Weather plays decisive role during 1000 km race at Spa Race interrupted due to power cut Rain shower shortly before finish costs Audi chance of victory

 As expected the weather played a decisive role during the Le Mans dress rehearsal at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). Rain just before the end of the race cost Audi drivers Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish any chance of victory. During the turbulent 1000 kilometer race, which had to be suspended for almost 40 minutes due to a power cut, a rain shower during the opening stages guaranteed extremely difficult conditions. During the formation lap André Lotterer spun off the slippery circuit. The necessary repairs threw Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Treluyer hopelessly back down the running order. Due to the fact that the three Audi R15 TDI cars started at Spa-Francorchamps in full Le Mans trim and therefore with very little downforce, Allan McNish and Timo Bernhard also struggled to keep their car on the cold and damp circuit during the opening stages. In dry conditions the Audi drivers could make up lost ground. Thanks to excellent strategy and consistently fast lap times Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish even led the race for many laps in the Audi R15 TDI with start number 7. Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller also fought among the leaders. However, they lost time twice behind the safety car and any chance of a podium finish after having to queue at the pit exit for two minutes after the lights had incorrectly been switched to red for too long. As a result, Audi Sport Team Joest’s hopes rested on Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish who had already completed their final refueling stop during a caution period and ran second within striking distance of the leading Peugeot 908. The decision to switch to intermediates as it started to rain 20 minutes before the end of the race did not, however, pay off. Because the track dried out again Kristensen had to give best to the slick shod Peugeot of Stéphane Sarrazin and settle for third place. Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller took the checker flag in fifth place. Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer und Benoît Treluyer worked thier way from 47th position to twelve following the unfortunate incident on the warm-up lap. Quotes after the raceDr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "The result is a little disappointing since we were still in a position to win the race 20 minutes before the finish. Due to the information we had we decided to change to intermediate tires as it started to rain harder – for safety reasons, but also because we had made the correct decision at this moment in time with the weather forecast we had. Unfortunately it immediately stopped raining, and then we knew that the decision was false. Nevertheless, the race was very good for the team. We were faced with many difficult decisions throughout the race. It was good that the team could gel here for Le Mans. With an eye on Le Mans we drove with very little downforce and were nevertheless competitive. We’ll certainly be able to make use of all the information we gathered at the 24-hours in June."Dindo Capello (Audi R15 TDI #7): "Our problem was the weather, which made our race quite difficult. Because we drove with so little downforce the car was extremely difficult to drive on slicks in the rain, which is why we had to switch to intermediates at the end. We had no other choice. If it had continued to rain we would certainly have finished second. In general our car was really good in Le Mans trim. We were faster on the straights, could fight with the Peugeots and even spent some time leading. We only lost time in the medium speed corners." Tom Kristensen (Audi R15 TDI #7): "That was a great race. Many spectacular things happened. When I was in the car at the finish it started to drizzle and the safety car was deployed