Audi R8 GT3 EVO 2 Release Notes

Welcome to the Audi R8 GT3 EVO 2 release notes blog. In this page you will find the detailed notes compiled by the team after each session when creating the fast and safe variants of the new CDA3 Audi R8 setups. In addition, a complete list of the driver and engineer combinations for each track is present so customers can see which driver and engineer worked on that circuit when looking for setup trends.

Note, some tracks required more notes and instruction than others. This is determined by how the car behaved in the session or how much scope for change in the setup there was.

To view the notes and team list, see below:

Brands Hatch

• Brands Hatch poses a unique challenge in having various low traction zones and downhill braking zones as well as the requirement for high speed rotation. Hence careful tuning has been done in the rear ride height, rear rebound damping and front bumpstop range.
• The safe setup runs a low ride height with more rear bumpstop range to help with the better traction and stability through sectors 1 and 3. The preload has been increased as well to maintain the required rotation through the high speed corner.
• If you find the car to lack in response or understeers too much through the second sector it’s worth running slightly more negative toe on the front and rear wheels. It’s better not to go more negative than -0.25 for tracks with a lot of camber changes such as Brands.

Misano 

• The Audi works very well in the current update with very soft springs and reasonably soft ARBs. The car typically likes to run either very low or very high diff. 
• However for a track such as Misano having the diff too low can lead to instability into corners. This once again would require low front bumpstop range which would cause actuation on roll, leading to understeer. 
• To avoid this, the car instead runs a medium preload value and high front bumpstop range, along with softer front wheel rates to get the car to pitch sufficiently into the tight corners in sectors 1. This also helps in rotating the car better through the final sector. 
• Dampers have not required a lot of tuning compared to the previous version of the setup since there is no BoP addition for the track and since the suspension didn’t require a huge rework. The bumpstop rates instead have been adjusted for better driveability through the cambered apexes.
• For a safe entry into the corners, consider the toe values on the front and rear being less negative. The car is running more negative toe than usual, particularly on this track due to a lot of direction changes in the first sector. The flat nature of the surface of the track allows for more negative toe without excessive grip loss. 

Nurburgring

• Nurburgring is another track where the balance of the car works in a very small window due to the wide variety of corners it provides. The first sector requires sufficient traction on exits without causing too much understeer in the faster parts of the racetrack. 
• One very useful tool for this is the rear bumpstop rates. Running a low range helps in maintaining a higher rake on the faster sections of the racetrack while a higher bumpstop rate helps with more progressive loading on the rear tyre when exiting slow speed corners. These are the main highlights on the rear suspension. 
• The car runs extremely soft springs and ARBs to ensure maximum stability on the various undulations through sectors 2 and 3. If you require more stability, consider increasing the differential and also going up on the slow/fast rear rebound values by a few clicks. 
• The dampers haven’t been changed for the most part, relative to the 01 variant, however small changes have been done to the rear damping to improve overall rotation and to account for the ARB changes that have been made. 

Paul Ricard

• Paul Ricard offers a unique challenge in setup despite being a relatively flat track. The car needs to have good straight line performance while still having enough downforce and grip to make it through the right hander at the end of the long straight.
• A low wing configuration is used along with very low ride heights to ensure that the car maximises its straight line speed. To counter the inevitable understeer, a low rear bumpstop range is used similar to the other tracks. 
• The safe setup runs a low front bumpstop range to help maintain stability into the high speed right hander and a higher front ride height is also run to prevent any bottoming out through the 3rd sector (the fast setup just about bottoms out in a few points. Nothing serious, but it can snap the steering wheel a bit)
• The dampers have been slightly changed relative to the old setup. The slow dampers are slightly stiffer in the rear to get more rotation in general. The rear bumpstop range is at a good range currently to get rotation on the high speed sections. If you need more rotation try dropping it, only by a few clicks, and stiffening the rear bumpstop rate to ensure you don’t lose too much traction on the slow speed exits. 

