Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Audi Wins Le Mans In Front Of A Record Crowd

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    TUJUNGA, CALIFORNIA U.S of A.
    Posts
    4,208

    Audi Wins Le Mans In Front Of A Record Crowd

    230,000 spectators watch fifth Le Mans victory of the Audi R8,Tom Kristensen writes a new chapter in Le Mans history First triumph for an American team since 1967.


    The last start of the Audi R8 in the Le Mans 24 Hour race could hardly have been more impressive: Tom Kristensen (Denmark), JJ Lehto (Finland) and Marco Werner (Germany) clinched the fifth victory of the Audi R8 in the French endurance classic in what will be remembered as one of the most fiercely contested races in the history of the event.

    A record crowd of 230,000 spectators saw a stunning demonstration of Audi's corporate slogan "Vorsprung durch Technik". Whilst ambient temperatures of 35 degrees caused a high attrition rate amongst the 49 cars entered, the three Audi R8 sportscars of Audi's importer teams from the USA and France ran immaculately throughout the 24 hours. Thus, the Audi drivers were able to overcome the handicap imposed by the regulations. Although the three Audi R8 cars were not the fastest contenders in the field, they clinched first, third and fourth position thanks to their reliability and their constant run to the finish.

    Tom Kristensen, JJ Lehto and Marco Werner didn't put a foot wrong, too, during the 24 hour race, thus helping Team ADT Champion Racing to celebrate its first victory at Le Mans - and the first one for an American team since 1967. In addition, Audi works driver Tom Kristensen opened a new chapter in Le Mans history: the Danish driver won arguably the toughest race in the world for a record seventh time thus surpassing previous record holder Jacky Ickx. JJ Lehto won the Le Mans 24 Hour race for the second time after his inaugural win in 1995. For Marco Werner, a dream came true when he scored his first Le Mans victory in only his fourth attempt.

    The driver combination of Lehto/Kristensen/Werner which won the Sebring 12 Hour race in the USA at the beginning of the season led the race from the fourth hour to the finish. Tom Kristensen performed miracles: as the advantage over the second-placed Pescarolo-Judd had come down to less than one lap on Sunday at noon, Kristensen stayed in the cockpit for a stint of three and a half hours so as to avoid one more driver change in order to save time.

    Frank Biela (Germany), Allan McNish (Scotland) and Emanuele Pirro (Italy) finished third in the "American" Audi R8 sister car. Biela/McNish/Pirro lost their chance to fight for overall victory on Sunday morning due to a puncture, causing a run-off that necessitated a change of the front right suspension. Audi PlayStation Team ORECA from France had to change the right front suspension twice. Jean-Marc Gounon, Franck Montagny and Stéphane Ortelli who all hail from France still came home fourth.

    Out of a total of six starts since 2000, the Audi R8 has won the Le Mans 24 Hour race five times. "This is a fantastic result," said Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of AUDI AG, who had green-flagged the race at 16.00 hours the previous day as Honorary Starter. "There is no way for a more impressive demonstration of the slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technik' in motorsport than at Le Mans. To clinch the fifth Le Mans victory in more difficult conditions than in previous years is a remarkable feat. It was only possible thanks to the unique reliability of the Audi R8. Congratulations to the members of Audi Sport, to the team of Audi USA and, of course, to Tom Kristensen who is now finally the 'King of Le Mans'. This weekend, we have seen once more the excitement and the worldwide interest in the Le Mans race. Hence we want to continue meeting this challenge in the future. It is no secret that a new sports prototype is under development at Audi Sport for the 2006 season. However, we will define the details of our motorsport programme for next year delete in the autumn."
    Some Rulers Are Immortalized In Marble Others,
    In Carbon Fiber.{Hard Core Audi Fan}Ich Fahr Omnibus!
    """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    674
    Yeah and how bout them Vettes! 1st and 2nd in their class, 5th and 6th overall. Take that Aston Martin, thats what you get for not racing against the C6's in the ALMS.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Chicago,IL
    Posts
    537
    Quote Originally Posted by NAZCA C2
    Yeah and how bout them Vettes! 1st and 2nd in their class, 5th and 6th overall. Take that Aston Martin, thats what you get for not racing against the C6's in the ALMS.
    the AM's were very fast but going all out cost them huge near the end, to win you gotta finish

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Bay Area, California, U.S., North America, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way,
    Posts
    3,125
    Quote Originally Posted by NAZCA C2
    Yeah and how bout them Vettes! 1st and 2nd in their class, 5th and 6th overall. Take that Aston Martin, thats what you get for not racing against the C6's in the ALMS.
    Oh come on, give Aston a break, they'll win next time. It's their first entry since the AMR1, about 16 years ago, and Corvettes had been there winning since the C5-R. I wonder what'll happen if they make a Vanquish R. The Corvettes got enough victories, just like the Audi. The Pescarolo and Aston sure flashed a sign that Audi and 'Vettes are not really the fastest anymore.
    Last edited by NuclearCrap; 06-21-2005 at 06:19 AM.
    The Ace of All Aces.

    Crysis. Maximum Game.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Hertfordshire
    Posts
    99
    Quote Originally Posted by NAZCA C2
    Yeah and how bout them Vettes! 1st and 2nd in their class, 5th and 6th overall. Take that Aston Martin, thats what you get for not racing against the C6's in the ALMS.
    The Corvettes were getting pretty slaughterd at the start but again you do have to finish to win. Neway they beat the Corvettes at sebring in their first ever race.
    This car had no chance of finishing. I was at the race and the commentators were always speaking in french so didnt see wat happened to this Porsche so if ne one was watching the race and saw wat happened then let us no.....

    Lemans was great by the way.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Just under ten seconds, just call it nine point five in round figures! : Murray Walker.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    TUJUNGA, CALIFORNIA U.S of A.
    Posts
    4,208
    Quote Originally Posted by NAZCA C2
    Yeah and how bout them Vettes! 1st and 2nd in their class, 5th and 6th overall. Take that Aston Martin, thats what you get for not racing against the C6's in the ALMS.
    oh yes im sorry nice job they did, i love vettes
    Some Rulers Are Immortalized In Marble Others,
    In Carbon Fiber.{Hard Core Audi Fan}Ich Fahr Omnibus!
    """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Really useful performance listings...
    By Egg Nog in forum Technical forums
    Replies: 59
    Last Post: 04-18-2021, 05:13 PM
  2. Audi Type R 1928-1932
    By Matt in forum Matt's Hi-Res Hide-Out
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 06-28-2013, 03:35 PM
  3. Audi Teams Face Tough Task At Le Mans
    By QuattroMan in forum Racing forums
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 06-19-2005, 10:55 AM
  4. DTM and Le Mans - double-header for Audi
    By QuattroMan in forum Racing forums
    Replies: 31
    Last Post: 06-05-2005, 03:15 PM
  5. Audi and Siemens team up in the DTM
    By QuattroMan in forum Racing forums
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-04-2005, 09:18 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •