ALMS 2002: Audi and Tom Kristensen the series champions

By Tarek Ramchani

After two very successful seasons in the American Le Mans Series, Audi would again come back in 2002, as the defending champions with their all-conquering Audi R8 cars. Thrilling battles all season long between the Audis and against the competitive Panoz team and a growing Cadillac effort.

Audi again fielded two cars under the Audi Sport North America banner, managed by the brand's partners Team Joest. For the regular ALMS races the line-ups were Frank Beila and Emanuele Pirro with the #1 Audi R8, and Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen shared the #2 car. In addition of the two works cars, a single privateer Audi R8 had been entered from Champion Racing.

The 2002 ALMS season consisted of a ten-round calendar. The opening event was the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 50th edition of Florida's classic that year. Audi dominated the event and scored a perfect 1-2 in the end. Dindo Capello, joined for the event by Christian Pescatori and Johnny Herbert, won the race ahead of the customer Audi R8 from team Champion Racing with drivers Stefan Johansson, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace.

The next event was in California at Sonoma. The race was close to the Le Mans 24 Hours, therefore Audi entered a single factory Audi R8 in event, along with the Champion Racing entry. The new factory Audi R8 cars were in Europe being prepared for Le Mans, thus the Team Joest entry was a 2000 Audi R8, which was borrowed from Champion Racing, the car used by Champion in the 2001 ALMS. It was a very hard race in which Audi was beaten by Panoz for the first time in the season. After the annual break for the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the prefect 1-2-3 win for Audi, the series resumed at Mid-Ohio. Again Audi faced very strong competition from the Panoz cars, yet the German team was able to achieve their second race win of the season. Biela and Pirro took the race win ahead of their team-mates Capello and Kristensen.

Road America was home of the fourth round. There the Audi squad fully dominated the event with a nice 1-2-3 win. After a fierce battle between all three R8s, it was the #2 Audi of Kristensen and Capello that came home victorious. The series then moved to Washington DC, a street course event in which Panoz beat Audi again. The works Audis were second with Capello and Kristensen and third with Biela and Pirro.

The series then crossed the border for two Canadian events. First it was the Grand Prix of Trois Riviéres, with full Audi domination. The R8 cars were first, second and third, with the #2 Audi of Kristensen and Capello as the winning car. The same drivers won again in the next event at Mosport, ahead of the customer Audi from Champion Racing.

Back in America, the eighth round of the season was at Laguna Seca. Another 1-2 Audi victory, with Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela the race winners. The ninth and penultimate round of the season was in Florida, downtown Miami. Pirro and Biela scored a second straight victory, and again they were ahead of the privateer Champion Audi team. The season finale was the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Audi won the event with another 1-2 win, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen beat Stefan Johansson and Johnny Herbert, after a titanic battle for race victory.

By the end of the season Audi had again defended all three titles. Tom Kristensen won the driver's championship by just two point over teammate Dindo Capello. Audi Sport North America won the team's title and Audi was again the manufacturer champion. 2002 was a very successful year for Audi in the American Le Mans Series, however it was the final time as a full factory effort with the R8. As of the 2003 season, the Audi R8 would be managed by privateer teams only. Audi said goodbye to the ALMS, but the R8 legacy in North America was far from being over.

Photo credit: Audi Media

ALMS 2001: Audi defended their titles - Emanuele Pirro champion

By Tarek Ramchani

Part two of Audi's legacy in the American Le Mans series, focusing this time on the 2001 season. The year 2000 was a magical season for Audi, winning the driver, team and manufacturer titles. For 2001 the target was to defend the three crowns and bring them back to Ingolstadt.

Big changes for 2001, the driver champion, Allan McNish, had left the series and Audi for Formula One with Toyota. BMW Motorsport left the upper LMP900 class, withdrawing their BMW V12 LMR, and entered the production based GT class. And for the first time since Audi's sportscar program debuted, customer teams fielded the Audi R8. Champion Racing from Florida and Johanson Motorsport (Arena) from the UK, each with a one-car effort. The customer teams were armed with one-year old and ex-factory Audi R8 cars from 2000.

Audi's main challengers were the strong Panoz Motorsports effort along with Cadillac, a factory team from GM Racing. Audi entered two works cars under the Audi Sport North America banner, which were again managed by Team Joest. The #1 Audi for Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello, and the sister #2 R8 for Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro.

The 2001 American Le Mans Series consisted of a ten race calendar, with two events being held in Europe. The season opener was set at Texas Speedway, Audi won the event with a fine 1-2 victory for the factory team. The race win went to Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello. The next round was the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring. Audi dominated Florida's classic with an impressive 1 2 3 4 win. The Audi of Dindo Capello, joined this time by Laurent Aiello and the late Michele Alboreto, won outright ahead of the sister Joest car, whilst the customer teams Champion Racing and Johansson Motorsport finished in third and fourth.

Later the ALMS field moved to Europe for two meetings. The races were combined events between the ALMS and ELMS (new European Le Mans Series). Round 3 was at Donington Park with Audi again dominating. A 1-2-3 win with the #1 Audi R8 of Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello victorious. At Jarama in Spain for round 4, Kristensen and Capello did it again beating their teammates Biela and Pirro.

