Showing posts with label FIA World Endurance Championship. Show all posts

Sunday, August 30, 2015

FIA WEC: Audi takes third and fourth in a thrilling 6 Hours of the Nürburgring

Sunday, August 30, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi Sport Team Joest finished the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring in positions three and four. The two factory Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars battled very well against the strong Porsche Team in front of a great crowd.

Outright race victory went to the #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid shared by Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley ahead of the sister #18 car of Marc Lieb, Neel Jani and Romain Dumas.

Best of the Audis was the #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro driven by André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler. The three drivers finished the German event in third place overall behind the two works Porsches.

Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis ended the event in fourth place overall with the #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

The Nürburgring race was highlighted by an amazing threeway battle for the second place at the final hour mark. The #7 Audi, the #8 Audi and the #18 Porsche battled each other in the middle of GTE and LMP2 traffic. Fans on site and across the world enjoyed a thrilling and fierce fight between the three hybrid LMP1 racers.

The FIA World Endurance Championship will leave Europe and head to North America and the beautiful COTA in Texas next month.

Photo credit: Audi Media

FIA WEC: Audi will start from the second row at the Nürburgring

Saturday, August 29, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi Sport Team Joest will start the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring - round four of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship - from the second row of the grid. The two factory Audi R18 e-tron quattro performed well.

The best ranked car was the #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro shared by Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis. They were third fastest and ended right behind the two works Porsche 919 Hybrids. The three drivers set an average time of 1:37.476.

The sister #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro shared by André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler was fourth fastest. Their average time was 1:37.783.

Toyota Racing locked the third row with their Toyota TS040 Hybrid cars. The privateer Rebellion Racing R-One AERs qualified in seventh and eighth places. Team ByKolles was ninth fastest with their CLM P1/01 AER.

The 6 Hours of the Nürburgring endurance race will be held on Sunday.

Photo credit: Audi Media

FIA WEC: Audi third and fourth fastest in the Nürburgring FP3

Saturday, August 29, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

FIA WEC action resumed this morning at the Nürburgring with the third practice session. Audi Sport Team Joest was the fastest in yesterday's two practice sessions, that was not the case in today's final one.

Best of the two factory Audis was the #8 R18 e-tron quattro in thrid place overall. The car in the hands of Lucas di Grassi, Loic Duval and Oliver Jarvis set a best time of 1:37.035. They were behind the two works Porsche 919 Hybrid cars.

Their team-mates André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler were a position behind. The drivers of the #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro were fourth fastest with a best time of 1:37.109.

The two Toyota TS040 Hybrid cars were fifth and sixth. The two privateer Rebellion R-One AER cars were seventh and eighth. Team ByKolles was ninth within the LMP1 class.

The qualifying session is coming up next. A fierce battle is expected for pole position between Audi and Porsche.

Photo credit: Audi Media

FIA WEC: Audi on the top again in the Nürburgring FP2

Friday, August 28, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

As was the case in the opening practice session, the Audi Sport Team Joest set the fastest time in the second practice session of the day at the Nürburgring. The session was highlighted by a thrilling duel between the factory Audis and Porsches.

André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler were the quickest again in a very competitve LMP1 field. The drivers of the #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro set the best time of the session with 1:37.862.

The FIA WEC leaders were followed by two Porsche 919 Hybrid cars in second and third places.

The #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro was fourth fastest overall. Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis set a best time of 1:38.886. They were 1.024s behind the fastest time of the sister #7 Audi.

Toyota Racing ended the session in position five and sixth. The two privateer Rebellion R-One were seventh and eighth. The lone CLM P1/01 - AER from Team ByKolles was ninth fastest.

Nürburgring Second Practice Results

FIA WEC teams and drivers will be back on track tomorrow for the third practice session followed by qualifying.

