What's the news?
The folks at Ingolstadt tend not to rest on their laurels. Hot on the heels of the RS 3 road car reveal, Audi Sport announced its plans to offer a racing version of the performance saloon for the 2017 season and beyond. Dubbed the RS 3 LMS, it will be eligible for the internationally-supported TCR touring car category. TCR rounds support some Formula One races and renowned endurance events such as the Nurburgring 24HR are now including dedicated TCR classes as part of their bill.
As well as its main World Endurance Championship and DTM (Germany's premier touring car series) programmes, Audi Sport already has lots of experience in customer racing support through its R8 LMS model, a highly successful competitor in the cut and thrust world of GT3 racing. It is hoped that the RS 3 LMS will prove as popular, and the pricing is intended to reflect this. The full-house TCR car with six-speed sequential gearbox costs €129,000, whilst a club sport version comes in at €99,000 (both prices plus VAT). Common to both is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI powerplant with an output of 330hp giving a 0-100km/h time 4.5 seconds, and the quasi-DTM racer looks suggest that there will be some meaningful downforce available at speed.
The requisite safety features include a full FIA-compliant safety cell and fuel tank, wraparound seat and NASCAR-style safety nets either side of the driver. There's even a rescue hatch in the roof, similar to the R8 LMS racer. It certainly looks the business, and it would be very cool to see what kind of lap time you could do around Mondello in one...