Toyota and Porsche pay tribute to Audi

The information of withdrawal of Audi after the Bahrain final events counting towards the World ChampionshipEndurance, never ceases to provoke reactions. The departure of one of the strong links of 24 Hours of Le Mans and international endurance prototype events since the end of the 90s, was notably commented on by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and the World Championship via Pierre Fillon and Gérard Neveu.

Les adversaires d’Audi Sport ont également rendu hommage à leur rival, notamment Toyota qui en a profité pour réaffirmer que cette annonce ne modifiait pas ses plans pour le futur proche. “Toyota GAZOO Racing has noted with regret today's announcement by Audi regarding its future in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship, indicates a Toyota spokesperson.

Audi has been a notable and very sporting opponent since Toyota's return to endurance racing in 2012 and we have appreciated their role in establishing the WEC as one of the fastest growing and most innovative championships in motorsport.

Today's announcement has no effect on Toyota's position in the WEC. We are preparing for 2017 and we will come back with the objective of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Championship. »

Porsche a indiqué de son côté dans un tweet, regretter le départ de son adversaire, qui fait également partie du groupe Volkswagen.

We extremely regret the absence of this great competitor @audisport @FIAWEC @ 24hoursoflemans Thanks for the great racing. 2 more to come… pic.twitter.com/4oclOjiWxJ

— Porsche LMP1 Team (@Porsche_Team) October 26, 2016