The 14th Petit Le Mans is in the books and it was a tough race for Audi Sport Team Joest. The #1 Audi being driven at the time by Romain Dumas made contact with the #8 Pugeot 908 be driven by Franck Montagny during the 8th hour of the race. Dumas touched a GT car while pressing Montagny in the Peugeot and hit the wall ending any chances of finishing the race. Montagy made a quick move towards the line of the Audi which cause the Audi to have no choice but to avoid a collision with the #8 car, and by doing so made contact with one of the GTC Porsche 911s causing him to spin into a wall, which put him out of the race. The other Audi Sport R18 TDI had been plagued with bad luck from the very start of the race where it had a puncture, and then had to go back behind the wall 3 different times. With one hour left of the race, it went back behind the wall for a 3rd time, and Audi retired the car shortly thereafter.
Both teams now pack their trailers and head to Zuhai China where they will compete one last time this season on November 13th.
Final Standings
1 #8 Peugeot 908 (Montagny/Sarrazin/Wurz)
2 #10 Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAP (Lapierre/Minassian/Gene)
3 #007 Aston Martin Racing / Lola B09 (Fernandez/Mucke/Primat)
4 #24 Oak Pescarola (Yvon/Pla/Premat)
5 #12 Rebellion Lola B10 (Prost/Jani/Belicchi)
We are packing up here at Petit Le Mans and will post a thorough update complete with full galleries of our favorite images from the week. Stay tuned!
The setting for the 14th running of Petite Le Mans at Road Atlanta couldn’t of been better. With beautiful weather and a record setting attendance it’s shaping up to be an awesome race. After qualifying 2nd and 4th the Audi’s have been trading punches since the start of the race with the Peugeots. After 110 laps both Audi and Peugeot have had their share of issues. The #7 Pole positon Peugeot has been trailered into the pits with a failed gearbox and they will be allowed to repair the car and return to the track. The #2 Audi has been brought behind the wall with severe damage to rear and front and they are replacing the bodywork and suspension. And just now has been brought back around the wall again for an apparent clutch issue. We can only say that the #2 Audi of Kristensen, Capello and McNish have certainly had a very unlucky season. We hope that they can get the car back on track and make up for lost time. Continue reading ’2011 Petit Le Mans – Race Start Update and Gallery’
- Timo Bernhard misses pole position by just 128 thousandths
- Dindo Capello takes position four for Audi
- Record field and record turnout at Road Atlanta
Audi Sport Team Joest will tackle the 1000-mile “Petit Le Mans” race at Road Atlanta (U.S. state of Georgia) from the front row of the grid. Timo Bernhard was merely 128 thousandths of a second short of clinching the pole position. This means that the Audi R18 TDI will be on the front row again at its fifth race.
Continue reading ‘Audi tackles “Petit Le Mans” from the front row of the grid’
Calling all Audi Fans! QuattroWorld.com and APR Motorsport have teamed up once again to bring you the “unofficial” Audi Fan party at Petit Le Mans! We will start at 8pm for an informal get together where we can have some fun talking about our favorite team Audi Sport, as well as grab some SWAG and giveaways from QuattroWorld and APR!
2nd Annual Audi Fan Party at Petit Le Mans
Sponsored by QuattroWorld.com and APR
8PM FRIDAY NIGHT SEPT 30TH – At APR booth in Vendor Row
Special Guests include Audi racing veteran Don Istook, APR Motorsport Audi S4 pilot Ian Baas, and members of Audi USA’s media team!
This event is Free!! Entrance into the venue is necessary and a Petit Le Mans general admission ticket may be required!
- Audi aims for tenth “Petit Le Mans” victory at Road Atlanta
- First overseas run of the diesel race sports car
- Dindo Capello and Romain Dumas reinforce the Audi squad
QuattroWorld will be arriving Wednesday in Atlanta to bring you all of the action live from Petit Le Mans!
In June Audi celebrated its tenth victory with the R18 TDI diesel race sports car and ultra-lightweight technology in a dramatic race at the famous Le Mans 24 Hours. Likewise, on October 1st, Audi Sport Team Joest is aiming for the brand’s tenth triumph at the U.S. counterpart, the “Petit Le Mans” at Road Atlanta in the state of Georgia.
Nine times Audi has won the event which alongside the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours is the most important endurance race in North America. From 2000 to 2005 the Audi R8 was unbeatable at the race that is run over 1000 miles or for a maximum of ten hours. In 2006, 2007 and 2008 the Audi R10 TDI triumphed three times in a row. After unfortunate defeats in the past two years with the R15 TDI, Audi is set on returning to victory lane with the new R18 TDI at Road Atlanta.
