Two very special cars have arrived at Audi Forum Ingolstadt today. Both cars are on display for visitors to view and admire.
The two cars include none other than the Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS 5 DTM used by Mike Rockenfeller during the 2013 DTM season, and an Audi R18 e-tron quattro from Audi Sport Team Joest, which features the #2 Le Mans winning livery. The vehicles have been displayed alongside the 2013 DTM and Le Mans trophies.
These two cars combine to form an awesome display at Audi Forum Ingolstadt, two extremely successful vehicles from Audi Sport this season.
The 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours was the twelfth victory for Audi at the legendary endurance race. A brilliant new short documentary has been released by Michelin.
A fifteen minute documentary video has been released on the MICHELIN Passion Youtube Channel. The video includes exceptional behind the scenes footage from Audi and Michelin. In-depth coverage featuring the build-up to Le Mans, including testing at Paul Ricard, the Six hours of Spa and Le Mans itself. Interviews with Audi drivers, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich and Michelin personnel are also included.
We have embedded the video below, which includes French and English, as well as the option for a number of subtitle languages.
Le Mans 24 Hours 2013 was another great race, witnessing the battle between the factory LMP1 heavyweights of Audi and Toyota. Ultimately Audi crossed the finish line victorious, taking their twelfth overall victory. The latest Audi Le Mans short film has gone online today.
Every year Audi produces an excellent short film featuring the race, which is revealed a few weeks after the event. The brand new video of the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours, titled "Le Mans 2013 - Motorsport is coming home", was revealed on the official Audi Deutschland YouTube channel this morning, and it is certainly another great video.
It is also touching to see that the video has been dedicated to Allan Simonsen, who tragically passed away in an early-race crash. The video closes with the words: "For Allan. A friend of Audi Sport."
Enjoy the video which has been embedded below (English version above, followed by the German version). The previous year’s short films can be seen HERE.
It was the year when the Automobile Club de L'ouest celebrated the 90th anniversary of the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours. The 81st edition saw a great battle between two LMP1 giants, Audi and Toyota. Audi was victorious in the end, the twelfth overall win for the Four Rings at La Sarthe.
Our friends at l'endurance.co.uk, in collaboration with Dailysportscar, has just published their ultimate race review for the French endurance classic. A brilliant and fully detailed review class by class in LMP1, LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am. You can read the review right here.
l'endurance is also on social media: Their Facebook page is here, and Twitter account is here.
Twelfth Le Mans victory for Audi and fourth victory of the season for the R18
245,000 spectators attended the event
Tom Kristensen extends his record with ninth victory
Ingolstadt, June 27, 2013 – Less fuel consumption combined with higher speed – that’s how Audi won the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours with the R18 e-tron quattro and its drivers Loïc Duval (F), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB). Key facts after the 81st running of the race.
Faster and more efficient: The victorious Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (F/DK/GB) designated as car number ‘2’ made 34 pit stops at Le Mans and required 47 minutes and 14.799 seconds for them. A permitted fuel tank capacity of 58 liters theoretically made a maximum of 1,972 liters of diesel fuel available at the stops. The number ‘8’ Toyota in second place of the race required 43 minutes and 20.111 seconds for 30 stops but, due to a fuel tank capacity of 76 liters, was able to refuel up to 2,280 liters of gasoline. Audi was not only faster but the entire race car including its TDI powertrain was more efficient as well.
Best efficiency: Audi not only decided the race classification in its favor at Le Mans but theefficiency index as well. Marc Gené/Lucas di Grassi/Oliver Jarvis (E/BR/GB) in car number ‘3’ won the Michelin Green X Challenge ahead of Duval/Kristensen/McNish and the number ‘7’ Toyota.
A full dozen: Audi’s Le Mans debut was in 1999, the squad celebrated its first victory in 2000 and its twelfth in the 2013 season.
