DTM 2008 – Hockenheimring II: Audi preview

Audi enters DTM finale with head start

Ingolstadt — It was the most extensive factory programme in AUDI AG motorsport history to date. On

 Sunday, 26 October it could become the most successful ever: If Timo Scheider clinches the DTM title for Audi at Hockenheim, then the brand with the four rings will have won everything there was to win this season.

In June Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish scored the third successive victory for the Audi R10 TDI in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner won the American Le Mans Series title with the diesel sportscar, Alexandre Premat and Mike Rockenfeller in the European based Le Mans Series.

Audi has also been on the road to success from the very beginning of the 2008 DTM season. The new Audi A4 DTM made a perfect debut in Hockenheim by taking a spectacular one-two-three finish. Since then Audi has not relinquished its hold on the championship lead of the most popular touring car series.

Now, Audi has the chance to successfully defend a DTM title for the second time since 1990/1991. Like Mattias Ekstrom before him, Timo Scheider comes this time to the final race of the year at Hockenheim with a two point advantage. Two different drivers also won the title for Audi at the Hockenheim finale in 1990 and 1991: 1990 with Hans-Joachim Stuck, 1991 with Frank Biela.

This time Audi’s hopes rest on the shoulders of Timo Scheider, who already boasts an impressive record this season: He celebrated two victories with his GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM. The 29-year old started four-times from pole position, and mounted the podium seven times. Without a jump start at Mugello and an unfortunate tyre choice at the Nurburgring and at Le Mans the German, who lives on the shores of Lake Constance, would have long been champion.

The fans can look forward to a thrilling finale. Advance tickets sales have exceeded 60,000 and, as a result, last year’s record crowd (152,000 spectators throughout the weekend) could even be beaten.

Timo Scheider took pole position at Hockenheim at the start of the season. The championship leader also has good memories of the final race: In 2006 he was the best driver of a year-old car. At the 2007 finale he claimed his first ever DTM podium finish. Now he aims to win his first DTM title and, in front of his home crowd, fend-off Paul di Resta’s attack in the Mercedes-Benz.

Timo Scheider has a two point advantage over his rival. This means that di Resta must finish in front of Scheider — a small but not unimportant psychological advantage for the Audi driver.

As usual ARD broadcasts qualifying and the race live on “Das Erste”. Free practice is shown by www.dtm.tv in the Internet. Audi.tv shows the highlights and background reports. Whoever prefers to watch the eagerly awaited finale at the track can still order tickets from the Audi Ticket-Hotline +49 (0)841 / 8947777 or online at www.audi-dtm.de.

 

Quotes before the DTM finals at Hockenheim

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “At the last race at Le Mans we already had the title in our hands until halfway through the race. Unfortunately, we couldn’t fix it. This means there is now a big showdown at Hockenheim. The atmosphere will be fantastic. I’m convinced that the grandstands will be full. We’ll do everything to bring the championship home for Audi.”

Timo Scheider (GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM #10): “We scored a memorable one-two-three at the start of the season at Hockenheim, and history shows that the final races at Hockenheim have always gone well for me. I’ve actually always finished my years positively there, which is why I’m particularly pleased that the finale is held at Hockenheim. It definitely won’t be plain sailing with just a two point lead over Paul (di Resta), but in fact a battle royal. The many German fans in the stands will certainly act as extra motivation for me.”

Mattias Ekstrom (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM #1): “I’m really looking forward to the finale. We won at the start of the season at Hockenheim, which also happens to be my goal for the last race.”

Martin Tomczyk (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM #2): “It’s great to finish each season at Hockenheim. The atmosphere is always excellent there. I hope that it stays dry and we will see an exciting championship battle that obviously goes in favour of Audi.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi A4 DTM #9): “Without a shadow of a doubt Hockenheim will be very interesting. There’ll be hoards of spectators there. The championship battle between Timo (Scheider) and di Resta is very close. I personally hope that I can finish the season with a good result. We were always quick this season. My team always gave me a good car; unfortunately we had more than our fair share of bad luck in the races.”

Alexandre Premat (Audi Bank/Shell Helix Audi A4 DTM #14): “It’ll be hard for us at Hockenheim because we’ll have heaviest 2007 car in the field. I want to do a good job again. We’ll see what the weather does. My goal is to take ninth place and therefore be the best driver of a 2007 Audi.”

