• Audi R15 TDI sets the pace at Silverstone• First event with new aerodynamics version• Allan McNish clinches first pole position for the R15 TDI
Ingolstadt/Silverstone, September 11, 2010 – Audi has written a small chapter ofmotorsport history by securing the first ever pole position in the newIntercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC). Both Audi R15 TDI cars will start into the1000-kilometer race at Silverstone (Great Britain) from the front row.
At the Le Mans 24 Hours Audi triumphed in June primarily due to the reliability andefficiency of the Audi R15 TDI. At the inaugural round of the new worldwide sportscar racing series at Silverstone the innovative diesel race sports car from Ingolstadthas been setting the pace so far as well: after posting fastest times in two of thethree free practice sessions Allan McNish and Timo Bernhard clinched the two topgrid positions in qualifying on Saturday afternoon.
Audi last started from the top grid position in a sports car race more than two yearsago. For the Audi R15 TDI which has already won three races this marked the firstpole position in its seventh racing commitment, for Allan McNish the first sinceSebring in 2008.
The Audi R15 TDI powered by a V10 TDI engine with VTG technology was optimizedafter the triumph at Le Mans for the upcoming ILMC races. At Silverstone, it isrunning for the first time with an aero package trimmed for more downforce thatworks equally well in rain, mixed weather conditions and on a dry track.Starting the time chase right at the beginning of the 20-minute qualifying sessionproved to be the right decision. In the end, nobody managed to equal the times setby Allan McNish (1m 43.475s) and Timo Bernhard (1m 44.012s). The best Peugeotcame short of claiming the pole position by more than one second.
Allan McNish and Timo Bernhard have been nominated as the starting drivers for therace (starting on Sunday at 11:55 a.m. local time) as well. McNish will share thecockpit of the car designated as number “7” with Le Mans record winner TomKristensen, Timo Bernhard will take turns at the wheel of car number “8” withDindo Capello.
Quotes after qualifying
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “It’s great to have both cars onthe front row of the grid in the first race of the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.This gives the whole squad additional motivation, too. The results show that ourperformance is right and is the result of hard work after Le Mans. Obviously, onlythe race tomorrow will show who will truly finish as the winner. But having both carson row one is a nice result and a good base for the race.”
Tom Kristensen (Audi R15 TDI #7): “We made a strong showing as early as in thefree practice sessions and were the front runners in two of the three sessions. Thistrend continued in qualifying. It was difficult to get the timing right in traffic. ButAllan (McNish) and Timo (Bernhard) managed it superbly. The two Peugeots seemedto have a bit more of a struggle. Tackling this new racing series with both cars onthe front row is brilliant. I’m looking forward to another sunny day at Silverstone.”
Allan McNish (Audi R15 TDI #7): “It has been a while since we had our last poleposition. But we know that that isn’t quite so important in an endurance race. It’smuch more important that the car has been very good in all the conditions we’vehad here so far. We’re able to drive very consistent lap times and the performance isright. This means that the engineers in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm can be verypleased with these results as well.”
Timo Bernhard (Audi R15 TDI #8): “This is a tremendous team result! Personally,I’d been hoping to be able to put a bit more pressure on Allan (McNish) in front ofhis home audience. I’m pretty pleased with my performance but, unfortunately,didn’t have a completely free lap. This is my first race with Dindo (Capello) and anew crew. This situation is off to a good start on the whole. And you’ve clearly got toacknowledge that Allan is a safe bet here on his home track.”
Dindo Capello (Audi R15 TDI #8): “This is a great start into this new racing series.We’ve shown that we’ve improved our car with the new aero pack compared with theLe Mans test races. We’ve got a fast car and are able to fight with our rivals on anequal footing and to take the trophy to Ingolstadt.”
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “The results show that thesmall development program we did for the three ILMC races after Le Mans hasworked out. In addition, it was a good thing that we had another test beforeSilverstone to get used to the new aerodynamics with respect to the set-up. Bothcars are running well and the drivers are pleased. Timo (Bernhard) could have set asimilar time in qualifying as Allan (McNish) but was a bit unfortunate in traffic.Peugeot apparently had to struggle quite a bit. I’m incredibly happy. Now we’ve gotto make sure that we’ll keep this up tomorrow and deliver a similar good race.”
Qualifying results1 Kristensen/McNish (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 43.475s2 Bernhard/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 44.012s3 Minassian/Davidson (Peugeot) 1m 44.489s4 Lapierre/Sarrazin (Peugeot) 1m 44.510s5 Belicchi/Boullion (Lola-Rebellion) 1m 45.731s6 Barazi/Hancock/Mücke (Lola-Aston Martin) 1m 45.911s7 Drayson/Cocker (Lola-Judd) 1m 46.259s8 Prost/Jani (Lola-Rebellion) 1m 46.451s9 Ragues/Mailleux/Ickx (Lola-Aston Martin) 1m 46.482s10 Leventis/Watts/Kane (HPD) 1m 46.961s