Photo credit: Audi Media

FIA WEC: Audi quickest in the opening practice session at the Nürburgring

Friday, August 28, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA World Endurance Championship action has started at the Nürburgring with the first of three practice sessions. Audi Sport Team Joest performed well with the two factory Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 cars.

FIA WEC points leaders André Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler were the quickest in the opening session. The three drivers of the #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro set the best time with 1:39.201.

Third place went to the sister #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro behind the second placed #18 Porsche 919 Hybrid. The car in the hands of Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis set a best time of 1:39.910. They were only 0.709s behind their team-mates with the sister #7 Audi.

The second factory #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid was fourth fastest. Toyota Racing took positions five and sixth with the TS040 Hybrids.

First Practice LMP1 results:

P1 #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro - 1:39.201
P2 #18 Porsche 919 Hybrid - 1:39.277
P3 #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro - 1:39.910
P4 #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid - 1:39.915
P5 #2 Toyota TS040 Hybrid - 1:41.812
P6 #1 Toyota TS040 Hybrid - 1:42.541
P7 #12 Rebellion R-One AER - 1:47.433
P8 #13 Rebellion R-One AER - 11:49.171
P9 #4 CLM P1/01 - AER - 1:49.242

The second practice session will follow next.

Photo credit: Audi Media

FIA WEC: Audi driver trio as leaders of the standings in WEC race at the Nürburgring

Friday, August 21, 2015 GTLM

Audi Press Release

The Audi drivers will be entering round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) as leaders of the standings after the summer break. Following two victories and another podium result, Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F) are traveling to Audi’s home round at the Nürburgring with a 20-point advantage.

In what has been its most thrilling season so far, the FIA World Endurance Championship that was launched four years ago will be competing in front of a German audience for the first time. The leaders of the standings and their Audi team-mates Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Oliver Jarvis (BR/F/GB) will be racing together with 29 other teams on the Grand Prix circuit of the Nürburgring. Audi Sport prepared for this new track in a test at the end of July, which included testing based on the new rating provided for by the regulations.

Throughout the six-hour race, the crowd can expect to see a balanced competition starting at 13.00 on Sunday. The race at the Nürburgring might prove as thrilling as the season opener when Audi decided the round at Silverstone in its favor with a 4.6-second advantage following a nail-biting battle. Subsequently, in Belgium, the victorious Audi trio was separated by its closest rivals by just 13.4 seconds. After the fast tracks at the beginning of the season, Audi is now competing on a semi-fast track in the Eifel. Extremely slow track sections driven at only around 70 km/h are contrasted by others where speeds may exceed 290 km/h.

The race in Germany rings in the decisive stage of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Within the space of twelve weeks, the remaining five races will be held in Europe, North America and Asia. The best drivers can score a maximum of 130 points in them until the end of November.

Currently, the tally of the leaders, Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer, reflects 80 points. In the manufacturers’ classification, Audi is still in contention as well. As the runner-up in the standings, the brand with the four rings is trailing the leader with a deficit of only 16 points, while 220 points are yet to be awarded. This year, Audi is battling for its third World Championship title in both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ classification of the FIA WEC.

From round four of the season in the Eifel onwards, new technical ratings that were determined based on the actual data from Le Mans will apply. They allocate slightly more fuel energy per lap to the Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid race car (plus 0.4 percent). At the same time, the competition has to manage a reduction in gasoline consumption (minus 1.7 to 2.2 percent). The officials have reduced the fuel tank capacity of the race cars as well. “This will result in minor shifts,” says Chris Reinke, Head of LMP at Audi Sport. “The differences between the technological concepts in the field are now more precisely compensated for. This will have effects on the lap times of all the participants, but possibly also on how many laps we can complete between two pit stops.”

In addition to the new rating of the race cars, a special provision in the tire regulations will be applied at the Nürburgring as the track is new on the calendar. Eight tire sets will be available to the manufacturers for each car in qualifying and the race – compared to only six for most of the other six-hour races. Consequently, the teams may also change tires during each refueling stop.

