Audi brings a plus in efficiency to Le Mans
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “At Le Mans, efficiency is very important. And high efficiency is one of the secrets of our road cars as well. Thats why the type of motorsport which Audi is engaged in at Le Mans is an excellent fit. In endurance prototype sport we can field new technologies and test them for production vehicles at a very early stage. The findings can not only be converted into power output but also into higher fuel economy and thus lower emissions. Good examples of this are TFSI technology, which we successfully used for the first time at Le Mans in 2001, our years-long know-how in light-weight design and the TDI, which we brought up to power and torque levels at Le Mans in 2006 that didnt seem to be realistic before. Our aim is to equalize last years result again with a victory. Weve been working very hard and with a lot of concentration on this aim during the past few months.” Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “Our preparations went well, everything worked out as planned. Consequently, the pre-race phase was clearly more relaxed than it was last year, which will hopefully benefit us at Le Mans. This year, everything was finished as early as it should be before a race at Le Mans. During our most recent test we again found a few things so that were now traveling westward with optimism. On Wednesday and Thursday well concentrate on the race as we usually do. The additional practice time will no doubt be helpful but has already been totally filled with planned activities. Weve still got enough on our agenda that we want to do and have to do.” Dindo Capello (Audi R15 TDI #7): “Last year, the compromise between setup and aerodynamics was our main problem. That was changed and the improvements are notable. The engine specialists have done a great job too. Despite the restrictions weve got almost the same power as last year and are not suffering that much from the rule changes in this area. I think the R15 TDI accelerates even better this year. Well done to the engineers: they really did a superb job this winter by the way that goes for the design too, which surprised many people. I received a large number of e-mails and letters from motorsport fans who are just as thrilled with the new design as I am.” Tom Kristensen (Audi R15 TDI #7): “Audi has made an important step from the R15 to the R15 plus. The plus says that the R15 TDI has been updated in all areas in terms of efficiency and performance. Take the headlights for example. That may sound trivial but in a 24-hour race theyre extremely important. And obviously theres the efficiency of the engine, which has become more powerful but uses less fuel now. Aerodynamics has been improved to generate enough downforce in the turns but without too much aerodynamic drag on the straights. The interaction between the suspension and the Michelin tires has been optimized too. Simply everything has been scrutinized and optimized so that the plus will help us achieve our big aim at Le Mans.” Allan McNish (Audi R15 TDI #7): “What the fans will get to see at Le Mans? Hopefully, an Audi victory! I think itll be a very close and exciting race. At Le Castellet and Spa-Francorchamps we saw that we made some good steps with our car. I believe the improvements will pay off at Le Mans more than on any other race track because the further development was strictly focused on Le Mans. We understand the R15 TDI much better than we did last year although its again a pretty new car. Im sure Peugeot will be very strong again. Theyve done a lot of endurance testing and are still pretty fast. As last years winners and winners at Spa, I see them in the role of the favorites. But they can count on us to put up a fierce fight against them.” Marcel Fässler (Audi R15 TDI #8): “Im contesting Le Mans for the fifth time but this year is my first one as a factory driver of an LMP1 race car. During the tests with Audi Sport I had good opportunities to familiarize myself with the Audi R15 TDI. Its clear that as a newcomer to the team Ive still got a few things to learn. Ill closely watch how Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish will approach this race. Its a very good feeling to compete for a factory team because such an environment makes a lot of things easier. At Audi they leave nothing to chance. During the tests the car showed on numerous occasions that we can drive it for 24 hours without any problem. The teams I used to drive for in the past simply werent capable of undertaking such an effort.” André Lotterer (Audi R15 TDI #8): “Driving a sports car is still new to me, even though I was able to catch a whiff of sports car air at my Le Mans debut in the Audi R10 TDI last year. Im still learning new things. But during the tests everything went pretty well and from Formula Nippon in Japan Im used to driving fast cars. Thats why I immediately felt comfortable in the Audi R15 TDI. Its not easy to drive a Le Mans car at the limit. The team tries to make the car as quick as possible on the straights. That makes it a little more difficult to handle it in the turns. But thats our job.” Benoît Treluyer (Audi R15 TDI #8): “Le Mans is very important for me: for one, Im French and for the other, I was born just 50 kilometers away from the circuit. As a child, I couldnt imagine how anyone could drive so fast in such a thing and even less to be doing that myself some day. Im proud of this because it turns me into a child again. And my family is proud of me too. Many people come to Le Mans to support me. Thats a certain pressure, but I can handle it. Obviously, we want to win the race and finish at the very top of the podium, but were new in the team and still have to learn a lot. The car is very good, especially on the straights, which is particularly important at Le Mans. For the turns weve got to find the best balance in practice.” Timo Bernhard (Audi R15 TDI #9): “Theres no doubt about it: Im looking forward to the race. It gives me the opportunity to clinch another exploit in my career. Principally, youve got to tackle Le Mans like any other race: professionally and concentrated. Nevertheless, Le Mans is a different race in many respects, particularly because it covers such a long distance. For me, its still amazing that Le Mans is a 24-hour sprint today because the cars have become so much more reliable over the past decades. In the past, it seemed to be more of a question of finishing or not. Today, its a question of having the speed or not. The demands made on man and material are pretty tough and both have to be at the highest level.” Romain Dumas (Audi R15 TDI #9): “Everyone knows the Le Mans 24 Hours. Theyre not just one of the biggest races in France but a world-famous endurance race. As a French driver, youre in the spotlight there in a particular way. And as part of the Audi factory team, you can only aim to win. The engineers from Audi Sport have worked incredibly hard to improve the car and to create the R15 plus. When you know as a driver how much energy has been put into improving your performance, this strengthens your confidence in the car and your desire to achieve good results. Im convinced that were better prepared this year than we were last year. Our endurance tests went well.” Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI #9): “Even in the cockpit of the Audi R15 TDI a lot has changed compared to last year. We optimized a lot of things like the positions of the switches. Theyre easier to reach now and theres a better overview of everything. Its not a really different world while youre driving but detailed improvements have been made everywhere on the R15 TDI which will hopefully have a positive effect on our lap times at Le Mans and that was our aim with the R15 plus: to simply improve in every respect. We did a lot of work on the lights, for example. Better vision makes it easier for us to drive even faster at night. And another goal was to be a just a little bit faster on the straights too. I think weve managed to achieve this.” News bits
The schedule at Le Mans Sunday, June 6 Monday, June 7 Tuesday, June 8 Wednesday, June 9 Thursday, June 10 Friday, June 11 Saturday, June 12 Sunday, June 13 Monday, June 7 Tuesday, June 8
Wednesday, June 9 Thursday, June 10 Friday, June 11 Saturday, June 12 Sunday, June 13
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