Concentrated strength: No other brand had ever before been as successful as Audi in such a short period of time. To date, the brand has won twelve of its 15 runs. This corresponds to a win rate of 80 percent. Audi’s sister brand Porsche has a tally of 16 overall victories. These wins are spread over a period of 28 years between 1970 and 1998. In absolute numbers, Porsche has clinched 16 overall victories at 63 starts.
Powerful performance: Audi engine technology even boasts a win rate of 86.7 percent at Le Mans because a V8 biturbo engine developed by Audi Sport powered the winning race car of Audi’s sister brand Bentley in 2003.
Strong team: Audi has achieved ten of its twelve victories together with Reinhold Joest’s squad. The team based in the Odenwald region had been successful prior to Audi’s entry and has now clinched its 14th triumph at La Sarthe. Furthermore, in terms of personnel, Joest Racing played an instrumental role in Dauer Racing’s victory in 1994 and Bentley’s success in 2003.
Advantage extended: In 2005, Tom Kristensen, on clinching his seventh victory, overtook the six-time winner Jacky Ickx from Belgium on the all-time winners’ list. Now, the Dane has achieved his ninth success. From the circle of the Le Mans drivers who are still active it’s his team-mate Allan McNish that trails him in this classification with a tally of three victories. Statistically, Kristensen’s record can thus be beaten in 2020 at the earliest – but for this to happen, McNish would have to remain active until his 50th year of age, win in all the years between now and then, and no longer run with Tom Kristensen ...
13 trophies: With a track record of 9 victories in 17 runs Tom Kristensen’s success rate at Le Mans amounts to 53 percent. In total, the Dane has been on the podium 13 times to date. At four starts, his car did not finish. Thus, ‘Mister Le Mans’ never finished a race in less than third place.
Large crowd: The 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours was watched by 245,000 spectators on location – 5,000 more than the year before.
20 from 9: The nine Audi factory drivers in the current Le Mans line-up after the most recent success combine 20 victories in the epic endurance race.
Four times 30: For the 30th time a German manufacturer has won the endurance race at La Sarthe. Loïc Duval is the 30th Frenchman who has decided his home race in his favor. Race cars with a closed cockpit and turbocharged engines recorded their 30th victory as well.
29 trophies: Since 1999, Audi has clinched twelve first, six second and eleven third places – equating to 29 podium positions.
Premiere: Loïc Duval made his debut in the podium ranks. The Frenchman was on the Le Mans grid for the fifth time but, until 2013, had never finished in the top three. On achieving his first podium he immediately took victory.
2 turns into 1: Car number ‘2’ won the Le Mans 24 Hours this year. The competition’s history had previously seen a subsequent winner in car number ‘2’ six times, among them an Audi in 2008 and 2011.
Second victory: The Audi R18 e-tron quattro with chassis number ‘302’ previously decided the Silverstone 6 Hours in its favor and has now won the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Third victory: Audi has remained unbeaten in the first three WEC races of the 2013 season at Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans.
Fourth victory: Including the success at the Sebring 12 Hours the Audi R18 has clinched itsfourth sports car victory this year.
Eighth victory: For the eighth time since 2006 a race car with diesel power has won the Le Mans 24 Hours. Audi recorded seven of these wins (R10 TDI: 3; R15 TDI: 1; R18 TDI: 1; R18 e-tron quattro: 2).
22nd victory: Michelin, Audi’s tire partner, has achieved the 22nd success on home ground.
64 tires: The victorious number 2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro covered the distance on 16 sets of tires. Individual sets of tires were used for up to four stints.
Clear dominance: Whereas there were 19 race leaders last year, there were only six this year. On344 laps of the 348 ones completed, Audi was running in front. From 21:47 – in other words just before the beginning of the eighth hour of the race – number ‘2’ with Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish defended its position at the front of the field.
Another ‘grand slam’ of motorsport: As in 2011 and 2012, Audi recorded the best time in qualifying, the fastest race lap plus overall victory at Le Mans.
New technologies: The digital inside mirror with an AMOLED display and the LED headlights with matrix-beam technology and integrated cornering light are two forward-thinking technologies in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro with the potential of future use in production automobiles.
Successive effect: Since 2010, Audi has won at La Sarthe four times in succession. Only between 2004 and 2008, the brand was even more successful with a string of five wins.
Long neutralizations: Twelve times the safety car took command of the track. This amounted to a total race interruption of five hours and 27 minutes. The year before, the race had only been interrupted for 2:22 hours.
Short distance: These interruptions, combined with the unsteady weather, were the decisive reasons why the winners only covered 348 laps this year. They equate to a distance of4,742.892 kilometers and an average speed of 197.446 km/h. Ever since Audi has been competing at Le Mans, these numbers were lower only once. Due to heavy rain the race distance in 2001 was only 4,367.2 kilometers for the winners Frank Biela/Tom Kristensen/Emanuele Pirro in the Audi R8.
Eight times on pole: Audi started from the top spot on the grid at Le Mans for the eighth time. Loïc Duval achieved the best time. In the race, André Lotterer drove the fastest lap.
High arrival rate: 42 of the 56 participants that had started the race at Le Mans saw the finish line – in other words exactly three quarters of the field. Last year, the retirement rate of 41 percent was higher by 16 percentage points. At Audi, the retirement rate was 0 percent, the same as last year. All three hybrid sports cars saw the finish.
The right choice: The most hopeful French talents are rewarded with the Prix Jean Rondeau at Le Mans. In 2002, the award went to Benoît Tréluyer and in 2008 to Loïc Duval. Both subsequently became overall winners at Le Mans with Audi.
Audi has won a very emotional 81st Le Mans 24 Hours. During this past weekend Audi Sport Team Joest gave the Four Ring their twelfth overall victory at La Sarthe. The #2 R18 e-tron quattro came home first with "Mr Le Mans" Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Loïc Duval. The strong challengers from Toyota finished in second place with their #8 TS030 Hybrid.
The 2013 Le Mans will also be remembered for the tragic loss of one of the motorsport world's best GT drivers. Allan Simonsen's death took the whole world by surprise. The Danish driver lost his life after a severe crash with his factory run Aston Martin Racing Vantage (GTE-Am), just a few minutes into the race. The podium too was full of emotions, first Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx and later Tom Kristensen, who dedicated his ninth Le Mans victory to his fellow Danish driver.
Below we have included the highlights of the race from Audi tv.
Ingolstadt/Le Mans, June 23, 2013 – In a dramatic race, Audi achieved its twelfth victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Quotes on the triumph of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro in the world’s most important endurance race.
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “That was the most difficult race I’ve experienced in my 15 Le Mans years. One reason, no doubt, was having to see a young race driver from Denmark lose his life this weekend. We’re feeling with his family. But the race itself was unusual too. For 24 hours straight, our drivers had to cope with changeable weather and adjust to new conditions over and over in a very short period of time. Consequently, the team in the pits and along the pit wall didn’t have any time to rest – I can’t recall ever having experienced anything quite like this. The entire squad showed an incredible performance in an extreme situation this weekend – I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Chris Reinke (Head of LMP): “After a dramatic beginning, we had a great battle on track. Various technologies competed against each other in the most difficult weather conditions and fought an open battle all the way to the final hours. We’d expected such a race and were extremely well prepared for it – so the Audi R18 e-tron quattro deserved mounting the very top of the podium today.”
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “This was the craziest Le Mans we’ve ever experienced in terms of the weather and the safety car periods. You never knew what the deal was. But it was an incredible thrilling race all the way to the end. We had an absolutely flawless car and that was enough to beat Toyota. We knew before the race that to beat such an opponent everything had to fit. With our number’2’ car, this was the case. Congratulations to Tom (Kristensen) on his ninth victory and to Allan (McNish) on his third success at Le Mans. I’m also happy about Loïc (Duval) being able to celebrate his first victory here. This evokes unique emotions. ‘Thank you’ to Audi Sport and of course to my whole team, including the guys from the other two cars. They all worked hard for this success. Unfortunately, number ‘3’ had enemy contact and thus dropped back. Our number ‘1’ was even the fastest car in the field but was simply unfortunate with some damage. That goes to show that it also takes luck to win here. Congratulations to Toyota, who forced us to fight a fierce battle. That deserves respect.”
Loïc Duval (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “Le Mans is a great race that evokes so many emotions and is so tiring. Now I’ve really got to restrain myself to keep from shedding tears. It was a difficult race in which we unfortunately lost someone (Allan Simonsen). Since last year, the whole team has been giving everything and prepared an outstanding car for us. This is my first Le Mans victory – together with Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. A really great moment in my career!”
Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “For me, Le Mans was filled with very personal emotions this time. I’m proud to drive for the world’s best team. This applies to all team-mates, all employees in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm and for Audi Sport Team Joest. They make it possible for us to realize a dream. Now this dream has come true again – winning the fastest and toughest race under the direction of Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. Unfortunately, we lost someone yesterday (with Allan Simonsen) who had the same dream. He was a very modest and nice person. That’s why I’m experiencing highs and lows this time. With respect to my ninth victory: I’m driving with determination and the ambition my father inspired in me. He died in March. Before his death, he told me that I’d win Le Mans this year with my team-mates. I’m hoping that one day I’ll be able to celebrate another victory with Loïc and Allan that I can dedicate to my father. Because this Le Mans success I’m dedicating to Allan Simonsen.”
Allan McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “Our pace was right this year. The 2013-specification Audi R18 e-tron quattro is simply very, very good. The engineers did a perfect job in the winter. We were here on the test day. Loïc Duval’s lap time and the confidence that Tom Kristensen and I had in the car gave us a good feeling. That’s why for us it was about being careful and driving a clean race throughout – without additional pit stops. Except for a puncture on Tom’s stint our run was perfect for 24 hours straight. There aren’t too many races like that at Le Mans. And we had strong competition in the form of our ‘sister car’ and by Toyota.”
Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “I drove at Le Mans for the first time. The track is really unique. It’s very fast and incredibly difficult to learn and to understand as well. But the atmosphere, the fans and the effort that all the teams invest into this one race are impressive. You can feel the great confidence which Audi has in us. Especially for me as a newcomer, the race wasn’t easy. But I gave my best. We even finished on the podium, which is really a great feeling. I learned a lot and would very much like to run here again in the future.”
Marc Gené (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “What a fantastic result for Audi. Unfortunately, our squad lost two laps at the beginning of the race due to a damaged tire valve. As a result, Oliver (Jarvis) had to complete a whole lap on three wheels. Afterward, we benefited from a safety car period to repair the car. Congratulations to our Audi winners as well as to Toyota on a great race and to my team-mates Lucas (di Grassi) and Oliver, who drove a good race in difficult conditions.”
Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “The whole race was very difficult. Fortunately, my team-mates handed the car over to me in a promising position. We knew that to finish on the podium we had to give everything. And that’s exactly what we did in the final 18 hours. We watched the distance to the Toyota and knew that we’d have to be at least 1.2–1.4 seconds faster per lap to catch up to it. I always drove at the limit, which wasn’t easy as the conditions kept changing. That was very challenging because in front of a turn you never knew what was awaiting you. It was arguably the most difficult race I’ve contested so far. I’m happy about third place. But it’s also a bit frustrating that we lost two laps due to a collision. ‘Well done’ to the team of Audi’s car number ‘2.’ Tom, Loïc and Allan They drove a flawless race. But I congratulate Toyota as well, who were a strong rival.”
Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “Congratulations to the whole squad of the winning car. They had a flawless weekend, were always super-fast and therefore deserved winning. Unfortunately, we had a small technical problem that caused us to lose a lot of ground. Afterward, we attacked. The car was perfect and we really enjoyed it. We made up a bit of ground but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to be able to attack again at the very front. But that’s secondary – the most important thing is that Audi won.”
André Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “This is a great day for Audi. Congratulations to the team of number two. I’m particularly happy for Loïc (Duval), because he’s been a good friend of mine for a long time. I recommended him to Audi Sport and it’s fantastic that he managed to clinch this success. But the ninth Le Mans victory by Tom (Kristensen) is an impressive achievement as well. For us, the race took an unfortunate course. That was a shame because we had an absolutely fast car. Unfortunately, we lost the lead due to a technical problem. Afterward, Ben, Marcel and I gave everything again but with a twelve-lap gap, it’s very difficult to advance again to the far front. The main thing is that an Audi has won. We’ll try it again next year.”
Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “This was a particularly tough 24-hour race at Le Mans this year. The entire squad did a superb job and we had an outstanding car. But to win here, simply everything’s got to fit – and it didn’t in our case this year. We were simply lacking the necessary fortune. Otherwise we could no doubt have been in contention for victory here. ‘Well done’ to the team of our sister car designated as number ‘2’ that drove a great race and clinched the well-deserved victory for Audi.”
Second victory in succession for the Audi R18 e-tron quattro
Duval/Kristensen/McNish triumph in dramatic race
Fatal accident in GT class overshadows Audi’s success
Ingolstadt/Le Mans, June 23, 2013 – For the second time in succession, Audi has won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a hybrid race car and quattro drive, thus continuing its unique success story at the world’s most important endurance race. Victory was clinched by Loïc Duval (F), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB).
As expected, the twelfth triumph for the four rings at Le Mans was one of the most difficult and hardest-fought ones. Following a change in the regulations that was made at short notice, the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars on average were able to do two laps less on one tank filling than their main rival Toyota. The Audi drivers had to compensate for the additional pit stops by faster lap times on track – and did so in weather conditions that at times were extremely difficult.
Rain showers crossed the track again and again during the dramatic race. They resulted in numerous incidents and a total of eleven safety car deployments. The field ran for more than five hours under ‘yellow’ while the track was cleared and repairs were performed.
The three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, which are equipped with an electrically driven front axle, were the fastest vehicles in the field throughout the entire race – as well as the most efficient ones: Victory in the Michelin Green X Challenge, a competition of the cleanest, fastest and most efficient prototypes, went to Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm as well.
“We owe the twelfth victory of our brand at Le Mans to the consistent, innovative spirit of our engineers, the unconditional commitment of the entire team and the skills and strong nerves of our drivers. On behalf of Audi, I extend my sincere congratulations on this success to all of them,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, who, as usual, personally watched the race on location. “This marks another great success for Audi in which our hybrid system again prevailed and new technologies, which our customers will also benefit from in the future, were tested.” They included innovative radiators and matrix-beam LED headlights, which make optimum lighting of the corners at night possible – a crucial advantage at Le Mans.
“We knew that, not least due to the regulatory requirements, it would be very difficult for us this year,” commented Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “As expected, Toyota was a very strong rival – but our Audi R18 e-tron quattro was in a class of its own. My thanks go to the entire team that worked for months to achieve this success.”
The twelfth Audi victory at Le Mans was achieved by the number ‘2’ Audi R18 e-tron quattro driven by Loïc Duval (France), Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Allan McNish (Scotland) who had started the race from the pole position. For Duval, who had clinched the pole position on Wednesday, this was the first success at the classic French endurance race and the third for Allan McNish. Tom Kristensen, who has been the sole record holder of the race since 2005, triumphed for the ninth time.
The victorious Audi R18 e-tron quattro ran for 24 hours without the slightest technical problem. Duval/Kristensen/McNish took the lead at 21:43 on Saturday night and would not relinquish it anymore up to triumphantly crossing the finish line at 15:00 on Sunday. The three Audi drivers achieved the crucial one-lap advantage over the second-placed Toyota at an early stage and maintained it all the way to the end, even in partially chaotic conditions with torrential rain.