The TV channel Eurosport will cover the crucial stage of the race at the Nürburgring, with live 75-minute coverage starting at 18.00 (CEST). RTL will broadcast a summary of the 6-hour race on September 5, starting at 13.35.

Photo credit: Audi Media

World RX: Barcelona RX official promotional video

Thursday, August 20, 2015 GTLM

A great promotional video about the upcoming Barcelona RX. The famous Catalunya Grand Prix circuit will host the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the first time.

Interview: René Rast "This was the moment I worked for almost my whole Life"

Thursday, June 25, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

René Rast had a senstational debut with a factory LMP1 race car at Le Mans 24 Hours. The Audi GT ace was impressive all weekend long at La Sarthe behind the wheel of the Audi Sport Team Joest run #9 R18 e-tron quattro.

We recently had a chat with René Rast about his Le Mans race and expectations for the upcoming challenges.

How emotional was it to compete with Audi in Le Mans 24 Hours with the works Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1?

It was for sure a very special Moment. To be in Le Mans on such a historical track with one of the best manufacturers in motorsport was a big honor and a big pleasure. A dream came true because this was the moment I worked for almost my whole Life.

Tell us more about your Le Mans race weekend.

The Le Mans weekend was a very intense but also fast going week. Press and media activities, practice and qualifying sessions before the race kept us busy. The race itself was a good one till the morning session at around 8-9 o´clock when we had some technical issues with our Hybrid system. During the night we had some leading laps which was obviously very nice, but the Porsche was just a bit faster during the night. In the end my Team Mates and me very happy because neither of us did a mistake and also the Team did a great job.

This year you joined Audi's full factory LMP1 effort, how different is working with Audi Sport compared to Audi Sport customer racing?

Working with Audi Sport is definitely different because you work with many more people which is not easy when you get new into this program. But after a while I got used to so many new faces and you learn how to deal with it. The working itself is with both Audi Sport customer racing and Audi Sport very professional on a high level.

How different is the new Audi R8 LMS compared to the all conquering Audi R8 LMS ultra?

You can feel straight away jumping in the new R8 that the Audi engineers put some serious effort into this car to make it better. For us drivers the Interior handling and also the driver comfort is much better. Also driving the car feels better, even more like a race car than the previous one. But it is still a new car, even though they won the 24h Nürburgring, we still need to fine-tune the car especially with the Pirelli Tires.

The next big target for Audi will be the Spa 24 Hours, what are your expections in the Belgian classic?

After winning it last year the ultimate goal is to win it again ;) it will be difficult, the competition is high but we have a strong car, team and lineup. As always we try to avoid high risks during the race and do our normal routine.

What do you think about the new Audi Sport TT Cup?

I think it's a good platform for young drivers to get a food into motorsport. Here they can show how good they are with equal material and also learn how to race each other. Also being in the Audi family is something the drivers can look up to, because there is more to come after the TT Cup, like the GT3 Program or DTM / LMP1.

Photo credit: Audi Media

FIA WEC: Provisional 6 Hours of the Nürburgring entry list released

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

The 6 Hours of the Nürburgring provisional entry list has been released. The German circuit will play host to the fourth round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship.

This is a home round for the Audi brand. Audi Sport Team Joest will field two factory Audi R18 e-tron quattro with their two full season regular line-ups.

The #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro will be shared by André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler. The three drivers took a strong third place in the Le Mans 24 Hours and are leading the overall LMP1 drivers' standing with 80 points each.

The sister #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro will be driven by Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis. The three dirvers ended the French classic in fourth place and are sixth overall in the LMP1 drivers' standing with 40 points each

Audi is second in the LMP1 manufacturers' standing with 124 points, behind the leading Porsche with 140 points.

A total of eleven LMP1 race cars will enter the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring. The two Audis will be joined by two Porsche 919 Hybrids, two Toyota TS040 Hybrids, two Nissan GT-R LM NISMOs, two Rebellion R-One AERs from Rebellion Racing and one CLM P1/01 AER from byKolles.

