Petit Le Mans: Audi finishes on podium at Road Atlanta

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 05:54 AM PDT

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.

Unfortunate third place at “Petit Le Mans” race
Unusual incident costs crucial lap
Second Audi R15 TDI lost ground due to accident

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.

Afterwards Audi Sport Team Joest tried everything to make up the lost lap again. But the picture during the remaining hours of the race was similar as it had been before: the two Audi R15 TDI and the two Peugeot 908 cars drove comparable lap times and were running without the slightest problems so that it was impossible to recover the gap. Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish ultimately had to settle for third place.

The second Audi R15 TDI with Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Treluyer was running in a promising third place during the early phase of the race. Due to a small slip at the beginning of the second hour Marcel Fässler lost third place to the second Peugeot. More serious was the mistake which André Lotterer made an hour later: while attempting to pass an LMP2 vehicle in the fast “S-turns” Lotterer came off the track. Although the repair of the R15 TDI that was heavily damaged mainly at the front only took 15 laps, it caused the squad of car number “8” to hopelessly lose ground. From 21st place the runners-up of the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours still managed to push forward to sixth place overall and fifth in the LMP1 class.

Despite the unfortunate outcome of the U.S. race for Audi the decision in the inaugural season of the Le Mans Intercontinental Cup (ILMC) will only be made at the finale at Zhuhai on November 7. Audi has a gap of 36 points in the LMP1 manufacturers’ class. A total of 48 points are yet to be awarded in China.

13th Annual Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta

Flying Lizard, Bergmeister and Long Win ALMS GT Drivers’ Championship at Petit Le Mans

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:57 AM PDT

The 13th Annual Petit Le Mans hit the 1000-mile mark at just over nine hours tonight: the No. 45 finished fifth in GT, and the No. 44 was ninth, clinching the 2010 ALMS drivers’ championship for Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long in the No. 45. The No. 45 also took the 2010 Michelin GREEN X Challenge title.

The Lizards had a nearly problem-free race for both racecars, which avoided the numerous on track incidents that resulted in nine full course cautions over the race. In the No. 45, Patrick Long started the race eighth on the grid; in the No. 44 Darren Law started 14th. It was a clean start for the 41-car field, and the GT class was able to settle in quickly. Over the next several hours, the GT leaders shuffled positions, with both Risi Ferraris (the No. 61 and 62), both BMWs (the No. 92 and No. 90), both Corvettes (the No. 4 and No. 3) and both Extreme Ferraris (No. 01 and 02) all jockeying for the lead GT spots.

The Lizards cycled through their driver lineup: in the No. 45, first Patrick, then Joerg Bergmeister, then Marc Lieb. In the No. 44, first Darren Law, then Seth Neiman, then Marco Holzer. By the four-hour mark, nearing the end of the first round of driver stints, the No. 45 had climbed to fourth, and the No. 44 to eighth.

Through the remainder of the race, the GT group continued to re-sort through the many cautions, wave-bys, pit stops and restarts. By hour seven, the race had taken its toll, with only six GT cars on the lead lap. The No. 62 Ferrari was in the lead, the No. 4 Corvette in second, the No. 01 Extreme Ferrari in third, the No. 3 Corvette in fourth, the No. 92 fifth, and the No. 45 sixth. The No. 44 was ninth.

With less than an hour to go in the race, it was down to the wire on fuel for the GT leaders. The No. 45 was good to go on fuel through the end of the race, but was at the rear of the lead GT pack. The GT leaders cycled through rapid pit stops for fuel top ups, and in some cases, tires. With three laps to go, the No. 62 was in the lead, the No. 4 second, the No. 01 third, the No. 92 fourth and the No. 45 P5.

Just before the finish, the No. 62 ran out of fuel, ceding the win to the No. 4 Corvette. The No. 01 Extreme Sports Ferrari finished second, and the No. 62 third. The No. 45 was fifth, and the No. 44 ninth. The finish was enough to secure the drivers’ championship title for Bergmeister and Long.

Seth Neiman, driver of the No. 44 Porsche and team principal, commented on 2010: “What an enormously satisfying season! If you had asked me at the beginning of the year if we were going to win a championship title, you’d have had to give me long odds. This year Porsche again provided us a great racecar and Michelin tires, but it was clear that at most of the races we could not win on pace. Instead, we had to rely on spectacular driving by Joerg and Patrick, and absolutely perfect pit work — on both the No. 45 and the No. 44 — that put us in a position to win and score points.”

Driver Comments:
Joerg Bergmeister: “The season for me, in one word: unbelievable. It’s not really a drivers’ championship, it’s a team championship, because without the guys in the pits and Porsche and Michelin we would not be where we are. The entire season we had such phenomenal pit work and so few technical problems: it was really a testament to the teamwork and preparation.”

Patrick Long: “Pulling out the victories that we had this season only comes when every single person hits their mark from the start to the very end of the race weekend. I’ve never worked with a group like the Lizards that demonstrates such a common goal of victory but with mutual respect for one another. This year we all proved to ourselves that we can go up against the best and that we can win. I’m really proud to be part of the team and a small part of this huge success.”

Darren Law: “For the No. 44, 2010 has been a very good year. We’ve had several good runs this year, starting from our fifth place finish at Sebring. At every race that we finished this year, we were in the top 10: that’s no small feat in GT. At Petit, we got through without any issues – the team did a great job. I’ve been with the Lizards since the beginning and I can honestly say that this group of people is the best that it’s ever been and I’m proud that I was able to be a part of it.”

Marco Holzer: “It was a fantastic experience to run my first ever ALMS race with the Lizards. My teammates all did a great job today. I’m happy that we finished this difficult race, and for the No. 45 – congratulations to Joerg and Patrick on their well-earned championship.”

Marc Lieb and Marco Holzer to join Flying Lizard at Petit Le Mans

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Petit Le Mans: Audi finishes on podium at Road Atlanta

Petit Le Mans: Audi finishes on podium at Road Atlanta

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