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Audi Takes LeMans. Again.

S4cabriofoxone submitted on 06/16/2008 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 6:35 PM
from: www.edmunds.com

[38] user comments | category: Misc News

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Tags: Audi, Peugeot, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Racing, LeMans

Tag Links: Audi, Peugeot, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Racing, LeMans

Audi Takes LeMans. Again.

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ThierryHenry14 - 6/17/2008 9:26:17 AM

+4 Boost

In racing, speed is not everything, as proved by Audi. It takes Speed, Planning/Strategy, Will, and Luck!

Go Audi!!!

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steve27t - 6/17/2008 10:16:29 AM

+3 Boost

3 Diesel cars on the podium at Le Mans ! pretty amazing stuff. Is it a coincidence that the imminent arrival of the high tech, powerfull, econonical european diesel engines in the USA coincides with the massive rise in the price of diesel fuel here?

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dimitri_010 - 6/17/2008 11:25:17 AM

+1 Boost

no the price of diesel coincides with bush's dumbassness

Whatthe - 6/18/2008 9:43:09 AM

+1 Boost

The rules favor diesel now.
Audi beat that world class maker of cars Peugeot.
What does this prove?

dimitri_010 - 6/17/2008 11:25:36 AM

+2 Boost

and dick cheney's shotgun

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harbingerofsmoke - 6/17/2008 11:51:36 AM

+2 Boost

This makes the arrival of the R8 6.0L V12 TDI all the more enthralling.

Congradulations Audi.

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Whatthe - 6/18/2008 9:48:02 AM

+3 Boost

Yes it has the same engine, drivetrain, aero package, team support, "special" diesel.
Woah, bring it on...

Vantage - 6/17/2008 1:06:14 PM

-2 Boost

Where is BMWDVR saying Audi is crap???

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TheSailor - 6/17/2008 3:32:28 PMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

TOM K RULES! He took the lead in the early hours of the morning simply outdriving the Peugeot, and Peugeot was just unable to retaliate! And then they did the same stupid thing that wiped out this years winning trio last year by not tightening one of the wheels correctly which enabled Tom to overtake Minassian by a lap (which Tom then gave him back on the very last lap)... Fortunately Minassian was able to get back to the pit without loosing the wheel!

Anyway, phenomenal job car 2 and Audi! This year, the victory was truly deserved! Real competition, real victory!

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Whatthe - 6/18/2008 9:48:58 AM

+3 Boost

ah yeah.

Whatthe - 6/18/2008 9:50:30 AM

+2 Boost

Next your going to say "Lexus" win in Daytona Prototypes (dp, ha ha) means something too.

bclemans - 6/17/2008 4:08:54 PM

0 Boost

Well done Audi.

Just FYI, Audi capitalized due to lack of competition. All the big players (see Lemans history) had dropped out since the 90's - BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota and Porsche. In the first two years that Audi competed with the above, it lost both times. It won in all the years that followed (Bentley won once, which is also owned by VW) with the absence of all the above teams. Audi also employed the "out-of-job" Joest racing team which previously worked for Porsche.



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chewy - 6/17/2008 4:19:25 PMView My AgentSpace

-3 Boost

Audi won in it's second year. Everyone else is welcome to compete. Just like Peugeot has competed, but has not won.

It was a great race, with action to the last hour. Great win for Audi.

S4cabriofoxone - 6/17/2008 5:07:32 PMView My AgentSpace

-4 Boost

If Peugeot didn't win with a diesel race car, I don't think BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota or Porsche would've won either (with gas-powered cars).

VISO - 6/17/2008 9:32:54 PM

-5 Boost

Really, seems like BMW runs away everytime Audi enters the ring where they are competing. BMW always finds a way to make an excuse for themselves to try to save face. Just look at their exist from DTM. At least MB has the guts to take on Audi in DTM. F1 serves no purpose for Audi at this time in terms of marketing. It's not like those others are enjoying anywhere the success Audi has in motorsports over the last decade. Such fanboy bias that you cannot look past the tree to see the forest as the saying goes.

911gt2 - 6/18/2008 7:30:55 AM

+3 Boost

VISO you are dillusional, your the biggest fanboy here. Audi is welcome to join F1 where the big boys play I dont see them stepping up.

FYI I highly doubt Audi could compete with BMW's motorsport machine. Mario theissen is why he is one of the most brilliant minds in engine engineering in the world.He single handedly runns BMW entire motorsport program worldwide.

"If Peugeot didn't win with a diesel race car, I don't think BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota or Porsche would've won either (with gas-powered cars)."

