DETAILS
Era: Audi Sport Competition Cars
Series: American Le Mans Series (ALMS)
Years: 2006
Team: Audi Sport North America / Champion Racing
Constructor: Audi Sport
Engine: Audi 3.6-liter FSI twin-turbocharged V8
Configuration: Mid-mounted longitudinal
Transmission: 6-speed sequential
Drive: Rear-wheel drive
Fuel: Gasoline
Representative Chassis: 605
Drivers: Allan McNish, Dindo Capello
Debut: ALMS Lone Star Grand Prix (Houston), May 200
Final Race: ALMS New England Grand Prix (Lime Rock Park), July 1, 2006
Victories: 2 Overall
Podiums: 3
OVERVIEW
The 2006 American Le Mans Series specification Audi R8 LMP1 represented the final competitive evolution of one of the most successful endurance racing cars ever built. Although Audi Sport had already introduced the revolutionary diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI at the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring, the outgoing R8 remained in North America to complete a three-race American farewell before retiring from contemporary competition.
Campaigned by Audi Sport North America in partnership with Champion Racing, the car contested the Lone Star Grand Prix in Houston, the Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio and the New England Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Throughout that campaign, Audi fielded chassis 605—the very same car that had won the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans with Tom Kristensen, J.J. Lehto and Marco Werner.
Although increasingly burdened by handicap regulations intended to equalize performance against newer prototypes, the R8 continued to demonstrate the qualities that had defined its remarkable career: exceptional reliability, efficient serviceability and relentless race pace over long distances. Victories at Houston and Lime Rock, together with a class victory at Mid-Ohio, ensured the Audi R8 concluded its competition career exactly as it had spent most of it—winning.
REPRESENTATIVE CHASSIS
Chassis 605
The 2006 ALMS campaign was contested exclusively with chassis 605, making it one of the most historically significant Audi R8s ever constructed.
Already the winner of the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring and the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans, chassis 605 returned to competition following the debut of the Audi R10 TDI to complete the Audi R8’s farewell tour in North America. During those final three races it scored victories at Houston and Lime Rock Park while also recording an LMP1 class victory at Mid-Ohio.
The Lime Rock victory marked both the Audi R8’s 63rd and final overall victory and Audi’s 50th overall win in American Le Mans Series competition.
Following its retirement from competition, chassis 605 remained in Audi of America’s historic collection before later being sold back to Germany. Its current public status has not been formally documented.
COMPETITION HISTORY
| Series / Race | Circuit | Drivers | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALMS Lone Star Grand Prix | Reliant Park Street Circuit, Houston | Allan McNish / Dindo Capello | 1st Overall | First race of the Audi R8 farewell tour |
| ALMS Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Allan McNish / Dindo Capello | 3rd Overall / 1st LMP1 | Overall victory claimed by Penske Porsche RS Spyder |
| ALMS New England Grand Prix | Lime Rock Park | Allan McNish / Dindo Capello | 1st Overall | Final race and final victory for the Audi R8 |
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Chassis: Carbon-fiber monocoque
Bodywork: Carbon-fiber composite
Engine: Audi 3.6-liter FSI twin-turbocharged V8
Displacement: 3,596 cc
Fuel Injection: Audi FSI direct injection
Power: Approximately 610 hp (restricted)
Transmission: 6-speed sequential
Drive: Rear-wheel drive
Weight: Approximately 935 kg (including ALMS handicap regulations)
Brakes: Carbon-carbon discs
Suspension: Double wishbone front and rear with pushrod-operated dampers
Wheels: 18-inch OZ Racing magnesium
Tyres: Michelin
DESIGN
While mechanically unchanged from the specification used during the closing stages of the 2005 season, the 2006 ALMS cars carried one of the most memorable liveries ever applied to the Audi R8.
Finished in a silver and red Audi Sport color scheme inspired by the newly introduced R10 TDI, chassis 605 featured the names of every driver to have won aboard an Audi R8 together with each of the 23 circuits where the model had claimed victory. A final humorous touch appeared on the rear bodywork where a small decal read:
“My other car is a diesel.”
The livery celebrated both the conclusion of the Audi R8 era and the beginning of the Audi R10 TDI program.
SIGNIFICANCE
The 2006 ALMS specification represents the final chapter in the Audi R8 story.
Although its successor had already begun writing its own history, the veteran prototype refused to fade quietly into retirement. Instead, it completed its final three-race campaign with two outright victories and another class win, bringing the Audi R8’s final record to 63 overall victories from just 80 starts.
The representative chassis for this specification, number 605, occupies a unique place within Audi’s competition history. It won the Audi R8’s final 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2005 before returning the following season to score the model’s final competitive victory at Lime Rock Park. Few racing cars have ever closed their careers so emphatically.
RELATED AUDI ARCHIVES
- Audi R8 LMP (2000)
- Audi R10 TDI – ALMS 🇺🇸 (2006)
- New England Grand Prix (2006)
- Lone Star Grand Prix (2006)
- Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio (2006)
- 24 Hours of Le Mans (2005)
- 12 Hours of Sebring (2005)
- Allan McNish
- Dindo Capello
- Tom Kristensen
- Champion Racing
- Audi Sport North America
SOURCE MATERIAL
Primary Sources
- Audi Sport pre-race press releases (Houston, Mid-Ohio, Lime Rock)
- Audi Sport post-race press releases (2006 ALMS season)
- Official American Le Mans Series race results
- Official American Le Mans Series timing and scoring
Additional Sources
- American Le Mans Series season records
- Champion Racing historical materials
- Audi of America historical information
- Audi Tradition research materials (where applicable)
PHOTO GALLERY