after an accident. At the beginning we saw that we lose a lot of time under such conditions. Which is why it was in principle the correct choice to change to intermediates. We were very quick and could catch up. Unfortunately however the track was dry again 15 minutes before the race finished, in this respect it was, with hindsight, the wrong decision. However, we are all racers and want to win. Instead we dropped back to third place."Allan McNish (Audi R15 TDI #7): "It was extremely difficult on slicks because of the rain that started just before the start. The tires didn’t have grip or temperature. It took ages before you could develop any kind of feeling for the car. In principle my stints were good. The team had a good strategy which took us into the lead. The rain at the end didn’t help us because you need a lot of downforce in such conditions – which you don’t have with the Le Mans aero trim. The wrong tires cost us second place at the end. However, the team should be confident as far as Le Mans is concerned."Timo Bernhard (Audi R15 TDI #9): "That was an eventful race. I had however hoped for better weather on my premiere in the LMS. The drizzle at the start made things extremely difficult. I drove rather conservatively because we wanted to reach the finish. This was absolutely the right chioce. Before the interruption we were running in third or fourth place. We were able to fight at the front, which was great. However, after the restart we lost two minutes at the red lights at the pit exit. This was a great shame as it threw us back to fifth place."Romain Dumas (Audi R15 TDI #9): "That was a strange race. Unfortunately, immediately after the interruption due to the power cut we had to come into the pits to refuel. I had to wait for two minutes at the red lights at the pit exit – I really don’t know why. This cost us the race. The good thing is that all three cars ran reliably. My car was good, I could lap very quickly. This gives us hope for Le Mans."Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI #9): "That was a chaotic race with the power cut and the race interruption associated with this. Unfortunately, our number 9 car lost a lot of time during the yellow periods because we were always behind the second safety car. After the restart we lost a huge amount of time. I drove on intermediates at the end and was running well when the circuit was half wet. As a whole I’m very satisfied with our performance and in a positive frame of mind for Le Mans. We knew that it would be very difficult for us here with the configuration of our car."Marcel Fässler (Audi R15 TDI #8): "My race was relatively short. I only drove a single stint, which proved to be relatively difficult. It had started to rain in places. I stayed out on slicks although the car was very difficult to drive in some sections. Nevertheless, I was able to keep the car on the circuit, in this respect it was the correct decision not to change the tires."André Lotterer (Audi R15 TDI #8): "On the warm-up lap I was totally surprised by just how difficult the condition were. The tires were cold and there was some drizzle. It was like driving on ice. It’s hard to imagine. I’m really sorry for the team. It’s a shame that I had to spend my first race in such a way. It certainly won’t happen to me again. I’ll chalk that one down to experience."Benoît Treluyer (Audi R15 TDI #8): "That wasn’t an easy race. There was a huge amount of traffic, and this presents a particularly difficult problem at Spa. The car wasn’t perfect after the accident, the steering wheel was not straight ahead. Nevertheless, it was quick. During the first stint I had a problem because the flat bottom was damaged – possibly the result of touching a GT car. As a result I was short of downforce. I enjoyed the second stint. I was fast even though I took no risks in traffic. We brought the car home and learnt a great deal. We were here to practice under race conditions. We did this successfully and are now ready for Le Mans."Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "It goes without saying that we are all a little sad since we lost second place in spite of an excellent team performance just before the finish. We reacted correctly from the tactical point of view up to the final yellow period and called in the cars. The Peugeots stayed out and would have had to refuel under ’green’. If it had stayed dry we could have won, and if it had rained a little more we could also have won. However, exactly that happened that should not have happened. So, we were only third. In general we performed as we expected. We saw under which conditions we our weaknesses lie, but this also has to do with the fact that we drove in Le Mans configuration here."Race results 1 Lamy/Bourdais/Pagenaud (Peugeot) 139 laps in 6h 00m 39.012s2 Montagny/Sarrazin/Minassian (Peugeot) + 1m 08.308s3 Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R15 TDI) + 1m 26.215s4 Gené/Wurz/Davidson (Peugeot) - 1 lap5 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) - 2 laps6 Amaral/Pla (Ginetta-Zytek) - 9 laps7 Erdos/Netwon/Wallace (Lola-HPD) - 9 laps8 Moreau/Hein (Pescarolo-Judd) - 10 laps 9 Lahaye/Nicolet (Pescarolo-Judd) - 11 laps10 Geri/Piccini/Piccini (Lola-Judd) - 11 laps...12 Fässler/Lotterer/Treluyer (Audi R15 TDI) - 13 laps

One-two at VallelungaGT3 Italy: Filipe Albuquerque and Marco Bonanomi gave the Audi Sport Italia Audi R8 LMS its first victory of the season on the second weekend of the Italian GT Championship. Albuquerque took the lead on the first lap of Saturday’s race, partner Bonanomi later cemented victory with an advantage of 28 seconds. Richard Antinucci and Gian Luca Giraudi made the Audi one-two finish perfect with second place. In the second race pole sitter Bonanomi relinquished the lead on the first lap, Albuquerque and Bonanomi nevertheless finished the race in second position and are now second in the championship standings. First victory of the season in Germany for R8 LMSADAC GT Masters: Celebrations for Christopher Mies and Luca Ludwig. After the two drivers in the team ABT Sportsline Audi R8 LMS had led Saturday’s ADAC GT Masters race around the Sachsenring for many laps and were only bumped down to second during the closing stages, they scored the first victory of the season for an Audi R8 LMS in Germany in the second race. As a result they presented their Team Boss Christian Abt with a belated birtday present. Second best Audi drivers at the Sachsenring were Jimmy Johansson and Heiko Hammel whoe collected sixth and seventh in the Pole Promotion team’s Audi R8 LMS. Audi drivers in the pointsGT3 France: In the French GT Championship at Dijon the Audi teams failed to emulate the results of the first two race weekends. In cool, but dry conditions Stéphane Lemeret and Greg Franchi in the W-Racing Team Audi R8 LMS could not exploit their second position on the grid in the first race and finished sixth. In the second race Marc Sourd and Dino Lunardi finished seventh as best R8 LMS drivers. The Oreca R8 with Bruno Hernandez and Soheil Ayari had to visit the pits for a stop-and-go penalty due to a jump start and were classified ninth. Podium position for Kevin EngmanJTCC: Good season opener for the 19-year old Swede Kevin Engman in the Swedish Junior Touring Car Championship (JTCC). Engman, who competes in his Audi A3 for the junior team of DTM star Mattias Ekström, finished third in the second race in the season opener at Knutstorp after retiring from the sprint race. News bitsDTM Champion Timo Scheider competes for the first time in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 12 / 13 June. The Audi factory driver received permission to drive a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR together with Marco Holzer and Richard Westbrook ... Former Formula 1 driver Mark Blundell celebrates a comeback: The Briton contests the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in an Audi R8 LMS entered by United Autosports... A total of seven Audi R8 LMS start