Yahoo Autos Audi Will Officially Quit Le Mans and Endurance Racing at Season's End
An incredible era is officially over. After 18 years in prototype endurance racing, Audi announced today it's leaving endurance racing at the end of this season. Instead, the company will refocus its efforts on FIA's upstart electric racing series, Formula E.
Audi's exit from endurance racing was first rumored earlier this month. Given that Audi's endurance racers were all powered by TDI diesel engines, it's safe to assume the team's withdrawal from competition is due to Volkswagen Group's ongoing diesel emissions scandal.
While Audi is pulling out of WEC prototype racing, VW Group's other team, Porsche, will apparently remain in endurance racing for the foreseeable future. As Audi moves toward offering more electric road cars, participation in Formula E provides a natural motorsports tie-in.
"We're going to contest the race for the future on electric power," Audi boss Rupert Stadler said in a statement. "As our production cars are becoming increasingly electric, our motorsport cars, as Audi's technological spearheads, have to even more so."
Audi says it won't pull out of DTM, where it will field a racing version of its new RS3 sedan, though the automaker says it might give up racing in World Rallycross.
Over its 18 years in endurance racing, Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans 13 times, and won numerous championships both in the WEC and the American Le Mans Series. Other than Porsche, Audi remains the most successful sports car racing team of all time.
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