Audi Driver Line-up for Le Mans Completed

The Audi driver lineup for the 2002 Le Mans 24 Hour race is complete: Germans Michael Krumm and Marco Werner will form a German-speaking trio together with Austrian Philipp Peter at the season highlight on 15/16 June. The three are part of the driver team of Auto Motor und Sport; special interest magazine, which supports the running of the third Infineon Audi R8 at Le Mans as a media partner.

Marco Werner and Philipp Peter start at Le Mans for the first time, but are no newcomers to sportscar racing. Werner won the 24 Hours at Daytona in 1995, Peter was runner-up in the 2000 Sportscar World Cup. Michael Krumm has competed at Le Mans twice and secured the title in the 1997 Japanese GT Championship. “To be successful at Le Mans has always been one of my major goals,” explains Krumm. “With Audi I now have a unique chance – I can´t wait for June to come.”

His colleagues are equally euphoric. “To do Le Mans with Audi is a dream,” says Marco Werner. Philipp Peter, an Audi works driver in the mid-nineties, adds: “The Infineon Audi R8 has won at Le Mans twice already – a driver couldn´t wish for better prerequisites.” In April, Krumm, Peter and Werner will gain their first experience of the Infineon Audi R8 in a 30 hour test when the Audi works team prepares for the season highlight in June. On 5 May pre-practice takes place at Le Mans.

Audi starts the Le Mans 24 Hour race with three silver Infineon Audi R8 sportscars which fly the additional colors of black, red and yellow resembling the German flag. Krumm/Peter/Werner drive the “black” R8. The winning trio of the last two Le Mans races, Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro, share the “red” car. Rinaldo Capello, Johnny Herbert and Christian Pescatori – the winners of the 2002 Sebring 12 Hour race – compete in the “yellow” Audi. Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport, is convinced: “With this strong driver team we have the best chance to claim a hat-trick at Le Mans.”

A fourth Audi sportscar will be run at Le Mans by a customer squad, Audi Sport Japan Team Goh. Japanese drivers Seiji Ara and Hiroki Katoh start together with four times Le Mans winner, Yannick Dalmas (France), in an 2001-spec R8.