After the summer break for the Le Mans 24 Hours, where Audi scored a 1-2 victory, the series went back to North America. Sonoma, California hosted the fifth round of the season. Audi won the event with Capello and Kristensen finishing first. The next event was at Portland with a surprising result in the end. Panoz beat Audi for the first of the season. Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro finished second. For round seven, the series headed up north to Canada, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro won the race at Mosport. At Mid-Ohio, Panoz again beat Audi. Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello ended second with the #1 R8. The series then returned back to California at Laguna Seca. Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro won the race, a 1-2-3 for the Audi R8. The season finale was at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and again it was an all Audi affair. The factory Audi R8 of Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro won ahead of the customer Audis from Johansson Motorsport and Champion Racing.

The 2001 American Le Mans Series gave Audi great satisfaction. Eight race wins and all three titles were successfully defended. Emanuele Pirro won the driver's title in the #2 Audi R8, followed by his teammate Frank Biela in the standings. Their teammates Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen were third and fourth respectively. Audi Sport North America again won the team's title and Audi again secured the manufacturer's trophy. Great satisfaction also for the privateers Johansson Motorsport and Champion Racing. Both teams performed very well all season long, and the Johansson Motorsport squad was crowned champions of the ELMS. For 2002, Audi would again join the ALMS, but for the last time as a full factory effort with the R8.

Photo credit: Audi Media

ALMS 2000: Audi arrived in America and beats BMW and Panoz

By Tarek Ramchani

As 2014 is approaching with a new era in North American sportscar racing, with the birth of the United SportsCar Racing, we at the Audi Motorsport Blog start a series of  posts about Audi's era of dominance in the ALMS. A fully detailed review, year by year, of the Ingolstadt brand's successes in the American Le Mans Series. We will cover the period between the years 2000 and 2008, thus meaning only the seasons when Audi took part in the ALMS as a full-season competitor. A great era it was in the US, with multiple championship titles and prestigious race victories.

Audi's legacy in the ALMS started in 1999. Audi Sport Team Joest debuted the new Audi R8R at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the first ever race in the history of the newly formed American Le Mans Series. A two-car effort from Audi with fine third and fifth overall place finishes. Audi would not continue in the ALMS during 1999, Sebring was only a big test preparing for the upcoming Le Mans 24 Hours. BMW won the race outright with their BMW V12 LMR and did the same at La Sarthe later. However things would change in the winter break.

A year later Audi joined the ALMS for the full season and with a brand new weapon: The Audi R8. A car that would dominate sportscar racing for the next six years. The 2000 ALMS season consisted of a 12-race calendar across the United States, Canada and even beyond North America with races in Europe and the finale in Australia.

The great debut of the Audi R8 was set at Sebring. Audi was challenged by arch rivals from BMW Motorsport and the strong Panoz Motorsports effort. In the end Audi scored a fantastic 1-2 victory with the win going to drivers Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and the newcomer to Audi...Tom Kristensen.

After Sebring and the successful shakedown of the Audi R8, Audi would not use the car again in North America until after Le Mans. The team took the cars back to Europe to prepare for Le Mans in June. Team Joest switched to the old Audi R8R for the next two ALMS races. The R8R was quick but was beaten by BMW twice at Charlotte and Silverstone. After Le Mans the R8 returned and debuted at home in Germany, at the Nürburgring. The Audi R8 was beaten by the surprising Panoz LMP-1 Roadster S. That would be the only defeat for the Audi R8 that year.

After Le Mans and the magical 1-2-3 victory in the French classic, the Audi R8 was back in America with a two-car effort. The #77 Audi R8 with Allan McNish and Dindo Capello, and the sister #78 car was driven by Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro. BMW and Panoz were strong challengers, as epic battles took place all season long. Despite the competition, the Audi R8 was simply too strong for their rivals. Audi won all eight of the American races post Le Mans.

At Sears Point Allan McNish and Dindo Capello were victorious. Up to Canada the two drivers did it again after a breathtaking battle to the finish line with the BMW V12 LMR of Jörg Müller and JJ Lehto. Moving to Texas Speedway, Audi veterans Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro scored their second victory of the season. At Portland Allan McNish and Dindo Capello were back to victory lane. The same story at Road Atlanta, McNish and Capello, joined by the late Michele Alboreto, dominated the Road Atlanta Petit Le Mans race. Allan McNish and Dindo Capello won a third straight race at Laguna Seca. At Las Vegas, the final American race of the season, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro were victorious. The season finale was a very special event. The ALMS moved Down Under, with a race at Adelaide on new year's eve, the event called the "Race of a Thousand Years". A very special livery was used for car #77, the "Crocodile" Audi R8. That car won the race with Allan McNish and Dindo Capello.

Audi simply dominated the 2000 American Le Mans Series season. Allan McNish alone won the driver's title ahead of teammate Dindo Capello in second. Audi Sport North America, which was in fact run by Audi Sport Team Joest, won the team's title. Audi won the manufacturer's title as well. BMW Motorsport and their all-conquering V12 LMR were beaten and they decided to leave the LMP900 class at the end of the season. For the year 2001 Audi would come back to defend their titles, with privateers Audi teams joining the field and the ever growing Panoz effort as well.

Photo credit: Audi Media