Audi in the 2007 American Le Mans Series
 

Audi banks on TDI Power again in the USA

AUDI AG continues its successful involvement in the American Le Mans Series to coincide with the imminent Diesel offensive in the USA. The Audi Sport North America team competes in every round of the world’s leading sportscar race series with a pair of Audi R10 TDI cars during the 2007 season.

With defending champions Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) plus Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany), Audi relies on proven drivers to retain its crown. All four drivers have won the American Le Mans Series at least once already. Marco Werner celebrates his comeback in the USA after a year-out. The two-time ALMS champion and double Le Mans winner was heavily involved in the revolutionary Audi diesel racing car’s development during the 2006 season.

Audi Sport North America once again assumes responsibility for running the brace of R10 TDI cars. The team’s core personnel originate from Champion Racing. As last year, Dave Maraj’s team receives support in a similar way from Audi Sport and Joest Racing.

The German-American combination proved itself to be extremely competitive last season: The Audi R10 TDI remained unbeaten in its seven races in the 2006 American Le Mans Series.

“Audi is convinced that TDI is also the strong and economical alternative vehicle power source of the future for the United States,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “The R10 TDI is a forerunner for the nationwide Diesel offensive in the USA and the increasingly popular American Le Mans Series is the perfect platform for this.”

Audi Sport

Vorsprung durch Technik

The responsibility for AUDI AG’s factory commitment in the American Le Mans Series rests with Audi Sport – the organization that has been assuring Audi’s demonstration of “Vorsprung durch Technik” in motorsport for over 25 years.

Audi Sport is primarily responsible for developing and testing the race cars. The cars are fielded by proven partners like Joest or Champion Racing. Audi Sport is based in Ingolstadt where most of the team’s near 150-strong members work. Since November 1993, Audi Sport has been headed by the native Austrian Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, who is also Head of Motorsport for AUDI AG.

Audi Sport is affiliated with AUDI AG’s Technical Development. This assures the transfer of technology from motorsport to production vehicles and vice versa. In 2007, Audi’s factory commitments feature the R10 TDI in the sports prototype category, and the A4 in the DTM.

Audi TDI Power

High-tech diesel engine from the inventor of the TDI

The trend towards diesel-powered passenger vehicles is consistently growing in the United States. Audi, the inventor of the modern TDI engines, wants to support this trend and has decided to launch a diesel offensive. In 2008, the Q7 3.0 TDI will be brought to market in the USA. Thanks to innovative Bluetec technology, the emissions of this engine are so low that it meets the toughest emission standards.

In Europe, diesel engines have been steadily gaining ground, with no end in sight. In Germany, almost every other Audi leaving the factory is fitted with a TDI powerplant. Modern diesel engines are powerful, fast, efficient, comfortable and reliable – qualities in which Audi as a pioneer of diesel engine technology has had a major part since 1989.
 

Like elsewhere, the U.S. market has started to pick up momentum. Convinced that the diesel engine is the powerful and economical alternative for future automobiles, Audi intends to intensify this trend: The brand with the four rings will launch a diesel offensive heralded by the Audi R10 TDI.

The V12 TDI for the Audi Q7 delivering 500 hp of power and 1,000 Newton meters of torque is a manifestation of Audi technology. Since the invention of the TDI 18 years ago the Audi brand has been instrumental in driving diesel technology forwards, and has achieved a leading edge over its competitors. The historic maiden victory of a diesel engine in the 24 Hours of Le Mans proves Audi’s claim of “Vorsprung durch Technik“.

Audi presented the world’s first diesel engine for passenger cars with direct injection and fully electronic management – the first TDI – in late summer of 1989. The following year saw the production launch of the first Audi TDI that set a new benchmark with its brawny power. Since then, Audi has been expanding its advantage with constantly new developments, step by step. One of the key innovations was the trendsetting common rail injection system Audi – in 1999 – presented for the first time in a diesel engine. This technology is used in the current family of Audi V-diesel engines – including the V12 TDI in the R10.

The Audi drivers in the 2007 American Le Mans Series

 
Audi banks on seasoned drivers in the US

The Audi R10 TDI is the most ambitious project ever to have been realised by Audi Sport – and in a very short space of time at that. Merely 200 days passed between the roll-out in November 2005 and the historic first Le Mans triumph in June 2006.
 