Mike Rockenfeller (S line Audi A4 DTM #18): “A long season comes to an end for me. The weather at Hockenheim can also be very unpredictable. I would like to continue my run of good form that we’ve seen in the past races, which was particularly good more recently in qualifying.”

Markus Winkelhock (Playboy Audi A4 DTM #19): “Hockenheim is a race where there is always loads going on. It is also my home race and Hockenheim is a circuit that really suits me. I hope that we can win the title with Audi there.”

Oliver Jarvis (Best Buddies Audi A4 DTM #15): “It’s great to be returning to a circuit that I already know. Things ran well for me there at the season opener, I got into the top-eight in qualifying. I hope that I can score a few points.”

Christijan Albers (Audi A4 DTM #21): “We’ll have a pretty tough time with the 2006 cars at Hockenheim. However, it’ll be an exciting final. I hope that Audi can win the title.”

Katherine Legge (Audi A4 DTM #20): “I drove my first DTM race at Hockenheim, which means we’ll be able to see just how we have improved during the season. It’ll be a great final. The spectators can look forward to a really fantastic race.”

Hans-Jurgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): “The DTM will see one of the most exciting final races ever. Travelling to Hockenheim with a two point lead is a small cushion, but not really reassuring. As a team we’ll have to try to deliver an absolute top performance. The car can do it. I believe that Timo (Scheider) is also well capable of keeping his cool. It goes without saying that I hope things turn out well for us.”

Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): “It’s a shame that the season is already nearly over again! Our team is extra motivated for Hockenheim after the great result at Le Mans. We’ll do everything within our power so that Timo (Scheider) can take the title at the finale and score a few points ourselves as team.”

Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg): “Hockenheim will certainly be very tense for all concerned. I hope that we can help to bring the championship home. Le Mans went a little disappointingly for us as team, which is why we hope to turn the tide at Hockenheim.”

-credit: audi

 

Actual Standings

 

ALMS – Audi ends 2008 with one-two Laguna Seca finish

Racing series	ALMS
Date	2008-10-18 (Monterey, CA)

By Barret Bumford – Motorsport.com

Audi Sport North America closed out the 2008 racing season by taking the final overall victory in the American Le Mans Series. To top it off, they finished one-two after charging to the front on the final restart. Then the battle began between Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner for the final bragging rights.

Two of the Acura teams finished 3rd and 4th overall, giving the marque a 1-2 in LM P2, however

 Porsche won the manufac- turers’ title.

 

#9 Patron Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01B Acura: David Brabham, Scott Sharp leads #66 de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-01B Acura: Gil de Ferran, Simon Pagenaud, #7 Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder: Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and #15 Lowe’s Fernandez Racing 

The last race of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca had everyone talking about Acura, who needed to sweep the podium to win the LM P2 manufacturers’ championship. They nearly pulled it off, with Andretti Green Racings’s Tony Kanaan crossing the line just 0.054 seconds ahead of rival Acura driver Simon Pagenaud of de Ferran Motorsports. A failed battery left earlier Acura contender Lowe’s Fernandez Racing a lap down to finish ninth overall. Driver Adrian Fernandez had set fastest lap with a 1:11.156 (113.23 mph).

The race began with David Brabham in the Highcroft Racing Acura on pole position alongside Fernandez

 Racing’s Luis Diaz. By the first turn, Gil de Ferran had sped past the Penske Porsche RS Spyder of Timo Bernhard, locking out the top three spots for the American constructor ahead of the manufacturers’ title leaders, Porsche.

A series of yellows interrupted the racing throughout the first two hours, mixing up the field as cars from both the prototype and GT classes ran off into the sand, but the dust finally settled as the sun sank behind the hills of the Monterey Peninsula. Pirro, leading LM P1, led a string of P2 Acuras after Romain Dumas ran wide in turn six in his Penske Porsche RS Spyder. de Ferran Motorsports’ Pagenaud harangued the more powerful Audi R10 TDI diesel down the corkscrew and around the legendary 2.238 mile circuit, with the Acuras of Fernandez and Franck Montagny in tow.

