Four rings, four wins. The end of season party at the Audi Forum Neckarsulm was celebrated under this motto, and at which Audi thanked its teams and drivers for the most successful motorsport season in the company’s history. Chairman of the Board of Management Rupert Stadler and Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management with responsibility for Technical Development, emphasised the importance of motorsport for the brand.
29-year-old German Timo Scheider is the new DTM Champion, who thus takes over from his team-mate Mattias Ekström. Even though the Audi factory driver ranks among the stars this season there are several facts you may not have known before.
The new DTM Champion has been crowned: With a victory in the finale at Hockenheim, Audi driver Timo Scheider clinched the title win in the most popular international touring car racing series and celebrated the biggest triumph in his career. In his private life, the 29-year-old driver from Lahnstein is a family man who prefers spending time with his girlfriend and his son to the stereotypical life of a racer.
The most extensive motorsport programme in the history of AUDI AG is now the most successful one as well: following the triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the title wins at the Le Mans series in North America and Europe, Timo Scheider with a victory at the finale at Hockenheim also secured the title in the DTM. This means that, for the first time since 1990/1991, Audi successfully defended the title in the most popular international touring car racing series. In addition, with eight pole positions and six victories, the new Audi A4 DTM in its debut year was the most successful car of the season and superior to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Eleven races, eight best times in qualifying: the Audi A4 DTM is clearly the quickest car of the 2008 DTM season. At the finale at the Hockenheimring the Swede Mattias Ekström clinched the eighth pole position of the year for Audi. Leader of the standings Timo Scheider will start to the most crucial race (Sunday, starting at 1:45 p.m., local time, live on "Das Erste") from position three, just behind his rival for the title Paul di Resta (Mercedes). A total of six Audi drivers made it into the top ten.
It was the most extensive factory programme in AUDI AG motorsport history to date. On Sunday, 26 October it could become the most successful ever: If Timo Scheider clinches the DTM title for Audi at Hockenheim, then the brand with the four rings will have won everything there was to win this season.
Audi was able to complete their successful 2008 sportscar season with another 1-2 victory. In the finale of the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca (U.S. state of California), the two Germans Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner celebrated a narrow victory in front of their team mates Christijan Albers and Emanuele Pirro.
Emanuele Pirro has captured the LM P1 pole position at Laguna Seca (U.S. state of California) in his last race with the Audi R10 TDI. On Friday, the Italian won the qualifying battle against his team-mate Lucas Luhr.
After Swiss driver Marcel Fässler, Audi now gives another driver the opportunity to contest a race with the powerful 650 hp plus Audi R10 TDI: At the American Le Mans Series finale at Laguna Seca (US state of California) on 18 October, the former Dutch Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers starts together with Emanuele Pirro (Italy) for Team Audi Sport North America. The Audi R10 TDI with start number 2 will be driven by the usual German duo of Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner.
In the hot phase of the 2008 motorsport season Audi again underlined their "Vorsprung durch Technik" last weekend with two victories linked to "Le Mans" – in the DTM and in the American Le Mans Series. In the year of the company’s most extensive motorsport programme ever the motorsport squad headed by Dr Wolfgang Ullrich thus has the chance to achieve a historically outstanding tally of success in the sport.
At Le Mans, Audi celebrated their fifth DTM victory of the season with Mattias Ekström, and with Alexandre Prémat, at the latter’s home race, the first podium result of a year-old car in the current season. Timo Scheider defended the lead of the standings with a two-point advantage – the title decision from an extremely thrilling starting base will therefore be made at the finale at Hockenheim three weeks from now. The constantly changing intensity of the rain turned the tenth round into a lottery and thus the most action-packed race of the season so far: only four of the 19 drivers came in for the two mandatory pit stops, all other classified drivers pitted three, and two drivers even as much as four times.