Since the R10 TDI is a test lab on wheels used by AUDI AG to gather valuable findings for the continuous advancement of TDI technology, its drivers not only need to be quick but, above all, experienced.

For the R10 TDI project, Audi – in 2007 – continues to rely on the six drivers who were also involved in the development of the performance diesel in a major way:Frank Biela (Germany), Dindo Capello (Italy), Tom Kristensen (Denmark), Allan McNish (Scotland), Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany).
 

The Audi driver pairings in the 2007 American Le Mans Series are Dindo Capello/Allan McNish and Emanuele Pirro/Marco Werner. Marco Werner’s comeback marks the return of the driver to the US sports car series who has been the only one so far to successfully defend the title in the top LM P1 class. After Werner reeled off the largest number of kilometres testing the R10 TDI while contesting merely three races, he is now reaping the well-deserved reward for his labour.

Marco Werner’s part this year will be played by Frank Biela, who – like Tom Kristensen – will be reinforcing the Audi squad in the 12-hour race at Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Dindo Capello and Allan McNish, who jointly clinched the title for the first time last year and had formed a powerful combination as early as in the 2000 season of the American Le Mans Series, will be contesting the events as the defending champions in car number 1. Piloted by Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner, the Audi R10 TDI bearing the number 2 is occupied by a pairing of equal calibre. And in keeping with Audi’s tradition, there is no number one team.
 

Team Audi Sport North America

German-American Cooperation

Audi has a factory commitment in the American Le Mans Series in 2007. This means that Audi Sport in Ingolstadt is responsible for the racing engagement. Like last year, the two Audi R10 TDI cars were nominated by Audi Sport North America, the US branch of Audi Sport. The core of the race team comes from Champion Racing in Pompano Beach (Florida), where the cars are also serviced between the races. Dave Maraj’s squad will again be supported by the race team of Audi Sport and Joest Racing, which is also involved in the further development of the R10 TDI. The German-American cooperation already proved its striking power in the 2006 season.
 

Responsible for Audi Sport North America is Rod Bymaster. Ralf Jüttner from Joest Racing is the technical coordinator between Audi Sport and the race team.
 

The American Le Mans Series

Export hit: Le Mans

“World Class” – this is the claim of the American Le Mans Series. The tagline could hardly be more fitting: The racing series launched in 1999 by entrepreneur Don Panoz is the world’s most popular sports car racing series, which has become North America’s favorite motorsport category after the NASCAR series.

In the late 1990s, Don Panoz came up with the idea of bringing the flair of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to America. The concept worked. Le Mans became an export hit, and the American Le Mans Series an important franchise partner of the Automobile Club de l‘Ouest (ACO).
 

The Technical Regulations of the ACO provide the basis for all racing series derived from Le Mans. The organizers of the American Le Mans Series have to follow this principle as well. With one exception: to heighten suspense, they started reserving the right to slow down vehicles with superior technology during the course of the season – an approach that has not found favor with Audi as a technology-oriented company, and which led to the Audi brand’s withdrawal from the TransAm and the IMSA GTO series in the late eighties.

“The American Le Mans Series prides itself on offering a perfect platform for the major automotive manufacturers, but an automotive manufacturer needs stable rules,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “That’s why we’re keeping a very critical watch on how the racing series continues to develop in this area.”

That Audi decided to continue its U.S. commitment despite the fact that competitors were increasingly being granted advantages as early as in the previous season is attributable to the popularity of the series. “Apart from the discussions about the rules, the American Le Mans Series is being managed in a highly professional manner and provides an outstanding platform for presenting ourselves to a large audience in the important U.S. marketplace,” adds Dr Ullrich.

The series, which strives to come into particularly close touch with fans, continues expanding its activities. The 2007 season is the first to see twelve races being staged. With the city races in St. Petersburg, Long Beach and Detroit three new, attractive events in important markets have been added to the calendar.

Meanwhile most races are being staged on Saturdays, increasingly often running late into the night. By using this approach, founder Don Panoz and Scott Atherton, the director of the series, have managed to bring even more of the Le Mans flair to America.