After yet another series of back-to-back caution periods, the track went green around the three hour mark, until the then-leading #6 Penske of Sascha Maassen coasted down into the sand at the bottom of the

 Andretti hairpin, bringing out the 11th caution of the race. Kanaan inherited the lead in the for Andretti Green Racing, but the two Audis were right behind.

At the restart, Pirro, in what was his last race in the R10 TDI, wanted to get by race leader Kanaan in his Acura ARX-01b. Kanaan slid to the inside, expecting the faster Audi to pass on the outside, but Pirro surprised him and shoved Kanaan out of the way. Eight tires have more grip than four, and Kanaan slid helplessly toward the outside of turn two as Marco Werner followed his teammate’s inside line. “Restarting with the two Audis behind is not fun,” Kanaan said. He called the contact “a race pass.”

It was at the three hour and 34 minute mark that Werner took the lead from Pirro. “It would have been nice if he could go out with a victory,” Werner commented.

#6 Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder: Sascha Maassen, Patrick Long

Ten minutes after the Audis swapped places, Pagenaud out-braked Kanaan into turn eleven and took the lead in P2. Kanaan passed him back in traffic up the hill into turn six, and held off a gutsy charge by the determined Pagenaud for the class victory. An unlucky attempt to charge down the outside of the corkscrew was thwarted by lapped traffic. On the last lap, Pagenaud tried to carry a drive out of turn eleven and just missed the P2 class victory by 0.054 sec.

The Penske Porsche RS Spyders of Bernard and Helio Castroneves claimed third and fourth places in P2, securing the class manufacturer’s title by a single point, with 214 to Acura’s 213.

P1 co-champions Werner and Lucas Luhr claimed the P1 and overall victory ahead of 2nd place teammates Pirro and Christian Albers. Third in the P1 class fell to the Corsa Motorsports team of Johnny Mowlem, Gunnar Jeanette, and Stefan Johansson, whose Zytek 07S put in one of the team’s strongest first stints of the season. An unlucky wiring problem during a driver change ended hopes of a top-five overall result.

In the LM GT2 class, Tafel Racing’s Dirk Mueller in his Ferrari 430 took the lead from Jamie Melo of Risi Competizione after the midway point, with Dirk Werner and the Farnbacher Loles Porsche following in third. The trio would finish in that order, but Mueller’s team was excluded by IMSA for a ride height violation, gifting third place to the Panoz Team PTG and drivers Tommy Milner and Joey Hand.

The LM GT1 Corvettes also swapped places after the three-hour mark, giving the victory to Olivier Bertta and Oliver Gavin ahead of Jan Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell. Corvette will switch to the GT2 class next year following the final running of the C6.R at Le Mans.

A total of 12 caution periods, often coming back-to-back, befell the race. At the post-race press conferences, many drivers complained about the lack of speed of the pace car. The low grip surface of Laguna Seca, and the cold ambient temperatures of the evening race compounded the problem.

Race Results

Porsche race report

 

DTM 2008 – Ekstrom wins rain lottery at Le Mans

 

By Nancy Knapp Schilke - Motorsport.com

Mattias Ekstrom and his Audi Abt Sportsline crew won what truly was a rain lottery today on the Le Mans Bugatti circuit. The one major variable in the German Touring Car Masters series (DTM) race in France was the ever changing rain in the area — from light showers to driving rain — adding to the usual action in the German series.

Ekstrom inherited the lead when Audi factory teammate and points leader Timo Scheider dived into the pits on lap 11 and remained on slicks. Soon the track was starting to form rivers along the circuit and the usual mandatory two pit stops became four or more.

Even with a case of the flu, the Swede was able to take his third race win this season by over four seconds to second place Paul di Resta from the Mercedes camp.

“This wasn’t bad for a sick racer. After I was frustrated with a bout of flu all weekend I’m now totally happy about victory,” said Ekstrom. “The race was great and my Audi A4 was running perfectly from the start to the final lap. I couldn’t wish for more than this except, of course, that I would have liked still being in the race for the title. The decision has been postponed to the finale. There, we’ll be giving everything to clinch the title with Timo for Audi.”

While Ekstrom celebrated his 13th career victory, di Resta was also pumped about his podium finish. Placing his AMG Mercedes second in the penultimate round forces the championship battle to the season finale in Hockenheim on October 26th.

