Video: Tom Kristensen, Leena Gade and Allan McNish at AUTOSPORT International 2012

From recapping last year's ILMC season, to hinting at what to expect from Audi in the 2012 WEC, Audi Sport's Tom Kristensen, Leena Gade and Allan McNish were on hand for some Q&A at last week's AUTOSPORT International in Birmingham, England. In addition to speaking of Audi Sport's team engagements, Kristensen, Gade and McNish also spoke briefly of 2011's personal achievements and extracurricular activities; such as McNish's Sport quattro drive and Kristensen's white-knuckle AC Cobra Daytona coupe run at Goodwood. Overall, a must-watch for the Audi Motorsport fan.



AUTOSPORT also got some one-on-one time with Allan McNish, which we've included below.



Source: AUTOSPORT (YouTube)

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Third place finish for Audi at ILMC finale in China

Audi managed a third place finish at the 6-hour race in Zhuhai, China, wrapping-up the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) season. In a somewhat disappointing result, Audi R18 TDI drivers Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler would reach the last step of the podium behind the first and second place Peugeots; with teammates Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen unfortunately forced to retire due to a collision (that was not their fault) earlier in the race. In brighter news though, the Audi R8 LMS did post a one-two victory at Zhuhai in the GTC series. Full report and more photos after the jump.

Ingolstadt/Zhuhai, November 13, 2011 – At the end of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) Audi Sport Team Joest achieved another podium result with the Le Mans winning Audi R18 TDI at the season finale in China. Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler finished the 6-hour race at Zhuhai in third place. Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen in the "sister car” were forced to retire due to a collision in which they were not at fault.

As was often the case this year, Audi Sport Team Joest was lacking the necessary bit of luck at Zhuhai after both Audi R18 TDI cars had been setting the pace at the beginning of the race. As early as on lap one Allan McNish and Timo Bernhard managed to pass one of the two Peugeots and to take over positions two and three. On lap 18 both Audi drivers also overtook the Peugeot of Sébastien Bourdais which had been leading up to that point.

The Audi squad was not able to enjoy the one-two lead for very long though: Allan McNish lost a lap early on when during the first refueling stop the rear bodywork of the Audi R18 TDI had to be exchanged as a result of contact with a GT car in which he had not been at fault. More serious consequences were caused by the mistake of a rival in the LMP1 class who made a braking mistake in front of Turn 1 and slid into the rear of the Audi that was running in front of him causing a cable harness to be severed. The resulting short circuit caused irreparable damage to the onboard electronics of the R18 TDI. Following several unscheduled pit stops Audi Sport Team Joest took the car out of the race after three hours and 46 minutes.

Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler were running at the front of the field for a long time. However, toward the race’s midpoint the Audi R18 TDI designated as car number "1” lost too much time since the tires started degrading much more heavily than expected during the second stint. While trying to overtake the leading Peugeot and to recover the lap that way, Marcel Fässler went into a spectacular spin in the fast finish turn shortly before the end of the race. The Le Mans winner managed to regain control of the R18 TDI without touching the track barrier and thus secured third place. After Imola and Silverstone, this marked the third joint podium result in the ILMC for Bernhard and Fässler.

One-two victory for the Audi R8 LMS in the GTC class

In the GTC class Audi recorded a one-two success at Zhuhai: Audi Sport customer racing China celebrated a commanding victory on its first appearance with the Audi R8 LMS. DTM racer Edoardo Mortara on his GT debut won together with the Hong Kong Chinese Darrel O’Young and the Swiss Alexandre Imperatori. Second place went to the Audi R8 LMS fielded by Audi race experience. The Audi GT3 customer sports car will make another appearance next weekend in China at the GT race in neighboring Macau.


Quotes after the race:

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "In the first two hours we were absolutely part of the action at the front. Unfortunately, though, we weren’t able to convert the good speed we had into victory at the finale – and that’s no doubt disappointing for everyone in the team. With car number ‘1’ we lost a lot of time at the end of the second double-stint which we weren’t able to recover although afterward we again drove the times of the two leading Peugeot cars pretty consistently. That’s why in the end it was no longer possible to attack. Car number ‘2’ became entangled in a rear-end collision in which it was not at fault and, as a consequence, developed an electrical problem which we weren’t able to repair. That was of course disappointing.”

Timo Bernhard (Audi R18 TDI #1): "The pace definitely existed today – as had actually been the case at all the previous races. It’s a shame because on the first stint we took the lead and after the second one we were leading for about ten seconds. Unfortunately, in the second part of Marcel’s double-stint we had to note that the tires had heavily degraded. Exactly the time we lost at that point was the time we were lacking in the end. We weren’t able to make up for that any more as the competitiveness in the ILMC is too high to be able do so. I do think though that Marcel (Fässler) and I did a good job today. The pace was good, we always managed to get through the field in a nice, clean drive.”

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 TDI #1): "Basically speaking, this wasn’t my weekend, unfortunately, because I was struggling a bit here. The race had started well and Timo (Bernhard) did a good job. We were really competitive. Unfortunately, the performance of the tires dropped severely during my double-stint. On the last ten laps on this tire we simply lost too much time. That’s a shame because we’re not happy with third place, even though that was obviously the maximum we could achieve today.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 TDI #2): "A frustrating end for our ‘yellow’ car. Until today it’s been a perfect weekend. The tests in wet and dry conditions, the qualifying session – everything went according to plan or even better. From the start, Allan (McNish) and Timo (Bernhard) were running really fast. But when Allan was hit in the rear by the Rebellion car, the impact apparently caused a short circuit. We had to change the battery several times but that didn’t eliminate the problem. That was a shame because we were definitely quick enough to be able to win the race – and that was clearly our goal. It’s been a character-building year.”

Allan McNish (Audi R18 TDI #2): "I think everyone in the team did an outstanding job. That’s why it’s so disappointing that we had to give up with our Audi R18 TDI. We had a really good pace, Tom (Kristensen) and I were both really pleased with the set-up. In addition, Tom drove a fantastic qualifying session. So we started into the race with a lot of self-confidence and a good feeling and immediately put pressure on our rivals from Peugeot and took the lead. Unfortunately, a GT car touched me as early as on the first stint, which meant we had to change the tail due to the regulations. But the real problem happened when I was hit in the rear by a prototype. That damaged the wiring and caused a short circuit in the car which couldn’t be repaired. I’m a little sad because I was confident that we’d be able to clinch victory here – and I wasn’t the only one in the team who had that opinion. In the future, Audi Sport will come back stronger than before, this much is sure.”

