Le
Mans 24 Hours, 12/13 June 2004
Preview
"British"
Audi team bids for Le Mans glory
Audi
UK Press, 1st June 2004: Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx contests
the 72nd Le Mans 24 Hours (12-13 June) aiming to record the
German manufacturer’s fourth win in five years in the annual
French race.
 The
British team starts the twice round-the-clock encounter in stunning
form after wins in the Sebring 12 Hours (20 Mar) - its maiden
race - and Monza 1,000km (9 May) having also set the fastest
two times in the Le Mans Pre-Test (25 Apr). Veloqx Audi drivers
currently top the American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Endurance
Series standings.
The
Infineon & Canon supported Veloqx Audi team, formed just six
months ago, enters a brace of Michelin-shod Audi R8 “open-top”
sportscars in arguably the world’s toughest motor race with
a driver line-up that can already boast six outright Le Mans
race wins.
Frank
Biela (2000/1/2), Johnny Herbert (1991), Allan McNish (1998)
and Guy Smith (2003) are joined in the Veloqx Audi line-up by
2003 Le Mans 24 Hours GTS class winner Jamie Davies and Le Mans
“rookie” Pierre Kaffer. In the Pre-Test at Le Mans in April,
McNish (3min 32.615secs) and Herbert (3:32.627) set the two
fastest times around the 8.454-mile track consisting of closed
public roads.
Audi
R8 - #88
Jamie
Davies (GB). Age 30. Born / Lives: Charlton Adam nr Yeovil,
England: “Audi’s new aero package worked extremely well as did
Michelin’s tyre compounds at the Pre-Test and we have laid a
solid foundation for the race week. It’s difficult to ‘enjoy’
Le Mans because there is so much going on each day which for
us starts with technical checks and scrutineering on Tuesday
afternoon, then two nights of qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday.
Add in the team briefings and media interviews, the time goes
very quickly although you do get a chance to savour the atmosphere
during the Drivers’ Parade on Friday evening in the Le Mans
town centre. Then it’s race day and hopefully I’ll have no time
to relax until 4pm on Sunday afternoon when I’ll be standing
on the winner’s rostrum! Last year, I shared the Prodrive Veloqx
Ferrari 550 in a GTS class win and obviously on this occasion
I’m hoping that it will be first place overall. Le Mans 24 Hours
- fourth career appearance: 1998 Panoz Motorsports Panoz-Ford
GTR-1. Qual: 11th Race: 7th 2001 Panoz Motorsports Panoz LMP07.
Qual: 21st Race: Retired 2003 Veloqx Prodrive Racing 550 GTS
Maranello. Qual: 19th/1st * Race:10th/1st * * GTS Class Position
Johnny
Herbert (GB)
Le
Mans 24 Hours - seventh career appearance:
1990
Mazdaspeed Mazda 787B. Qual: 22nd Race: Retired
1991 Mazdaspeed Mazda 787B. Qual: 19th Race: 1st
1992 Mazdaspeed Mazda RX01. Qual: 7th Race: 4th
2001 Team ADT Champion Racing 2001-spec Audi R8. Qual: 3rd Race:
Retired
2002 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R8. Qual: 1st Race: 2nd
2003 Team Bentley EXP Speed 8. Qual: 2nd (JH)Race: 2nd+FL (JH)
“I
won the 1991 Le Mans race but having finished second for the
past two years, I know it’s not going to be easy. We (Jamie,
Guy & I) will have massive competition from the #8 Veloqx
Audi while having also driven for the Champion Audi team regularly,
I know how strong they will be - it has the ingredients for
a great battle and perhaps a ‘classic’ Le Mans race.
"Le
Mans is the big one that I want to win again - the jewel on
any driver’s CV. The circuit is very challenging with the
Porsche curves arguably the best series of corners on any
existing track which keeps a driver’s concentration focussed.
"The
night time is a very important element of the race, you gain
a huge psychological boost if, at 8am for example, you’re
in the lead with a big advantage. I’ve learnt to be able to
take cat naps during the race which can be a massive help.”