Provisional 6 Hours of the Nürburgring entry list

Photo credit: Audi Media

Le Mans 24 Hours: Oliver Jarvis seeking revenge next year at Le Mans

Tuesday, June 16, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

Oliver Jarvis had a strong race at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The British driver was behind the wheel of the works #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

At the end of hard and demanding 24-hour race, Oliver Jarvis took a strong fourth place overall with his team-mates Lucas di Grassi and Loic Duval. The three drivers were the fastest within the Audi squad in qualifying with a fourth place, the best non Porsche entry.

Oliver Jarvis performed well at the Circuit de La Sarthe and could have achieved better results without the unfortunate crash for their Audi Sport Team Joest run #8 R18 e-tron quattro. Team-mate Loic Duval had a severe crash after a contact with a GTE-Pro Ferrari 458 Italia from AF Corse. That incident ended any hope of race victory for Jarvis and his team-mates

The Briton thanked Audi Sport Team Joest for the phenomenal job reparing the car and sending it back on track in a record time but also was disappointed as they were taken out from race victory contention too soon.

“Following Loïc’s (Duval) accident, I thought our race was over early. But the mechanics from Audi Sport Team Joest sent us back out on track in an incredibly short period of time. A huge thank you for that.”

“Still: finishing fourth when you’ve got the potential of at least clinching a podium is a disappointment. Congratulations to Porsche on winning. Next year, we’re going for revenge.”

“For our trio this was the first joint Le Mans. We’ve become a really close squad here – we’re going to benefit from that in the coming races. I’m already looking forward to getting into the car again.”

Oliver Jarvis will be back with Audi Sport Team Joest at the Nürburgring, round three of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship

Photo credit: Audi Media

Le Mans 24 Hours: René Rast, an LMP1 star is born

Monday, June 15, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

René Rast debuted in the upper LMP1 class at Le Mans 24 Hours this year. The German driver was behind the wheel of the factory #9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

The German driver finished seventh overall in the French classic with team-mates Marco Bonanomi and Filipe Albuqueruque. It could have been a far better for the three drivers without the issues hitting their R18 e-tron quattro.

Before the race there were some questions about René Rast performances with a factory LMP1 coming from GT racing. The Audi driver's answer was brilliant on track. Very fast, consistant and not making any mistake. René was as fast as all his team-mates at Audi Sport Team Joest who have far more exeprience with the R18 e-tron quattro.

René was even in the lead at some stages of the race and resisted brilliantly to the assualts of the quick Porsche 919 Hybrid cars.

René Rast had mixed feelings at the end of the race. Frustrated about the technical issues but delighted about his performances the work done by his two team-mates.

“A good race for me personally. Into the morning hours, we were running in the top group, sometimes even leading the race. Then we lost ground due to hybrid issues. That’s a shame, but that’s racing.”

“Things weren’t going smoothly for the other two Audi cars either. Now, we’re looking ahead to the next races.”

“I drove eight stints, learned a lot about the car, the tires. ‘Thank you’ also to my two mates – we’re a great team.”

René Rast will not take part in the upcoming FIA WEC races (#9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro doing only Spa and Le Mans races), but one thing is sure, an LMP1 star is born at Le Mans.

The next big target for René Rast will be the Spa 24 Hours. A two times winner of the Belgian classic, René Rast will try to take a third overall victory with the new Audi R8 LMS.

Photo credit: Audi Media

VIDEO: Highlights of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours

Sunday, June 14, 2015 GTLM

Highlights of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours. Porsche scored a 1-2 victory with Audi taking the third and fourth places.

Read our race report: Audi takes third and fourth at the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours

Photo credit: Audi Media

Le Mans 24 Hours: Audi takes third and fourth at the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours

Sunday, June 14, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi brand took a deserved podium in the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours, round 3 of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship. André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler sharing the #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro finished the French endurance classic in third place overall behind two Porsche 919 Hybrids.

