The Eurofighter Typhoon is one of the most modern and most impressive fighter jets around. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is an equally modern and impressive endurance prototype, so it was almost inevitable that the two machines and their operators would come up against one another sooner or later. Geri Krähenbühl describes his reaction on entering the Audi R18’s cockpit: “I was a bit shocked by how little you can see out of it – there’s just a tiny slot to look out of, like in a tank. I reckon that must be really demanding in the rain, with the wiper on, reflections and driving at high speed. I also found all the buttons pretty confusing. The clutch and a few other switches are intuitive, even for me, but the rest of the operating logic is extremely unfamiliar to me. In an aircraft, you can operate everything with just one hand position. The main difference as far as I can see is that the aerodynamics of a race car are entirely focused on ensuring it doesn’t take off, while, in flying, we want to get off the ground as quickly as possible.”

André Lotterer also admitted to being a bit lost before the controls of the Eurofighter Typhoon. The aircraft, which can exceed speeds of 2,400 km/h (while the Audi R18 makes do with 340 km/h), fascinated the German racing driver. Because of the incredibly high g force figures of up to 9 g (nine times the pilot’s own weight), pilots wear special so-called anti-g pants to dampen the force. The race suit worn by an endurance driver does not include that kind of technology but is nonetheless highly technical as André Lotterer explains: “It’s made from a fire-retardant material, as is our underwear. It’s also very lightweight and gives us plenty freedom of movement. The aim is for it to restrict us as little as possible, while providing the best possible protection in the unlikely event of a fire breaking out.” 

Find the full report and interviews with André Lotterer and Geri Krähenbühl on the Audi Illustrated website. And of course, this is not the first time that racing drivers and fighter pilots have come together –  the Automobile Club de l'Ouest organised its own Passion Share challenge earlier this year! 

Photo: Audi Illustrated

Want more news? Sign up for free and get exclusive content and videos on myACO!