Audi Sport Press Release
·
Le Mans winning trio on
grid in Audi R18 e-tron quattro
·
Allan McNish shares R18
ultra with Tom Kristensen at home round
·
Competition of the
concepts at Silverstone
Ingolstadt, August 17,
2012 - Audi is entering the crucial phase of the season with the momentum of
three victories achieved by the R18. At Silverstone (Great Britain), the fourth
of eight rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship will be held on August
26.
Sports car fans are looking forward to the upcoming race in the United Kingdom
with eager anticipation. After Audi clinched its eleventh victory at Le Mans,
and celebrated the first win of a hybrid vehicle, the next challenges are now
to be tackled. For the first time in two decades, the FIA is sanctioning a
world championship title for the sports car sector and this battle is now
entering its crucial phase. Within the space of just nine weeks, the WEC is
holding events in five countries on three continents, starting at Silverstone
in Great Britain.
There are several reasons that raise suspense to particularly high levels. No
less than three different Audi driver squads have won the first three rounds -
with three different versions of the R18 sports car. In addition, challenger
Toyota showed a remarkable performance on its premiere at Le Mans, so that a
tough duel can be expected in the second half of the season.
There is a third thrilling aspect that makes the LMP sports cars particularly
intriguing from a technological point of view. As the conditions for hybrid
vehicles vary from track to track there is really no way of telling which
concept will ultimately prevail. One of the reasons for this lies in the
individual layouts of the various tracks and the other in the definitions by
the FIA and WEC sporting authorities. For the 5.901-kilometer circuit at
Silverstone, for instance, only four braking zones are planned in which the
energy that is recovered in braking events may be released again.
Right at the beginning of the season, Audi decided to contest the rounds
following the 24-hour race with a hybrid vehicle and a conventionally powered
race car. After their second consecutive Le Mans victory, Marcel Fässler/André
Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer are driving the R18 e-tron quattro hybrid sports car
designated as car number "1." Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish, who
are running as a duo, are switching to the cockpit of the Audi R18 ultra that
will be marked as car number "2." With an advantage of only 6.5
points, they are leading the standings in front of the Le Mans winners.
For McNish, who has been victorious at Silverstone with Audi as many as three
times, the fourth race of the season is a home round. And for Audi, the event
is about clinching the first victory on this tradition-steeped track in four
years. But Great Britain not only has high sporting value for the brand with
the four rings, as the United Kingdom has continued to be its second-largest
European sales market through the first half of 2012.
Spectators watching the race on a screen have numerous information channels
available to them. In addition to national TV broadcasts,
www.audi-liveracing.com offers unique cockpit camera perspectives and
consolidated race reports. Plus the Audi Sport iPhone app covers WEC reporting
with tickers, news, pictures and results.
Topics of the weekend
-How will the R18 e-tron quattro benefit from the Silverstone track and how the
R18 ultra?
-How well will Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen adjust to the R18 ultra?
-How will the battle with Toyota develop?
-Which driver team will leave Silverstone as the leaders of the standings at
the season’s midpoint?
Quotes by the officials
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "At Silverstone,
I’m expecting a very close battle with Toyota. We’ve analyzed the lap times at
Le Mans. By applying this knowledge to the specific requirements at Silverstone
we’ve got to assume that our opponent Toyota will probably be competing at a
high level. So the question of who can deliver the better performance for six
hours straight and stay clear of all trouble will be crucial."
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "This
is guaranteed to be a thrilling race. We’re again running with two concepts and
we’ve got to wait and see which of these will be the better one at Silverstone.
Toyota showed its capabilities for the first time this summer at Le Mans and
lasted for a six-hour distance. It’s true that Audi has won all races so far
but the competitive pressure is rising. Not even the manufacturers’ world
championship has been decided yet, and the drivers’ championship is wide open.
Our aim is to keep a clean slate at the season’s last European race."
Facts and quotes by the Audi drivers
Marcel Fässler (36/CH), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1
-In 2009, as the runner-up, achieved his best Silverstone result
-The Le Mans winner is contesting the remainder of the season with two
team-mates
"I’m really happy to continue to drive the R18 e-tron quattro that we were
so successful with at Le Mans. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to contest
the entire championship. My team-mates and I won Le Mans for the second time.
Now the next challenge is following. We want to battle for the title in this
new championship because we’ve only got a deficit of 6.5 points. But with five
rounds to go it’s still a long road."
André Lotterer (30/D), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1
-Has already scored two Le Mans victories
-Has been on pole twice in the first three races of the season
"We’re traveling to Silverstone with a very positive feeling. I’m pleased
to be sharing the car with Benoît (Tréluyer) and Marcel (Fässler). We get on
really well and are a team. It’s been a long break after Le Mans. I’m happy
that there’s a world championship now as well. That’s another motivation boost.
When I was racing at Silverstone in Formula 3 I was very familiar with the
track but it has significantly changed since then. So I did my home work on my
simulator. I’m hoping for us to be able to take the lead of the
standings."
Benoît Tréluyer (35/F), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1
-Celebrated his second Le Mans victory in June
-Has never contested a sports car race at Silverstone before
"I’m happy about the trust that is being placed in us. The Le Mans winning
trio has been given the opportunity to contest the entire WEC season through to
the finale for Audi and fight for the title. The season will be exciting
because there are still five races on the calendar. However, I’m not familiar
with all the tracks yet that we’ll be driving on. I’ve completed a large number
of virtual laps at Silverstone on my new race simulator to optimally prepare
myself. Now I’m really eager to see what the real track will be like."
