Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2 (Audi Sport Team Joest), Loïc Duval (F), Tom Kristensen (DK), Allan McNish (GB)
Sun, Jun 23rd 2013 – If ever there was a race which represented the ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ it was this year’s 81st edition, the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. FULL Results here
The 56 competitors who took the start and the 42 who were classified at the finish line at 15:00h today all displayed the qualities of endurance, competition, teamwork and determination in the face of adversity which personifies the most famous sportscar race in the world.
Allan McNish (GB), Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Sport), Tom Kristensen (DK), Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest), Loïc Duval (F)
The No.2 Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro won today, after having led the race from the 7th hours; it is Danish driver Tom Kristensen’s ninth victory, Allan McNish’s third and Loîc Duval’s first and the result moves the trio firmly into the lead of the World Endurance Drivers championship. They crossed the line ahead of the No.8 Toyota Racing TS030 Hybrid of Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Stéphane Sarrazin. In third place was the No.3 Audi R18 of Jarvis-Gené-di Grassi.
The challenges for the race were many and constant throughout the 24 hours, with the entire paddock reeling in the early hours at the news of the loss of Aston Martin’s Allan Simonsen, Kristensen’s Danish countryman, to whom he paid tribute on the podium and after the race.
The Sarthois weather was also determined to play its hand in the outcome of the race and the rain showers were many and frequent from start to finish. A final heavy rain shower 30 minutes from the finish threatened the result of many, but nothing was going to prevent the No.21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX03c from taking victory in the LMP1 Privateer category with Nick Leventis, Jonny Kane and Danny Watts enjoying the view from the top of the podium for the first time in 2013. Their rivals Rebellion Racing uncharacteristically ran into problems with both their Lola Toyota’s, but the team made superb efforts to get the No.12 and No.13 cars back on track to finish the race and thus claim points.
LMP2 victory went to OAK Racing, the French team actually claiming a dominant 1-2 in class with their Morgan-Nissans. After a race-long battle between the two, it was the No.35 of Bertrand Baguette-Martin Plowman and Ricardo Gonzalez which prevailed over the No.24 of Olivier Pla-Alex Brundle-David Heinemeier Hansson. The Onroak-designed chassis and the entire OAK Racing team performed flawlessly to achieve their first victory in a FIA World Endurance Championship round and Oak Racing now lead the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 teams. Third in class went to the No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA Nissan of Roman Rusinov-Mike Conway-John Martin.
Allan McNish (GB), Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Sport), Tom Kristensen (DK), Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest), Loïc Duval (F)
Quotes after the Audi victory at Le Mans
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport):“That was the most difficult race I’ve experienced in my 15 Le Mans years. One reason, no doubt, was having to see a young race driver from Denmark lose his life this weekend. We’re feeling with his family. But the race itself was unusual too. For 24 hours straight, our drivers had to cope with changeable weather and adjust to new conditions over and over in a very short period of time. Consequently, the team in the pits and along the pit wall didn’t have any time to rest – I can’t recall ever having experienced anything quite like this. The entire squad showed an incredible performance in an extreme situation this weekend – I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Chris Reinke (Head of LMP):“After a dramatic beginning, we had a great battle on track. Various technologies competed against each other in the most difficult weather conditions and fought an open battle all the way to the final hours. We’d expected such a race and were extremely well prepared for it – so the Audi R18 e-tron quattro deserved mounting the very top of the podium today.”
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest):“This was the craziest Le Mans we’ve ever experienced in terms of the weather and the safety car periods. You never knew what the deal was. But it was an incredible thrilling race all the way to the end. We had an absolutely flawless car and that was enough to beat Toyota. We knew before the race that to beat such an opponent everything had to fit. With our number’2’ car, this was the case. Congratulations to Tom (Kristensen) on his ninth victory and to Allan (McNish) on his third success at Le Mans. I’m also happy about Loïc (Duval) being able to celebrate his first victory here. This evokes unique emotions. ‘Thank you’ to Audi Sport and of course to my whole team, including the guys from the other two cars. They all worked hard for this success. Unfortunately, number ‘3’ had enemy contact and thus dropped back. Our number ‘1’ was even the fastest car in the field but was simply unfortunate with some damage. That goes to show that it also takes luck to win here. Congratulations to Toyota, who forced us to fight a fierce battle. That deserves respect.”