Silverstone

• The front toe can be reduced to increase the stability of the front axis
• The key of this car to go fast in this circuit is to be confident with the brakes. The car allows you to brake later than the Mercedes and is where the Audi can have an advantage.
• It is possible to increase the rear height a couple of mm to help the car rotate in the chicane as long as it doesn’t affect the confidence in the fast turns. However, that can be a problem when there is less fuel and the rear rises, so it is not advisable.

Spa Francorchamps 

• The most important thing to keep in mind for Eau Rouge is to keep the steering wheel as straight as possible. Similar to the Mercedes, the differential and dampers have been adjusted to keep the car very stable through the uphill section.
• Both the fast and safe setups have leeway for errors up Eau as optimising a tight line through that section didn’t really show any benefits on other parts of the track. 
• The car is generally quite slippery off throttle in the faster setup, especially through the Bruxelles hairpin and Les Combes, so if you require a bit more stability consider going up on the differential preload or decreasing the front bumpstop range. Reducing the range however will again cause understeer (as explained in the Misano notes. This is why a certain suspension combination is quite commonly seen in a lot of the setups in the 03 update)

Suzuka 

• The rear bumpstop range is low for rotation through 130r. Use the diff to counter this to help with general stability in the longer radius corners and direction changes.
• Overall a soft car to give it mechanical grip on this low grip surface.
• Easy to drive, especially in S1, but you do need to be gentle on throttle or else you destroy tyres.
• If the car rotates too much on throttle through sector 1 feel free to raise the TC so make it a bit more stable.
• Rotation through S1 can be adjusted using the front bumpstop range. Going lower will give the car stability.
• The car behaves very predictably over kerbs and you don’t need to be afraid of using them, such as Degner 1 and the final chicane.

Zandvoort

• The car with the older version of the setup tends to slide quite a lot in all corners, with a general lack of grip in the current update of the sim.
• It once again works much better with a softer setup as seen on many of the other tracks.
• The difference between the Audi and the Merc at Zandvoort is that the Audi still works with much softer ARBs without risking a lack of response. This ensures that the car can maintain grip in some of the more long winding corners of the track.
• One corner which can catch you out under braking is the short braking zone at the top of the hill before the long downhill right hander. Increasing the differential preload can help but it will tend to make the second sector much trickier due to its relatively long off throttled sections. 
• Consider stiffening the front bump and rear rebound damping to get better braking stability overall as these two changes won’t particularly impact the car in other parts of the circuit. 

Zolder

• The Audi much like the Merc requires quite a high front ride height for Zolder and heavy emphasis on tuning the dampers to help with the chicane in sector 2. The car runs quite low rear bumpstop range for the track to help in general rotation through the first sector. 
• Some of the damper values had to be softened to accommodate the suspension changes to prevent overdamping and potential loss of traction through the slower speed corner. 
• The faster race setup tends to be a little more unstable into corners owing to slightly higher front bumpstop range. If you need more stability it is worth dropping the front range a little and instead reducing the differential to get good rotation. 
• The preload however is quite sensitive and needs to be adjusted in small steps. The front bumpstops are running quite soft with very stiff damping which helps in essentially skipping the car over the first chicane without destabilising it on rebound. This may however cause the car to roll and hit the bumpstops more aggressively through fast corners. 
• If you are finding the constant bumpstop actuation uncomfortable and observing understeer as a result, consider increasing the bumpstop range a bit and also stiffening the front bumpstop rate for more progressive roll through the corners.

