Audi e-tron quattro wins again at Le Mans

For the second time in succession, Audi has won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a hybrid race car and quattro drive, thus continuing its unique success story at the world's most important endurance race. Victory was clinched by Loic Duval (F), Tom Kristensen (DK) and
Allan McNish (GB).

As expected, the twelfth triumph for the four rings at Le Mans was one of the most difficult and hardest-fought ones. Following a change in the regulations that was made at short notice, the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars on average were able to do two laps less on one tank filling than their main rival Toyota. The Audi drivers had to compensate for the additional pit stops by faster lap times on track - and did so in weather conditions that at times were extremely difficult.

Rain showers crossed the track again and again during the dramatic race. They resulted in numerous incidents and a total of eleven safety car deployments. The field ran for more than five hours under 'yellow' while the track was cleared and repairs were performed.

The three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, which are equipped with an electrically driven front axle, were the fastest vehicles in the field throughout the entire race - as well as the most efficient ones: Victory in the Michelin Green X Challenge, a competition of the cleanest, fastest and most efficient prototypes, went to Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm as well.

"We owe the twelfth victory of our brand at Le Mans to the consistent, innovative spirit of our engineers, the unconditional commitment of the entire team and the skills and strong nerves of our drivers. On behalf of Audi, I extend my sincere congratulations on this success to all of them," said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG, who, as usual, personally watched the race on location. "This marks another great success for Audi in which our hybrid system again prevailed and new technologies, which our customers will also benefit from in the future, were tested." They included innovative radiators and matrix-beam LED headlights, which make optimum lighting of the corners at night possible - a crucial advantage at Le Mans.

"We knew that, not least due to the regulatory requirements, it would be very difficult for us this year," commented Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "As expected, Toyota was a very strong rival - but our Audi R18 e-tron quattro was in a class of its own. My thanks go to the entire team that worked for months to achieve this success."

Posted in: Allan McNish,Audi,Audi AG,Audi Motorsport,Audi R18 e-tron quattro,Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich,Europe,Hybrid,Le Mans,Loic Duval,Motor Sports,Rupert Stadler,Tom Kristensen