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "The season finale of the ILMC was like the previous races of the season: It started really well and in the beginning we had the impression that we were quicker than our competitors. That changed after about two hours though. At the end of the second stint we lost a lot of time but our strategy had paid off up to that point. The Peugeot cars though apparently benefited from the increasing amount of pickup on the track. In these conditions they weren’t struggling quite as much with degrading tires as we were. For car number ‘2’ the race here at Zhuhai was a mirror image of the season as well. Allan (McNish) didn’t even notice the damage to the rear of his car after contact with the GT vehicle and in the second incident with the LMP vehicle he wasn’t able to do anything either. Afterward the race was over for Allan and Tom (Kristensen) due to a resulting electrical problem. I want to thank the team a lot for having shown outstanding morale here. All we can do now is look toward the future with optimism.”

Results:
1 Bourdais/Davidson (Peugeot) 249 laps in 6h 01m 24.879s
2 Montagny/Sarrazin (Peugeot) + 38.651s
3 Bernhard/Fässler (Audi R18 TDI) - 1 lap
4 Jani/Prost (Lola-Toyota) - 7 laps
5 Nicolet/Premat/Pla (Oak-Pescarolo-Judd) - 9 laps
6 Meyrick/Mücke/Primat (Lola-Aston Martin) - 10 laps
7 Lahaye/Moreau/Ragues (Oak-Pescarolo-Judd) - 11 laps
8 Mailleux/Ordonez/Vernay (Oreca-Nissan) - 21 laps
9 Farfus/Müller (BMW) - 28 laps
10 Priaulx/Alzen (BMW) - 29 laps
...
18 Mortara/O’Young/Imperatori (Audi R8 LMS) - 39 laps (1 GTC)
19 Lee/Gruber/Tak Mak (Audi R8 LMS) - 46 Rd (2 GTC)


Source: Audi Motorsport

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Disappointing race for Audi at 2011 Petit Le Mans

Saturday's running of the 2011 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta was a disappointing one for Audi, to say the least. A string of problems would plague both the #1 and #2 R18 TDIs throughout the race, most of which at no fault of their drivers. From a range of issues stemming from several minor collisions for the #2, to a very controversial race-ending accident involving the #1, ultimately, neither Audi would cross would the finish line by race end. Full report and photos after the jump.

Ingolstadt/Road Atlanta, October 1, 2011 – The 1,000-mile "Petit Le Mans” race at Road Atlanta (U.S. state of Georgia) was extremely disappointing for Audi. In the battle for the lead Romain Dumas in the Audi R18 TDI #1 on lap 297 became faultlessly entangled in an accident that forced him to retire. After several collisions, Audi Sport Team Joest took the second Audi R18 TDI out of the race early for safety reasons.

For seven hours the Audi fans had reason to hope for the brand with the four rings clinching victory at the prestigious US endurance classic. Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Marcel Fässler in the Audi R18 TDI designated as car number "1” fought some thrilling battles with the competition. It took Marcel Fässler only eight laps to bump the Peugeot that had started from the pole position from position one for the first time.

Although the Audi trio acted very cautiously in the extremely heavy traffic on the about 4.088-kilometer track and avoided body contact the three Audi drivers were able to achieve an advantage of a full lap over their immediate rivals some of the time. This advantage was destroyed when debris from another car lying on the track clogged one of the radiator ducts of the R18 TDI, which required an unscheduled pit stop. A 20-second stop-and-go penalty cost additional time.

Bernhard/Dumas/Fässler consistently stayed on the leading lap nevertheless and managed to close the gap to the leading Peugeot again with fast lap times. At the end of the seventh hour Romain Dumas launched a first attack against Franck Montagny during which there was some slight body contact in the chicane before the start and finish and the Audi driver lost five seconds. Only a few laps later Dumas caught up with the Peugeot again. When the Peugeot touched a GT vehicle Dumas at the start of the parallel straight was able to move alongside Montagny but was squeezed out by the Peugeot driver in the acceleration phase. While trying to avoid a collision with the Peugeot, Dumas brushed a GT vehicle and heavily hit the wall. That put a disappointing end to the race of the number "1” Audi R18 TDI which had been outstanding up to that point.

The sister car – number "2” – lost all chances of victory as early as in the starting phase. Tom Kristensen had two incidents of body contact with slower cars right at the beginning. The first one led to a puncture and a damaged hood. Later on, Allan McNish was hit in the rear by a GT vehicle. In addition to suspension and body parts, the clutch had to be exchanged which caused car number "2” to lose over an hour and drop back to a hopeless position. Because the various body contacts had also caused problems with the steering, Audi Sport Team Joest decided to take the car driven by Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish out of the race after 302 laps for safety reasons.


Quotes after the race:

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "I’m very disappointed. We were battling for victory for seven hours and were leading several times. Our best car and the best Peugeot were always just separated by a few seconds. Unfortunately, Romain Dumas was barged off by the leading Peugeot while he was trying to overtake it. This resulted in contact with a GT vehicle that had to be lapped and an accident leading to retirement. This was an extreme shame because we had the performance to win this race. I think it wasn’t necessary to fend off Romain’s attack in such a brutal way – that’s not the way to act in endurance racing, especially at such high speeds. The second car became entangled in several minor collisions early on and was out of contention for victory after a longer repair despite driving the times of the front runners. We congratulate Peugeot on their victory and the ILMC title. Nevertheless, there is an aftertaste today which is not so pleasant.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R18 TDI #2): "Audi has generally delivered a strong performance yet again. We showed that we’ve got a fast car. But unpredictable incidents prevented us from reaping the fruits of our labor. As far as our car is concerned, we had a few collisions today that could have been avoided by the drivers of slower cars. That cost us our race early on. After a long repair I did a triple stint which in my opinion was a good comeback after the race at Le Mans. In that respect I’m satisfied by the disappointment for the whole team naturally outweighs things. Our ‘sister car’ had the chance to win the race. It’s a shame for Timo (Bernhard), Romain (Dumas) and Marcel (Fässler) who would have deserved better than this.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 TDI #2): "I’m extremely disappointed. I feel particularly sorry for everyone in the Audi team who worked incredibly hard. We had several incidents with our car right in the beginning, which caused us to lose some ground. The clutch change hit us particularly hard. The mechanics did a great job in that case too that went unrewarded. I think it must have been fantastic watching these races – at least over longer stretches. But some of the incidents were a bit much from my perspective. We need to think about what can be improved in this respect in the future.”