Thats an ignorant statment. If it was a dry race Peugeot would have walked away with it and you know it. The Peugeuts were considerably faster, but it was a wet race and Audi gambled and went for an intermediate setup, and it payed off.If it was dry it would have been a diff. story, or even if the peugeuts had an intermediate setup.

TheSailor - 6/18/2008 11:59:40 AMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

Well... I'm with bclemans here... Not to take anything away from Audi, but the reason why Audi had such success to begin with was because all of the competition had withdrawn due to a change in regulations. The first year Audi won was the first year without the big contenders of the 90's!

There was no real competition in 2000! In 99, you had BMW, Toyota, Nissan and Mercedes. Mercedes didn't complete due to a small incident with a car that sort of let go of the ground, but BMW won, Toyota finished second and then five laps (!!) behind them, Audi came in. Then the next year, all of the four big contenders had withdrawn. Number four (after the three audis) was a Pescarolo, a privately owned car and then a Panoz (which was a joke to everybody but Don Panoz). It was quite an achievement that they finished with three cars, but in all honesty, it wasn't like they were under pressure from the competition (The Pescarolo finished 21 laps behind Tom)... And the competition didn't return until last year where Peugeot showed up (and then got a huge helping hand by ACO). So Audi have had 7 years without competition to perfect their game... And as you could clearly see this year, their game is truly perfect now!

The next years however should be very interesting as ACO is talking about changing the regulations to get more manufacturer backed team to join the race.

MeanVulcan - 6/18/2008 1:03:20 PM

-1 Boost

911gt2
if it was dry peugeot would have won?!?! what kind of excuse is that? as if weather changes are a freak ocurrence? Audi won becuase it was the best car in any condition and because they kicked a** in reliability.

As far as entering F1 where the "big boys" play? its more like where some stupid boys play. Participating in Le Mans is much more suited for developing technologies that have direct application in production automobiles while costing far less to support. Audi gets FAR more marketing success from Le Mans than it could ever get from winning F1. The only brand I see benefiting from F1 is Ferrari which build cars with closest resemblance to F1 racing machines. Not so with MB, BMW, Toyota or Honda. None of which, BTW, have benefitted from F1 participation in the scale that Audi has from Le Mans.

Re Le Mans history, it seems to me that BMW ran scared from Audi as it saw a major rival entering the prototype class and decided it could not continue competing. Same for the German Touring Championship DTM (as noted by someone else), SCCA GT Class and anything Audi has entered. BMW has not won any F1 championships that I know of, has not won Le Mans, ALMS, SCCA in YEARS. The only championship it manages to win is WTCC where the economy cars race (Skoda, VW, Volvo and small market Alfa Romeo with minor private entries of other brands).

Just an added note ... Audi recently won a coveted European award for the Most Technologically Driven and Superior Car Company (re some comment on BMW's "vastly superior technology"... they should add in small print "but have not managed to win any major motorsport event with it thus we are all hype")
These are the facts.

MeanVulcan - 6/18/2008 1:17:20 PM

-1 Boost

TheSailor,
I must disagree, the competition left when Audi came in because they did not want to make the expense of designing a new car, and years later when Audi entered the R10 no one was ready to compete against a V12 TDI Diesel engine. Thus Audi has managed to compete because its technology has been ahead of everyone for years. Any petrol car from any of the major OEMs would have suffered the same fate. Audi is one of the few (if not the only) OEMs that have forced major rule changes in motorports because they entered the event with vastly superior technology than what the field had at the time and led to dominance.

Peugeot's latest attempt failed because they built a poorly designed car that could not muster the endurance of a 24 hr race. Their car had undersized radiators to reduce size, increase aerodynamics, decrease weight and thus improve speed. I don't call that superior technology. They tried to cheat the system with a badly thought out design. If the event was dry there is no guarantee they would have won either, because a dry track would have been much hotter and they may have even had to withdraw because they routinely had to clean out their radiators during the rain. I can't imagine what would have happened if their radiators would have overheated. Perhaps they were lucky that it rained, otherwise they mayh ave had to withdraw their cars due to overheating.

911gt2 - 6/18/2008 8:37:58 PM

+2 Boost

Mean vulcan, viso you guys need to lay off the Audi covered crack your smoking. And pull your heads out of Audis ass b/c you are as blind as a fanboy can get.

The peuguet was the faster car clear and simple seven seconds a lap in quilifying to be exact. The peuguets also had the reliability they finished 2nd and 3rd. The Audi won b/c it gambled on set up and they capitalized on it b/c it rained..which is excellent for them, but in terms of out right speed peugeut was the faster car.no excuses.fact.

