24h du Le Mans 2007

[David Morton]

Le Mans, 17 June 2007



Quotes after the retirement of Audi R10 TDI #2


Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #2): "I lost the rear left wheel at Indianapolis corner at approximately 260 kph. It was a horrible feeling – I was just a passenger – I couldn’t do anything to prevent a crash and I just hoped for the best. But thankfully I was in an Audi and I know that our engineers always put safety first. Despite such a heavy impact, I am in one piece and completely uninjured. But honestly no words can explain how I currently feel."

Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #2): "We had a strong car that dominated the race for almost 17 hours allowing us to build a lead of over three laps – thanks not only to the speed of our Audi but fantastic strategy and great teamwork. But then Le Mans bit us and bit us very hard. I feel extremely hollow because it now means it’s another year before I can come back here again and have another crack at winning the world’s greatest sports car race again."

Tom Kristensen (Audi R10 TDI #2): "Wow. We had a great car, had enjoyed perfect teamwork and were really dominating from the very first lap until Dindo’s unfortunate accident. It’s hard to believe and right now difficult to understand. Everything had been good and fine for us. Such an experience is hard on anyone, especially at Le Mans."


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[David Morton]

Le Mans, 17 June 2007 1000 hrs



Audi extends Le Mans lead

Audi R10 TDI setting the pace through the night
Biela/Pirro/Werner new leaders
Capello/McNish/Kristensen out of the race
Audi Sport Team Joest has been setting the pace and increasing the lead in the 75th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours throughout the night. With consistently fast lap times, the two remaining Audi R10 TDI sports cars further and further increased their advantage over their rivals.

Early on Sunday morning, Dindo Capello, Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen enjoyed a three-lap lead over their team-mates Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro/Marco Werner and a seven-lap advantage over the best "factory" Peugeot in third position.

At 0735 hrs, however, the race of the leading Audi came to a premature end when Dindo Capello’s R10 TDI lost the left rear wheel under braking for "Indianapolis" causing the Italian spin off the track. The impact with the guard rails was heavy enough to extensively damage the front suspension of the R10 TDI making it impossible to rejoin the race.

What caused the rear wheel to come lose can only be analysed after the race when the technicians of Audi Sport are able to examine the car. Capello was in the middle of his second stint and already 54 minutes on the same set of tyres. This excludes a mistake at the pit-stop as a reason.

Audi continues to lead the Le Mans 24 Hours with the single remaining R10 TDI. Five hours before the end, the number 1 car had almost five laps advantage over the second placed Peugeot.

The squad of Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner, however, also had a scary moment on Sunday morning when a huge stone went through the front bodywork getting stuck in the front wheel arch. Changing the nose section and checking the suspension cost one lap.

Apart from that the 650-hp diesel sports car runs without technical problems since start of the race on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Additional excitement could be added to the closing stages of the race by the weather: After it stayed dry throughout the night and on Sunday morning, similar changing weather conditions are forecast as encountered at the beginning of the race.


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[David Morton]

Murray,
Thanks.
I'll be back midweek?

Dave M

[John Lowe]

Dave

Only just picked up on your by-pass thing. Had mine done (emergency following failed angio plasty operation) ten years ago, still going strong and never felt better.

Best wishes for a speedy return and hopefully we may meet up at some GT40 thing or whatever (I live south of you in Sussex).

John

[David Morton]

Thanks John,
Similarly failed angio here so been here for last 12 days all plumbed and wired up, but hopefully it will be sorted by this time tomorrow. Thank goodness for the 24hr as a big diversion from last Wednesday until just now.
Audi won !!!!!
vorschsprung ho ho ho....

[Lynn]

Congratulations Dave!

It is great that they let them finish under green; a finish under yellow would have just seemed wrong. Further sweetness, no doubt, that it was the pensioners group that brought the win home and also that Aston-Martin got their long deserved win in GT-1 also.

Lynn (former Mooney (N7174V) pilot)

PS: you are quite welcomed, Sir. It is quite gratifying to know that someone has benefited from the sharing of one's experiences.

[David Morton]

And - Racemet has just been contracted for Le Mans 2008 with
Audi Joest.

[Big-Foot]

Congratz on the new contract David!!!

[David Morton]

Thanks Randy




















Ingolstadt, 17 June 2007



Audi stays in the victory lane at Le Mans

Seventh success for Audi in endurance classic
Audi TDI Power dominates again
Extremely difficult conditions in jubilee race
AUDI AG has continued its impressive series of victories in the Le Mans 24 Hour race in extremely difficult conditions. Frank Biela (Germany), Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany) repeated their success from last year thus giving Audi their seventh victory in the French endurance classic. For the second consecutive time, the Audi R10 TDI claimed victory. The revolutionary diesel sportscar from Ingolstadt remains unbeaten at Le Mans.

