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Back to November 2011 Motorsports News Archive
| 15-11-2011 at 08:00: Podium for Audi at Intercontinental Le Mans Cup | |
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As has often been the case this year, Audi Sport Team Joest lacked some good luck at Zhuhai, after both Audi R18 TDI cars showed great pace in qualifying, and at the beginning of the 6-hour race. In qualifying on Saturday, Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Marcel Fässler (Switzerland) took grid positions three and four for Audi, in difficult hot-weather conditions. The Le Mans record winner was merely 269 thousandths of a second short of pole position, despite the fact Audi Sport Team Joest used qualifying to concentrate on fine-tuning a strong race set-up. As early as lap one in the race, Allan McNish and Timo Bernhard managed to pass one of the two Peugeots, taking positions two and three. On lap 18, both Audi drivers also overtook the leading Peugeot of Sébastien Bourdais. The Audi squad was not able to enjoy the one-two lead for very long though: Allan McNish went a lap down early on when the rear bodywork of the Audi R18 TDI had to be changed, due to a collision with a GT car in which McNish was an innocent party. Worse was to come after the mistake of a rival in the LMP1 class who braked too late entering Turn One, causing them to slide into the back of the R18 TDI. The impact severed a cable harness, causing a short circuit and irreparable damage to the onboard electronics of the R18 TDI. Following several unscheduled pit stops, Audi Sport Team Joest retired the car after three hours and 46 minutes. Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler were running at the front of the field for a long time. However, toward the race’s midpoint the Number One Audi R18 TDI lost too much time as the tyres starting degrading much more heavily than expected during the second stint. While trying to overtake the leading Peugeot and to recover the lap lost, Marcel Fässler went into a spectacular spin in the fast final turn shortly before the end of the race. The Le Mans winner managed to regain control of the R18 TDI without hitting the barriers, securing third place in the process. After Imola and Silverstone, this marked the third podium result in the ILMC for Bernhard and Fässler. Results |
Audi Sport Team Joest has achieved another podium result at the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) season finale in China. The Le Mans-winning Audi R18 TDI, driven by Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler, finished the 6-hour race at Zhuhai in third place. Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen in the ‘sister car’ were forced to retire due to a collision in which they were not at fault.^ Back to top ^
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