Audi, misstep prohibited at Petit Le Mans

However, they had managed to monopolize the first row of the starting grid for the 1000 km of Silverstone. But later, the situation became complicated. Shortly after being dispossessed from the top position by the Peugeot official, Allan McNish was forced to lay down his arms: transmission problem. On the second, more committed Audi R15, Dindo Capello and Timo Bernhard achieved a flawless performance, but could not prevent the two Peugeot 908s from taking the double.

This weekend, at Road Atlanta, Dr. Ullrich's troops return to a route that has been particularly successful for them, having won there nine times, from 2000 to 2008. Last year, after an interrupted race before its end due to torrential downpours, Audi had to bow to Peugeot. It is therefore with a certain appetite that the brand with the rings will set off on Saturday, determined to recover “its” trophy.

“Nine victories at Petit Le Mans over the past ten years, this is irrefutable proof of our ?Vorsprung durch Technik? (advanced by technology, Editor's note) and our reliability, especially since we could also have won last year, says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. Despite the retirement during the inaugural round of the ILMC, which was caused by a faulty ancillary part, we know that the R15 plus is a very reliable car. »

“Obviously, we want to obtain a better result than at Silverstone, and above all, to finish without encountering any problems, adds Ralf Jüttner, Technical Director. Petit Le Mans is a long and difficult race. We have been there very often, and have something to finish, because last year we should have won if the race had finished. »

As in Great Britain, the winner of the last 24 Hours of Le Mans will have an aero package giving her more support. Audi therefore went to Road Atlanta last weekend to carry out two days of testing, with the aim of finding the optimal settings for the race. Nothing is left to chance.

“Before Silverstone, we only had one test at Eurospeedway, and the two tracks differ somewhat, continues Jüttner. This is the track on which the event will take place. This should help us take revenge on not one, but two events: Road Atlanta 2009 and Silverstone 2010.”

On the crew side, Rinaldo Capello, record holder for victories in Georgia with five successes, finds his sidekicks Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish in the No. 7. The sister car, sporting the number 8, will see the Frenchman Benoit Tréluyer, the Swiss Marcel Fässler and the German André Lotterer take turns at the wheel, the trio having finished second in the last 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Find the presentation of Petit Le Mans in your AUTOhebdo magazine, on newsstands tomorrow.