With an impressive success at Road Atlanta (U.S. state of Georgia) Audi continued its winning streak at the prestigious 1000-mile race "Petit Le Mans". In front of a record crowd of 113,000 spectators, Dindo Capello, Allan McNish and Emanuele Pirro achieved Audi’s ninth consecutive victory. Audi thus remains unbeaten at "Petit Le Mans".
After qualifying, Audi factory driver Tom Kristensen, the record winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with eight wins under his belt, is also at the very front of the DTM grid in France. At the "Circuit Bugatti", the Dane in the Audi A4 DTM secured the pole position in front of Jamie Green (Mercedes) with a lead of eight hundredths of a second. The next position is occupied by Audi team-mate Mattias Ekström. The leader of the standings, Timo Scheider, achieved fifth place on the grid in his Audi A4 DTM, and will thus be going into the race directly behind his immediate championship rival Paul di Resta (Mercedes).
Team Audi Sport North America’s two Audi R10 TDI prototypes will go into Saturday’s "Petit Le Mans" race at Road Atlanta (U.S. state of Georgia) from second and third positions on the starting grid. In a more than thrilling qualifying session, Allan McNish lost the battle for pole position by just 0.085 seconds.
Audi victories at Le Mans are nothing unusual. Audi technology is unbeaten at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans since the year 2000. On 5 October Audi wants to celebrate yet another victory in the West France city – this time in the DTM.
After the triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the early title win in the American Le Mans Series, AUDI AG performed another feat with the Audi R10 TDI diesel sportscar: At the 1000-kilometre race at Silverstone (Great Britain), Audi Sport Team Joest – clinching victory as well as fourth place – secured also the champion’s title in the European Le Mans Series (LMS).
The two Audi R10 TDI cars of Audi Sport Team Joest will start to the finale of the European Le Mans Series at Silverstone (Great Britain) from the second row.
Audi competes in a second race in Great Britain only 14 days after Timo Scheider’s victory at Brands Hatch in the Audi A4 DTM: The finale of the European based Le Mans Series (LMS) is held on 14 September at Silverstone where Audi Sport Team Joest still has chances of winning the title.
With a cleverly clinched second place, Audi driver Timo Scheider defended his overall DTM lead at Barcelona. Before the last two rounds, the 29-year-old German has a seven-point advantage over the Scot Paul di Resta (Mercedes) and thus the chance of securing the champion’s title early at the next race at Le Mans on 5 October.
At the DTM’s ninth round at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona (Spain) leader of the standings Timo Scheider will again start from the first row of the grid. In the most gripping qualifying session the season has seen so far the Audi "factory" driver was merely 31 thousandths of a second short of reaching the pole position.
Two of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hour race winners Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) strengthen the Audi driver squad at the 1000-mile race Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta (Georgia) on 4 October.
On 21 September at the "Circuit de Catalunya" on the outskirts of Barcelona the final phase begins in the DTM, the most popular European racing series after Formula 1. Like last year, Audi travels to Spain as championship leader. The proposed target: a repeat of the 2006 win.
At the eighth DTM round at Brands Hatch, Audi celebrated their fourth win of the 2008 season. In unstable weather conditions Timo Scheider defended an extremely narrow lead against Mercedes driver Paul di Resta on the British circuit. In front of 26,800 spectators (throughout the weekend) Timo Scheider thus extended his leadership of the standings to nine points. Mattias Ekström shone with a brilliant recovery from seventh to third place.
Despite not finishing the city street race in Detroit, the two German Audi "factory" drivers Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner have already clinched the Drivers’ title in the LM P1 class of the American Le Mans Series.
Audi drivers Marcel Fässler and Emanuele Pirro achieved their first victory in the LM P1 class of the American Le Mans Series in the city street race in Detroit (U.S. state of Michigan). After a faultless drive they finished third overall with their Audi R10 TDI. Lucas Luhr and Marc Werner retired early following an accident and, after seven consecutive victories, for the first time this year did not score any points.
At Brands Hatch Audi managed setting their sixth best qualifying time in eight races: Timo Scheider secured the pole position with a lead of nine hundreths of a second. This means that the Audi factory driver and leader of the standings starts from the top grid position for the fourth time this year. A total of four Audi A4 DTM cars will start to the race from the first four rows of the grid on Sunday.
Like last year, the Audi drivers are facing an extremely difficult task in the race of the American Le Mans Series on the "Belle Isle Street Circuit” in Detroit (U.S. state of Michigan). Team Audi Sport North America’s pair of Audi R10 TDI prototypes will start Saturday’s race from the fourth and fifth row of the grid on the bumpy city street circuit.
For the first time, Audi Sport will offer a racing sports car specifically developed for customer use in the form of the powerful 500 hp plus GT3 version of the Audi R8 which will be available from autumn 2009. The logistics and factory space required for the AUDI AG customer programme will be created over the next few months in Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm and Györ.
Audi have prematurely clinched the LM P1 Manufacturers’ Championship in the American Le Mans Series with their third consecutive 1-2 victory. Before the last three races, the brand with the four rings is out of reach in the classifications for engine and chassis manufacturers.
Audi driver Dindo Capello has turned the former Canadian Grand Prix circuit at Mosport into the fastest racetrack of the American Le Mans Series. In Saturday’s qualifying, he beat last year’s pole time with the over 650-hp Audi R10 TDI by almost two seconds. With an average speed of 138.116 mph, Capello recorded the fastest lap ever in the history of the American Le Mans Series thus beating the record which his team-mate Lucas Luhr had established just a fortnight ago at Road America.
Audi youngsters Alexandre Prémat (26) and Mike Rockenfeller (25) again clinched a podium result at the fourth round of the European-based Le Mans Series. With third place at the 1000-kilometre race at the Nürburgring, they maintained their chance in the fight for the title. Dindo Capello and Allan McNish in the second Audi R10 TDI finished in fourth place.
At the fourth round of the Le Mans Series at the Nürburgring, the Audi youngsters Alexandre Prémat (26) and Mike Rockenfeller (25) won the qualifying duel against their more seasoned team-mates Dindo Capello and Allan McNish for the first time. The Frenchman Alexandre Prémat was 49 thousandths of a second quicker than the Italian Dindo Capello in the qualifying for the 1000-kilometre race at the Nürburgring.
In the last week in August the Audi R10 TDI competes on two race tracks which could hardly be more different: On 24 August the American Le Mans Series appears at the Canadian circuit Mosport, one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. On the agenda only six days later on the Belle Isle in Detroit (USA) is the slowest street circuit on the US sportscar series’ calendar.
The Audi R10 TDI has won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in succession. For the first time the ground breaking diesel sportscar competes in the 1000-kilometre race at the Nürburgring on 17 August in the country where it was designed: Germany.
Audi has clinched the second consecutive 1-2 victory in the American Le Mans Series. At Road America (U.S. state of Wisconsin), the German duo Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner celebrated their sixth victory of the season thus taking a further step towards the title. Marcel Fässler completed the Audi triumph in his first race with the Audi R10 TDI alongside Emanuele Pirro.
Lucas Luhr has captured the pole position for Audi in the seventh round of the American Le Mans Series with a record lap at Road America. The German beat the previous track record held by Allan McNish by 0.730 seconds. With an average speed of 136.277 mph, the Audi "factory” driver also recorded the fastest ever qualifying lap in the history of the American Le Mans Series.
The Swiss racing driver Marcel Fässler (32) gets the chance to contest two races in the American Le Mans Series with the Audi R10 TDI. The former DTM driver starts at Road America (9 August) and Detroit (30 August) for Team Audi Sport North America as team-mate to Emanuele Pirro.
With a fifth-place finish Audi driver Timo Scheider defended his overall lead in the DTM. However, a tyre choice that failed to work out deprived Audi of a possible fourth victory of the season in the Eifel.