Barcelona 

• Overheating on the front left is almost impossible to avoid so brake ducts and camber are adjusted as a compromise albeit focused primarily on performance. If ambient temperatures are high, you can increase front ducts and reduce camber (closer to 0) to help but this help can be limited in extreme temperatures and driving smoothly will be the only way to not overheat the tyres.
• R01 was a good base setup and needed limited changes to make the most of the favourable car characteristics and solve any issues.
• If you are struggling with traction you can either raise the tc value or decrease the preload.
• Diff preload can be used as a fine tuning device as well, especially for high speed understeer through T3, T4, T7 (the fast right hander onto the back straight). Increasing the preload to induce more exit understeer in these corners.
• Very sensitive to front bumpstop range changes for corner entry making the car over rotate with high values – keep this low for corner entry stability.
• Audi is pretty good on acceleration, so try to always look for a good corner exit.
• You need to be very gentle on the throttle to minimise the sliding on the exit to keep the tyres alive over a distance.
• Using a higher gear in slow speed corners (minimising wheel spin again), for example in T5 and final chicane, can be very useful for saving tyres over long stints.

Donington Park

• Overall it is advisable to use TC2 everywhere besides the last two hairpins
  • TC1 “1” would be recommended in the last hairpins for ultimate lap time 
• T1: Use second gear + make sure to maximise the pit exit to open up the corner as much as possible
• T2/3 drive the tightest line possible to save lap time by travelling less distance at the same time
• T4: It´s important that you don’t run wide on the exit of the previous corner as you need to bring the car over to the left side in order to get a good entry for T4. The less weight transfer is still going on, while you are bringing the car over to the left, the better. Try to clip the inside curb, especially the green part, which will help you to pull the car around the corner. Be careful to not run wide on the exit, as you´ll face pressure loss by going off-track.
  • If your struggling with a loose rear on entry you can decrease the rear or the stiffness of the rear bumpstop rate
• T6: Stay tight to open up T7
• T7: Use all the space at the insight of the corner. The banking will help you to pass the corner and carry more speed than you actually think is possible
• T8: Use the left curb on entry to open up the corner. Try to cut as much as the car allows you at the apex. The earlier you can floor the car the better
  • In case you have traction issues you can always increase the rear bumpstop range or rear ride height
• T9/10: Maximise all the track at T9 so you can open up the exit of the chicane as much as possible. The goal is to have as less steering angle as possible while driving over the insight sausage at T10
• T11/12 requires a V line. Try to brake into the corner instead of waiting to long before turning in
• If you´re struggling with lift off oversteer in T4/7/8/9 you can try to reduce the rear ride height / rear bumpstop rate. You can also try going down on the front bumpstop range
• Main time loss from RS is the chicane and high speed corners. every other part is on the same pace as the rf setup
  • Reason: RF requires precise driving. If you over do the entry the rear washes out and you lose time. That is why RS has much more stability, especially on the high speed corner entries.

• If you can’t drive with tc1 on “1” in Q you can also drive with tc1 on 2
• As we run max caster it is advisable to reduce the FFB
  • Easiest way is to go down on the FFB-Multiplier 
  •  0,75-0,8 is what I recommend

Laguna Seca

• RF is more tailored to ultimate pace. It is harder to drive because the car rotates more. If you have trouble with oversteer you can always decrease the rear ride height.
• If RF is overall too aggressive for your driving you can pick RS setup, it is less aggressive on corner entry and exit
• Raw pace potential difference between RF and RS is 2-3 tenths
• T1-2: Don’t drop into first gear. You need to stay in second
• T3: Maximise the track on the left side and don’t wait too long before turning in otherwise you won’t make the corner.
• T3/4/6: If you struggle with snap oversteer on corner entry you can reduce the rear ride height to make the car more planted. Another option would be to stiffen the front bumpstop rate or decrease the bumpstop range on the front. Bear in mind this will compromise every other corner.
• T5: Use the banking of the corner to go early on the power
• T7/8: Use your throttle modulation to help the car go over the track bumps.
• T9: Make sure you use the camber of the road and don’t hesitate with the turn in. 
• T10: Don´t brake too hard. Try to introduce the car smoothly into the corner
• T11: Make sure you finish the rotation early enough, as it’s important to floor the car as soon as you hit the apex
• If you struggle with exit grip you can decrease the rear arb or increase the rear bumpstop range
• Give the tyre at least 2 laps until you start to push. As it´s a short track the tyre pressures won´t be already in the first lap in their window. You don’t want to risk a pressure loss that early in your stint.
• As we run max caster it is advisable to reduce the FFB
  • Easiest way is to go down on the FFB-Multiplier, 0,75-0,8 is what I recommend.

Kyalami

• T1: Use a bit of the entry curb to help the car rotate

• T4 it is important to approach it from the widest angle as possible, smooth and not to harsh braking is required to get the car into the corner
  • If you have instability on entry you can reduce the front bumpstop range or stiffen the bumpstop rate on the front
• T5 sunset: try to let the car roll into the corner with minimum braking input. You can go earlier on the power than you think. Stay in 4th gear.
  • If you struggle with a light rear on entry you can decrease the ride height. 
• T7-8: Try to hug the insight curb as much as possible to help the car rotate. It opens up the second part of the chicane nicely. Don´t lift completely during the direction change.
  • If you have trouble with stability you can decrease the rear ride height or the bumpstop range on the front
  • If you want a more stable direction change you can increase the front wheel rate and get back some rotation with more bumpstop range on the front
• T9: Use the curb at the apex for additional rotation
  • If you have traction issues you can try to increase the rear bumpstop range or soften the rear arb
• T11 cheetah: try not to use the start of the inside curb too much as it forces the car to bottom out after the apex.
• Try to never use 1st gear on corner exit. Second gear is always the way to go.
• RS setup offers overall more rear end grip. As a result the car is much more planted. Keep in mind that this variant struggles a bit in the high speed with rotation as the primary goal was to create a safe setup
• As we run max caster it is advisable to reduce the FFB
  • Easiest way is to go down on the FFB-Multiplier, 0,75-0,8 is what I recommend.

Hungaroring

• The Audi, similar to the Mercedes, needs a low rear bumpstop range and ride height at this track due to the unique challenge the circuit provides. This includes off-cambered low traction zones, high speed corners and a bumpy chicane. 
• However the rear bumpstop range is not as low as in the other car, so the bumpstop rate has been increased. This also helps in both mid corner and exit grip in slow speed corners. 
• The diff is run close to the average value you normally use as it provides the perfect balance between off throttle stability and mid corner rotation. The springs are run quite low as well, as this configuration works well for the Audi physics currently. 
• Small changes to the dampers have also been made to accomodate softer ARBs, which are primarily set to work well through the chicane. 

Monza

• A softer rear than front through mechanical grip here gives stability because of running with a low wing.
• Have to find the lines to take the kerbs without losing time, as you can’t just hit the kerbs however you like.
• The car behaviour under braking changes between quali and race. Harder to get the car slowed down whilst running with higher fuel loads. However, higher fuel loads makes the car more predictable over kerbs, particularly at Ascari.
• Wing 1 gives a good balance between top speed and stability without too much compromise with the top speed. Wing 2 generally gives too much understeer and wing 0 makes the car too unstable, especially through Ascari.
• Raising the front ride height is an option to solve instability issues but can add too much understeer.

Imola

• Ride heights are adjusted to suit kerbs. The safer setup reflects this with a higher front ride height than the faster setup, giving a less aggressive approach to corner entries and kerb usage. If kerbs are still an issue then the ride height should be the first thing you can adjust to ensure better kerb riding abilities to suit.
• Car is very sensitive to front bumpstop ranges. If you need to change how the car rotation behaves then adjusting this in small increments can be done without major changes to how it takes the kerbs.
• If the car is too unstable off throttle, especially in direction changes, then increasing the diff preload is a good way to combat this. Can give a more predictable car in direction changes.
• Softer wheels rates work a lot better here than stiffer wheel rates.
• Negative rear toe can influence kerb behaviour, and so running less negative toe than other tracks can be beneficial.
• The chicane can be unpredictable in all cars and getting a good line over the kerbs is key to avoiding track limits and keeping the car settled.

