Audi Achieves First Victory of a Hybrid Vehicle at Le Mans
Around 200,000 spectators witnessed an enchanting race with the drama and incidents that are typical for Le Mans plus a powerful demonstration of “Vorsprung durch Technik.” The four Audi R18 vehicles from Audi Sport Staff Joest were the quickest and most dependable automobiles and after 24 hours occupied positions one, two, three and five.
“By achieving this further success on the world’s most vital endurance race our engineers demonstrated their high technological experience in a particularly impressive approach,” commented Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, who personally watched the race on location. “With the etron quattro in combination with ultra lightweight design, we put a very new expertise on the grid and instantly received with it - this cannot be taken for granted by any means, significantly here at Le Mans. This weekend once more showed the type of issues that may happen in this race and the way necessary perfect preparation is.”
All 4 Audi R18 cars had the possibility to clinch what amounted to the brand’s eleventh Le Mans victory in total. After 378 laps, final yr’s winners Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) on the wheel of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro designated as automobile quantity “1” were once more the front runners. Dindo Capello (I), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) because the runners-up induced the allwheel drive of the longer term in which the standard drive system is intelligently mixed with an electrically driven axle to file a one-two result. Audi is already testing this technology through which the drive shaft is replaced by electric cables to be used in manufacturing vehicles.
Le Mans rookie Marco Bonanomi (I), Oliver Jarvis (GB) and Mike Rockenfeller (D) in the best conventionally powered Audi R18 ultra accomplished the fourth one-two-three victory for Audi on the Le Mans 24 Hours after 2000, 2002 and 2010. Romain Dumas (F), Loïc Duval (F) and Marc Gené (E) at the wheel of the second R18 ultra completed in fifth place.
Operating at the rear of all four Audi R18 vehicles was the latest evolution of the compact V6 TDI engine with VTG mono turbocharger that was used at Le Mans for the primary time in 2011. The new extremely-gentle transmission with a carbon fiber housing a novelty in a Le Mans sports activities automotive - held as much as the Le Mans endurance check protecting a distance of 5.151 kilometers in all 4 vehicles with none issues as well. Like quatto all-wheel drive, extremely-lightweight design is a core competency of the company.
The two Audi R18 e-tron quattro automobiles embody these two applied sciences in a particularly extreme kind - they usually had been the protagonists at the eightieth edition of the endurance traditional right from the beginning. They only needed to relinquish the leading place to one of many two Toyota hybrid autos as soon as for just a few laps on Saturday night. After the early retirements of their fiercest rivals the 2 R18 e-tron quattro vehicles fought a thrilling duel for victory throughout the night till noon on Sunday during which the lead changed several instances and the two diesel hybrid sports activities cars have been usually separated by just a few seconds.
An accident by Allan McNish in the quick Porsche corners lower than three hours earlier than the end brought on the preliminary decision. Audi Sport Workforce Joest managed to repair the heavy injury on the entrance of the R18 e-tron quattro in file time and to thus save second place. Within the early section, car quantity “2” had misplaced nearly a lap after a massive piece of rubber choose-up had gotten stuck in the space of the rear suspension.
The profitable car with chassis quantity R18-208H nicknamed “Electra” was not spared from incidents either. Marcel Fässler touched the track barrier twice on Saturday morning: the primary time after spinning at excessive velocity and the second time when he needed to evade a GT automobile that was standing sideways within the Mulsanne corner. Benoît Tréluyer, who was affected by a severe chilly which he had caught on Friday while participating within the drivers’ parade in the rain in the middle of Le Mans, spun as soon as on the entrance to the pit lane.
The third-positioned Audi R18 ultra - automotive number “four” - misplaced a lap right in the beginning of the race because of a test of the rear suspension. On late Sunday morning a gear got caught twice which the driver was able to right each time by switching the ignition on and off. Afterward the R18 was running completely once more and allowed Marco Bonanomi and Oliver Jarvis to clinch the first podium place at Le Mans together with Mike Rockenfeller, who returned to the podium a year after his serious accident.
Two nearly similar slips brought on the Audi R18 ultra three through which Loïc Duval set the fastest lap of the race to lose its likelihood for victory. On Saturday evening, Romain Dumas within the first chicane whereas lapping a GT vehicle hit the soiled part of the observe and slid against the observe barrier. The identical mishap occurred to Marc Gené on Sunday noon. In both instances, Audi Sport Staff Joest managed to restore the R18 in an extremely quick interval of time. In total, though, twelve laps had been lost.
“This was a race of the type you may arguably expertise only at Le Mans,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich after his 4 Audi R18 automobiles had crossed the end line. “It's best to by no means rejoice too early at Le Mans, which was obvious again particularly on Sunday noon. The entire world was already talking about a one-two-three-4 victory and swiftly two of our cars had accidents almost simultaneously. That the squad repeatedly managed to repair the automobiles so quickly after the slips clearly speaks for Audi Sport Workforce Joest that can simply be banked on at Le Mans. On the whole, I can only take my hat off to the complete squad of Audi Sport that labored extremely onerous for a yr to make this triumph possible. It was a very huge challenge to develop a hybrid automobile in such a short while that is quick and able to hold up for 24 hours. The truth that, as in 2001 with the TFSI engine and in 2006 with the TDI, we managed to achieve success proper on the first run merely proves the level of technological experience that is obtainable at Audi. It is a great day for Audi Sport, for Audi and for the e-tron quattro.”
With its eleventh victory at Le Mans, Audi has prolonged its lead within the World Endurance Championship. Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish as the runners-up recaptured the lead within the drivers’ world championship.
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Hybrid cars is the real deal at this time to tackle the environment problems.
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