6 Hours of Silverstone - FIA World Endurance Championship, Round 1
=Benoit Treluyer enjoyed a promising start to his FIA World Endurance Championship title defence as he helped Audi Sport seal a one-two finish at the 6 Hours of Silverstone on Sunday (April 14).
Despite minor teething troubles on the #1 R18 e-tron quattro he shares with Andr Lotterer and Marcel Fssler, Benot and his crew-mates leave the British venue feeling satisfied with their runner-up finish to #2 Audi team-mates Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Loc Duval. Though victory was lost in the latter stages of the race, their performance nevertheless leaves them full of confidence for the coming rounds, particularly Junes crucial Le Mans 24 Hours.
Fridays opening practice session would prove complicated for the World Championship-winning trio as changeable weather conditions blighted the British circuit.
Silverstone was the first outing for us in the 2013-spec car and finding the right set-up while the rain continued falling was not easy, explains Benot. A small issue in qualifying cost us a bit of time and, as they now combine the two fastest laps for each driver, it had an impact on the average. To start fifth was certainly not a disaster, though we would like to have earned the bonus point for pole.
With conditions still treacherous for the start of Sundays race the World Champions began with a cautious approach but, while the two R18 e-tron quattros would go on to dominate proceedings, they still put on a spectacular show for the British fans.
At the beginning of the race we elected to sacrifice some time in the pits to find the right tyre pressures and have a well-balanced car, explains the Frenchman. We didnt hit upon the right changes immediately, and for a while failed to make up the time wed lost in the pits, but in the end we found what we were looking for.
With the car now to their liking Benot and his crew-mates upped their pace and the Frenchman began his final double stint with an aggressive approach. However, a defect on the left-front driveshaft after four hours of racing meant that their hybrid system was no longer able to deliver its power to the front wheels.
I started with new tyres and was trying to keep the pace up. I basically did two stints of qualifying runs and managed to set the fastest lap of the race. In the end I had to back off as the tyres had done a lot of work, while Allan was on fresher rubber. I am encouraged by the fact that we were able to complete two-and-a-half stints with the same set. Thats a great piece of info heading to Le Mans.
The team did a great job, concludes Benot. We had a thrilling and fair fight with our team-mates in the #2 car and overall we are happy with the weekend. Audi has scored a superb one-two finish and we take home big points for the championship, whereas in the first round of the 2012 season we only scored a point and a half at the opening race. We learned a lot this weekend and are confident for the upcoming races.
The next round of the FIA World Endurance Championship takes place in Belgium where Benot will contest the 6 Hours of Spa (4 May). He and his crew-mates will use the event to further hone their R18 e-tron quattro while rivals Toyota are set to debut their 2013-spec car at the event. Another thrilling contest looks set to take place in the Ardennes.