Seven races, five pole positions: The qualifying performance of the new Audi A4 in the DTM remains impressive. At the Nürburgring, Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen secured the best spot on the grid. Mike Rockenfeller at the wheel of his A4 from last year in second place caused a huge surprise. A total of three Audi A4 DTM cars will be starting to the race from the top grid positions on Sunday at 5:35 p.m.
Audi Sport North America’s two Audi R10 TDI prototypes were in a class of their own in round six of the American Le Mans series at Mid-Ohio (U.S. state of Ohio). Lucas Luhr/Marco Werner and Dindo Capello/Emanuele Pirro achieved a comanding 1-2 victory for Audi – on a track which in the past favoured the lighter LM P2 cars and on which Audi last scored an overall victory in 2004.
Marco Werner has set a new track record for LM P1 sports cars in an exciting qualifying for the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series at Mid-Ohio (US state of Ohio). On Friday, the German beat the previous record by over a second.
Podium lock-out on debut at Hockenheim, one-two finish at Oschersleben, and now the first four finishing positions at Zandvoort: The new Audi A4 is clearly the car to beat in the 2008 DTM. Audi also wants to demonstrate this in no uncertain terms to the spectators at the Nürburgring on 27 July.
Audi showed a dominant performance at the sixth DTM round at Zandvoort and, like last year, celebrated a one-two-three-four victory in the Netherlands. It was the new Audi A4 DTM’s best result so far and Audi’s 45th victory in the DTM. One day before his 30th birthday, title defender Mattias Ekström celebrated his second exploit of the season, after winning the season opener at Hockenheim. Following the twelfth DTM triumph of his career, the two-time champion is now the best Audi driver in DTM history.
Small errors, big impact. That is the bottom line for Audi after the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series at Lime Rock (U.S. state of Connecticut). In front of an impressive crowd, Audi’s diesel sports car was the fastest car of the field. However, Team Audi Sport North America had to settle for fourth place overall and a victory in the LM P1 class after a thrilling race.
The qualifying at the sixth DTM race weekend at Zandvoort was marked by nail-biting suspense when as many as three Audi drivers fiercely fought for the pole position. In the end, Mattias Ekström prevailed as the front runner with a lead of more than two tenths of a second, thus setting a new track record on the Dutch dune circuit. Timo Scheider and Tom Kristensen completed the trio on the top grid positions.
Following a chaotic practice day at Lime Rock (US state of Connecticut), Team Audi Sport North America must be satisfied with starting positions eight and nine for the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series.
Summer, sun, sand and almost 80,000 spectators, but also sand on the track, an extremely demanding track layout and correspondingly meticulous technical preparation dominate the impressions of Zandvoort. At a glance all the interesting facts about the mid-point of the season marked by the sixth race of the eleven round DTM season.
If there is one track on which Audi feels particularly at home then it is Zandvoort. Audi won three of the last four DTM races on the circuit around the sand dunes on the North Sea coast of Holland. Last year Audi even filled the top-four positions. The anticipation for the sixth race of the 2008 DTM season is correspondingly great in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.
In front of 140,000 spectators (throughout the weekend) Audi maintained its lead in the DTM standings in Nuremberg. Finishing the race in third place, Timo Scheider defended his overall lead and gave Audi its first Norisring podium since 2005. With Mattias Ekström in fourth, and Tom Kristensen in seventh place, two other Audi drivers scored points.
The fifth round of the 2008 DTM in Nuremberg promises to become the most thrilling one of the year. The fiercely competitive qualifying on Saturday confirmed that Audi with the new A4 has realistic chances of putting an end to the string of Norisring wins Mercedes has clinched since 2003.
Existing since 1947, the Norisring, which is traditionally visited by almost 150,000 spectators, is once again regarded as the highlight of the DTM season in 2008. Audi still holds a record on the street circuit which doubles as the Ingolstadt squad’s home race.
