audi le mans developments

["Dave Eaton" <Dave.Eaton@clear.net.nz>]

from the wire.....
dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q
'61 mb fintail

Personnel:
Yvan Muller has withdrawn from the Audi Joest number 8 entry due to family
reasons, which have left him little time to prepare sufficiently over the
past few months. Didier Theys, winner of last year's Daytona 24 Hour race
and Sebring 12 Hour race, will take Muller's seat in Audi Sport Team Joest's
R8R.

Replacing Theys in R8C number 9 will be 32 year old Christian Abt from
Kempten in Germany.

Testing:
Stéphane Ortelli and Stefan Johansson tested Audi Sport UK's R8C at Paul
Ricard, France, last week (Tuesday-Friday). Over 1,000kms were clocked up in
the four-day run which included day and night time running. Ortelli
ultimately set the R8C's fastest lap, a 1min
49.114secs on Wednesday. Meanwhile Rinaldo Capello clocked a 1:47.182 in the
Audi Sport Team Joest run R8R which, according to Audi's own timing, was the
quickest time achieved by anyone present (although Audi did not take times
on Friday). Other teams present
were Toyota, Panoz, Nissan and Riley & Scott Europe.

Next week, Audi Sport UK's new driver Christian Abt will sample the Audi R8C
for the first time. Abt is scheduled to drive the Ortelli/Johansson car on
Tuesday at Hockenheim before that chassis returns to the 'rtn' workshops in
Norfolk. Team-mates James Weaver,
Andy Wallace and Perry McCarthy will drive their R8C on Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday respectively at the German track.

Le Mans scrutineering:
Audi Sport Team Joest (car nos. 7 & 8) will have scrutineering at 13.30 with
Audi Sport UK (car nos. 9 & 10) immediately afterwards at
13.50 on Tuesday 8 June.