Mount Panorama 

• Most of the setup changes for the Audi have been done to readjust the aero balance to work with the softer wheel rates as observed in other tracks. The car likes to run very low bumpstop ranges on the front and the rear, with the low rear helping in general rotation and the low front range helping in braking stability downhill.
• Stiffer ARBs however are required to ensure that the car still remains agile and doesn’t roll too much so as to avoid understeer through the faster corners up the hill.
• Damper changes have been minimal as they were in a very good working range to begin with. With the wheel rate changes, ride height changes were also needed to be made to prevent the car from bottoming through some of the faster corners.
• The car has a very small working window with the current fast setup since the Audi is very pitch dependent and its aero varies greatly with small changes to the setup. 
• The easiest way to get a bit more stability in the fast setup without affecting the aero too much would be to add a click of preload to the differential, however this can still have a relatively big impact given the narrow nature of Bathurst. 
• Tap just before the downhill sections and keep the steering wheel straight as possible to keep the car stable. 

Snetterton 

• Very tight and twisty track on the infield. Downforce prioritised over straight line speed on the back straight.
• Softer springs for mechanical grip and compliance on the bumps and kerbs at this track. Going too stiff can cause issues.
• Shorter bumpstops used to try and stop power-on understeer
• Avoid T1 exit kerb, some very rough ground just off-kerb, and for exit kerbs in general.
• Qualifying setup designed around a short number of laps, too much oversteer on long stint. Lower rear ride height may help if wanting to do a longer run.

Oulton Park

• Positioning the car through the final corner and over the crest is important to minimise wheelspin and oversteer when applying the throttle.
• Careful with braking inputs, have to be precise even though it’s stable on the rear. The bumps can easily unsettle the car if applying too much brake or over driving.
• The set up is built around the front ride height and wheel rates.
• A high front ride height is needed to help with kerbs such as the first chicane entry. A lot of exit kerbs you generally need to avoid running too wide onto as they can be very bumpy as well exceeding track limits but the car behaves well over the exit kerbs in general such as the exit kerb in the first chicane, but, keeping your steering wheel as straight as possible makes it easier.
• Running quite a soft set here, mechanically. However, the car does react well to stiffer wheelrates but they
• do give the car more understeer. A useful way to make the car more stable both over bumps and in cornering.
• The double right hander in S3 (Druids), you need to brake earlier than you think else the car will slide. For exit, you need to be on throttle earlier in the corner than you think.

Indianapolis

• Overall quite easy to drive here.
• Very sensitive to front bumpstop range changes for corner entry making the car over rotate with high values, into T1 for example.
• Running very soft springs
• Be gentle and patient on the throttle to not over rotate the car, especially in S1 with the long radius corners.
• Ride height is set to a value which makes the car overall neutrally balanced with mechanical grip, so, can fine tune the car with rear toe depending on if the car is too aggressive or not on corner exit.
• Audi is pretty good on acceleration, so try to always look for a good corner exit.
• Because the Audi is naturally a nimble car, it relies on this rotation to be fast. The safe setup could be slower through slow speed sections and direction changes, such as T8-9-10 because of lack of pitch rotation that the aggressive setup has. Trying to get the car through here as fast with the safer set and you will destroy your tyres.
• Trying to use higher gears as usual can also help with sliding on throttle instead of using higher tc
• If you are suffering from off throttle sliding, particularly S1, then a higher preload can help you out.

COTA

• The whole of sector two is all about momentum. Smooth inputs will help keep that up along with being patient on the throttle. 
• If the car feels too much on the edge, a softer anti roll bar on both the front and rear should help solve the instability through the quick direction and elevation changes.
• The rear may feel a bit light under braking, especially T1 where trail braking into the corner is essential. If it is too hard to manage, lowering the front bumpstop range should help. Possibly also moving the brake bias forward however you risk compromising braking performance.
• Use all of the kerbs where allowed to, both entry-mid-exit, while staying clear of the big sausage kerbs. Almost every corner can be cut a little bit, as long as there are two wheels within the white lines.
• Final corner can be taken a couple different ways depending on the context. For example during a qualifying session, when starting the lap we want to take as wide of an approach as possible to maximise exit speed, however when finishing the lap, prioritise entry and carry as much speed into the corner as possible, exit speed is not as important as the timing line comes up very quick down the start/finish straight.

