McNish looking to make good start in Barcelona Le Mans Series Opener

Allan McNish bids to get his Le Mans Series title aspirations off to a flying start by steering his diesel-powered Audi home to top honours in the opening race at Barcelona on Sunday (6 Apr).

The 38-year-old three-times American Le Mans Series champion from Dumfries switches back to race full time in Europe with the “factory” Audi team in the five-race LMS.

McNish and regular co-driver Dindo Capello, from Italy, drive their Audi R10 TDI in the 1,000km race in Spain marking the double Le Mans 24 Hour race winning car’s first European race outside of France.

“I’m excited about racing in Europe full time again and will be aiming to get Audi’s Le Mans Series campaign off to a solid start at Barcelona,” confirmed the Monaco-based Scot.

“Having raced against the Peugeot at Sebring in mid-March, we know that it’s going to be a dog fight with them in Spain. Although it wouldn’t be nice for spectators, I’d be quite happy if we had some typical Scottish weather down there.”

The Circuit de Catalunya was inaugurated in 1991, is 2.89-mile long and features 13-corners. McNish last drove there in 2003 as a Formula One test driver with Renault at the Spanish Grand Prix and steered his Toyota home to eighth place in the corresponding race the previous year. He also started from pole-position in an FIA International Formula 3000 race there in 1995.

Allan added: “Barcelona is about downforce and the efficiency of it. Although it has a long straight, that’s only a small part of the track with the majority made up of interconnecting corners that put huge ‘loads’ on tyres and drivers.

“Apart from the two diesel Peugeots, there’s also likely to be another 10 cars at least in our LM P1 class so all five races will be a big challenge,” continued McNish. “There will be around 50 cars in the Barcelona race so that means plenty of overtaking.”

McNish, who last raced regularly in Europe in 2004, and Capello are joined in the Audi Sport Team Joest squad by Alexandre Prémat (France) and Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) in a similar Audi R10 TDI.

“I started the final LMS race at Spa in Belgium leading the 2004 championship having won races at the Nürburgring and Silverstone but ultimately just missed out on the title to my Audi UK team-mates,” reflects McNish.

“I did three LMS races for Audi in 2005, winning one [Silverstone] and finishing second in the other two [Nürburgring & Istanbul] in an Oreca-run Audi R8. The last two years I’ve spent racing in the America’s equivalent of the LMS with Audi’s pioneering turbo diesel sports-prototype. The R10 TDI has only previously raced at Le Mans in Europe.”

The near 650-hp Audi R10 TDI made history by becoming the first diesel-engined sportscar to win the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours in 2006 and repeated the win last year and remains unbeaten in the LM P1 category since its race debut in March 2006.