Photo : Frederic GAUDIN/ACO

 

Audi has equaled its own record. From 2004 to 2008, the company won Le Mans five times in succession.

Following the most recent success, the ten Audi drivers, including reserve driver Marc Gené, have a combined tally of 20 victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The team of Reinhold Joest celebrated its 15th victory at La Sarthe. The outfit based in Germany’s Odenwald region won with Audi eleven times and twice, respectively, with a Porsche and a TWR Porsche. In addition, personnel from Joest Racing were instrumental in achieving the 1994 victory of Dauer Racing and the 2003 success of Bentley.

Audi’s victorious hybrid sports car driven by Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer used 22 percent less fuel per 100 kilometers than the 2013 R18 e-tron quattro.

The victorious Audi trio celebrated its success together with the British race engineer Leena Gade for the third time.

Audi has achieved 31 podium results at Le Mans to date. In addition to the 13 winners’ trophies achieved since 1999, the brand has clinched seven second and eleven third places.

The fastest race lap was driven by André Lotterer in 3m 22.567s. This equates to a speed of 242.213 km/h. For Audi, this marked the tenth fastest race lap at Le Mans.

For the eighth time, a squad in car #2 has won at Le Mans. Audi was previously successful with the number two car in 2008 and 2011.

Audi’s success marked the eighth Le Mans victory with TDI power, the third consecutive one for the e-tron quattro hybrid system and the 31st victory for a German manufacturer as well as for closed-wheel race cars and turbocharged engines.

Tom Kristensen has been on podium fourteen times in 18 runs now – his nine victories included. His car failed to finish only four events. This means that the Dane has been in one of the top three spots in any of the races he finished.

38 of the 54 race cars that started the race saw the finish – an arrival rate of 70.37 percent. Two of the three Audis on the grid saw the black and white checkered flag. Only car #3 retired after becoming entangled in an accident on lap 26 through no fault of the driver’s.

Today’s Volkswagen Group brands Audi (13), Bentley (6), Bugatti (2) and Porsche (16) now have a combined track record of 37 victories at Le Mans.

Michelin, Audi’s tire partner ever since the LMP1 program was launched, was successful at Le Mans for the 23rd time.

(Based upon Audi Motorsport press information)

Photo : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY 15TH JUNE 2014, PODIUM. Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer claimed their third Le Mans victory in four years.