Loïc Duval (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2):“Le Mans is a great race that evokes so many emotions and is so tiring. Now I’ve really got to restrain myself to keep from shedding tears. It was a difficult race in which we unfortunately lost someone (Allan Simonsen). Since last year, the whole team has been giving everything and prepared an outstanding car for us. This is my first Le Mans victory – together with Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. A really great moment in my career!”
Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2):“For me, Le Mans was filled with very personal emotions this time. I’m proud to drive for the world’s best team. This applies to all team-mates, all employees in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm and for Audi Sport Team Joest. They make it possible for us to realize a dream. Now this dream has come true again – winning the fastest and toughest race under the direction of Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. Unfortunately, we lost someone yesterday (with Allan Simonsen) who had the same dream. He was a very modest and nice person. That’s why I’m experiencing highs and lows this time. With respect to my ninth victory: I’m driving with determination and the ambition my father inspired in me. He died in March. Before his death, he told me that I’d win Le Mans this year with my team-mates. I’m hoping that one day I’ll be able to celebrate another victory with Loïc and Allan that I can dedicate to my father. Because this Le Mans success I’m dedicating to Allan Simonsen.”
Allan McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2):“Our pace was right this year. The 2013-specification Audi R18 e-tron quattro is simply very, very good. The engineers did a perfect job in the winter. We were here on the test day. Loïc Duval’s lap time and the confidence that Tom Kristensen and I had in the car gave us a good feeling. That’s why for us it was about being careful and driving a clean race throughout – without additional pit stops. Except for a puncture on Tom’s stint our run was perfect for 24 hours straight. There aren’t too many races like that at Le Mans. And we had strong competition in the form of our ‘sister car’ and by Toyota.”
Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “I drove at Le Mans for the first time. The track is really unique. It’s very fast and incredibly difficult to learn and to understand as well. But the atmosphere, the fans and the effort that all the teams invest into this one race are impressive. You can feel the great confidence which Audi has in us. Especially for me as a newcomer, the race wasn’t easy. But I gave my best. We even finished on the podium, which is really a great feeling. I learned a lot and would very much like to run here again in the future.”
Marc Gené (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “What a fantastic result for Audi. Unfortunately, our squad lost two laps at the beginning of the race due to a damaged tire valve. As a result, Oliver (Jarvis) had to complete a whole lap on three wheels. Afterward, we benefited from a safety car period to repair the car. Congratulations to our Audi winners as well as to Toyota on a great race and to my team-mates Lucas (di Grassi) and Oliver, who drove a good race in difficult conditions.”
Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “The whole race was very difficult. Fortunately, my team-mates handed the car over to me in a promising position. We knew that to finish on the podium we had to give everything. And that’s exactly what we did in the final 18 hours. We watched the distance to the Toyota and knew that we’d have to be at least 1.2–1.4 seconds faster per lap to catch up to it. I always drove at the limit, which wasn’t easy as the conditions kept changing. That was very challenging because in front of a turn you never knew what was awaiting you. It was arguably the most difficult race I’ve contested so far. I’m happy about third place. But it’s also a bit frustrating that we lost two laps due to a collision. ‘Well done’ to the team of Audi’s car number ‘2.’ Tom, Loïc and Allan They drove a flawless race. But I congratulate Toyota as well, who were a strong rival.”
Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “Congratulations to the whole squad of the winning car. They had a flawless weekend, were always super-fast and therefore deserved winning. Unfortunately, we had a small technical problem that caused us to lose a lot of ground. Afterward, we attacked. The car was perfect and we really enjoyed it. We made up a bit of ground but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to be able to attack again at the very front. But that’s secondary – the most important thing is that Audi won.”
André Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “This is a great day for Audi. Congratulations to the team of number two. I’m particularly happy for Loïc (Duval), because he’s been a good friend of mine for a long time. I recommended him to Audi Sport and it’s fantastic that he managed to clinch this success. But the ninth Le Mans victory by Tom (Kristensen) is an impressive achievement as well. For us, the race took an unfortunate course. That was a shame because we had an absolutely fast car. Unfortunately, we lost the lead due to a technical problem. Afterward, Ben, Marcel and I gave everything again but with a twelve-lap gap, it’s very difficult to advance again to the far front. The main thing is that an Audi has won. We’ll try it again next year.”
Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “This was a particularly tough 24-hour race at Le Mans this year. The entire squad did a superb job and we had an outstanding car. But to win here, simply everything’s got to fit – and it didn’t in our case this year. We were simply lacking the necessary fortune. Otherwise we could no doubt have been in contention for victory here. ‘Well done’ to the team of our sister car designated as number ‘2’ that drove a great race and clinched the well-deserved victory for Audi.”
Strakka Racing, Le Mans 24 Hour podium - LMP1 Privateer winners with rebellion racing second and third
Strakka wins LMP1 Privateers’ award at Le Mans 24 Hours
In a dramatic race, the only all-British driver line-up of Nick Leventis (London), Danny Watts (Buckingham) and Jonny Kane (Thame) came from 36th on the starting grid to finish a magnificent 6th overall in their Honda Performance Development ARX-03c, boosting its title challenge by scoring double points in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
This is the second major victory for the Silverstone-based team at Le Mans. In 2010, Strakka Racing won LMP2 and finished 5th overall – which is still the highest overall finishing position for an LMP2 car in the 90-year history of the race.
A similar strategy of keeping the car circulating around the 8.468 mile (13.629km) Circuit de la Sarthe and out of the pits again paid dividends – and the HPD ARX-03c ran faultlessly throughout, despite zero water pressure for the majority of the race.
Constantly changing weather and track conditions, low temperatures and more than 10 Safety Car periods made it a tricky race, yet the team managed to turn around a troublesome practice and qualifying build-up to enjoy a largely problem-free race in its Relentless Energy Drink supported prototype.
Danny started the race and moved from 36th to 13th in three laps, before quickly settling into 8th place – the same position the team had qualified in before a grid penalty was imposed. His first stint lasted three and three-quarter hours, during which Danny sustained sore hips that developed into very painful welts, which required medical treatment during the remainder of the event. But his speed and textbook quadruple stint in the hours after midnight were also significant.
Nick took on the most challenging of race conditions – long runs when the temperatures were at their coldest and the track had the least amount of grip. His faultless performance immediately after darkness and during sunrise was the backbone of the team’s success.
Jonny showed no side effects of his 128.6mph (207kph) impact with a crash barrier in qualifying to put in another stunning performance on his tenth appearance at Le Mans. His experience ensured Strakka made no mistakes in the incredibly difficult closing stages of the race, where torrential showers of rain caused havoc. He eventually had the honour of taking the chequered flag.
Strakka Racing’s success was overshadowed by the tragic accident that claimed the life of Aston Martin Racing Team driver Allan Simonsen. The 34-year old Dane had raced a BMW M3 GTR with Strakka Racing in various races in 2008, including the Britcar 24 Hours. Strakka wishes to express its great sadness and extends its deepest condolences to Allan’s family and close friends.
