A dream has come true. The contest of the concepts in which the best technological solution wins was fully unleashed for the first time at the most recent fourth WEC round in Great Britain. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid sports car, the Audi R18 ultra featuring Audi’s ultra-lightweight technology plus a competing hybrid concept by Toyota kept 35,000 spectators at Silverstone on tenterhooks during the battle for the top.
Suspense can be expected to rise to an even higher level in Brazil as the Audi R18 ultra of Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish was unfortunate in Great Britain at the end of August. Car number "2" dropped to third place not just for one but two reasons as a puncture cost valuable time right in the starting phase. In addition, two safety car periods thwarted Audi’s originally planned refuelling strategy. The effect of the ultra concept was obvious at Silverstone nonetheless. The R18 ultra won the Michelin Green X Challenge for drive efficiency.
In Brazil, the spectators in the grandstands will focus on the R18 ultra in particular since Audi is running 28-year-old Brazilian Lucas di Grassi as team-mate alongside Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. In his "home" round, the racer from São Paulo can look forward to support from a large crowd of enthusiastic fans as he displays his skill in the LMP1 sports car.
For Audi’s factory team, the race on the challenging Interlagos track is not the first run in Brazil. Almost exactly 30 years ago, on August 14, 1982, Michèle Mouton/Fabrizia Pons won the "Rally do Brasil" featuring a start and finish in São Paulo. Audi Sport scored seven single wins in that season, a breakthrough technological innovation helping to capture its first FIA world championship title as well. Thanks to quattro drive Audi won the manufacturers’ classification in the World Rally Championship.
Two weeks ago, in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Audi celebrated the second consecutive victory with the forward-thinking hybrid drive, the fourth victory of the season to date, and the early title win in the manufacturers’ championship.* The battle in the drivers’ championship remains open. Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer took the lead from Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish. The two Audi driver squads are separated by only 4.5 points.
Whereas McNish and di Grassi are familiar with the 4.309-kilometre track from Formula One days, it is new territory for the other Audi racers. And for Audi Sport Team Joest, Brazil marks the beginning of a major logistical challenge as the two Audi R18 cars will not be returning to Germany between the remaining four WEC rounds.
The spectators who will not be watching the race in the grandstands can look forward to extensive media coverage: www.audi-liveracing.com offers six hours of racing action, including cockpit camera perspectives and race summaries on the internet. The Audi Sport iPhone and Android apps provide WEC coverage on smartphones with live tickers, news, pictures and results. On Facebook and Twitter, racing fans are kept up to speed by Audi as well.
* Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA
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