The 2015 World Endurance Championship ended with two victories for Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer, who were in the running for the drivers’ trophy right up until the last round, the 6 Hours of Bahrain. Audi is set to begin next season with a new car and two teams rather than three for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich: Audi Sport moved from Ingolstadt to Neuburg at the end of last season. The logistical efforts were not easy at all and put an additional workload on the entire team. It speaks for Audi Sport that we succeeded in doing all that and in heading well-prepared into the new season. For us in the motorsport department, this is a strong signal: motorsport is part of Audi’s DNA. 2015 has not been a season we need to feel bad about. Quite the contrary is true. Our target is always to be able to win. And that was the case in 2015. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro won the first two WEC rounds at Silverstone and Spa and we only just missed out on victory at Le Mans. Our board knows how important motor racing is for the brand and has been synonymous for success in motorsport for more than 35 years. Of course we are asked to look after the costs and to use our budgets as efficiently as possible. That requires a lot of effort. But if we stand together as we always do at Audi Sport when times are getting a bit more difficult, we will master this challenge.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO – Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2015, RACE. With the 2016 version of the E18 e-tron quattro, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich will be looking to reclaim the world endurance title as well as banking a fourteenth win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.