Another huge event is on the Audi Sport race schedule only 14 days after the Audi R10 TDI prototype’s magnificent victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16th: The Norisring race in Nuremburg, the Audi team’s "home race”.
At one of the most exciting and fastest races in Le Mans history, AUDI AG clinched another triumph at what is arguably the world’s toughest motor race.
With consistency and efficiency Audi has taken the lead during the third hour of the Le Mans 24-Hour race. At 6 p.m., the #2 Audi R10 TDI driven by Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish held a 35.7-second lead of the second placed Peugeot.
Also the warm-up for the Le Mans 24 Hours was absolutely free of troubles for the three Audi R10 TDI prototypes. All nine Audi drivers got further track time. With 3m 23.319s Allan McNish was faster than in Qualifying despite running on used tyres – thus confirming that the Audi Sport Team Joest has found a good set-up for the race.
Audi Sport Team Joest concentrated fully on race preparations during the first qualifying session for this weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours (start on Saturday at 3 p.m.). The three Audi R10 TDI prototypes are fourth, fifth and sixth on the provisional starting grid.
In Le Mans city centre on Tuesday, thousands of spectators followed Technical Scrutineering of the three Audi R10 TDI prototypes with which Audi Sport Team Joest will compete in next weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours. This means the Audi squad is ready for one of the greatest challenges in motorsport.
All set for the "race of the year": covering a total of almost 2,600 kilometres on the only official test day, the Audi drivers prepared themselves for the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans to be staged on 14 and 15 June. The Audi R10 TDI vehicles completed the eight-hour test without the slightest technical problem.
Team Audi Sport North America’s pair of Audi R10 TDI prototypes had the chance to clinch another overall victory in the exciting fourth round of the American Le Mans Series near Salt Lake City (US state of Utah). After a dramatic finish, however, Audi had to be content with victory in the LM P1 class.
Extension of the the lead and reduction of weight: in front of 80,000 spectators at the DTM’s fourth round at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Audi created an ideal starting base for its home race at the Norisring. Timo Scheider as the runner-up extended his lead of the standings. The compact Audi team performance in the Lausitz region was completed by Mattias Ekström and Martin Tomczyk in places three and four.
Team Audi Sport North America’s pair of Audi R10 TDI prototypes will start the fourth round of the American Le Mans Series at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City (US state of Utah), from rows three and four of the grid. By qualifying sixth overall, Marco Werner captured pole position in the LM P1 class for Audi. Frank Biela set the eighth fastest time.
Audi’s Timo Scheider remains the best Audi factory driver in qualifying in the 2008 DTM season: the German will tackle the fourth DTM round at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in his GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM from position three on the grid. This marks the end of a string of eight best times in a row set by Audi since July 2007.
Audi has taken the lead of the manufacturers’ championship of the European Le Mans Series at the 1000-kilometre race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). The two Audi youngsters Alexandre Prémat (26/France) and Mike Rockenfeller (24/Germany) in their Audi R10 TDI finished the third race of the season again in second place, thus going to the "Audi home round” at the Nürburgring on 17 August with the same points score as the Peugeot drivers Marc Gené and Nicolas Minassian.
At its third running in the European Le Mans Series, the Audi R10 TDI starts to the race from the front row of the grid for the first time. In qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Allan McNish managed to push himself between the two Peugeot 908s. Mike Rockenfeller in the second R10 TDI of Audi Sport Team Joest secured fourth place on the grid despite having been obstructed on his fastest lap.
At the DTM’s Italian round, Audi defended its overall lead. Although scoring no points at Mugello after a jump start, Audi driver Timo Scheider continues heading the leaderboard. Tom Kristensen clinched third place for Audi in an action-packed race. A total of five A4 DTM cars finished in the top eight, and thus in the points.
Audi driver Timo Scheider remains "the man to be beaten” in the DTM: at the third race of the season the German in his GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM will start from the pole position as well. At Mugello (Italy), Scheider managed a perfect lap at the crucial moment of qualifying, resulting in a gap of over three tenths of a second to the rest of the field.