Allan McNish (Audi R18 TDI #2): "There were many cars on track here and we knew that the traffic would cause problems. Tom (Kristensen) had slight body contact very early on which caused us to lose some ground. We had recovered pretty well when I overtook some GT cars and an LMP cut me a bit. I braked and was hit in the rear by one of the GT cars. I spun and the car was pretty heavily damaged. On the way to the pits the clutch broke too. We were ultimately forced to retire because after all these hits which the poor car had to take in this race we had problems with the steering. It was a bit disappointing for Tom (Kristensen), Dindo (Capello) and me. We had the feeling that we had a well-balanced car that we could have been in contention for victory with.”

Timo Bernhard (Audi R18 TDI #1): "I think that the whole team around car number ‘1’ did an exceptionally good job today. This particularly applies to the pit crew but also to us drivers – Romain (Dumas), Marcel (Fässer) and me. We didn’t make any mistakes, constantly stayed on the same lap with the race leader despite a stop-and-go penalty and were always within a striking distance to victory. The end unfortunately came very abruptly. We didn’t deserve that because we fought hard and always stayed fair in the process. We had a good rhythm and found the right, calculated risk. Unfortunately, Franck Montagny overdid it and barged off Romain (Dumas) who hit a slower car in the process. That was unfair. I’m very disappointed about Montagny.”

Romain Dumas (Audi R18 TDI #1): "Right from the start we had a well-balanced car. We knew that we had to avoid accidents despite the heavy traffic. That worked out well. All three of us did good stints although we drove cautiously. I caught the leading Peugeot and tried overtaking it for the first time. Even then we already had slight contact. The second time he had previously had contact with a GT Porsche and lost some speed. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Franck Montagny knew that I was going to pass him and deliberately drove on my line. Maybe I was too nice because I steered to the left in order to avoid a collision and hit the slower Porsche in the process. A very stupid maneuver on Montagny’s part.”

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 TDI #1): "I had a good start but had to let Sébastien Bourdais in the Peugeot pass. But afterward the car was so good that I was able to catch up with and even overtake him. All in all, we had a very competitive car that not only worked well for me but also for Timo (Bernhard) and Romain (Dumas). Even after minor problems we were always able to make up ground again. I think the whole team and also we, the drivers, did everything right in that respect. The maneuvers by Franck Montagny were clearly not fair. It’s not right to squeeze others out and you could see the result. That’s a shame because the spectators would have deserved a good finale. And we would have deserved staying in contention for victory all the way up to the end.”

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "That was no doubt one of the most disappointing races I’ve ever experienced. The number ‘2’ car was kind of getting in its own way a bit today and became entangled in collisions. That led to long repairs and the battle for front positions was over early on. Afterward we used it as the car to test the tires for car number ‘1’. They were always running at the front and battling for the lead, and also leading the race some of the time. Right at the time when Romain (Dumas) was about to recapture the lead, Franck Montagny in the Peugeot defended himself with a – in my opinion – questionable maneuver. That ended in the wall for Romain. After that we pulled number ‘2’ out of the race for safety reasons after the telemetry showed us that there were problems with the steering. It’s a shame because we clearly had the pace for winning today.”

Source: Audi Motorsport

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Second place finish for Audi R18 TDI at Silverstone

An unfortunate set of events unfolded for Audi on Sunday, resulting in a second place finish at the 6 Hours of Silverstone. Contesting two R18 TDIs, Audi Sport kicked off the race impressively as Allan McNish in the #2 quickly took the lead from Peugeot just eight laps in. Contact with a GT-class car though would ultimately knock the #2 the back of the field, placing all hope on the #1 driven by Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler. A broken taillight would cost the #1 team valuable time on pit road however, ultimately leading to a second place finish behind Peugeot. Full report after the jump.

Ingolstadt/Silverstone, September 11, 2011 – The 6-hour race at Silverstone (Great Britain) in which the two Audi R18 TDI cars of Audi Sport Team Joest on positions two and seven were beaten below their performance potential was perfect advertising for the new FIA World Endurance Championship to be launched in 2012.

From the first lap on the spectators at the fifth round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) witnessed fascinating duels between the diesel sports cars from Audi and Peugeot. It took Allan McNish in the Audi R18 TDI designated as car number "2” only eight laps to grab the lead from the Peugeot driven by Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais who had started from the pole position. In the "sister car” Timo Bernhard was putting pressure on Franck Montagny in the second Peugeot before the Frenchman touched another vehicle and spun off the track.

Afterwards Allan McNish and Sébastien Bourdais at the front of the field overtook each other several times. Shortly before the end of the first hour the number "2” car lost any chance for victory when the Audi driver was hit by a GT vehicle. Replacing the front left suspension cost six laps and caused the R18 TDI #2 to drop to the rear of the field. Although the steering wheel was no longer perfectly straight after the repair Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen in the end managed to recover to position seven. That the opponent in the accident had to sit a longer stop-and-go penalty was only little consolation to the two.

All the hopes of Audi Sport Team Joest then rested on Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler in the #1 Audi R18 TDI that was fighting a thrilling duel for the lead with the second Peugeot.

A particularly impressive performance was delivered by Marcel Fässler, who in the third hour made up a gap of over 30 seconds to Simon Pagenaud in the Peugeot, overtook the Frenchman and moved to the front of the field.

After the driver change Timo Bernhard defended the lead despite the fact that the rear of the Audi R18 TDI had previously been damaged during slight body contact between Fässler and a slower prototype resulting in a loss of downforce on the rear axle.

More serious though was the fact that in the incident the right taillight of the R18 TDI had come off. The regulations required Audi Sport Team Joest to change the rear bodywork of the car at the next pit stop. Although this was done in record time the time loss of more than a minute was crucial for the outcome of the race. At the finish Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler were 89 seconds short of clinching victory.

Fans will not have to wait long for the next race of the fascinating sports prototypes: The penultimate round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup that will become the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 will be held at Road Atlanta (U.S. state of Georgia) on October 1st.


Quotes after the race

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "I’m pretty disappointed. We had the performance today to win the race. The cars were quick and the team did a perfect job. We didn’t do anything wrong but were simply unfortunate – and not just once but twice. We lost so much time in the process that it was no longer possible to win the race.”

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 TDI #1): "It was a great race. We pushed. Based on our pace we could have really been in contention for victory. The car was really good today. So it’s a real shame that I had two collisions in which the car was damaged. We simply lost too much time due to the repair.”

