Audi relies on efficiency for Le Mans anniversary

On 14/15 June Audi starts for the tenth time in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. For AUDI AG it is much more than just claiming a possible eighth overall victory in the French endurance classic: Quite probably the world’s hardest car race acts as test bench for new technology later used in street cars.

The inventor of TDI engines is currently forcing the development of future generation diesel engines with help from the Audi R10 TDI. At Le Mans Audi has proven that sporting dynamic and efficiency are not necessarily contradictory. The TDI version of the TT and TT Roadster are a logical step from the Le Mans programme. The 500 hp Audi R8 TDI Le Mans is the world’s first Super Sportscar with TDI Power.

Audi lines-up at Le Mans this year for the third time with the R10 TDI which was unveiled at the end of 2005, and scooped the headlines worldwide. The brand with the four rings wrote an important chapter in motorsport history with the first win for a diesel car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi repeated the triumph in 2007. Therefore, on 14/15 June 2008 Audi Sport Team Joest has the chance to do the hat trick – a feat that was already successfully accomplished with the preceding Audi R8 model in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Audi relies on efficiency and reliability for its tenth appearance in Le Mans. The Audi R10 TDI, now in its third year of service, is no longer the fastest prototype on the grid – at least over a single lap. However, over the distance Audi Sport Team Joest has a good chance of winning because in Le Mans it’s all about losing as little time as possible in the pits. That the more than 650 hp V12 TDI engine is particularly efficient and economical is well-known. The same goes for the reliability of the R10 TDI: A 30-hour endurance test in April ran without problems. In addition, the car is designed so that it can be repaired in the shortest possible time after collisions or accidents.

Team and drivers are tried and trusted: With nine victories to date, the team around Reinhold Joest is the most successful Le Mans team ever. The driver squads are the same as last year and can claim a total of 23 Le Mans victories.

Audi has already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans seven times. If you include the win in 2003 scored by the Bentley Speed 8, which was fitted with an Audi Sport developed TFSI engine, then Audi Technology is unbeaten at Le Mans since 2000. The team under Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich will leave no stone unturned to ensure this remains so.