With a second-place finish at the 1000-kilometre race at Monza (Italy), the two Audi drivers Mike Rockenfeller (24) and Alexandre Prémat (26) took the lead in the drivers’ standings of the European Le Mans Series. Shortly before the end of the turbulent endurance race they were even leading the field with their Audi R10 TDI before being deprived of their chance for victory by a controversial collision.
The two Audi R10 TDI cars fielded by Audi Sport Team Joest will start to the 1000-kilometre race at Monza (Italy) from the second row on Sunday. Local hero Dindo Capello set the third-best time in Saturday’s qualifying. Team-mate Mike Rockenfeller was merely 137 thousandths of a second slower and captured fourth place on the grid.
Second race, second triumph: the new Audi A4 DTM could not be beaten in its second race either. One week after the 1-2-3 exploit at Hockenheim, Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk clinched a commanding 1-2 victory for Audi at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. By claiming the maiden victory of his DTM career, Scheider has taken the overall lead as well.
For the seventh time in a row, Audi starts from the pole position in the DTM. As at the Hockenheim season opener a week ago, the new Audi A4 DTM cars fielded by Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline were in a class of their own in qualifying at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Timo Scheider, Tom Kristensen and Martin Tomczyk clinched grid positions one to three for Audi. Youngster Oliver Jarvis in Audi Sport Team Phoenix’s A4 from last year in fourth position ensured that the first two rows on the grid are firmly in Audi’s hands on Sunday.
With a commanding 1-2-3 victory at the Hockenheim DTM season opener Audi, yet again, underpinned the brand’s slogan "Vorsprung durch Technik", not only on the road but on the circuit. 93,000 spectators (throughout the weekend) witnessed an impressive premiere showing of the new Audi A4 DTM, which outperformed the competition in its racing début, clinching positions one, two, three and five.
Ingolstadt/Hockenheim – Impressive début for the new Audi A4 DTM: Timo Scheider (Germany) and Mattias Ekström (Sweden) set the best lap times by a wide margin in Saturday’s qualifying for the DTM opening race at Hockenheim. This puts two of the new Audi A4 DTM cars on the front row of the grid for the race that is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
In the 25th race of the Audi R10 TDI, the car scored a historic 1-2 victory at the Long Beach (California) round of the American Le Mans Series. After the success at St Petersburg a fortnight ago, the diesel-powered sportscar won a street race for the second time in a row. With Lucas Luhr/Marco Werner taking their personal as well as Audi’s second win in three races in 2008, the German works drivers extended their lead in the championship standings.
Less than 24 hours after its victory in St Petersburg Audi clinched another podium result with its R10 TDI sportscar: the two Audi youngsters Alexandre Prémat (26) and Mike Rockenfeller (24) finished the 1000-kilometre race at Barcelona (Spain), which marked the début of Audi Sport Team Joest in the European Le Mans Series, in second place overall following a flawless drive.
Audi scored the first victory of the Audi R10 TDI in the 2008 American Le Mans Series in a thrilling battle in the second round at St Petersburg (US state of Florida). Lucas Luhr who is partnered with Marco Werner finished with a victory margin of just 0.818s, having re-captured the lead of the race just three laps before the end. It was the 14th outright victory of the diesel-powered sportscar and the first overall win of Lucas Luhr in the series.
In their first running in the European Le Mans Series the two Audi R10 TDI prototypes fielded by Audi Sport Team Joest will start the 1000-kilometre race at Barcelona (Spain) on Sunday from the second and third rows. Quickest Audi driver in Saturday’s qualifying was Allan McNish on position three. Alexandre Prémat, on his 26th birthday, set the sixth-best time.