Nick Leventis: “It wasn’t an easy run up to the race by any means, but such is the spirit of the Strakka team that we never give up. We stuck to our game plan of staying out of trouble and we’ve won the LMP1 Privateers’ award – meaning that for Strakka Racing stands on the top step of the podium at Le Mans for the second time in four years. It was a tremendous effort by everyone in the team. Both Jonny and Danny showed once again why they are top level drivers and whilst we’re not a factory team, we certainly try to operate at a factory standard. Fair play to Rebellion, they had the pace on us this weekend, but in a twenty-four hour race you have to be there at the end, so we’ll take this victory away with us and enjoy it. To race at Le Mans in LMP1 and be the first privateer team home is a monumental mark in the history of Strakka Racing. It’s been a very emotional weekend for all sorts of reasons. I am deeply saddened to hear the news about Allan Simonsen and send my condolences to his family. I was fortunate enough to know him well and am proud to have been a former team-mate of his in 2008 at the 24 Hours of Silverstone, he will be dearly missed by all.”
Danny Watts: “It’s not really sunk in that I’ve been on the podium at Le Mans, because I’m so tired. I have to apologise to Jonny, because I missed his last race-finishing stint, because I was asleep in the back of the truck! My side hurts a little, but I’m not so much physically whacked as mentally drained. It’s also been a very emotional twenty-four hours with what happened to Allan Simonsen. I had to take the start from thirty-sixth on the grid, so there was a bit of pressure on me to stay out of trouble – which I managed to do. I went on and had a really good three hour forty-five minute stint which got us threw all the GT and LMP2 cars. My second stint was at night and the car was consistent and fairly easy to drive. It’s great to won the LMP1 Privateers’ award, but what’s most important is that we get double points for the WEC.”
Jonny Kane: “That was the most changeable conditions of any of the ten Le Mans I’ve done before by a long way. It was very tricky, lots of people were spinning in front of you and trying to choose the right tyre was all very difficult. So this really feels like a brilliant win, because we had to work very hard for it. Victory in LMP1 Privateers’ certainly didn’t come easy, so it makes the win all the more special. Crashing in qualifying was a big set back for us and it was a bit unfortunate. I don’t make many mistakes and it really upsets me when I do – plus it took a lot of our spares out of action. If we had pretty much any problems in the race, with any damage to the front or the rear bodywork, it would have probably been a race stopper. So it was nice for me to redeem myself within a few days, rather than have to wait until the next race weekend! Winning LMP1 Privateers’ at Le Mans is a fantastic result and an achievement I’m very proud of.”
Dan Walmsley, Strakka Racing Team Manager: “It’s been a very challenging race weekend and a compete contradiction between what we experience in the run up to the race, none of which related to the team’s level of preparation, and the race itself – which produced such a very satisfying result. The issues we had in practice and qualifying really didn’t show the true performance we had in the car or our true standard of work. So to start a race fairly blind, with drivers who hadn’t had enough track time, and with a big grid penalty, and to still come out the other end with victory in the LMP1 Privateers’ category – and being the top non-factory car – exceeded all our expectations. Because of the constantly changing weather, we had to change our strategy and react to things on a minute-by-minute basis, and I think we called all the key decisions correctly. I’m really delighted for the entire team, as each person has contributed so much on so many different levels – even though we are missing our chief mechanic, Paul Stephens, who is recovering from a back problem. The result stands out as a reward for everyone in the team for all their hard work and commitment to the Strakka cause and to what we hope is becoming a well recognised and respected motorsport brand.”