Tom Kristensen (45/DK), Audi R18 ultra #2
-The eight-time Le Mans winner was victorious at the WEC opening race in March
-The leader of the standings is sharing the R18 ultra with Allan McNish for the
first time
"After Le Mans, there’s been a summer break and now we’re moving forward
again on the calendar. All the batteries have been recharged again. We’re
leading the standings after Sebring, Spa and Le Mans. Allan (McNish) and I are
now sharing an Audi R18 ultra. The battle between the concepts is a nice
challenge. The race at Silverstone will no doubt be a thriller. It would be
great to be in contention for the top spot on the podium at Allan’s home
round."
Allan McNish (42/GB), Audi R18 ultra #2
-Has won his home round as many as three times
-Is traveling to Silverstone as leader of the WEC standings
-Started from the first row in the past two years
"Tom (Kristensen) and I are leading the drivers’ world championship. At my
home round, before we’re traveling to Brazil, we are clearly aiming to build on
our championship lead. Silverstone is a tricky track. You’ve got to master the
quick turns but not lose any time in the slow corners either. The same goes for
our technical crew."
The Audi drivers at Silverstone
Marcel Fässler (CH): *May 27, 1976 in Einsiedeln (CH); residence:
Gross (CH); married to Isabel, four daughters (Shana, Elin, Yael and Delia);
height 1.78 m; weight 78 kg; Audi driver since 2008; Le Mans victories: 2; WEC
races: 3; WEC victories: 1; WEC pole positions: 0; WEC fastest laps: 1; best
result Silverstone: 2
Tom Kristensen (DK): *Jul 07, 1967 in Hobro (DK); residence: Monaco
(MC); single (partner: Hanne), two sons (Oliver and Oswald) and one daughter
(Carla Malou); height: 1.74 m; weight: 72 kg; Audi driver since 2000; Le Mans
victories: 8; WEC races: 3; WEC victories: 1; WEC pole positions: 0; WEC
fastest laps: 0; best result Silverstone: 7
André Lotterer (D): *Nov 19, 1981 in Duisburg (D); residence: Tokyo
(J); single; height 1.84 m; weight 74 kg; Audi driver since 2010; Le Mans
victories: 2; WEC races: 3; WEC victories: 1; WEC pole positions: 2; WEC
fastest laps: 1; best result Silverstone: -
Allan McNish (GB): *Dec 29, 1969 in Dumfries (GB); residence: Monaco
(MC); married to Kelly, one son (Finlay), one daughter (Charlotte); height:
1.65 m; weight: 60 kg; Audi driver since 2000; Le Mans victories: 2; WEC races:
3; WEC victories: 1; WEC pole positions: 1; WEC fastest laps: 0; best result
Silverstone: 1
Benoît Tréluyer (F): *Dec 07, 1976 in Alençon (F); residence: Gordes
(F); married to Melanie, 1 son (Jules); height 1.78 m; weight 68 kg; Audi
driver since 2010; Le Mans victories: 2; WEC races: 3; WEC victories: 1; WEC
pole positions: 0; WEC fastest laps: 0; best result Silverstone: -
All Silverstone winners (since 2000)
2000 Müller/Lehto (BMW)
2004 McNish/Kaffer (Audi)
2005 McNish/Ortelli (Audi)
2007 Gené/Minassian (Peugeot)
2008 McNish/Capello (Audi)
2009 Panis/Lapierre (Oreca)
2010 Davidson/Minassian (Peugeot)
2011 Pagenaud/Bourdais (Peugeot)
Track info
Track length: 5.901 km
Race duration: 6 hours
Qualifying record on this track: Allan McNish (Audi), Sep 11, 2010, 1m 43.475s
(204.954 km/h)
Race record on this track: Nicolas Lapierre (Peugeot), Sep 12, 2010, 1m 44.338s
(203.259 km/h)
Pole position 2011: Simon Pagenaud (Peugeot), Sep 10, 2011, 1m 43.924s (204.068
km/h)
Fastest lap 2011: Sébastien Bourdais (Peugeot), Sep 11, 2011, 1m 46.586s
(198.972 km/h)
Allan McNish about Silverstone: "Silverstone is the epitome of
motorsport in the UK for many visitors. My career in car racing started there
as well. At that time, the former airfield was a high-speed facility. Since
then, many sections have been modified, which has resulted in a very tricky
track. On the one hand, a lot of the fast places, such as Copse, Maggotts and
Becketts, have remained. The new first turn is fast as well. But there are
several very slow corners too. You arrive at high speed but then the car has to
be pleasant to drive even in very narrow places. Principally speaking, our cars
were obviously optimized for Le Mans. But that’s a piece of this puzzle: you’ve
got to master the fast turns but not lose any time in the slow corners either.
This goes for us drivers as well as for the work of the technical crew that
sets up our cars."
WEC drivers’ standings after 3 of 8 rounds
1 Capello/Kristensen/McNish, 77 points; 2 Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer, 70,5; 3
Dumas/Duval, 67; 4 Gené, 49; 5 Heidfeld/Jani/Prost, 42,5; 6
Dalziel/Potolicchio, 31,5; 7 Dumbreck/Chandhok/Brabham, 22,5; 8
Ayari/Kaffer/Companc 20,5; 9 Bernhard, 18; 10 Kimber-Smith, 16.
WEC manufacturers’ standings after 3 of 8 rounds
1 Audi, 103 points, 2 Toyota, 0.
Schedule (local times; CET - 1 hour)
Friday, August 24
11:30-13:00 Free practice 1
16:00-17:30 Free practice 2
Saturday, August 25
11:00-12:00 Free practice 3
15:20-15:40 Qualifying LMP1 & LMP2
Sunday, August 26
08:55-09:15 Warm-up
12:00-18:00 Race
Approx. 18:15 FIA WEC press conference
