24h Le Mans
On 18 June 2000, Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. Twenty-five years later, this win by the R8 bearing the number 8 and driven by Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro is considered the key moment that paved the way to establishing the Audi legend at Le Mans.
After a promising début in 1999 – resulting in a third place for the #8 R8R of Biela/Theys/Pirro and a fourth place for the #7 R8R of Alboreto/Capello/Aïello – Audi returned in 2000 with the new R8. The aim was clear: secure a maiden victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The goal was achieved superbly as the #8 shared by Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro won the race, covering 368 laps, followed home by the #9 sister car, driven by Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish and Stéphane Ortelli, one lap behind. Incidentally, the second-placed line-up had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans two years earlier with the Porsche 911 GT1. Car #7 of Christian Abt, Michele Alboreto and Rinaldo Capello, three laps in arrears, rounded out the podium. “I’m absolutely overwhelmed. You cannot have a better car for victory than that,” said a delighted Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Audi’s Head of Sport, at the finish.
Audi dominated the race from flag to flag without laying down any team orders, giving the drivers carte blanche to battle for position on equal terms. The winners naturally appreciated the strategy. “Dr Ullrich believed in all his drivers,” recalled Emanuele Pirro, “and had faith in us that we would behave professionally despite fighting for the lead with the other Audis. Nevertheless, at the end of the race, there were no hard fights [...] because we all knew that we needed to bring the cars home to the finish safely.”
Guided by the firm’s slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” (Progress Through Technology), Audi gave plenty of evidence of the R8’s performance and reliability. This prototype, powered by a 3.6-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, was unusual in that the rear module (gearbox and undercarriage) could be fully swapped out relatively quickly. Thanks to this design, the service crew were able to change the rear sections of the #7 and #9 in just eight minutes during the race, without compromising their competitiveness. A strategic innovation in a race as challenging as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This victory was the first of 13 that Audi notched up at Le Mans between 2000 and 2014. A reign that had a profound impact on the history of endurance and the French endurance classic.
Enjoy a look back at the #8 Audi R8’s 2000 Le Mans win in the photo gallery below.