Misfortune struck the other two Audi squads that almost simultaneously were forced to make unscheduled pit stops shortly before the end of the seventh hour of the race and, up to that time, had made for an Audi one-two-three lead up to that time. Oliver Jarvis was touched by a slower vehicle and, as a result, suffered a punctured tire on which he had to complete nearly an entire lap that cost him two laps. In the thrilling final phase, Le Mans newcomer Lucas di Grassi (Brazil), Marc Gené (Spain) and Oliver Jarvis (Great Britain) managed to overtake the Toyota that had been running in third place up to that time, and to thus secure third place on the podium.
Due to changing the alternator Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), André Lotterer (Germany) and Benoît Tréluyer (France) lost their sure lead a total of twelve laps. With an impressive recovery the 2011 and 2012 winners managed to advance from 24th place to position five in their R18 e-tron quattro.
The 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours was overshadowed by a fatal accident that occurred in the GT class shortly after the race started. “Obviously, this horrible incident dampens the joy about another great Le Mans victory for Audi in which our team and our drivers were under extreme tension for 24 hours and couldn’t make any mistakes,” commented Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We were all completely shocked by the news of Allan Simonsen’s death. During his career, he also contested races in the Audi R8 LMS. Our sympathy primarily goes to his family and friends but to the team of Aston Martin as well. It shows that you must never stop doing whatever is possible for safety in motorsport. This is the first fatal accident we’ve had to witness in 15 Le Mans years. I hope it’ll remain the last.”
The 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours was once again a factory showdown between Audi and Toyota in LMP1. Audi returned with a three-car team and Toyota with two cars. Heading to Le Mans Audi had been unbeaten so far during 2013, after beating Toyota at Silverstone and Spa.
The Audi Sport Team Joest squad consisted of three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars driven by: #1 Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Treluyer; #2 Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Loïc Duval and #3 Marc Gené, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis.
The teams arrived at the Test Day and Audi clearly showed their pace, but the Toyota was expected to have a fuel consumption advantage. Thus a classic Le Mans scenario arose, that of a faster car versus a more frugal car. The ultimate outcome was anyone’s guess.
Race week saw Audi’s pace continue, dominating all of the sessions and securing an Audi 1-2-3 in qualifying. The pole position was set by Loïc Duval in the #2 Audi. However Toyota did top the Saturday morning warm up session, and thoughts turned to the speed vs fuel consumption question. The race itself got underway in changeable conditions, and the #1 Audi took the lead pursued by two Toyotas who had moved up to second and third. An intense battle developed in the early minutes, which was brought to a halt by the first safety car session. Allan Simonsen suffered a severe crash in his Aston Martin at the exit of Tertre Rouge. Later the tragic news emerged that Simonsen had passed away. An enormous reception of tributes appeared on the world wide web, showing the impact of Simonsen’s passing. He was a very popular international GT driver and he will be sorely missed by everyone, R.I.P. Allan Simonsen (1978-2013).
The rest of the race continued in a dampened atmosphere, but the race did go on. At the front it was a trade-off between dry and wet running interrupted by many safety cars. The #1 Audi continued to lead until a critical technical problem crippled the car and they lost many laps in the pits. At almost the same time the #3 Audi suffered a puncture at the beginning of the lap, costing them two laps to the leader. This left the #2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro leading the event ahead of the two Toyotas.
It became clear that Audi had the pace in the dry, and that Toyota had very good pace when it became wet. A gap of almost a lap, round about two and a half minutes, eventually stabilised as the conditions seesawed between wet and dry, and also with many hours spent under safety car procedures. By the morning the running order in the top four had remained as the #2 Audi from the two Toyotas and the #3 Audi in fourth. The #1 Audi had completed a very good recovery drive and made it up to fifth overall, after unfortunate problems befell the other privateer LMP1 runners.
The final six hours again saw more changeable conditions and tire choice became very important. The safety car continued to be deployed for accidents which caused barrier damage, totaling many hours spent under yellow. The #2 Audi continued to lead with the #8 Toyota one lap behind, and all was still up for grabs.
