Lucky '13' for Audi At Le Mans

Audi has clinched its 13th victory and fifth consecutive win at 24 Hours of Le Mans yesterday. Audi No 2 was driven by Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer, making this the trio’s third win. They finished just three laps ahead of Audi No 1, which was driven by, amongst the three, defending champion Tom Kristensen.

‘We did like in 2011,’ Treluyer said in an interview with Eurosport. ‘We stayed calm and attacked when we needed to.’

In the qualifying, Audi had slower times than Toyota and Porsche, but the team showed its capabilities in handling mechanical problems during the main event. Both Audi No 1 and No 2 were hit with turbocharger problems during the race which sent them back to the garage.

The third place on the podium was taken by Toyota No 8, who finished five laps off the pace. Toyota No 7, driven by Kazuki Nakajima, who gave Toyota its first pole position since 1999, was forced to leave the race in the 15th hour because of electrical problems.

The much anticipated comeback of Porsche to Le Mans was met with disappointment towards the end when a drivetrain malfunction in the 22nd hour forced Porsche No 20 to remain in the pits for the rest of the race, allowing Audi No 2 to take the lead and eventually the victory. Timo Bernhard, who drove Porsche No 20, said, ‘It's very sad because we were fighting hard at the end, in fact, also for the victory. For sure, it would have been a podium. It's hard to take because the guys did a great job.' In the 23rd hour, Porsche No 14, which was in fifth place, returned to the garage to fix a gearbox issue. While it rejoined the track in the final minutes, both Porsche’s were not classified.

In this 82nd edition of Le Mans, only 36 out of 54 cars finished the race; 15 retired and three were not classified.

image: 24h-lemans.com