"As far as entering F1 where the "big boys" play? its more like where some stupid boys play. Participating in Le Mans is much more suited for developing technologies that have direct application in production automobiles while costing far less to support. Audi gets FAR more marketing success from Le Mans than it could ever get from winning F1. The only brand I see benefiting from F1 is Ferrari which build cars with closest resemblance to F1 racing machines. Not so with MB, BMW, Toyota or Honda. None of which, BTW, have benefitted from F1 participation in the scale that Audi has from Le Mans."

Exactly what technologies are developed in lemans? diesel technologey was used first in road cars. Technology shoud be developed on track and tricle down to road cars. Not the other way around. So Audi uses the diesel in its R10, then what? it tricles down to the 120k+ R8 where only 1000 people will ever own one?awsome thats great technology transphere.lol.

And F1 is where the Big boys play its the only International motor racing area where all Major car manufactures are represented(except VWgroup and the american 3), and battle for ultimate braging rights.Its a level playing field where big budgets dont always mean success.Formula one is about engineering might amongst the worlds car manufactures.Fact.

Usefull technology transhere does occure in F1 more so than in lemans buddy. Example the latest BMW M3 motor has been praised for its ability to rev effortlessly to redline almost freakisly so. This is a direct result from what BMW has learned in F1 making eninges that redline at 19k.The engines are even cast in the same factory as the F1 engines. Also the overall understanding of how aerodynamics work, is used on road cars. The latest gearbox tech is also developed in F1, along with on-board electronic systems.And the way tire technology has come along in leaps and bounds in the last decade is a direct result of F1.Fact.

"Le Mans history, it seems to me that BMW ran scared from Audi as it saw a major rival entering the prototype class and decided it could not continue competing."

Ignorant statement to say the least.anyway.In 1999 BMW clearly stated that it was its last year in lemans, and would be focusing on F1 after that.

And honestly I dont thing BMW really worries about Audi at all.I mean BMW barly consider Audi a rival. Audi is the company who is publicly going after BMW, along with a hand full of other car manufactures. BMW is BMW, it

911gt2 - 6/18/2008 8:52:33 PM

+3 Boost

dosent try to be like another car manufacturer, they know who they are.

Its funny how you think what ever series Audi is in its the best.lol.

Just an added note:BMW is the leading premium car manufacturer in the world.Aud is 3rd. Also BMW makes the best engines in the world. They won over 30 international engine of the year awards in the past 8 years. Audi won 5 or 6.Fact. BMW has also won more races and championships in various series in its history then Audi.And DTM is in principle the equivelent to NASCAR in america, but on a road course.Its good close racing but thats about it.

You claim that Audi has more marketing success in lemans than, manufactues in F1. F1 maybe a big marketing machine but the manufactures are also battling for ultimate braging rights..to win the world constructers championship.That has a nice ring to it.
And if Audi does have more marketing success in lemans good for them! they need it more.

S4cabriofoxone - 6/19/2008 1:33:26 AMView My AgentSpace

-4 Boost

"The peuguet was the faster car clear and simple seven seconds a lap in quilifying to be exact. The peuguets also had the reliability they finished 2nd and 3rd. The Audi won b/c it gambled on set up and they capitalized on it b/c it rained..which is excellent for them, but in terms of out right speed peugeut was the faster car.no excuses.fact."

I guess you don't understand the main principle of the 24 hours of LeMans: consistency. Consistency = reliability.

Obviously, the Audi was more reliable here. If it wasn't, the Peugeot would've won.

TheSailor - 6/19/2008 10:40:23 AMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

MeanVulcan, I don't see where it is that we disagree... Audi was the only one left after they changed the regulations because they had already built their car to the new regulations (after looking BMW over the shoulder). All the other teams had to, as you said yourself, build completely new cars and they didn't see it viable to spend the money. Them leaving LM had absolutely nothing to do with Audi entering. Don't forget that the only year in which Audi competed against the big teams, they lost to both BMW and Toyota. And had it not been because of a nasty accident, two toyotas would have been in front of Audi.
So saying that their technology was superior from the beginning is a straight up lie. Their technology was superior in 2000 (first year they won and the first year without proper competition) simply because they were, by far the richest team on the grid!

And the lack of competition is clearly visible in the fact that the R8 could go on winning the Le Mans from 2000 to 2006 (with the exception of 2003 where Bentley won and that was basically an R8C, look it up, with a different badge on it, backed by audi and everything) with no major changes to the car what so ever! That is not superior technology, that is lack of competition!

