gade in close attendance (though sporting a plastered forearm after a fall on ice left the crack engineer with a cracked wrist!) The R18 was housed in the facilities indoor (and carpeted) pitlane with roller shutters that open and close at remarkably high speed – Spy photographers’ worse enemies!
We’d get the chance for an even closer look later but first it was back up to the welcome area for a chance to chat one to one with the Audi Sport top brass, all in relaxed mood and clearly very, very proud of their new facility.
The final act of the day came with a single lap of the track by a representative of each of Audi Sport’s current motorsport programmes, Loic Duval in the #7 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, Miguel Molina in his DTM bound Audi RS5 DTM, Marcel Fassler in the new Audi R8 LMS GT3 and young Nico Muller in the new for 2015 Audi TT Cup before cars and drivers were lined up for a final photocall.
Impressive stuff Audi Sport!