After a stunning lap in qualifying, the Audi R10 TDI will head into the race at St Petersburg (US state of Florida) from pole position. In Friday’s qualifying session on the street circuit, Marco Werner achieved a lap 0.753s ahead of his closest opponent. Thus the Audi R10 TDI has scored its second consecutive pole position in as many Amercian Le Mans Series races this season.
Even in its third year of racing the Audi R10 TDI still experiences some débuts: on the first weekend in April, the diesel-powered sportscar will compete simultaneously for the first time in two races, in America and in Europe. In St Petersburg (U.S. state of Florida), on Saturday (5 April), the second round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series will be staged. One day later, the European Le Mans Series kicks off with the 1000-kilometre race at Barcelona (Spain).
The Audi R10 TDI remains unbeaten after 22 races. In a turbulent 12-hour race at Sebring (US state of Florida), Audi achieved a 1-2 victory in the LM P1 category with their diesel-powered sports cars. Following eight Sebring victories in a row, however, Audi had to be content with class glory in the American endurance classic for the first time. In the overall classification, the two R10 TDI prototypes finished third and sixth.
In spite of regulations that further penalize the most powerful cars, AUDI AG once again will compete in the American Le Mans Series as a factory team in the 2008 season. Team Audi Sport North America enters two Audi R10 TDI prototypes in all eleven races of the popular sportscar championship. Audi confirmed this prior to the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA), the opening round of the American Le Mans Series.
An Audi R10 TDI will start from the top spot of the starting grid in the 12 Hours of Sebring (US state of Florida) for the third time in a row. Thursday’s qualifying session had to be stopped after a few minutes due to an accident. The starting grid will thus be based on the results of the three free practice sessions. Allan McNish’s fastest time in Thursday morning’s practice secured Audi the pole position.
The Audi drivers are looking forward to the DTM season opener at Hockenheim on 13 April with increasingly eager anticipation: during the first official tests at Mugello, Italy, the nine factory drivers completed their extensive work programme without significant interruption. This first "matching of strengths" with the competition saw them among the front runners in any of the changing weather conditions.
The start to the new DTM season is approaching: since Monday morning all of the drivers from Audi and Mercedes-Benz have been meeting at this year’s first official tests, which provide the teams with their first opportunity to assess where they stand. The event in which champion Mattias Ekström will also pit himself against the most prominent DTM newcomer, Ralf Schumacher, is scheduled to last until Wednesday.
To make a championship winning car even better – the Audi Sport engineers and technicians faced this delicate task when the job of developing the DTM race version of the new Audi A4 arose. From the visual aspect they certainly succeeded: The new A4 DTM, which was publicly unveiled for the first time at the Motor Show in Geneva, spontaneously appears even more dynamic than the successful predecessor model with which Mattias Ekström won the DTM title last year.
AUDI AG once again demonstrated its courage to innovate and pioneering spirit with the vision to build a diesel-powered sportscar capable of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the meantime the revolutionary Audi R10 TDI has won twice at Le Mans, and remains unbeaten in its class after 21 races.
Audi Sport Team Joest clearly set the pace at the official tests of the Le Mans Series (LMS) at Le Castellet (Southern France). At the end of the first test day both Audi R10 TDI cars had a commanding lead in the sportscar field. The fastest time was set by Allan McNish. The Scot was the only driver on Sunday to break the sound barrier of 1.40 minutes.
Audi Sport engineers and technicians have been working feverishly behind closed doors on the DTM race version of the new Audi A4 for twelve months. Now the time has arrived to present the fruits of their labour to the public for the first time: On Tuesday, 4 March defending champion Mattias Ekström and Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich unveil the new Audi A4 DTM at the Motor Show in Geneva.
Audi prepared its factory drivers from the DTM and sportscar programmes for the 2008 season at the traditional winter camp. The comprehensive winter programme in Ofterschwang, Bavaria, encouraged team "bonding" and the strategic alignment but also included sports activities plus fitness and health regimes. Fun, hard work and excellent team spirit marked the winter camp between 10-17 February 2008, in which the three squad newcomers Oliver Jarvis, Katherine Legge and Markus Winkelhock, also participated.
