To some, Audi's domination of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is getting tedious. Eleven wins in thirteen years - with the latest victory coming this past weekend - is a level of success that is difficult to contemplate at times. I've started to hear comments referencing the fact that there's little or no competition, that a creeping arrogance is developing (e.g., "The Truth in 24" movies), it's boring and bad for racing, etc., etc. But I look at it in the complete opposite way, because I believe we are witnessing a dimension of such consistent excellence that it's simply awe inspiring. Better still, to know what's behind Audi's commitment to winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans makes the achievement that much more impressive.
It must be hard to fathom for some now but fourteen years ago Audi was a perennial "second-tier" brand behind BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus in the U.S. market, struggling to break out of the continuing funk that was the direct result of the hatchet-job performed by "60 Minutes" twelve long years before that (November 1986). The totally erroneous report by the CBS news program, which accused Audi of building vehicles that suffered from unintended acceleration, nearly put the brand out of business in this country - even though it was proven to be completely false - and it lingered over the car company like a shroud of negativity.
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