7:40.748 minutes: a new top speed in the compact segment
Ideal setup: torque splitter, semi-slicks, and RS sport suspension plus
At the wheel: Frank Stippler, Audi Sport racing and development driver
With a time of 7:40.748 minutes, the new Audi RS 3 Sedan is the fastest compact model on the NĂźrburgring Nordschleife. In June, Audi Sport racing and development driver Frank Stippler beat the previous lap record in that class by 4.64 seconds.
Above all, the torque splitter, with its fully variable torque distribution on the rear axle, contributed to the record time â Vorsprung durch Technik.
âIâm proud of the whole team. Everyone worked hard for this day,â said Audi RS 3 Technical Project Leader Marvin Schwätter when the record time appeared on the board. âWhen we started development, we didnât know just how quickly our compact sportscar would really be on the Nordschleife,â he explained. âBut over the course of endurance testing, we determined that we could reach very good times and set a new record.â
Before the record-setting lap, driver Frank Stippler’s team only adjusted the tire pressure in the Pirelli P Zero âTrofeo Râ semi-slicks to the track conditions. âWe donât have unlimited opportunities to try for a record like this,â said Stippler.
âThatâs why a little is always necessary on the day when it matters â particularly with respect to tire pressure, because that also affects how the torque splitter functions. We succeeded. It was a triumphant day all around.â
Vorsprung durch Technik: The setup for the best time
The basis for the record is the interplay of top technologies. For the first time ever, a torque splitter is being used in an Audi model. It distributes torque fully adjustably between the rear wheels â controlled via a multiple disc clutch on each of the drive shafts. During dynamic driving, it increases the drive torque to the outer rear wheel with the higher wheel load.
This means that on right turns, there is more torque on the left rear wheel and the opposite on left turns. The RS 3Â therefore turns into the curve even better and follows the steering angle more precisely. âIn general, the new RS 3Â is much more agile when driving from the middle of the curve to its end and when accelerating out of the curve,â said Frank Stippler.
âFor me, the torque splitter is a quantum leap in terms of agile driving.â That is particularly apparent in combination with the newly developed RS Performance driving mode, which, with its own engine and transmission characteristics, is specially calibrated for the racetrack. There, the torque splitter ensures the most neutral handling possible with little oversteering or understeering in different driving situations. This makes early acceleration possible upon exiting a curve, enabling faster lap times.
The setup is completed by the Pirelli P Zero âTrofeo Râ semi-slick tires, which are now optional ex factory for the first time, the 19 inch ceramic braking system in the front, and the RS sport suspension plus with adaptive damper control. It individually and continuously adjusts each shock absorber to the road conditions, the driving situation, and the mode selected in Audi drive select.
RS Performance mode is equipped with two setups for different racetracks â one is adjusted for comfort on uneven tracks like the Nordschleife, where minimizing vertical excitation while maintaining high lateral dynamics matters, and the other is a sporty setup for even racetracks like the Hockenheimring.
With its ceramic braking system and adaptive suspension, the legendary five cylinder high-performance engine in the RS 3Â delivers a maximum speed of 290 km/h (180.2 mph) â the highest in its segment. The RS 31Â is also the best in its class with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.8 seconds.
Audi staff donate money for flood victims in Rhineland-Palatinate
Audi, together with its shop committee, has issued a call to its employees for donations to help flood victims. Among others, collections will go to affected areas in Rhineland-Palatinate, including around the NĂźrburgring. The company is also going to raise the staffâs donation to a six-figure amount.