The lap lead over Toyota #8 remained for the #2 Audi as a battle for third place began between the #7 Toyota and the #3 Audi. The #3 driving crew eventually reeled in the #7 and took the final podium position, but the battle continued. Torrential rain hit the circuit with one-hour to go and many crashes and offs occurred, triggering the safety car once more. Unfortunately the #7 Toyota was one of the casualties, as Lapierre crashed hard on the entry into the Porsche Curves. The car was recovered and eventually repaired, but the #3 Audis had moved up into a secure third overall. The #8 Toyota continued to put on a tremendous charge, and even got back onto the lead lap, but the almost flawless performance by the #2 Audi squad saw them keeping control of the race, despite the variable weather.
In the end when three o'clock local time arrived, the #2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro was brought across the line for a tremendous Audi victory. Two Audis finished on the podium with #3 in third and the recovering #1 in fifth. This win brought about a long list of statistics: the twelfth overall win for Audi, the ninth win for Tom Kristensen, a third win for Allan McNish, a third consecutive win for an Audi R18 version and Audi's fourth consecutive victory since 2010. It was a very good event for Audi, and the arrival of Porsche in 2014 makes the year-long wait until the next Le Mans seem very far away.
Two pieces of sad news overshadow the 90th anniversary celebration
Audi R18 e-tron quattro for the museum at Le Mans
Inauguration of “Place Dr Wolfgang Ullrich”
Ingolstadt/Le Mans, June 22, 2013 – At the 90th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi was a protagonist not only on the race track. Around the ‘Circuit des 24 Heures,’ the most famous endurance race of the world was under the symbol of the four rings as well. The anniversary has been clouded by sad news on Saturday afternoon.
Two tragic deaths clouded the mood at Audi on Saturday at Audi: At Le Mans, Aston Martin driver Allan Simonsen succumbed to the injuries he sustained in a serious accident shortly after the start. At the VLN race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, ‘Wolf Silvester’ died at the wheel of an Opel Astra presumably due to health problems. Both drivers had also contested races in the Audi R8 LMS. Audi Sport and Audi Sport customer racing are deeply saddened by the two deaths. The Audi motorsport family extends its sympathy primarily to the family members of the two deceased.
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi handed the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship winning Audi R18 e-tron quattro over to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). The car will be exhibited in the museum located alongside the Le Mans race track. During the traditional Audi press conference, Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich symbolically presented ACO President Pierre Fillon with the steering wheel of the hybrid race car.
A great honor for Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: A square has been named after the Head of Audi Motorsport in the center of Saint Saturnin. The small suburb of Le Mans has traditionally been the hub for fans traveling to the event from Great Britain. Mayor Bruno Jannin and Stéphane Auvrignon, President of the ‘Classic British Welcome,’ unveiled the ‘Place Dr Wolfgang Ullrich’ on Friday in the presence of the Head of Audi Sport, who was visibly moved. “I’m totally surprised to receive such an honor,” said the native Austrian. “Although I’ve been to Le Mans so many times I didn’t know Saturnin and this impressive event. This is another place where you can really feel how much the region ‘lives’ the Le Mans 24 Hours.”
It has become a cherished tradition: On the Friday before the race at Le Mans, Tom Kristensentogether with his team-mates visits the biggest camp with Danish fans along the track. More than 3,000 of his compatriots camp at Le Mans for the whole race week and back the record winner with resounding rounds of cheer. Whereas Allan McNish has been familiar with the spectacle for years, Kristensen’s new team-mate Loïc Duval now experienced his Danish premiere – and was visibly impressed with the enthusiasm of the Scandinavians.