“It was not the right decision to start with rain tyres, but in conditions like today, it is difficult to make the right choice,” di Resta said. “It’s super that I finished second despite my extra pit stop and that I am only two points behind Timo Scheider — we knew that it would rain in the final third and my team had the perfect timing for the change; that was crucial. My speed was good despite the handicap weight which we now got rid of for the final race.

“I look forward to Hockenheim and I want to win in the great finale and thus clinch the championship title,” he added.

Frenchman Alexandre Premat for Audi Sport Team Phoenix ended third in the 2007-spec on his home turf. He was one of only four drivers who did just the required pit stops and ran the entire race on slicks.

“A fantastic weekend! Standing on the podium at my home race makes me very proud,” smiled Premat. “My team and I gave everything in qualifying and the race and were rewarded by third place. My team did everything right in terms of strategy so that I was able to attack at any time during the race.”

Scheider finished sixth and holds a two point lead over di Resta. The German now needs to stay in front of the Scotsman in the DTM finale. “It was the right decision to go into the race with slicks. Advancing from fifth to first is definitely something special. Unfortunately, we timed our second stop two laps too early, that’s too bad. We’ll chalk this up to experience now and concentrate on the finale,” he said.

Race results 

Standings after Le Mans 

See DTM race videos at Power Sport 

 

FIA-GT – Bucharest – First Race – 2008-08-23

FIA-GT in the streets of Bucharest, Romania. The Corvettes dominated the race from the start. First of two races.
See qualifying results here

Argentinian TC-2000 – June 20/08

The young Pernia wins his first TC-2000 race in Córdoba, Argentina after leader Martin Basso breaks his Ford Focus’ motor. With some spectacular driving by these young drivers in one of the best Touring Car series in the world.

FIA-GT in Oschersleben – 2008-07-06

The Argentinian ‘Pechito’ López in his Ferrari 550 Maranello struggles with Bartels in a Maserati MC12, and Gollin and Bouchut in both Corvettes Z06 in a spectacular part of the race in the FIA-GT in Oschersleben. Wendlinger/ Sharp and Muller/Lichtner-Hoyer in both Aston Martin DB9s came in first and second. See results: http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=297326&FS=FIA-GT

Spectacular Onboard Camera at Le Mans 1983 on a Porsche 956

That year the Porsches reached 403 km/h on the fastest part of the circuit. Results at Le Mans 1983 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_24_…

The Porsche 956 Le Mans winner in 1983

9 out of 10 Porsches 956 arrived in the first 9 places in that memorable race

Le Mans 24 Hours 2008 Race Finish – Audi wins!

Last minutes of the race

Audi wins thrilling Le Mans 24 Hours

Racing series	LEMANS
Date	2008-06-15 (Le Mans, France)

By John Dagys - Motorsport.com

The 76th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will go down in the history books as the battle of the diesels. And it went right down to the dramatic rain-soaked final hour. In the end, Audi Sport Team Joest pulled through to score their third straight Le Mans victory with the venerable R10 TDI. The No. 2 machine of Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish shined in the wet, defeating the strong challenge put forth by the Peugeot 908 HDi-FAPs.   

#2 Audi Sport North America Audi R10: Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello. Photo by Eric Gilbert.

 

The turning point in the twice-around-the-clock French classic came in the early morning hours when rain began to fall around the 8.5-mile Circuit de La Sarthe. Up until then, the No. 7 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP of Nicolas Minassian, Marc Gene and Jacques Villeneuve had been the pacesetters, holding a one-lap lead over the No. 2 Audi. However, as the rain fell in the 14th hour, the Peugeots began to slip back and the Audis started to shine. One hour later, Kristensen was out in front.

“We had the weather forecast and were making the right calls, which was always giving us a little bit more, especially during the night,” Kristensen said. “It was really when we took the lead. That was very important to put more pressure on. And then later on as well, taking the right calls on the tires and gaining some seconds. I’m sure that was tiring on our competitors.”

The battle for the lead intensified in the closing hours as the track dried up, giving the Peugeot the advantage. But with an hour remaining, the race was thrown upside down with the return of the rain, spicing up the strategy with the two leading contenders. With only about one-third of the circuit wet, Minassian opted to stay on slicks while the Kristensen took on intermediates. The two-minute gap between the two rivals began to shrink, but Minassian later pitted for rain tires, ten minutes before Kristensen’s final stop for rains as well.

