Another record breaking weekend for Audi at Le Mans, as Audi drivers Timo Bernhard, Mike Rockenfeller and Romain Dumas cover a record breaking distance of 3,361 miles, taking the Le Mans title for the 9th time in 11 years. They flawlessly completed 397 laps of the circuit at Le Mans, beating a record set in 1971.
Second and third place also went to Audi, marking the new Audi R15 Plus as another Audi success. It almost ended differently for Audi though. Peugeot looked like it had clinched its second consecutive Le Mans win, until all four of its 908s were forced to retire from the race with mechanical failures. While Audi could not match the pace of the Peugeot, Audi proved their reputation for reliability and efficiency.
After the race DR Wolfgang Ullrich - Audi’s Head of Motorsport explained: “Squeezing higher output out of the engines without sacrificing reliability posed a great challenge, which our team mastered in an outstanding manner. We did not use the full potential of the V10 TDI engine this year to be absolutely on the safe side. That is why it was clear to us even before the race that we wouldn’t have the fastest car, but a very reliable and efficient one.”
This is the forth time that Audi have taken all three places on the podium at Le Mans and knowing Audi, this will not be the last.
Below is some onboard footage from the number 8 Audi R15 Plus:
