Audi Has Revealed A Badass Racing Version Of The RS3 Saloon

Here’s what a racing version of the Audi RS3 Saloon will look like. The car will be raced in the international TCR racing series from 2017 onwards, although it hasn’t been confirmed what teams will run it.

Named the RS3 LMS, it opens up further opportunities for Audi Sport’s customer base in the racing world.

TCR is a fairly new touring car series, which is seen as a more cost-effective alternative to the World Touring Car Championship.

It races all around the world and there have been a whole host of new, national series using the TCR regulations and taking place under its banner.

The LMS version of the saloon was announced alongside the new Audi RS3 Saloon at the Paris motor show and will make its debut on track next year.

The car looks absolutely bonkers, with a mean bodykit and brilliantly quick performance figures. The RS3 LMS will go from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 150mph - actually a little slower than the road-going RS3 Saloon.

In TCR trim, to meet the series’ regulations, it’ll be powered by a four-cylinder two-litre TFSI engine with 330bhp - so it won’t sound quite as good as the 2.5-litre turbocharged RS3 road car.

Deliveries of the racing machines will begin this December, costing €99,000 Euros (£85,300) plus VAT for the Clubsport version and €129,000 (£111,000) for TCR trim.

It’s exciting news for Audi and widens the German manufacturer’s motorsport portfolio, into a series that they feel has greater potential than GT3.

Chris Reinke, head of Audi Sport customer racing, explained why Audi is entering TCR:

“In 2016, there were ten TCR series with races in 18 countries, and more and more series are being added. With the TCR version of the RS3 we’re also reaching countries where no GT3 races are held.

“The costs for a TCR race car are very low. As a result, we’re going to win new customers for Audi Sport as well. In terms of support and parts supply, they’ll benefit from the experiences we’ve been gathering with the Audi R8 LMS since 2009, which our GT3 customers have come to appreciate.”