Benoît Tréluyer had no regrets when the chequered flag fell on the 2015 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours last weekend (June 13/14). Instead, he felt the collective disappointment of Audi Sport. Partnering long-time co-drivers and friends Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer in the #7 R18 e-tron quattro, the Frenchman was at least able to find some solace in the crew pushing like never before and fighting until the very end. While circumstances ultimately dictated a third-place overall finish, the result still represents a good return for the current FIA World Endurance Championship points’ leaders who are now focused on securing their second title together.
Having scored victories in the season’s opening two FIA WEC events at Silverstone and Spa, the trio also entered the 83rd running of the French endurance classic as reigning Le Mans 24 Hours winners, making them the natural favourites for what would have been a record-breaking fourth triumph for the same driver crew at Circuit de la Sarthe. And while victory had looked like a distinct possibility, rivals Porsche eventually prevailed despite the trio never giving up.
“We picked up a puncture, sustained quite a lot of damage when we shed part of our rear bodywork, and had several other small issues that ensured we spent nine more minutes in the pits than the winning Porsche,” explained Benoît matter-of-factly. “Without those problems we could have won; it might have been a different story if we’d been able to put some pressure on the young guys in the #19 car over the closing stages. But they ended up having one of their sister cars behind them, so they could ease off a bit.”
Benoît was especially disappointed for all the staff at Audi’s high-tech Neuburg complex who had worked so hard over the past year to introduce a raft of evolutions to the R18 e-tron quattro.
“They truly deserved to win,” insisted Tréluyer. “I was disappointed not to bring them back the winners’ trophy because they’ve upped the car’s performance like never before over the winter, which is quite a feat. Usually you’d only get that sort of leap by introducing a new car!
“Us drivers didn’t put a wheel wrong and pushed like hell… We had a blast and fought tooth and nail. The car felt good; we set it up to be very efficient towards the end of the race, although track conditions didn’t evolve as they had done in previous years. That just goes to show there’s no definite recipe for success at La Sarthe: Le Mans will always be Le Mans!”
While the Porsches could make the most of their extra power in qualifying trim, the Audis were right with them during the race.
“We were on the same pace,” continued the Alençon native, who grew up just 60km from the circuit. “However, they gained some significant time on us during their pit-stops, with their refuelling being four to five seconds quicker than ours. When you give everything out on track over your stint to cut the gap by 10 seconds, only to then drop half that in the pits, you start wondering why. It’s an issue we need to look into.”
Barely had the chequered flag dropped on the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours than Dr Ullrich and his team were already looking ahead to next year. But first things first, and the remainder of this season’s FIA World Endurance Championship that Audi has set out to win.
“Finishing third overall remains a strong result for the championship,” concludes Benoît, who already has one title to his name from 2012. “Over my final quadruple stint I felt really fired up to grab second from the #17 Porsche but, when I had to pit for oil and the rear bodywork started becoming loose again, I realised a choice was required. Then, on the following lap, I had to box again in order for the bodywork to be re-sealed. That’s when I decided to stop going all out like I had been up to that point. It was probably the hardest thing to deal with!”
The #7 Audi trio’s third place means they head to round four of this year’s championship – the 6 Hours of Nürburgring (August 30) – with a 20-point lead in the WEC Drivers’ standings. And, in Germany, both Benoît and Audi will be out for revenge…
Le Mans 24 Hours Result 1. Tandy/Bamber/Hulkenberg (Porsche)2. Bernhard/Webber/Hartley (Porsche)3. Tréluyer/Fässler/Lotterer (Audi)FIA WEC Drivers' Points 1. Tréluyer/Fässler/Lotterer (Audi) 80pts 2. Tandy (Porsche) 60pts3. Bamber/Hulkenberg (Porsche) 58ptsNext Race: 6 Hours of Nurburgring Nurburgring, 30th August 2015 Length: 3.199 miles / 5.148kmBenoit's 2014 result: N/A