Timo Bernhard (Audi R18 TDI #1): "I think we showed a nice race. Second place is good – but we had the potential for more. The performance was good enough for victory because we were battling for the lead across long stretches of the race. It wasn’t meant to be. We lost time in traffic as a result of me going into a spin once, Marcel (Fässer) had a collision that required a repair due to the regulations. Too bad, but I think we can still be satisfied. We delivered a good show today. And, most importantly, the team did a tremendous job of pulling together.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 TDI #2): "A really great race with four cars battling for every centimeter. Especially the early phase was tricky and when the #8 Peugeot got entangled in a collision things were looking very good for us. But then Allan (McNish) unfortunately had the issue and had to pit to have the front left suspension changed. The mechanics did a fantastic job in the pits repairing the damage. From then on we were six laps down trying to get home and helping our ‘sister’ car in any way we could. I feel very sorry that we weren’t all the way in front particularly for our crew. But you can be sure that next time, at Road Atlanta, we will battle for the big cigar again.”

Allan McNish (Audi R18 TDI #2): "It’s a frustrating result considering our performance over the weekend. We had a good car in qualifying and a very good car at the beginning of the race. I had a fantastic battle with Sébastien Bourdais. Once I came a bit too close to the pit wall when I overtook him into turn 1. But I have to say it was a clean and fair fight. Unfortunately it ended too early when a Ferrari had taken a rather strange ‘line,’ damaging my left front suspension. That basically ended our race and also his as he was given a one-minute stop-and-go penalty. That put us down six laps and it was a recovery drive from then on. We learned a lot more here about the R18 TDI for Petit Le Mans and China but were taken out of the battle to win.”

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "That was a real shame! We had the pace today. It would have been a nice battle through to the end. In the final analysis, we were lacking exactly the time we lost due to the repair. Collisions are simply inevitable in dense traffic in such a large field. The rules now require this kind of damage to be repaired. We tried to minimize the time loss. That also worked out because we did the driver and tire changes at the same time. But it still took more than a minute and that could simply not be made up. The other car showed a great recovery to position seven. Allan (McNish) and Tom (Kristensen) were very quick too but once you’ve lost six laps you’re no longer in contention. If you want to win against such strong competition you simply can’t afford anything. Nevertheless: I really want to thank the team. They did a superb job. The pit stops were a bit faster than those of Peugeot. Now we’re going to strike at Atlanta!”

Results

1 Bourdais/Pagenaud (Peugeot) 190 laps in in 6h 00m 13.255s
2 Bernhard/Fässler (Audi R18 TDI) + 1m 29.763s
3 Nicolet/Prémat/Pla (Oak-Pescarolo-Judd) - 5 laps
4 Belicchi/Boullion (Lola-Toyota) - 5 laps
5 Lahaye/Moreau/Ragues (Oak-Pescarolo-Judd) - 5 laps
6 Collard/Tinseau/Jousse (Pescarolo-Judd) - 5 laps
7 Kristensen/McNish (Audi R18 TDI) - 6 laps
8 Montagny/Sarrazin (Peugeot) - 9 laps
9 Fernandez/Primat/Klien (Lola-Aston Martin) - 11 laps
10 Ojjeh/Lombard/Kimber-Smith (Zytek-Nissan) - 12 laps

ILMC LMP1 manufacturers standings after 5 of 7 rounds:
1 Peugeot 153 points; 2 Audi, 108.
ILMC LMP1 team standings after 5 of 7 rounds:
1 Peugeot Sport Total, 81 points; 2 Audi Sport Team Joest, 74; 3 Team Oreca Matmut, 34; 4 Rebellion Racing, 33; 5 Oak Racing, 16; 6 Aston Martin Racing, 4.

Source: Audi Motorsport

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Audi R18 TDI finishes third and fourth at Imola

Contesting two new R18 TDIs in the first race following a thrilling win at Le Mans, Audi would come up two places short of victory at Sunday's six hour race in Imola. Behind the first and second place Peugeots, the #1 Audi R18 TDI driven by Marcel Fässler and Timo Bernhard would finish third ahead of team mates Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen taking fourth in the #2 car. Full report and more photos after the jump.

Ingolstadt/Imola, July 3, 2011 – Audi Sport Team Joest finished the round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) at Imola, Italy, in third and fourth place. Only three weeks after Audi’s victory at Le Mans Marcel Fässler and Timo Bernhard took third place in the #1 Audi R18 TDI at the six-hour race near Bologna. Their team-mates Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen in the diesel sports car designated as number "2” finished the fourth ILMC round on position four.

Le Mans winner Marcel Fässler, who had captured a position on the front row of the grid by taking second place in qualifying, defended his place at the beginning of the race. Allan McNish, who drove the #2 R18 TDI at the start, was running in fourth place at the beginning of the race. Both cars continually lost time due to many lapping events in heavy traffic in the field of 48 vehicles. After the first pit stops, 47 minutes into the race, the two Audi R18 TDI cars were on positions three and four.

On the tradition-steeped track at Imola Audi had used the aerodynamics package for the first time that has been updated for the remaining ILMC races. The latest specification of the prototype with a power output of more than 540 hp has higher downforce compared with the Le Mans configuration. But contrary to expectations, the squad from Audi Team Joest was not able to bring the advantage of the high-downforce version to bear in Italy. Due to rubber pickup on the track the front brakes became dirty and overheated. Consequently, a higher amount of balance had to be shifted to the rear brakes which impaired the balance of the whole car and made both vehicles more difficult to drive. In addition, the removal of the dirt from the brake cooling system cost valuable seconds at each pit stop.

Both driver pairings experienced a race without driving mistakes and technical defects at Imola. One hour before the race ended the two Audi R18 TDI were only separated by tenths of a second and showed a thrilling team-internal duel.

After six hours of racing and 219 completed race laps Marcel Fässler and Timo Bernhard on their first joint run in the Audi R18 TDI crossed the finish line in third place with a one-lap gap to the overall winners, Sébastien Bourdais/Anthony Davidson. Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen, who ran at Imola for the first time, together with the Scotsman Allan McNish had to admit defeat in the battle for third place by merely 2.634 seconds.


Quotes after the race

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "We’re not happy with the result at Imola. We had an inconsistent performance. At the beginning of the race we were in contention, but then lost ground about halfway into the race which we weren’t able to make up in the end. It was the first time that we were running with this vehicle configuration in such high temperatures. Now we want to use the findings from Imola to fight for victory at Silverstone.”