Continue reading ‘U.S. debut of the Audi R18 TDI’
The Petit Le Mans endurance race will be your only chance to catch the Le Mans winning R18 State-side. Today Audi released the details on how fans can take part in this incredible experience.
Audi motorsport experience at Petit Le Mans
Road Atlanta
September 30 – October 1, 2011
Audi Motorsport returns to the US for the sixth round of the International Le Mans Cup (ILMC) at Road Atlanta. After a thrilling win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two Audi R18 TDI prototypes and an all-star driver lineup will compete for the overall win in the 1,000 mile or ten-hour Petit Le Mans endurance race. The R18 TDI prototypes will showcase the Audi ultra lightweight technology available in Audi production vehicles.
The Audi motorsport experience will provide Audi racing enthusiasts with an unparalleled race weekend experience that everyone is sure to enjoy. Audi will offer a two story racing hospitality venue overlooking the main straight and turn one. We are excited to announce catering and refreshments on Friday and Saturday provided by Chef Richard Blais – winner of BRAVO’s “Top Chef All-Stars” and local Atlanta favorite.
Audi motorsport experience
- Access to Audi Club
- 4-day Road Atlanta Superticket
- Audi Club Parade Lap
- Audi Sport Professional Driver Meet and Greet
- Opportunity to visit the Audi Sport pit area during the race
- Audi Sport Technical Discussion
- Audi R8 Test Drive
- Audi Sport Gift Items
- Exclusive Audi Car Corral Parking (Audi vehicles only please)
- Catering and refreshments on Friday and Saturday provided by Chef Richard Blais
Ticket Prices
- Audi Club North America (ACNA) Members: $200
- Non ACNA Members: $250 (includes 1-year ACNA membership)
Tickets are limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
Order your tickets soon! — http://www.audimotorsportexperience.com/
Attending my first Petit Le Mans was such a great experience. Having just been at Le Mans in France I was excited to be able to compare the two races. I arrived at Road Atlanta early Wednesday morning and got our rental RV all set up for the week. My friends at APR were kind enough to reserve me a space next to their motorhomes right behind their booth on vendor lane. It was a very nice setup and we were made to feel as part of the family throughout the week. Corey, from oneighturbo.com would be my friendly guide for the week. Since he is an Atlanta local, he knows his way around Road Atlanta very well.
Continue reading ‘Petit Le Mans 2010 recap and photo gallery’
- Unfortunate third place at “Petit Le Mans” race
- Unusual incident costs crucial lap
- Second Audi R15 TDI lost ground due to accident
The thrilling duel of the diesel sports cars from Audi and Peugeot had spectators watching with bated breath again at the 13th edition of the “Petit Le Mans” race at Road Atlanta (U.S. state of Georgia). For more than six hours Audi had good prospects of clinching its tenth triumph at the American endurance classic. But after an unusual incident all that remained in the end was the eleventh consecutive “Petit Le Mans” podium.
For six hours the lead kept changing between Audi and Peugeot in front of a record crowd. Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish in the car that won this year’s Le Mans 24 Hour managed to repeatedly achieve a small lead. But at 17:51 hrs (local time), exactly 6 hours and 21 minutes after the race had started, Dindo Capello, who was leading at that time, had to come in for an unscheduled pit stop because an insert in his helmet prescribed by the regulations had come loose and the fireproof balaclava started to cover his eyes. Without being able to see anything, Capello had to let the Peugeot behind him pass and head for the pits in a blind flight.
Continue reading ‘Peugeot wins Petit Le Mans, Audi takes 3rd which marks 11th consecutive podium’
The #7 Audi R15 TDI of McNish, Capello and Kristensen is running strong and steady holding tight onto the 2nd place position. The #7 car has even led several laps and is pushing the Peugeot hard currently only a few seconds behind the #007 Peugeot 908 FAP. The #9 Audi R15 TDI driven by Andre Lotterer unfortunately hit some curbing and sustained significant body work damage and caused a full course caution. They spent nearly 15 laps rebuilding the car’s body work. The #9 R15 is back on track now but is now 15 laps down on the leaders.
Here are a few teaser photos from the race start!
QuattroWorld.com is live at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta for the entire week. We will be providing you with up to date event coverage, photos and more. Yesterday was active with practice sessions running in the late afternoon into the evening. The Peugeot is leading the R15s for the time being but there are still plenty of practice sessions left. In fact, I’m heading back out to shoot right now! Here are are photos from the first day.
Timing and Scoring Update:
Morning Practice Thursday
Audi R15 #9 1:09.579 FASSLER
Peugeot 908 #07 1:09.638 GENE
Audi R15 #7 1:10.735 MCNISH
