AUDI IS WELL PREPARED FOR LE MANS 24 HRS

Le Mans premiere for Audi R18 ultra and R18 e-tron quattro



Audi Sport Team Joest made efficient use of the only testing opportunity of the year at Le Mans. The two Audi R18 e-tron quattro and the R18 ultra vehicles covered a total distance of 4,497 kilometres on the circuit that is primarily made up of public roads. From the suspension set-up and aerodynamics through to tyre tests, handling of the LMP sports prototypes with varying amounts of fuel and the comparison of the concepts, the engineers gathered valuable data for the year’s most important endurance race. Occasional precipitation in some areas made for changeable conditions on the 13.629-kilometre track though.

Marco Bonanomi, the only Audi factory driver who has previously never participated in the Le Mans 24 Hours, qualified for the grid by completing ten mandatory laps and numerous additional kilometres in the number "4" Audi R18 ultra.

The day’s fastest time of 3m 25.927s was achieved by Allan McNish. An excursion by the Scotsman at Tertre Rouge, though, put a premature end to the track presence of car number "1" one hour before the test was over. With positions one, two, three and six plus a wealth of valuable data Audi concluded the test day on an extremely positive note and thoroughly completed its preparations.

New from Veloce!

Le Mans Panoramic
By Gavin Ireland.
The Le Mans 24 Hours is the ultimate endurance race, and a classic feature of the motorsport calendar. This book captures the sheer scale and drama of this legendary race as never before, using specialist panoramic photography to give an unprecedented wide angle view of how the race is entered, watched, won, and lost. It is a timeless tribute to the Le Mans 24 Hours. More info.

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The history of the world’s most successful endurance racing car: the Audi R8. Featuring reports of all of its 80 races, plus profiles of the 35 drivers who raced the car between 2000 and 2006 – as well as the Audi R8R and R8C of 1999. Features individual chassis details, results, and observations from significant individuals involved with the R8. More info.