Fwd: Audi claims pole with TDI Power at Le Mans

[Brett Dikeman]

Via way of Chris Miller...anyone else mind keeping the list up-to- 
date on Le Mans news w/links/text?  I'm going to be traveling, so I  
can't watch...

B

Begin forwarded message:

> Ingolstadt/Le Mans, 16 June 2006
>
>
> Audi claims pole with TDI Power at Le Mans
>
> Both Audi R10 TDI cars on the front row at Le Mans
> Dindo Capello fastest in final qualifying
> Superb performance of Audi Sport Team Joest
>
> In qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hour race, Audi yet again  
> demonstrated in a stunning way the performance of TDI Power. The  
> brace of new Audi R10 TDI cars were by far the quickest in final  
> qualifying. The two sportscars powered by 650-hp diesel engines  
> will start from the front row on Saturday at 1700 hrs.
>
> After rain had affected the first qualifying on Wednesday, the  
> conditions on Thursday evening were dry and perfect. In the first  
> part of the final qualifying session, the Audi drivers concentrated  
> on fine-tuning their R10 TDI cars before Audi Sport Team Joest  
> headed for the top of the time sheets at the beginning of the last  
> section. Shortly after 2200 hrs, Dindo Capello and Marco Werner set  
> lap times beyond the reach of the opposition powered by petrol  
> engines.
>
> Setting a time of 3m 30.466s, Dindo Capello scored his third Le  
> Mans pole position following 2001 and 2002. A mere 0.118 seconds  
> behind, Marco Werner completed an all Audi R10 TDI front row.
>
> Capello, who turns 42 on Saturday, did not only present himself  
> with an early birthday present. He also rewarded the work of his  
> mechanics who completely dismantled and re-assembled the Audi R10  
> TDI with start number 7 for safety reasons after an accident on  
> Wednesday. Just in time for final qualifying, the R10 TDI was ready  
> again.
>
> Dindo Capello starts at Le Mans together with record winner Tom  
> Kristensen and Allan McNish. Frank Biela shares driving duties in  
> the "sister car" with Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner. All six  
> drivers have won the Le Mans 24 Hour race at least once. However, a  
> diesel-powered car has never won in the history of the Le Mans  
> endurance classic. For the first time, Audi accepts this challenge  
> this weekend.
>
> Quotes after qualifying
>
> Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "This result is an  
> incredibly good base to build on for the race as we have  
> consequently used both qualifying sessions to develop the cars for  
> the race. We have achieved the times with a race set-up - and with  
> a soft tyre compound for the race. We've seen on the test day  
> already that we can achieve good lap times with these tyres for  
> three or four consecutive laps. With a set of 'qualifiers', there  
> is only one fast lap possible. We didn't want to risk running into  
> traffic with them. This strategy paid off. Both teams have  
> displayed a strong performance and did excellent work as we had a  
> damaged car last night. Everybody maintained a good team spirit and  
> worked hard, so the front row is the reward for the whole team.  
> However, we still have to tackle the more important part of the  
> weekend."
>
> Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #7): "This is my present for the team  
> which made a great job after my mistake yesterday. I felt so sorry  
> for them that I struggled to sleep in the night. We know this is  
> racing and part of our job, but I really felt bad. I wanted to give  
> them something back. And fortunately it happened. This is my third  
> pole position at Le Mans - and something I'm proud of. Thanks to  
> the Audi R10 TDI! We did only 20 percent of our job here being on  
> pole. The rest we have to do on Saturday and Sunday."
>
> Tom Kristensen (Audi R10 TDI #7): "An all Audi front row at our  
> first time at Le Mans with a TDI engine - now the world knows that  
> diesel is very sporty. With quick lap times, Dindo (Capello) and  
> Marco (Werner) did great jobs in qualifying without taking too much  
> risk. Allan (McNish) and I concentrated on the race setup and now  
> we are going into the 24 hours as confident as we can. You can't  
> predict anything at Le Mans because you always have to expect the  
> un-expected. But we did our job and now we are ready."
>
> Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #7): "Everyone at Audi Sport Team Joest  
> can be proud that we've secured the first diesel front row at Le  
> Mans - both Dindo and Marco were great. A lot of hard work and  
> effort has gone into this achievement. I'm a little surprised by  
> the lack of pace shown by the Pescarolos tonight but I'm certain  
> that their challenge has not disappeared. The car balance is good  
> and the tyres are working well. We have good options for wet or dry  
> race conditions."
>
> Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #8): "This is a fantastic result for  
> Audi. Both cars qualified on the front row. Our car with number 8  
> is just one tenth behind the pole. The performance is there, the  
> car felt really good. We found a good balance, especially for the  
> race. Everybody was happy. Now we have to keep fingers crossed for  
> the race."
>
> Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #8): "It's just fantastic and I am  
> absolutely thrilled. We had two trouble-free qualifying sessions,  
> our Audi R10 TDI feels good and we did fast lap times. Personally I  
> don't like so much being on pole position for some superstitious  
> reasons, so the result is simply perfect. So far we proved that TDI  
> technology can be fast. Now it's our job in the race to show that  
> it is long lasting as well."
>
> Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #8): "Congratulations to Audi and to  
> Dindo. We both drove good laps. There is nothing left to be  
> desired. Both Audi R10 TDI cars qualified for the front row. We  
> have achieved our goals. Now I hope that we will have the luck on  
> our side in the race."
>
> Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "The Le  
> Mans 24 Hour race is the competition that counts this year - and we  
> start from pole position. Again, we were able to show that the Audi  
> R10 TDI is a car that is on a level playing field with the 'normal'  
> race cars. We didn't do qualifying set-ups. Again, it turned out to  
> be true that a good race car can achieve a fast qualifying lap.  
> Both Dindo and Marco used this to show good performances. If you  
> look at how evenly both cars were matched, both drivers and teams  
> exploited the potential perfectly. It is important that the drivers  
> feel comfortable in the car. Hence we should have a good chance in  
> the race as well. The first step has been done, even if this is  
> only a very small step at Le Mans. Nonetheless, it is a good  
> motivation for the whole project. This is a good mood to start the  
> race on Saturday."
>
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