However, Minassian’s set of tires appeared to be unbalanced and he was forced to make an additional stop for a new set, dropping him one lap down. Once on track in the closing laps, Minassian gained his lap back, but it was all too late as Kristensen crossed the line, completing 368 laps and winning his record eighth 24 Hours of Le Mans crown.

While “Mr. Le Mans” celebrated another career milestone, co-drivers Allan McNish and Dindo Capello were just as thrilled with their victories. For McNish, it was his second Le Mans triumph, the first coming ten years ago, driving a Porsche 911 GT1-98.

 

	LM P1 podium: class and overall winners Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello, Allan McNish with Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. Photo by Eric Gilbert.

 

“It’s very different to the first, but also very similar,” McNish said, comparing his two Le Mans victories. “In 1998 we didn’t have the fastest car, but we had a very good team, good reliability and we had to fight 100 percent to win the race. It was also very similar because it was also only one hour before the end that was finally decided. But I have to say that this one probably the hardest race I’ve every lived through. The competition was strong. We knew we couldn’t make a mistake. We knew that if we had any technical problem, we’d be out. Also in the pit stops and the driving and everything just had to be perfect or we didn’t have a chance.”

Sunday’s win was Capello’s third in the “Grand Prix of Endurance,” after victorious with Bentley in 2003 and Audi Sport Team Goh in 2004. But this year’s success had broken a superstition that has haunted many teams and drivers in the past.

“Our theory before this race was that the car in the [official event] poster never wins the race,” Capello said. “This time, fortunately, this theory is broken. In 2004, Mr. Goh paid a lot of money to have his car on the main poster of the event. Tom [Kristensen] and myself thought, ‘hmm, the car on the poster never wins the race.’ So [Mr. Goh] decided not to take it. We won in 2004 and from that moment, we really believed in this theory. And today this theory is broken. Now we’d like to be on the poster again next year.”

Audi Sport Team Joest has now achieved a hat trick of victories for the second time, the first coming in 2000-2002 with the legendary Audi R8. History keeps on rewriting itself, now with the three-peat with the diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI.

“The 2008 Le Mans 24 Hour race will become part of history as a unique race,” said Audi Head of Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “It was a tense race for the whole duration of 24 hours. We didn’t enter the race as the favorite, but our success was the result of good performances and a faultless showing – and we achieved that against strong opponent.”

 

#7 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908: Marc Gene, Nicolas Minassian, Jacques Villeneuve.Photo by Eric Gilbert.

 

Peugeot entered the race as favorites, and Kristensen even admitted that if it had been a dry race, he probably wouldn’t have won. Audi had focused on setting up its three cars to suit dry and wet conditions, unlike the Peugeots, which excelled only in the dry. But the Michel Barge-led team scored a double podium with the No. 7 car of Minassian, Gene and Villeneuve coming home second and the Franck Montagny, Christian Klien and Ricardo Zonta in third.

“We knew it would be difficult, but I’m disappointed not to have won,” Minassian said. “It has to be said, though, that our opponents did a remarkable job. At the very end of the race, we did everything we could to catch them. We stayed out on slicks in the rain and then gambled on rain tires because we were still some way back and we had to try something. We will now have to analyze everything that happened this weekend to come back even stronger than ever.”

The French Lions didn’t walk away with problems of their own ,though. The team’s quickest car, the No. 8 of Stephane Sarrazin, Pedro Lamy and Alexander Wurz, turned out to be the one with the most issues. It soldered home to a 5th place finish overall, but 13 laps back on the winning Audi. Early gearbox problems coupled with frequent trips in and out of the garage prevented it from improving. Yet, Sarrazin has been credited with the race’s fastest lap time, a 3:19.394 run on Saturday evening.

“We go away with much that was positive, too,” said Peugeot Sport Director Michel Barge. “We came exceedingly close to pulling off an exploit and I believe we produced a first class overall performance. It was towards the end of the night that we lost all chance of winning but we managed to finish hard on the heels of a very worthy opponent. That’s something I won’t forget in a long time.”

 

	#3 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R10: Mike Rockenfeller, Alexandre Prémat, Lucas Luhr.Photo by John Dagys.