the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring this coming weekend.Results and points Spa-Francorchamps (B), May 9, Le Mans Series round 21 Lamy/Bourdais/Pagenaud (Peugeot) 139 laps in 6h 00m 39.012s2 Montagny/Sarrazin/Minassian (Peugeot) + 1m 08.308s3 Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R15 TDI) + 1m 26.215s4 Gené/Wurz/Davidson (Peugeot) - 1 lap 5 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) - 2 laps...12 Fässler/Lotterer/Treluyer (Audi R15 TDI) - 13 lapsStandings after 2 of 5 races: 1 Capello and McNish, 26 points; 3 Sarrazin, 18; 4 Fernandez, Primat and Mücke, 16.Next race: Portimao (P), July 17Sachsenring (D), May 8, ADAC GT Masters round 31 Kox/von Thurn und Taxis (Lamborghini) 43 laps in 1h 01m 25.337s2 Mies/Ludwig (Audi R8 LMS) + 2.307s3 Knop/Rehfeld (Ascari) + 23.604s4 Bert/Karlhofer (Corvette) + 33.191s5 Bergmeister/Bergmeister (Porsche) + 33.912s6 Johansson/Hammel (Audi R8 LMS) + 44.666s7 Ammermüller/Heyer (Audi R8 LMS) + 54.186s...11 Kechele/Klingmann (Audi R8 LMS) - 1 lapSachsenring (D), May 9, ADAC GT Masters round 41 Mies/Ludwig (Audi R8 LMS) 42 laps in in 1h 14.332s2 Hannawald/Jäger (Corvette) + 5.373s3 Bert/Karlhofer (Corvette) + 19.079s4 Matzke/Wirth (BMW) + 23.168s5 Schmickler/Geipel (Porsche) + 36.990s...7 Hammel/Johansson (Audi R8 LMS) + 44.337s9 Klingmann/Kechele (Audi R8 LMS) + 1m 00.243s16 Ammermüller/Heyer (Audi R8 LMS) - 8 lapsStandings after 4 of 14 races: 1 Kox and von Thurn und Taxis, 21 points; 3 Ludwig and Mies, 19; 5 Asch and Kentenich, 16.Next race: Hockenheim (D), May 28Vallelunga (I), May 8, Italian GT Championship round 31 Albuquerque/Bonanomi (Audi R8 LMS) 30 laps in 50m 32.445s2 Antinucci/Giraudi (Audi R8 LMS) + 28.221s3 Earl/Livio (Ferrari) + 38.392s4 Roda/Henzler (Porsche) + 46.079s5 Bontempelli/Caccia (Ferrari) - 1 lapsVallelunga (I), May 9, Italian GT Championship round 41 Gattuso/Lavio (Ferrari) 30 laps in 50m 50.592s2 Albuquerque/Bonanomi (Audi R8 LMS) + 7.583s3 Bontempelli/Caccia (Ferrari) + 15.192s4 Roda/Henzler (Porsche) + 15.861s5 Antinucci/Giraudi (Audi R8 LMS) + 41.015sNext race: Magione (I), June 6Standings after 4 of 14 races: 1 Roda, 46 points; 2 Albuquerque and Bonanomi, 39; 4 Bontempelli and Caccia, 38; 6 Giraudi, 37; 7 Pilet, 30; 8 Gattuso and Lavio, 28; 10 Antinucci, 24.Dijon (F), May 8, French GT Championship round 51 Derlot/Peyroles (Corvette) 44 laps in 1h 00m 30.403s2 Bornhauser/Groppi (Porsche) + 3.444s3 Barthez/Moullin (Dodge) + 6.890s4 Lesoudier/Martin (Morgan) + 7.562s5 Debard/Scheier (Corvette) + 7.635s6 Franchi/Lemeret (Audi R8 LMS) + 11.331s7 Lunardi/Sourd (Audi R8 LMS) + 16.451s...10 Ayari/Hernandez (Audi R8 LMS) + 21.036s13 Tuchbant/Mollekens (Audi R8 LMS) + 35.048s14 Bouchut/Merafina (Audi R8 LMS) + 37.489sDijon (F), May 9, French GT Championship round 61 Bornhauser/Groppi (Porsche) 42 laps in 1h 00m 27.296s2 Lesoudier/Martin (Morgan) + 2.144s3 Derlot/Peyroles (Corvette) + 12.497s4 Debard/Scheier (Corvette) + 31.515s5 Tardif/Beltoise (Aston Martin) + 32.649s...7 Lunardi/Sourd (Audi R8 LMS) + 50.903s9 Ayari/Hernandez (Audi R8 LMS) + 53.349s13 Franchi/Lemeret (Audi R8 LMS) + 1.m 01.978s15 Tuchbant/Mollekens (Audi R8 LMS) + 1m 14.784s16 Bouchut/Merafina (Audi R8 LMS) + 1m 21.189sNext race: Val de Vienne (F), June 26Knutstorp (S), May 8, Swedish Junior Touring Car Championship (JTCC) round 11 Joakim Forsell (MG) 11 laps in 12m 49.016s2 Johan Eriksson (Renault) + 0.985s3 Rasmus Marthen (SEAT) + 8.281s4 Gustav Rickhamre (Volkswagen) + 8.539s5 Santosh Berggren (Hyundai) + 17.398sKnutstorp (S), May 8, Swedish Junior Touring Car Championship (JTCC) round 21 Joakim Forsell (MG) 15 laps in 18m 42.856s2 Johan Eriksson (Renault) + 1.337s3 Kevin Engman (Audi A3) + 2.217s4 Gustav Rickhamre (Volkswagen) + 8.653s5 Rickard Javanainen (Volkswagen) + 9.344sNext race: Karlskoga (S), May 22Standings after 2 of 14 races: 1 Forsell, 50 points; 2 Eriksson, 36; 3 Rickhamre, 24; 4 Marthen, 17; 5 Berggren, 16; 6 Engman, 15.Coming up next weekMay 13–16: 24 Hours Nürburgring (D)