Ullrich: “Audi pushed for ILMC”

The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup laid the foundations for what could ultimately become a world endurance championship. For Audi, this championship sounds like an air of revenge against Peugeot . Because if the Ingolstadt firm won last year in the most prestigious event of the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the lion of Sochaux had pocketed the first edition of the ILMC.

« It?s important to win this championship because it was created around the queen of endurance events. Audi has been pushing for a long time for the organization of an international championship with the cars that take the start and the regulations in force at the 24 Hours. I am sure that for the manufacturers, this new championship is essential », told us Dr Ullrich.

« It is difficult to compare a victory at Le Mans and the title in ILMCHe says. The 24 Hours remains the most important race in endurance, even in the world. To compare with what exists, it is an event where we race over a weekend and with a single car, the equivalent of a complete championship of F1. It's a 24-hour sprint, at speeds equivalent to F1, but with simply changing drivers, tires, and refilling the fuel. Basically, the car must be of exemplary reliability, which demonstrates the know-how of a manufacturer. ».

Audi Sport will begin its campaign at the 12 Hours of Sebring with two old R15 TDIs entrusted to Kristensen-McNish-Capello and Dumas-Bernhard-Rockenfeller, before seeing the long-awaited R18 TDI appear at the 1000 Kilometers of Spa. The ambitions are great for the manufacturer with the four rings. And the work to be done is still substantial. “ We plan to carry out five more test sessions before the start of the season. We will try again to win the 24 Hours, but also to be in a position to win races and the ILMC championship which eluded us last season. If we didn't succeed, it was because it was impossible, and it hurt us a lot, even though we won the most important one. This race was special, but we had a team, a car and drivers who did not make the slightest mistake. It was stressful because we really gave the maximum of what we had in our hands ».