Timo Bernhard (Audi R18 TDI #1): "It was an interesting race for us. It was important to us not to have problems in traffic and not to get stuck anywhere. We pushed during the whole race. At first Marcel and I were looking strong, particularly Marcel in the beginning. But during the race the track temperature kept rising. To make things worse, a lot of dirt and rubber pickup settled in the brake cooling system, which caused the brake temperature to rise and we had to clean the cooling system at each pit stop. We had to shift the brake balance very far to the rear – that changed the whole car. That’s a shame but we’ll strike back. Third place was all we could squeeze out of the situation today.”

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 TDI #1): "This was a difficult race for us. Particularly the traffic was really difficult. Everyone gave their maximum. In the end the race became really thrilling because Timo had a slow puncture on our Audi in the final phase and had to have the left rear wheel changed. That was a tough moment for us in our battle for third place. It was great that in the end we still managed to take a podium place.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 TDI #2): "None of us can be happy today. This was my first visit here. I like Imola, but didn’t think the race was good. We didn’t show a good performance. We had problems because the brakes got dirty. The brake temperature went up, which made the car hard to drive. The battle with Timo at the end was good fun. But you had to watch out because there was a lot of traffic. That was a real challenge, I gave everything in the final turns but it wasn’t enough. Congratulations to Timo and Marcel. And ‘well done’ to Peugeot. But if you know Allan and me, then you know that we want to strong at Silverstone.”

Allan McNish (Audi R18 TDI #2): "After the Audi victory at Le Mans this was a disappointing result for us. The Audi R18 TDI was running well and reliably. But we weren’t fast enough in traffic. And here it was all about traffic. With 48 vehicles on the track you’ve got to be able to quickly pass the other cars on a line when lapping. In traffic the Peugeot cars always managed to achieve an advantage.”

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "The race didn’t go the way we’d been hoping it would. In the beginning, things were still looking pretty good. But then we caught a lot of dirt in the front brake cooling system and had to clean it at each pit stop. In addition, we had to shift the brake balance to the rear. That heavily influenced the balance of the whole car. All four drivers reported that this made the cars hard to drive. Congratulations to Peugeot; they did a good job here.”


Results

1 Davidson/Bourdais (Peugeot) 220 laps in 6h 01m 01.623s
2 Montagny/Sarrazin (Peugeot) + 1m 08.688s
3 Fässler/Bernhard (Audi R18 TDI) – 1 lap
4 McNish/Kristensen (Audi R18 TDI) – 1 lap
5 Belicchi/Boullion (Lola-Toyota) – 7 laps
6 Jani/Prost (Lola-Toyota) – 7 laps
7 Collard/Tinseau/Jousse (Pescarolo-Judd) – 13 laps
8 Ojjeh/Lombard/Kimber-Smith (Zytek-Nissan) – 15 laps
9 Mailleux/Ordoñes/Ayari (Oreca-Nissan) – 17 laps
10 Bouchut/Tucker/Barbosa (Lola-HPD) – 19 laps

Source: Audi Motorsport

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Video: 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans recap by Audi TV

Whether you're a die-hard Audi motorsport enthusiast or a just a casual observer, this recap of Audi's performance at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans by Audi TV is a must-watch. The 15-minute long video features exclusive interviews, race facts, driver's parade and highlights the many dramatic events and thrilling victory at last weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans.



Source: Audi TV

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Audi wins thrilling 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans

Clinching the brand's 10th overall victory, Audi prevailed against all odds in one of the most thrilling races in Le Mans history. Following devastating crashes by Allan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller, the #2 Audi R18 TDI driven by Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer would find themselves alone against four determined Peugeots and 16 hours on the clock. By the 24-hour mark though, André Lotterer would pass the checkered flag just 15 seconds ahead of his French rival to win an epic 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ingolstadt/Le Mans, June 12, 2011 – At one of the most thrilling and dramatic 24-hour races in Le Mans history Audi-ultra-lightweight technology has prevailed. At the fascinating thriller which kept 250,000 spectators at the race track and millions in front of their TV sets watching in awe Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), André Lotterer (Germany) and Benoît Tréluyer (France) in the innovative Audi R18 TDI clinched the tenth Le Mans victory in total for the brand with the four rings.

The drama at the 79th edition of the world’s most famous endurance could hardly be surpassed. After Audi had lost two of its Audi R18 TDI cars as early as in the first third of the race due to accidents all hopes were pinned on car number "2” that had secured the pole position in qualifying for Audi. For 16 hours Fässler, Lotterer and Tréluyer were on their own in the battle against three factory-fielded Peugeot cars that left no stone unturned to keep Audi from taking victory.

On Sunday morning the four quickest vehicles were still within just a few seconds of each other at the front of the field. The lead kept changing, also on account of the different strategies. And Fässler, Lotterer and Tréluyer continually brought the performance advantage of their diesel sports car to bear which in the first year of the engine downsizing was clearly the fastest car in the field at Le Mans. At 3m 25.289s André Lotterer on the 229th race lap even managed to beat the fastest time set in qualifying.

The reliability of the new Audi R18 TDI was impressive as well. Across the entire race distance the vehicle designated as number "2” did not have to come in for a single unscheduled pit stop. Only a problem with the fuel tank caused a bit of a headache for Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich and the Technical Director of Audi Sport Team Joest, Ralf Jüttner. The full 65-liter capacity could not be used. Consequently, André Lotterer had to achieve a sufficient lead for an additional refueling stop in the final phase – in extremely difficult conditions in drizzling rain at times which made the track extremely slippery.

Lotterer mastered this hurdle as well. After the final stop the German started his last stint with a seven-second advantage over the second-placed Peugeot. In the end he crossed the finish line after 24 hours being frenetically cheered by his team colleagues Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer and the entire Audi squad in first place with a lead of 13.420 seconds. For the three Audi drivers who had finished as the runners-up last year this marked the first Le Mans exploit – and the tenth for Audi.

"It was a fantastic triumph of Audi ultra-lightweight technology in extreme conditions,” commented Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Management Board of AUDI AG, who had watched the captivating race himself in the pits. "After we celebrated a record victory last year primarily thanks to reliability and efficiency, we not only had the most reliable but also the quickest car this year.” Management Board Member for Development Michael Dick said, "The team as well as the entire Audi squad did a first-class job that deserves great respect. This tenth Le Mans success of our brand was no doubt the one that required the toughest battle – which perhaps also made it the most valuable one. At the same time, albeit involuntarily, we proved that our engineers design very safe cars.”

Allan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller sustained no injuries in extremely severe accidents in the first third of the race. McNish in the Audi R18 TDI designated as car number "3” had taken the lead shortly before the end of the first hour when a GT car hit his left rear wheel in the "La Chappelle” section. The R18 TDI spun off the track, hit the track barrier in a heavy impact and rolled over. The Audi R18 TDI’s one-piece carbon fiber monocoque withstood the crash. McNish was able to climb out of the wreckage uninjured and returned to the race track after a precautionary medical check at the hospital.

Mike Rockenfeller had an even greater guardian angel when shortly before 11 p.m. while running on position two he was also touched by a GT vehicle on the left rear wheel while running at a speed of about 300 km/h. The Audi R18 TDI turned left and at 270 km/h hit the guard rails on the entrance to the "Indianapolis” turn. The carbon fiber monocoque developed and produced by Audi using a new type of technology withstood the impact. The front crash absorber and all other passive safety devices of the car fulfilled their purpose as well. Mike Rockenfeller was able to climb out of the wreckage. As a precautionary measure, last year’s winner spent the night in the hospital but was released again on Sunday morning.

"The safety standards at Audi are simply incredible and have saved my life,” said Mike Rockenfeller. "I’ve never had such an accident before in my career and hope I’ll never have such an experience again.” Allan McNish commented in a similar vain: "I want to thank the Audi designers for having developed a car that you can climb out of unharmed after such severe accidents.”

On clinching its tenth victory in 13 years Audi has added another impressive chapter to its success story at the Le Mans 24 Hours. After the first success of a TFSI engine in 2001, the first triumph of a diesel-powered car in 2006 and the first exploits with variable turbine geometry, VTG, last year Audi again triumphed with innovative technology. "Audi ultra technology has passed an extreme acid test this weekend,” said Head of Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich after the car had crossed the finish line. "If you pursue new paths this always involves a risk. But this risk has absolutely paid off. The Audi R18 TDI was in a class of its own at Le Mans 2011. Particularly due to the two extremely serious accidents this has been the most difficult Le Mans race for us in an emotional sense so far. That our team managed to keep the strong competition at bay for 16 hours with just one car is almost unbelievable. Everyone at Audi can be proud of this triumph. However, the news that Allan (McNish) and Mike (Rockenfeller) came out of these extremely heavy accidents so well is at least as important as that of the tenth Audi victory."

Links to video highlights:

Video: Allan McNish's horrific Audi R18 TDI wreck at Le Mans

Video: Audi suffers second devastating crash at Le Mans

Video: André Lotterer drives Audi R18 TDI to victory at 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans

Quotes after the race:

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "2011 was no doubt the most difficult Le Mans race we’ve ever contested – but in the end with the sweetest result we’ve ever had as well. From such a difficult situation we managed to recover again on our own power and in the end to defeat – albeit with a narrow margin – our really strong competitors from Peugeot. After eight hours we’d lost two of our three cars and knew that it would be extremely difficult with just one car. The entire squad gave everything to do the best for this car. Of course the drivers had to drive it. And they did a really fantastic job – although it was the squad with the least experience at Le Mans. Of course it’s extremely important that Allan (McNish) and Mike (Rockenfeller) came out of both accidents, which were really severe, without any injuries.”

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 TDI #2): "This has been a tremendous day. The last six hours were incredible. It just seemed like they wouldn’t pass. When I looked at the time I kept thinking it had stopped. I said to myself: The clock can’t be running, it would have had to be over a long time ago. I tried to stand somewhere where I couldn’t listen to any commentators. But that was simply impossible. You could see the dream coming closer and closer. And then there were moments when everything became increasingly difficult, like the situation with the slow puncture just before the end when André (Lotterer) was driving. And then you start trembling again: Will the dream really come true. And then it did come true. It’s really fantastic. We worked hard for this all winter. Le Mans is the most important race. I’m particularly happy to be the first Swiss to have won it.”

André Lotterer (Audi R18 TDI #2): "It was a very intensive race. I was pushing like crazy from the first to the last minute. I felt no boredom in the car. I gave everything that was possible. And I had no choice but to do that either. In the end it worked out. I’m simply happy that together we’ve managed to do this. All the mechanics and everyone else worked so hard to prepare the car. This is a great reward for many hours of overtime. Due to the two accidents yesterday was a difficult day for Audi Sport. I’m very happy that Allan (McNish) and Rocky are okay and that despite the accidents we’ve got a reason for joy.”

Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 TDI #2): "We’ve won an incredible race. A fantastic feeling! That was clearly a team victory. We only did the driving. The biggest job was the preparation. Without a fast and reliable car like our Audi victory at a 24-hour race wouldn’t have been possible. I’d also like to mention Marco (Bonanomi) who helped us very much. The victory belongs to the team that has gathered here today. It’s like in soccer: If just one person is missing you can’t win. It’s particularly nice that I attended the same racers school here at Le Mans as Marcel (Fässler) and Sébastien (Bourdais). This makes it all the better to be on the podium here at this venue with them.”

Timo Bernhard (Audi R18 TDI #1): "I’m incredibly happy for the team. The whole team stuck together tremendously in the preparation phase. I take my hat off to car number 2. They drove a superb race. A very strong performance. Naturally, we would have liked to have been among the front runners with our car number 1 as well. But even when we were forced to just watch we could see that the car was incredibly competitive. Until our retirement we were in contention. I can’t deny my disappointment as a driver. But the most important thing is that Mike is okay. He had no choice but to react the way he did in that situation. Congratulations to the whole Audi Sport team. A superb showing. I’m happy that victory has been clinched.”

Romain Dumas (Audi R18 TDI #1): "For sure it’s a good race when you work for nearly one year to prepare and then win this race. Okay my car wasn’t on top of the podium today but I am very happy that it is Audi that has won. We all share this victory. We all work together. That is the strength of this incredible team. Last year we won. Benoit, André and Marcel were second and they were very happy for us and now we are very happy for them.”

Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R18 TDI #1): "I was driving my fourth stint. Just three or four more laps and the tank would have been empty. After the Mulsanne corner I was on the long straight heading for Indy. In the second right-hand there was a GT car in front of me. It was running on the left-hand side and I used the headlight flasher. For me it was clear that he would stay on the left as he had the lap before too. We overtake very often at this place of the track. Just as I was running alongside him at 300 km/h he misjudged this. He suddenly pulled over to the right. I still wanted to evade him by going out on the grass. Nevertheless he must have still slightly touched me at the rear. I immediately turned left. It was a severe accident. But the most important thing is that I’m basically okay. The safety standards are simply enormous and have saved my life. I’ve never had such an accident in my life and hope that I’ll never have such an experience again. I’m extremely sorry. We had good chances of being in contention for victory. I would always take advantage of such a gap again because I believe that it was not a risky maneuver. It was quite a normal act of straight overtaking. Consideration should be given to perhaps finding another solution for amateur drivers. it’s simply too dangerous. There were several dangerous incidents for me while I was driving. At that particular moment, unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t so good.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R18 TDI #3): "After the bad start of the race and the big fright we had at seeing Allan’s and then Rocky’s accidents we are pleased that they are fortunately in very good shape. We now can enjoy this great moment and congratulate the team of car #2. The drivers, the team, the engineers but especially all the people from Audi who are back in Ingolstadt at the moment who gave us not only the most beautiful racing car on the starting grid but also the fastest car. That is something unique and now we celebrate. We got pole position and fastest lap and we won the race. It’s more than we expected. Congratulations to everyone.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 TDI #3): "A fantastic result for Audi. All the energy went into one car after we lost two. I was extremely disappointed at the time but overwhelmed by the fact that nobody was hurt, neither Allan (McNish), spectators or any of the photographers and the same for Mike (Rockenfeller’s) accident. Of course we have mental pain but nobody got badly hurt. My biggest respect to Benoit (Tréluyer), André (Lotterer) and Marcel (Fässler). They have done a fantastic Le Mans race. Not to have been behind the steering wheel is personally something I haven’t enjoyed but being witness to a really fantastic Le Mans race is something which goes down in the Audi history books as one of the greatest achievements at the legendary circuit.”

Allan McNish (Audi R18 TDI #3): "Congratulations to Audi. Congratulations to the winning team. A superb result. André (Lotterer) drove superbly as did Marcel (Fässler) and Ben (Tréluyer). The tears in the garage just show the pressure they were under all of the way through the race. For our car’s situation, and for Rocky and his car, as well there is a touch of sadness as it’s not an Audi 1, 2, 3 like last year but today’s race winning performance was just incredible. Regarding my accident: I went down the inside of a GT class Ferrari which was just ahead. As I got past the first thing I knew was I was spinning towards the wall on the left hand side and so immediately realised that he’d tagged the left rear of my car with the right front of his – after that I was just along for the ride. It was a very big accident. I have to say a huge thank you to the Audi designers because they have produced a car that could survive an enormous impact allowing the driver to open the door and get out unharmed.”

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "A completely crazy race – I don’t think the world has ever seen anything like this before. Maybe there have been races at Le Mans before with an even closer outcome. But to be dueling with several cars over the period of 24 hours within gaps of just seconds – I don’t think this has ever happened before. It was really nerve-racking. Everyone who has been here will only realize what happened a few days from now. After Spa we were sitting together. Not everything was going as planned there. At that time Jo Hausner wished for us to have a race here in which Audi and Peugeot would be within seconds of each other up to the end. And that’s exactly what we got – I could curse him for that ... It was a great victory for Audi – but also for Allan (McNish) and particularly for Mike (Rockenfeller). We had horrible accidents. We’ve got to thank Audi for building such safe cars.”

Source: Audi Motorsport

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Video: André Lotterer drives Audi R18 TDI to victory at 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans

With the weight of the entire Audi Sport team resting squarely on his shoulders, André Lotterer was able to hold off four trailing Peugeots to win the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. Following two massive crashes by McNish and Rockenfeller, the pressure was on the pole-sitting #2 Audi R18 TDI of Fässler, Lotterer and Tréluyer that, within a margin of less than 15 seconds, brought home Audi's 10th Le Mans victory in just 13 years of competition.



Source: YouTube via Audi Sport (unofficial) Facebook Page

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Video: Audi suffers second devastating crash at Le Mans

Nearly seven hours after Allan McNish's horrific wreck, Audi suffered another devastating blow today at Le Mans in an eerily similar accident, this time involving Mike Rockenfeller's #1 R18 TDI. Like McNish's crash, Rockenfeller was attempting to overtake a slower, GTE-class Ferrari, which caught the Audi's left rear between Mulsanne and Indianapolis. This contact sent Rocky's R18 abruptly into the barrier, demolishing the car.

Like McNish, Rockenfeller was thankfully able to exit the demolished R18 TDI on his own, citing little more than a small cut on his arm. Again, an amazing display of the safety measures employed by Audi's designers and engineers.

Detail of wreck, including on-board footage:


Full coverage as it happened with replays (German commentary)


Happy that Rocky is uninjured, we're now pulling together to root the #2 R18 TDI driven by Marcel Fässler, Andre Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer on to victory at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans!

Source: YouTube (2)

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Audi clinches pole position for 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans

For the first time since 2006 (and the sixth time in the brand's Le Mans history), Audi will be starting from the pole position at tomorrow's 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. Clocking a time of 3m 25.738s, Benoît Tréluyer was the fastest driver overall, clinching the top grid position in the #2 Audi R18 TDI. Just .061 seconds slower was French team mate, Romain Dumas in the #1 R18 TDI, taking grid position two. Rounding out the team in fifth position is the #3 R18 TDI driven by Kristensen, McNish and Capello. Full report after the jump.

Ingolstadt/Le Mans, June 2011 – The front row of the grid at the 79th edition of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans belongs to Audi. In one of the most thrilling qualifying events in recent years the new Audi R18 TDI and the company’s ultra-lightweight technology prevailed. Benoît Tréluyer set a time of 3m 25.738s and clinched the top grid position for Audi. His French team-mate Romain Dumas was merely 0.061 seconds slower.

For Audi, this marks the sixth pole position at Le Mans in total and the first since 2006 when the brand with the four rings achieved the first victory of a diesel-powered vehicle at the world’s most famous endurance race. Although Audi Sport Team Joest concentrated on preparing for the race again on Thursday night, the three Audi R18 TDI cars set the pace in the two final qualifying sessions.

Benoît Tréluyer’s performance was particularly impressive. The Frenchman clinched the pole position 30 minutes before midnight on the 21st lap of a race simulation on used tires – also thanks to the full LED headlights of the R18 TDI which ensure optimal illumination of the track at night. The competition despite making several attempts to do so tried in vain to beat Tréluyer’s fastest time in the final phase of the captivating qualifying in which the fastest six cars were running within just six tenths of a second.

This was the first pole position at Le Mans for Tréluyer, who together with Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer, will start from the grid in the number "2” Audi R18 TDI.

In the Audi R18 TDI trimmed for uncompromising lightweight design Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller clinched the front row as well. The car designated as number "1” had been slightly damaged in the first qualifying session on Wednesday night.