Ohh... And just to make something perfectly clear, Audi's R10 is NOT a car that is only two years old! It has been under development for FIVE years (you better believe it) and relies heavily on equipment borrowed from the R8. The engine is new and quite awesome, but that doesn't mean that what Peugeot have done here, is any less amazing! They come along with a car on which they started development less than two years ago and they come within an inch of knocking the king off his throne in their second attempt! Two years vs. ten years of experience... I find that pretty amazing! And as early as next year, we might see the return of some of the big companies, or at least that's what the rumors say.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is that no company up until Peugeot challenged Audi at Le Mans after they started winning. Whether that be down to lack of media attention or them being scared of the big bad Audi, I don't know, but there is no denying that competition was incredibly scarce in the LMP900 class!

LexSucks - 6/17/2008 5:36:51 PM

0 Boost

Congrats To Audi!!!

Now its time for them to enter into F1. They have owned the LeMans series.

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F1_Driver - 6/17/2008 6:17:03 PM

-1 Boost

They've dominated LeMans because BMW and MB aren't there.

dimitri_010 - 6/17/2008 7:17:01 PM

+3 Boost

BMW and MB arent there because they cant dominate

ThierryHenry14 - 6/17/2008 11:50:43 PM

+1 Boost

Anyone heard that VW/Audi may join F1 in 2012? There were news that Ecclestone gives VW/Audi a copy of the rules/regs that will be enforced/in effect, from now until 2012.

Lets hope to see them there too...

MeanVulcan - 6/18/2008 1:32:57 PM

-2 Boost

Nah, F1 is not as exciting IMO (very little overtaking and too much politics)...I hope Audi enters Le Mans in the GT classes with the new RS8 V10 and goes head to head with Ferrari, Porsche, Aston or Corvette.

VISO - 6/18/2008 3:35:06 PM

-3 Boost

FYI I highly doubt Audi could compete with BMW's motorsport machine. Mario theissen is why he is one of the most brilliant minds in engine engineering in the world.He single handedly runns BMW entire motorsport program worldwide.


REALLY....Good for him. And he is such a succes at it.

VISO - 6/18/2008 10:59:37 PM

-2 Boost

911gt2...you should pull you head out of BMW's ass as you sound nothing more than a shrill fanboy for BMW. Keep on trying to convince yourself.

911gt2 - 6/19/2008 11:29:03 AM

+1 Boost

VISO getting defensive? Everything I state is clear cut Fact. unlike the twisted statements like you and Meanvulcan spread with some truth, but mostly inflated fanboy ranting.

VISO - 6/17/2008 9:29:01 PM

-4 Boost

Why do you think BMW or MB would be able to beat Audi F1 Dunce? You really think BMW or MB can put down a better LMP1 than Audi? If you think so, you are more than welcome to bring them on. Also, Audi is knocking the crap out of MB in DTM so far. So much for your superiority theory. You have no clue what it takes to bring a LMP1 to life and the technology to do so. You are simply a dumbass fanboy. Nothing more.

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mclaren428 - 6/18/2008 10:16:39 AM

+2 Boost

BMW beat Audi in lemans in 1999. I guess after beating Audi BMW got scared and ran(That must be the only logical explanation for an Audi fan boy). Heck I don't know why anyone bothers competing with Audi b/c they are the best car company ever...right viso? I mean lemans should just be two R10's driving around for 24 hours, and thats it. And only Germannut, viso, chewy, and alext can watch from S4's convertible Audi.

amazinBimmer - 6/18/2008 8:26:29 AM

+2 Boost

viso.. becasue BMW is a vastly superior engineering driven compnay with technology and design in a different league vs. VW/ audi that makes fwd dumbed down cars.. IDIOT>. dont you get it??

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chewy - 6/18/2008 4:14:51 PMView My AgentSpace

-4 Boost

The R10 TDI has as much unique technology as any F1 race car. The latest technology in F1 comes from pointless (to a road car) aerodynamics.

VISO - 6/18/2008 3:42:06 PM

0 Boost

Are you stuck on repeat amazing idiot?

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amazinBimmer - 6/18/2008 4:24:55 PM

+3 Boost

mean vulcan...look who won the lemans the year befor exiting...idiot.....

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S4cabriofoxone - 6/18/2008 5:55:50 PMView My AgentSpace

-2 Boost

amazinBimmer, the only way to prove anything is if BMW and Audi were involved in the same race TODAY. If BMW were in LeMans or if Audi were in F1, we would see. Unfortunately, that isn't happening (yet). The only thing we know for sure is that they're both doing fantastically in their respective races, and Audi is spanking Mercedes in DTM.

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