Watkins Glen

• T1: It is crucial to be early on the power and you need to maximise all the track on the exit. Make sure to know exactly where the track limit is
• Bus-stop: Try to not overshoot the entry. It is fundamental that you are already slightly on the power before you reach the first curb. Try to straight line the racing line as much as possible. Take all of the exit curb on the inside (where you leave the bus-stop) to benefit from the banking afterwards.
  • If you need more stability in that section you can decrease the front bumpstop range or decrease the rear ride height.
• T5: Make sure to use the banking to be able to carry more speed through the corner. Use the inside curb the help the car rotate
  • While lifting don´t try to lift completely as you can keep the speed more up by only lifting to ~20%
• T6: Make sure to turn it in slightly earlier so you can benefit from the banking. Use the inside curb to help the car rotate
  • If you´re struggling with a loose rear try to reduce the rear ride height or increase the brake bias.
• T7: Try to brake a bit into the corner to benefit from the corner layout. If the car feels twitchy on corner entry you can soften the rear bump or decrease the rear ride height
  • If you struggle with oversteer on exit you can try to run more bumpstop range on the rear or decrease the rear arb 
• T8: Use the inside curb to help the car rotate and maximise the track at exit
• T9: Try to brake a bit into the corner as you have more grip on the inside. This will allow you to be earlier on the throttle.
• T10: Try to only rotate the car by lifting. Confidence is key here. You are not forced to lift completely to get the car around the corner. Maximise the track on the exit.
• T11: Don’t over-slow the car too much. The layout of the corner allows you to carry more speed into the corner than you think. If you struggle with a light year you can decrease the rear ride height.
  • You can also try to soften rear slow bump / go up on the diff
• RF has overall a more aggressive aero to allow you to gain more time in the high speed sections, which build the bigger part of the track. However this results in a bit of oversteer on exit. This is necessary to get the peak lap time out of the car. 
• If you are a driver who struggles with that you can try the RS setup. It is overall a bit more rear end. As a result you have overall better traction but not the same rotation compared to the RF setup in the high speed corners. Because of that it’s slightly slower.
• As we run max caster it is advisable to reduce the FFB
  • Easiest way is to go down on the FFB-Multiplier, 0,75-0,8 is what I recommend.

Team List

Driver/Engineer Combination	Track
Jakob Ostermann/Nick Deeley	Barcelona
Dennis Schoeniger/Saiduth Ramesh	Hungaroring
Jakob Ostermann/Nick Deeley	Imola
Gregor Schill	Kyalami
Gregor Schill	Laguna Seca
Taariq Adam/Saiduth Ramesh	Misano
Dennis Schoeniger/Nick Deeley	Monza
Jakob Ostermann/Saiduth Ramesh	Mount Panorama
Jakob Ostermann/Saiduth Ramesh	Nurburgring
Jakob Ostermann/Saiduth Ramesh	Paul Ricard
Jakob Ostermann/Saiduth Ramesh	Spa Francorchamps
Jakob Ostermann/Nick Deeley	Suzuka
Dennis Schoeniger/Saiduth Ramesh	Zandvoort
Luka Berk/Saiduth Ramesh	Zolder
Taariq Adam/Saiduth Ramesh	Brands Hatch
Gregor Schill	Donington
Dennis Schoeniger/Nick Deeley	Oulton Park
Luka Berk/Rob Taplin	Snetterton
Luka Berk/Miguel Jimenez	Silverstone
Gregor Schill	Watkins Glen
Jakob Ostermann/Nick Deeley	Indianapolis
Luka Berk/Miguel Jimenez	COTA