It's no chicane time at Monza.

Every year, around this time, teams will hire the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza for some special high speed testing ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.



Check out the 2015 AUDI R18 E-TRON Quattro woosh around the Curva Biassono at the end of the main straight.    The chicane is not used and the car turns in flat after accelerating all the way from the apex of Parabolica, the only thing slowing it the scrub of its tires.

Yes, the sound is awful but that's  220 mph +  around a flat corner!

Impressive.

Audi "No Chicane" days at Monza,

Around this time of year, ahead of Le Mans, Audi has gotten into the habit of renting out the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza  for some testing.    To simulate the long straights of la Sarthe, the first chicane is bypassed.  This means the cars get to the the Biasonno/Curva Grande at well over 200 mph.

It's worth noting that current LMP1 cars produce much more aero downforce than Formula 1 cars and it is only their weight and higher center of gravity which prevents them from being faster than their open wheeled cousins, like prototypes used to be back in the 60's and 70s.

In the second video what is possibly a camouflaged 2015 Audi R8 GT3 GT something

Alonso was checking out an Audi R18 E-tron

with engineer Andrea Stella at the FIA awards ceremony in Paris yesterday.

Let's see if that picture he snapped ends up on Twitter or Instagram...

(h.t. andreadebi)

Audi R18 E-Tron At 212 Mph Sounds Like Nothing From This World

Audi was testing in Monza recently, to simulate the Mulsanne straight the chicanes were opened up and for the first time in god knows how long (or since the last high speed test...)  a car has had a flat-out run at the Biasonno turn (you may know it as Curva Grande).

Hard to tell for sure but I don't think they lifted at all making corner entry in the 330/340 kmh range. The turn is not banked, that's just amazing.

Ride in the Audi R18 e-tron at night.

Tom Kristensen, Audi R18 e-tron in third night qualifying for the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Want more? check out a night lap in the Corvette C6 ZR1 after the jump