Loic Duval, Oliver Jarvis and Lucas di Grassi were fourth behind the wheel of the #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. Filipe Albuquerque, René Rast and Marco Bonanomi were seventh driving the #9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

The three Audis were really fast all race long with André Lotterer achieving a stunning 3:17.475 , a new race lap record at Le Mans. But overall it was not an easy event for Audi Sport Team Joest at the Circuit de La Sarthe. All of the three works Audi R18 e-tron quattro were had race incidents and issues preventing them from taking the overall win.

It all started very well for Audi Sport Team Joest's works LMP1 machines challening the rivals from Porsche. The R18 e-tron quattros were as fast as the 919 Hybrids who dominated the qualifying sessions. The race lead changed many times with the two brands having an unblievable pace. Fans on site and around the world enjoyed some thrilling and hard battles for position one.

Then bad luck started to hit the Audis one by one at different stages of the race. First it was with the #8 Audi driven by Loic Duval, Oliver Jarvis and Lucas di Grassi. In the opening hours of the race Loïc Duval had a big crash with the #8 Audi following an unfortunate contact with a GTE Ferrari 458 GTC. The car headed back to its garage for repair before joining the track.

At the end of hour 16 it was the turn of the #7 Audi driven by André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler. The Swiss driver was chasing the leading Porsche when he forced to join the pitlane after that part of the rear bodywork flew off. The FIA WEC points leaders lost 10 minutes ending any hope for a fourth win.

The #9 Audi of Filipe Albuquerque, René Rast and Marco Bonanomi was performing well, running in third overall when the car started to face issues with the hybrid system. The car was forced to stop and lost a lot of time in its garage.

No victory this year, but credits to the whole Audi Sport Team Joest, crew members and drivers. All of them fought hard to the end and never gave up all race long. Audi will be back next year and will try to bring the big trophy back to Ingolstadt.

Congratulations to Porsche for their 1-2 victory, their first outright win in Le Mans since 1998. Earl Bamber, Nico Hulkenberg and Nick Tandy shared the winning #19 Porsche 919 Hybrid ahead of their team-mates Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley with the sister #18 machine.

LMP2 class victory went to the #47 Oreca 05 Nissan from KCMG. The factory #64 Corvette 7.R from Corvette Racing won the demanding GTE-Pro class. The #72 Ferrari 458 Italia from SMP Racing won GTE-Am.

2015 Le Mans 24 Hours final results:

P1 #19 Porsche 919 Hybrid
P2 #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid
P3 #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro
P4 #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro
P5 #18 Porsche 919 Hybrid
P6 #2 Toyota TS040 Hybrid
P7 #9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro
P8 #1 Toyota TS040 Hybrid

The next round of the FIA World Endurance Championshop will be the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, a home race for the Audi.

Photo credit: Audi Media

Le Mans 24 Hours: 1-2-3 Audi R18 e-tron quattro in the warm up

Saturday, June 13, 2015 GTLM

By Tarek Ramchani

The three factory Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars performed well in the warm up this morning at the Circuit de La Sarthe. The final session before the big Le Mans 24 Hours race.

The Audi Sport Team Joesr run machines achieved a fine 1-2-3 in the end. The cars were fast and set very competitive lap times.

The #9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro driven by René Rast, Filipe Albuquerque and Marco Bonanomi was the fastest with a best time of 3:19.423. This is faster lap time compared to their best qualifying one.

Olivier Jarvis, Loic Duval and Lucas di Grassi were second fastest behind the wheel of the #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. They set a best time of 3:21.740.

FIA WEC points leaders André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fassler were third fastest. The drivers of the #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro set a best time of 3:22.162.

The #18 Porsche was fourth, the #17 Porsche was fifth, the #1 Toyota was sixth, the #19 Porsche was seventh and the #2 Toyota was eighth.

Photo credit: Audi Media