 

The other two Audis also faced setbacks, as the No. 3 machine of Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and Alexandre Premat finished seven laps back in fourth after having to replace the oil filterwith two hours remaining. Defending race winners Marco Werner, Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela lost a clutch late in the race as well as other issues, finishing 14 laps down in sixth.

“Our race was okay, but we lost some time at the beginning,” Luhr said. “At the end we had to come twice into the garage ending our battle with the No. 9 Peugeot prematurely. We just missed the podium with our fourth place. But we have the chance for improvements next year.”

Harold Primat, Christophe Tinseau and Benoit Treluyer in the No. 17 Pescarolo Sport Judd came out as best of the gasoline-powered runners, finishing seventh overall.

“This is a great day for us because we knew there were two races within the LMP1 class, one for the diesels and one for the petrol cars,” team owner Henri Pescarolo said. “We have been victorious in the latter against Lola, Oreca, Creation and Dome which is a great achievement. The three drivers were fantastic because the conditions have been so difficult. They have all driven perfectly and I am absolutely delighted for them.”

Team Oreca Matmut’s No. 5 Courage-Oreca LC70 Judd driven by Soheil Ayari, Laurent Groppi and Loic Duval finished eighth. The No. 10 Charouz Racing System Lola B08/60 Aston Martin of Stefan Mucke, Jan Charouz and Tomas Enge made a great recovery following an early race accident to finish ninth overall and in the LM P1 class.

 

LM P2 podium: class winners Jos Verstappen, Peter Van Merksteijn, Jeroen Bleekemolen.Photo by Eric Gilbert.

 

Van Merksteijn Motorsport celebrated the LM P2 class victory, bringing its Porsche RS Spyder home in 10th overall. The trio of Jos Verstappen, Jeroen Bleekamolen and Peter van Merksteijn led a remarkable 90 percent of the race while battling for the lead with the similarly prepared No. 31 Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder of John Nielsen, Casper Elgaard and Porsche factory driver Sascha Maassen.

The only major difference between the two RS Spyders was its tires. The Van Merksteijn example ran on Michelins whereas Team Essex had Dunlops. The Danish-entered Porsche led early but suffered two punctures and an electrical problem, dropping it seven laps behind the Dutch entry. The problems for Nielsen and company cost them cost them valuable time, eliminating the exciting duel seen early in the race.

“In the beginning, the Essex team was very strong,” van Merksteijn said. “We had the strategy for Jos to drive four stints and that kept a little bit of pressure on those guys. Jos has sometimes driven even better than Audi and Peugeot drivers and you saw it in the rain and dry. It’s unbelievable what he’s done and it just put more pressure on the team.”

Verstappen, who made his Le Mans debut, was delighted with his maiden win. The former Formula One veteran said most of the advantage was gained in the nighttime hours and also when the rain came in the morning.

 

	#34 Van Merksteijn Motorsport Porsche RS Spyder: Jos Verstappen, Peter Van Merksteijn, Jeroen Bleekemolen. Photo by Tom Haapanen.

 

“It’s important for the team,” Verstappen said. “This was our main goal this year, and the LMS races of course to prepare everything. The team is new to long distance racing. We have a fantastic car; otherwise it’s hard to have a result like this. It’s important to win this, especially for Peter who set the team up in such a professional way. We have fantastic support from Porsche. That’s why we can do something like this.”

In its first 24-hour race, Porsche’s RS Spyder successfully made it to the finish line with both of its cars, a feat some thought wouldn’t have been possible considering the car’s past lack of reliability in endurance races. Instead, the Weissach brand proved naysayers wrong, with claiming an impressive 1-2 in class.

“The car is just brilliant to drive. It’s a lot of fun,” Bleekamolen said. “It’s easy to drive and doesn’t take a lot of energy. It’s really fantastic for long distance racing. Of course we have to thank Porsche for this win because they built this car to be able to do this.”

The Team Essex RS Spyder finished 13 laps ahead of the third-placed No. 35 Saulnier Racing Pescarolo Judd of Pierre Ragues, Mathieu Lahaye and Cong fu Cheng, the first-ever Chinese driver to start a Le Mans, yet alone finish on the podium.

 

 

Final Results

24 Hours du Mans 2008 Race Start

Spectacular race start at Le Mans

This video is from Dudujones

24 hours du Mans – Audi Gallery

Click on photo to enlarge

See more photos of the Audi team at Le Mans