Jonny Kane, Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03c, Le Mans 24 Hours
24 Heures du Mans – Results
LMP1
| 1 |
2 |
Tom KRISTENSEN, Loïc DUVAL, Allan McNISH | Audi R18 e-tron quattro |
348 |
24:01’16.436 |
|
| 2 |
8 |
Anthony DAVIDSON, Sébastien BUEMI, Stéphane SARRAZIN | Toyota TS030 – Hybrid |
347 |
1 Laps |
|
| 3 |
3 |
Marc GENÉ, Lucas DI GRASSI, Oliver JARVIS | Audi R18 e-tron quattro |
347 |
1 Laps |
|
| 4 |
7 |
Alexander WURZ, Nicolas LAPIERRE, Kazuki NAKAJIMA | Toyota TS030 – Hybrid |
341 |
7 Laps |
|
| 5 |
1 |
André LOTTERER, Marcel FÄSSLER, Benoit TRÉLUYER | Audi R18 e-tron quattro |
338 |
10 Laps |
|
| 6 |
21 |
Nick LEVENTIS, Danny WATTS, Jonny KANE | HPD ARX 03c – Honda |
332 |
16 Laps |
|
| 40 |
12 |
Nicolas PROST, Neel JANI, Nick HEIDFELD | Lola B12/60 Coupé – Toyota |
275 |
73 Laps |
|
| 41 |
13 |
Andrea BELICCHI, Mathias BECHE, Cong Fu CHENG | Lola B12/60 Coupé – Toyota |
275 |
73 Laps |
LMP2
| 7 |
35 |
Bertrand BAGUETTE, Ricardo GONZALEZ, Martin PLOWMAN | Morgan – Nissan |
329 |
24:03’27.293 |
| 8 |
24 |
Olivier PLA, David HEINEMEIER HANSSON, Alex BRUNDLE | Morgan – Nissan |
328 |
20 Laps |
| 9 |
26 |
Roman RUSINOV, John MARTIN, Mike CONWAY | Oreca 03 – Nissan |
327 |
21 Laps |
| 10 |
42 |
Jann MARDENBOROUGH, Lucas ORDOÑEZ, Michael KRUMM | Zytek Z11SN – Nissan |
327 |
21 Laps |
| 11 |
49 |
Luis PEREZ COMPANC, Pierre KAFFER, Nicolas MINASSIAN | Oreca 03 – Nissan |
325 |
23 Laps |
24 Heures du Mans – Results
LMGTE Pro
| 1 |
92 |
Marc LIEB, Richard LIETZ, Romain DUMAS | Porsche 911 RSR |
315 |
24:02’10.497 |
| 2 |
91 |
Jörg BERGMEISTER, Patrick PILET, Timo BERNHARD | Porsche 911 RSR |
315 |
24:04’21.128 |
| 3 |
97 |
Peter DUMBRECK, Stefan MÜCKE, Darren TURNER | Aston Martin Vantage V8 |
314 |
24:01’25.633 |
| 4 |
73 |
Jan MAGNUSSEN, Antonio GARCIA, Jordan TAYLOR | Chevrolet Corvette C6-ZR1 |
312 |
24:04’41.026 |
| 5 |
71 |
Olivier BERETTA, Kamui KOBAYASHI, Toni VILANDER | Ferrari 458 Italia |
312 |
24:06’37.190 |
| 6 |
51 |
Gianmaria BRUNI, Giancarlo FISICHELLA, Matteo MALUCELLI | Ferrari 458 Italia |
311 |
24:02’57.100 |
LMGTE Am
| 1 |
76 |
Raymond NARAC, Christophe BOURRET, Jean-Karl VERNAY | Porsche 911 GT3 RSR |
306 |
24:03’22.944 |
| 2 |
55 |
Piergiuseppe PERAZZINI, Lorenzo CASE, Darryl O’YOUNG | Ferrari 458 Italia |
305 |
24:01’28.294 |
| 3 |
61 |
Jack GERBER, Matt GRIFFIN, Marco CIOCI | Ferrari 458 Italia |
305 |
24:02’54.801 |
| 4 |
77 |
Patrick DEMPSEY, Joe FOSTER, Patrick LONG | Porsche 911 GT3 RSR |
305 |
24:04’19.408 |
| 5 |
50 |
Patrick BORNHAUSER, Julien CANAL, Ricky TAYLOR | Chevrolet Corvette C6-ZR1 |
302 |
24:02’46.017 |
| 6 |
96 |
Jamie CAMPBELL-WALTER, Roald GOETHE, Stuart HALL | Aston Martin Vantage V8 |
301 |
24:01’16.989 |
