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From YourSITE.com Events Coverage The 12 Hours of Sebring is a staple on the American Le Mans Series schedule and this year marked the 100th race since the inception of the American Le Mans Series. This iconic endurance race may be half as long as Le Mans chronologically speaking, but racers here will tell you that the track’s multiple types of pavement combined with the Florida heat can be just as grueling as the French enduro.
Audi Press Conference The race weekend began with a press conference at Audi’s paddock-based hospitality building. Without even a display car (the R15 TDI is that new), the Audi Sport crew wheeled the #1 R15 TDI onto the front lawn of Audi’s temporary home where Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Reinhold Joest, Wolfgang Baretzky and their staff presented the new car. As Baretzky commented, much of the advantage of the new car is the engine. Although it has the same displacement as the R10 TDI’s 5.5-liter V12, the new 90-degree V10 with its aluminum block is 10% lighter and 100 mm shorter. The first sketches of the new car were completed in January 2008, with its clearly more aggressive look that is both impressive and also functional. The required smaller rear wing reduces downforce at the rear and is a more obvious change. However, Audi also placed a high priority on increasing airflow through the car to minimize drag. Those huge snarling inlets at the front of the racer channel air out through the gill-like carbon fiber sides of the car and through a grate at the rear.
McNish Joins Forces with Jim Russell Driving School and Audi Driving Experience In addition to the Audi press conference, Audi driving star Allan McNish also had some news of his own. The Scot has just inked a deal with Emotive, the company that manages the Audi Driving Experience in North America and the Jim Russell driving school that was purchased in support of that. With a freer schedule than in the past, Allan has the flexibility this season to get involved in giving back to aspiring racecar drivers. He’s a solid proponent of the Jim Russell teaching style, with a championship series within the program. Of course, there are the obvious ties with Ingolstadt on the Audi Driving Experience side of things as well. Though no dates or further details have been confirmed yet, Allan told us it will take place this season. McNish also confirmed he would be involved in some capacity much more extensively than wearing the Jim Russell logo on his Tartan-adorned racing helmet.
Race Summary This wasn’t a typical year for Audi; it wasn’t even a typical year for Audi with an all-new car. By the time Sebring rolled around with the essentially retired R10 TDI and its predecessor the R8, Ingolstadt had tested the car to a considerable level. For the R15, track time in Europe had been booked and was utilized, but mild weather meant that the new Audi prototype had never really seen any testing under hot conditions. For Audi, this would be as much of a test session as it was a race, and that’s precisely why rows of data engineers sat behind the Audi pit even throughout the race. Audi missed grabbing pole position for the start of the race, an honor Acura would take home. That glory though was short lived, however, as Audi’s #2 R15 TDI with McNish at the wheel took the race lead before the pack even made it to Sebring’s Turn #1 on the first lap. The other Audi R15 (#1) and the sole Peugeot to make the starting grid also made quick work of the Acura, while even a Peugeot with last minute engine problems starting from the pits at the back of the pack sliced its way through traffic and ahead of the Acuras with relative ease.
Several laps in, it was clear that Audi’s #2 car, piloted by McNish and paired with Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello, was the car to beat. Audi’s veteran squad built a five-second lead, though it wouldn’t last. In the pits, Peugeot looked strong. Perhaps the French team watched Audi’s documentary on ESPN the night before as a reminder, because the fumbling pit strategies evident last year at Le Mans were gone, and this newfound efficiency helped them greatly. Only Audi and Peugeot can tell you for sure, but the rumor around the track was that both teams were testing various setups ahead of the all-important 24 Hours of Le Mans. Motorsport photogs out on course swore that the two 908s sounded considerably different. Rumors around the Audi paddock were similar – that the #2 and #1 cars were running different states of tune in order to experiment with the new cars, while tire testing was also evident with Audi single-stinting its rubber.
In the pits, it was evident that Peugeot had closed in on Audi’s advantage, but out on track the shoe was on the other foot. At Sebring the Peugeot 908 still seemed faster in the straights, but the R15 was very much on pace and likely faster in the corners. Over the course of twelve hours, the lead would swap between Audi and Peugeot no less than twenty-two times. No one had a clear edge. As darkness fell, McNish again found himself at the wheel of the #2 R15. Like his teammates, McNish is an excellent study of traffic patterns and Audi counted on this in the end. With Frank Montagny at the wheel of the leading 908, McNish continually laid down brutally fast laps, picking up one to three seconds a lap on Montagny. Without a yellow, Audi would have to pit once more than Montagny to eek out a win, and that’s just what the Scotsman did. By the time the checker dropped, no more than 22.279 seconds separated McNish and Montagny.
Green Challenge Being the first car to the checkered flag wasn’t the only race happening during those long 12 hours. This season marks the first full calendar where the Michelin Green X Challenge awards the most efficient teams. The ALMS is set on solidifying itself as the environmental leader amongst racing series, and development in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and SAE International, this competition certainly helps them do that. For Audi, this marked another award and a vindication of sorts. After the #2 R15’s trio of drivers accepted their race win trophies, they mounted the podium a second time with Audi of America boss Johan de Nysschen to accept their prize for higher efficiency than even their diesel competitors from Peugeot.
Audi Corral One staple of the Sebring experience has to be the burgeoning Audi Owner Corral. The Audi Club Florida Chapter and Audi hospitality pair together for a second hospitality area for owners where the cars play center stage in a highly sought-after location right alongside the front straight. As has become usual, the Audi area was packed several cars deep with spillover behind the nearby Audi new car display tent. Cars ranged from a modified V8 representing the oldest to many newer models including several R8s and even one painted specially in Imola Yellow.
Audi New Car Display Tent Outreach for the brand continued under a big tent nearby the front straight of the track. As kids cruised the circuit in front of the tent, Audi staff shared many new models, including some that aren’t even out yet. The mix included an R8 5.2 FSI V10, Q7 3.0 TDI, A3 2.0 TDI, S4, the TTS and more. Outside, numerous A6 3.0Ts, TTSs and a pair of S5s, including Fourtitude’s Jet Blue 4 Season test car, were on display.
Audi’s Future in the 2009 ALMS Season A few weeks ago we reported that Audi planned to take part in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and perhaps even Laguna Seca, as per a discussion with Audi AG boss Rupert Stadler. Audi of America and Audi Sport staff members weren’t as forthcoming. They continued to suggest more of a wait-and-see approach. Why the change? Our best guess is that the plan still remains, but that Audi has a consistent “underpromise and overdeliver” strategy; no doubt the final decision to do so relies upon a sales turnaround of some sorts as well as negotiations with the ALMS regarding the costs of further abbreviated involvement.
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