Newcomer Jamie Green is gelling more and more with the Audi family. After having scored his first DTM points at the Lausitzring, the Briton traveled to Le Mans on Thursday to keep his fingers crossed for the Audi Sport squad on location. It was the first race week at Le Mans that Green experienced. “It’s fascinating to see Audi’s presence here at Le Mans – both in a sporting sense in the pits and in terms of the offering that is available to the guests and journalists.” Green watched the crucial qualifying session for the pole position in the garage of Audi Sport Team Joest. Allan McNish showed him around the Audi R18 e-tron quattro.
Actor Hardy Krüger jr., drummer Nick Mason (‘Pink Floyd’), the former Le Mans winner Richard Attwood and comedian Django Asül watched the 24-hour race at Le Mans as guests of Audi. From the Volkswagen Group’s top echelon, Ferdinand Piëch, Ursula Piëch and Martin Winterkorn were on location. The Management Board of AUDI AG was represented by Rupert Stadler (Chairman), Luca de Meo (Marketing and Sales) and Thomas Sigi (HR and Social Affairs). Norbert Rank, Chairman of the Works Council of the Neckarsulm plant, kept his fingers crossed for Audi Sport Team Joest at Le Mans as well.
Before the start of the 24-hour race at Le Mans, the multiple Le Mans winners Frank Biela andDindo Capello did demo laps in an Audi R10 TDI and an Audi R18 e-tron quattro. The two LMP1 sports cars from Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm had been voted as being among the most legendary race cars in Le Mans history on the occasion of the classic endurance race. With the R10 TDI Audi achieved the first victory of a diesel sports car at Le Mans in 2006 and with the R18 e-tron quattro the first triumph of a hybrid race car last year.
Audi extended a particularly warm welcome to its fan community at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. At the Audi Fan Area alongside the first chicane after the start and finish, the brand’s followers could enjoy a view of a spectacular track section. And those who have always been eager to discover the secrets of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro could satisfy their curiosity by taking a close look at the cross-section of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. Xbox racing simulators gave the most avid fans the opportunity to qualify for a race against an Audi Le Mans legend on Sunday morning by setting fast lap times. Other successful names in motorsport kept dropping by the Fan Area for meet-and-greet sessions. Furthermore, Audi posters and T-shirts were available at the Fan Counter. A live DJ provided musical entertainment.
Almost exactly 30 years ago, Dr. Christian John was deployed as Audi Sport’s team doctor for the first time – from June 25 to 28 at the New Zealand Rally. Back then and today Audi battles for world championship titles around the globe, back then and today the squad from Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm relies on the skills of the trained surgeon, trauma surgeon and expert for naturopathy. The race drivers are not the only ones benefiting from the physician’s wealth of experience. At the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours, the 67-year-old doctor headed a five-member team that took care of the health of all employees and provided nutritional tips to the mechanics as well. “The main focus has always been placed on the fitness of our drivers,” emphasizes Dr. Christian John. “But now we’re offering comprehensive healthcare to our pit crews too, which includes thorough prevention with nutritional advice because at the pit stops seconds are crucial as well.”
This year, Audi’s tire partner Michelin again generously rewarded the winners of the Le Mans 24 Hours from the previous year. Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer each received a fully equipped mobile tool chest. André Lotterer will be off-roading on a Polaris RZR Quad.
Just before the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours on Saturday, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich greeted two members of the French government. At the Audi garages, the Head of Audi Motorsport welcomed Valérie Fourneyron, Minister for Sport and Youth, and Stéphane Le Foll, Minister for Agriculture and Forestry.
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich received a gift at the traditional interview session following Technical Scrutineering at Le Mans. MC Bruno Vandestick presented a diorama with the signatures of all nine factory sports car drivers to the Head of Audi Motorsport on the occasion of his 20th anniversary of service this year.
Every year, the Le Mans winning drivers make their handprints of which a cast bronze plaque is placed in the pavement of the Le Mans pedestrian streets a year later. André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer, who in 2012 won the 24-hour race for the second time, were guests at the unveiling ceremony of the plaque on Monday. In attendance as well were ACO President Pierre Fillon and Mayor Jean-Claude Boulard.