AUDI AG targets the successful defence of the DTM championship title with an interesting and strong mix of big names and young talented drivers. Oliver Jarvis (GB/24), Katherine Legge (GB/27) and Markus Winkelhock (D/27) have secured the three remaining cockpits within the Audi factory team for which racing drivers from around the world were in contention.
Mattias Ekström has made one of his biggest dreams come true: In the final round of the "Race of Champions" the Audi driver defeated the seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, triumphing for the second time in a row at the motorsport spectacle that was staged in front of over 50,000 spectators at London’s Wembley Stadium this year. Also part of the action were stars like David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Heikki Kovalainen, Sébastien Bourdais, Marcus Grönholm and Petter Solberg.
On the occasion of a visit to Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline the Bavarian minister president Günther Beckstein "outed" himself as a true DTM fan and personally congratulated the squad on the 2007 title win. Beckstein used the opportunity of the 60th anniversary celebration of the juniors’ organization of his party in Kempten for an extensive tour of the motorsport halls in which the Audi A4 DTM cars of champion Mattias Ekström and his team-mates are being prepared, and listened to explanations of the champion car’s technology with keen interest.
AUDI AG makes a clear commitment to motorsport for the 2008 season with the most extensive factory involvement in the company’s history. In addition to defending the DTM title with the new A4 and the entry of three diesel-powered sportscars in the 24 Hour of Le Mans, Audi Sport plans the continuation of its involvement in the American Le Mans Series and its entry in the Le Mans Series in Europe.
In the finale of the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca (US state of California), Team Audi Sport North America has once again given impressive proof of the performance of Audi TDI Power. With the Diesel technology which is set to enter the US market for road cars in 2008, Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) were able to beat the best Porsche in a photo finish. Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) and Marco Werner (Germany) completed Audi’s triumph in the final race of the season with a third place finish.
The Audi drivers are facing a difficult task in the finale of the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca (US state of California). As expected the lighter LM P2 sportscars dominated qualifying. Team Audi Sport North America’s two Audi R10 TDI prototypes will start Saturday’s race as fastest LM P1 cars from fifth and seventh positions on the grid.
With an impressive qualifying performance Audi has worked out an optimum starting base for the DTM finale at the Hockenheimring. Tom Kristensen, Timo Scheider, Mattias Ekström and Martin Tomczyk secured grid positions one, two, three and five. This puts all four drivers from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline in front of Bruno Spengler – the only Mercedes driver who might be able to snatch the 2007 DTM title from Audi on Sunday.
The last race of the season in the American Le Mans Series is staged at Laguna Seca (US state of California) one week after the DTM finale at Hockenheim. In contrast to the DTM, the titles in the US Sportscar series have already awarded: Audi won the Manufacturers’, Team and Drivers’ Championships in the LM P1 class for the eighth time in succession.
After the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Audi R10 TDI has also won the third major endurance race of the year for Le Mans sportscars: At Road Atlanta (US state of Georgia), Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) won the 1000-mile "Petit Le Mans" race. This means Audi scored outright victories with the revolutionary diesel sportscar at Sebring, Le Mans and Road Atlanta for a second consecutive time.
The Audi R10 TDI has written another piece of motorsport history: In qualifying for the "Petit Le Mans" race at Road Atlanta (US state of Georgia), Marco Werner drove a record-lap with the 650-hp diesel-powered sportscar. The German beat Allan McNish’s track record from the 2000 season by almost 1.5 seconds.
The points’ situation going into the DTM finale on 14 October at Hockenheim could hardly be closer: With Mattias Ekström (Audi/44 points), Bruno Spengler (Mercedes/42 points) and Martin Tomczyk (Audi/40 points), three drivers are still fighting for the title in the most popular international touring car series – this has not been the case since the DTM made its comeback in the year 2000.