In the 75th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, Audi again gave an impressive proof of "Vorsprung durch Technik". The Audi R10 TDI was the fastest and the most reliable car in the field. From the first to the last lap, one of the three diesel sportscars from Ingolstadt headed the field.

More than 260,000 spectators witnessed one of the most exciting 24 Hour races in the history of Le Mans. Changing weather conditions at the beginning claimed the Audi R10 TDI with start number 3 when Mike Rockenfeller left the rain-soaked track on his third lap and collided backwards into the armco barriers.

The impressive showing of Dindo Capello, Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish came to a premature end as well: After having controlled the race with a considerable margin for more than 16 hours, the left rear wheel of their Audi R10 TDI loosened on Sunday morning. Dindo Capello who celebrated his 43rd birthday on Sunday was behind the wheel of the car. He had no chance of avoiding the accident.

Thus, during the last five-and-a-half hours, all hopes for Audi were left on the shoulders of the Audi R10 TDI with start number 1 of Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner. Conditions were extremely difficult owing to torrential rain in the final phase of the race, however, the established Audi drivers mastered this task with bravado. The impressive winning margin of Marco Werner over the second-placed Peugeot was ten laps at the finish line.

After its seventh Le Mans triumph, Audi has moved up to third place in the historic records during the 75th edition of the French endurance classic. Only Porsche and Ferrari have won at Le Mans more often than Audi.

"This was certainly the most difficult race that we have ever contested at Le Mans", said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG after the finish. "So this victory counts even more. On the race track, we have shown once more that we have the best technology, the best drivers and the best team. Everybody within Audi can be proud of this success."


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[David Morton]

Le Mans, 17 June 2007



Quotes after the race at Le Mans


Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "I think this was the most difficult race we ever did at Le Mans – even more difficult than the rain-soaked race in 2001. This was topped this time due to the strong competition, the many incidents and the rain in the final hours. We managed to get one car to the finish in these difficult circumstances winning against strong competitors. This was a fantastic achievement of the whole team. We wanted to prove that we have the best technology with Audi TDI Power, the best drivers and the best teams. We achieved that. This triumph shows one more time the meaning of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’."

Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #1): "You realize a Le Mans victory only a couple of days later because you have so much stress and pressure during this race. Of course you wish that everything goes well but you can’t plan it. Something can happen anytime. To have the luck of being on the top of the podium for the fifth time is simply great. The key to success has been to attack at the right time and to be on the safe side at the right time. The pit crew has done a great job. We always had the right tyres on our car. This victory was achieved by the entire team."

Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1): "Le Mans was simply incredible this year. The two other Audis had really bad luck. They could not finish the race. After that we had enormous pressure. Behind us were the Peugeots and we had to fight hard. The last nine hours have been especially difficult. It was a tough race with some rain at the beginning which made the tyre choice complicated and heavy rain at the end. I dedicate this victory to the mechanics of all three cars. There was a great battle with Peugeot. To beat such a competitor makes our victory even sweeter. Personally I’m on the podium with Audi at Le Mans for the ninth time in a row – this is great!"

Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #1): "Of course it is a great feeling to win but tomorrow for sure I will feel even better because there was gigantic pressure on our shoulders until the very end of the race. In the closing stages this Le Mans 24 Hours was more like a boat race. It was incredible that the race went green again under these conditions. I was more than relieved when I had crossed the finish line."

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "This has been a hell of a race and extremely exciting. The weather ended like it started. Fortunately there has been a long dry period in between. I see the result with two crying and one laughing eye: It’s a shame we lost two cars due to accidents. Especially the number two car showed a great performance. But of course the most important thing is that an Audi has won. We have been fighting with a big competitor and were not sure before how the balance of power would be. The race proved that Audi and Joest are a strong combination at Le Mans. And we showed that we can always up the ante in the race. This has been never become clearer than this weekend. We also proved that we can fight. A big compliment to the whole squad: Everything worked out perfectly. I’m proud of the whole team."


Communication Motorsport
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[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh AUDI!!!!

and our Emanuele Pirro in the crew

[Lynn]

Does anyone in the UK have an update on David's progress following his surgery on Monday??

Regards,
Lynn

[David Morton]

Lyn,
I 'm back. They wouldn't let me have my notebook in the intensive ward
(not that I could have managed to operate it anyway) 5 replacement areteries all harvested from my left leg and as sore as hell. But it all went OK so now it's recovery time. The docs are sayincs about 4-6 weeks.
Thanks Lyn,
Dave M

[Scott Calabro]

Here's to a speedy recovery... !!

Best wishes,
Scott