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Audi Takes Third and Fourth In Its First-Ever 24 Hours of Le Mans Race

13 June 1999

Audi Takes Third and Fourth In Its First-Ever 24 Hours of Le Mans Race

    LE MANS, France, June 13 -- Audi has scored impressive
results on the German manufacturer's first-ever entry in the legendary
24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.  The two Audi R8Rs entered by Audi Sport
Team Joest finished third and fourth in the grueling race.  At the end of the
day, newcomer Audi earned a coveted spot on the rostrum in its premier at one
of the world's most difficult races.
    Audi Chief Executive, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, remarked: "This result is
better than we expected and we will be back next year."
    Seldom before has there been a Le Mans 24 Hour race so strong in
manufacturer support and so constantly exciting.  Only half of the 46 cars,
which started, reached the finish line nearly 5,000 kilometers later; a11 of
this watched by a crowd in excess of 200,000.
    Head of Audi Sport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, was delighted that the "open"
Audi R8Rs met this challenge.  He said: "For a Le Mans newcomer this is a very
good result."
    Audi Sport Team Joest had specifically worked towards this race and also
declined to be involved in the fight for pole-position.  Team Director
Reinhold Joest confirmed: "The starting position in a 24 hour race means
absolutely nothing.  The most important thing is to get good balance for the
race and make the car consistently fast and we were able to achieve this."
    The two Audi R8Rs were among the top ten from the start and were able to
improve with consistent lap times.  At the mid-way point, the no.8 Audi was
third, on the same lap as the car that eventually won.
    In the early morning hours today, however, Frank Biela/Emanuele
Pirro/Didier Theys lost precious time due to an unscheduled brake disc change.
Later the car had an exhaust pipe replaced.  Biela, who was named "Rookie of
Le Mans" after qualifying on Thursday, said: "Apart from two small problems,
the car was perfect."  Confirming Audi's impressive maiden Le Man performance
was the similar R8R driven by Michele Alboreto/Rinaldo Capello/Laurent Aiello
which finished in fourth place.
    The Audi R8Cs entered by Audi Sport UK did not finish the race due to
transmission problems.  But still they were able to show their potential with
some fast race laps.