The crew of car number "3” on the other hand is in for a lot of work. While trying to push forward onto the two front rows of the grid from fifth place Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen slid against the track barrier in the "Tertre Rouge” section. Despite extensive damage the R18 TDI driven by Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish can be repaired before the race. The single-component carbon fiber monocoque remained intact in the impact.

The 79th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be started on Saturday at 3 p.m. by FIA President Jean Todt. Audi has the chance to secure its tenth Le Mans victory. In view of the extremely narrow time gaps between the front runners it will be more important than ever to deliver a zero-mistake performance in the race.


Quotes after qualifying

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "The front of the field is incredibly close together at these 24 Hours of Le Mans. That doesn’t surprise me though but makes me all the happier that we’ve managed putting two of our Audi R18 TDI cars on the front row. That’s the nicest way to say thank you to the squad for their work and commitment during the past few months and also this week. Of course we know that the pole position at Le Mans means nothing yet. But our cars have been very quick on the long-runs as well. I believe that we’ve got a very good base for the race.”

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 TDI #2): "Clinching the pole position at Le Mans is a fantastic experience. Media interest is huge. The pole also demonstrates the outstanding performance capability of the Audi R18 TDI. Obviously, we’ve been doing a good job during the winter. We three drivers did our job too: All three of us were running fast and reliable. That’s a great start into the weekend – and of course a good starting base for the race.”

André Lotterer (Audi R18 TDI #2): "Qualifying was really good fun. You could say that it was a combination of pleasure and purpose. In the night sessions we mainly tested the tires to find out how they would perform on the long runs. At the same time the car was very quick. My team-mate Benoît Tréluyer delivered a really good lap and clinched pole in the process. I was able to have some fun at the end of the third qualifying session too. The pole position is great but no reason to become euphoric. Our main focus was not on clinching it but on completing our test program in a concentrated manner. We managed to do this. The 24 Hours of Le Mans are long, so the pole is just a very small thing.”

Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 TDI #2): "I am very happy. I just really realize now that it is just fantastic for me. I was born so close to here and the 24 Hours is such a challenge and I was not even thinking about the pole position and then I did and it is just fantastic. I’m so happy about the car, about the job by the mechanics, engineers and it’s just such a nice present to them for all the work they have done up to now. We will just try and make it to the end now. The best spot on the grid is not that important it’s always better to get it of course but honestly what I would like to do is to be on the top of the podium at the end of the race. That is the most important thing."

Timo Bernhard (Audi R18 TDI #1): "Qualifying was mainly focused on set-up work and preparing for the race. We did a good job of completing our program and checked off our list item by item. That in itself makes us feel very satisfied. Being on the front row at Le Mans is fantastic. That not just one but two Audi cars are on it is positive for the whole squad. As far as our car is concerned, we never had a really free lap and were too often stuck in traffic to go on a serious chase for times. But that wasn’t our main goal. Instead we prepared our car well for the race and all three of us have been able to gather a lot of driving time and confidence. All in all it’s been a successful qualifying event.”

Romain Dumas (Audi R18 TDI #1): "That was a great qualifying. We improved the car a lot, which is a very important point for a 24 hour race. The car was quick but unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a perfect lap. The first row for Audi – that is very nice and shows clearly that we are competitive. We were fast with new tires and old tires and that is a good sign for the race. Nevertheless there are still a few things to improve and that’s what we will work on from now on."

Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R18 TDI #1): "I think we really tried a lot of things and constantly improved the car. In the end we can be satisfied. On Wednesday we were a bit unfortunate when Romain (Dumas) had an accident in which he was not at at fault. A car was standing across the track in front of him. That caused us to lose a bit of time. Nevertheless, we reeled off a great program on the whole. We’re well prepared for the race at Le Mans. Now we’ve got to see what happens. Being on position two is okay. That means you don’t start in all the commotion. It’s a good starting base.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R18 TDI #3): "It’s great that Audi is back on the pole position at Le Mans – it is a good feeling – and congratulations go to Ben. He did a great job to set his lap time. It came during the end of a long run, not even trying to qualify which makes it very impressive. Tom was trying very hard on his last lap and something happened but this kind of incident can happen. Fortunately tomorrow is a free day and we have time to fix everything and be ready for the race. We will be strong in the race"

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 TDI #3): "Congratulations to the teams of the two sister cars and to Audi on clinching the front row. Our car, too, was fantastic in both qualifying sessions today and had the potential to be far at the front. At the beginning of the night session I had a lot of traffic and therefore tried another fast lap – but unfortunately all three sectors never fit together perfectly. I’m sorry that the guys have a lot of work to do on my car now after my accident and I can already promise now that Allan (McNish), Dindo (Capello) and I will give everything in the race to give them a nice reward for their great work.”

Allan McNish (Audi R18 TDI #3): "From a development for the race point of view, the car was improved a lot and I now feel very confident with the R18 TDI. We were able to push in every situation. Obviously it’s unfortunate and going to be hard work for the guys to repair after the incident at the end but these things happen. It’s part of motor racing. It’s part of pushing. But what really bodes well is that there are six cars covered by around half a second at the front of the grid. That means that we have got a fantastic race ahead."

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "It goes without saying that clinching the pole position at Le Mans is a great thing. But actually I’m even more pleased with the fact that we continually developed the cars further throughout the weekend. All three Audi R18 TDI are good race cars. That’s been shown by the long runs. That’s the most important part about it and the thing we wanted to achieve. And then, if on top if that, the qualifying session results in achieving fast times and securing the front row without really having made a major effort to do so but just grabbing the opportunity and using a little less diesel fuel in the tank and running on new tires then that’s obviously a great thing. If you consider that Benoît Tréluyer’s pole position was clinched at the end of stint then that’s further proof of how well we’ve set up the cars for the race.”


Qualifying results

1 Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer (Audi R18 TDI) 3m 25.738s
2 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R18 TDI) 3m 25.799s
3 Lamy/Bourdais/Pagenaud (Peugeot) 3m 26.010s
4 Montagny/Sarrazin/Minassian (Peugeot) 3m 26.156s
5 Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R18 TDI) 3m 26.165s
6 Gene/Wurz/Davidson (Peugeot) 3m 26.272s
7 Lapierre/Duval/Panis (Peugeot) 3m 30.084s
8 Jani/Prost/Bleekemolen (Lola-Toyota) 3m 32.883s
9 Collard/Tinseau/Jousse (Pescarolo-Judd) 3m 33.066s
10 Belicchi/Boullion/Smith (Lola-Toyota) 3m 34.573s

Source: Audi Motorsport

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