Jamie
Davies (GB)
Le
Mans 24 Hours - fourth career appearance:
1998 Panoz Motorsports Panoz-Ford GTR-1. Qual: 11th Race: 7th
2001 Panoz Motorsports Panoz LMP07. Qual: 21st Race: Retired
2003 Veloqx Prodrive Racing 550 GTS Maranello. Qual: 19th/1st
* Race:10th/1st * * GTS Class Position
“Audi’s
new aero package worked extremely well as did Michelin’s tyre
compounds at the Pre-Test and we have laid a solid foundation
for the race week.
"It’s
difficult to ‘enjoy’ Le Mans because there is so much going
on each day which for us starts with technical checks and
scrutineering on Tuesday afternoon, then two nights of qualifying
on Wednesday and Thursday. Add in the team briefings and media
interviews, the time goes very quickly although you do get
a chance to savour the atmosphere during the Drivers’ Parade
on Friday evening in the Le Mans town centre. Then it’s race
day and hopefully I’ll have no time to relax until 4pm on
Sunday afternoon when I’ll be standing on the winner’s rostrum!
"Last
year, I shared the Prodrive Veloqx Ferrari 550 in a GTS class
win and obviously on this occasion I’m hoping that it will
be first place overall."
Guy
Smith (GB)
Le
Mans 24 Hours - fourth career appearance:
2000 Johansson-Matthews Reynard Judd 2KQ. Qual: 21st Race: Retired
2001 Team Bentley EXP Speed 8. Qual: 8th Race: Retired
2003 Team Bentley EXP Speed 8. Qual: 1st Race: 1st
“I’m
in good physical shape while the Veloqx Audi team, by winning
the opening rounds of the American Le Mans Series (Sebring
12 Hours) and Le Mans Endurance Series (Monza 1,000km) have
shown they are very competitive.
"To
win Le Mans once is a great achievement for a driver but to
win it twice, you join an elite group. Le Mans features fast,
challenging corners and a good, all-round lap gives a driver
a huge amount of satisfaction.
"There
is likely to be a big British contingent in the crowd and
as a driver, you tend to ‘feed’ off their support and it would
be fantastic if we can give them something to cheer about
at 4pm on Sunday afternoon.
"A
victory for Jamie, Johnny and I would be the first-ever all-British,
three-driver combination to win the annual endurance classic
at Le Mans and considering it’s the 72nd race, that would
be something special.”
Sam
Li, Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx - Team Principal:
"Team
Veloqx's 100% success record in all ACO events from 2003 to
date speaks for itself! Car 8 & 88 proved (at Sebring & Monza)
that they can both meet the challenge of our competitors at
any track and in any race. We travel to Le Mans to fight for
the overall title while recognising the strength of the competition.
"Team
morale is high but no complacency exists - which sets the
tone for Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx’s upcoming Le Mans challenge,
the most important race in the team's history."
David
Ingram, Audi UK - Motorsport Manager:
“With
a first and third place finish at Sebring and a first and
second at Monza, the prospects for a good result at Le Mans
would seem very good. But we never underestimate the challenge
that is the Le Mans 24 hour race.
"We
have the drivers, the team and the car to do the job but we
also need a little bit of luck. Le Mans is an awesome challenge
and that's what makes it one of the world's greatest motor
races.”
Preliminary
practice, 25th April
Herbert
hopeful of ultimate success after valuable test
Audi
UK Press, 25th April 2004: Johnny Herbert returns to Le
Mans in six weeks time hoping the foundations for a second 24
Hour race triumph have been laid.
The
39-year-old Essex driver’s Audi R8 sportscar set the second
fastest time, a 3min 32.627secs representing an average speed
of 143.57mph around the 8.48-mile French track during “Preliminary
Practice” today (25 April) for the Le Mans 24 Hour race.
The
1991 Le Mans winner shared the driving duties with his Audi
Sport UK Team Veloqx co-drivers Jamie Davies and Guy Smith during
the test in advance of the 72nd running of the famous Le Mans
race on 12-13 June.
The
eight-hour test enabled the 50-plus car invited entry to work
towards setting up their cars for fast times but also to in
achieving a car with a good balance in terms of handling. Johnny
also gathered vital data concerning tyre compounds and fuel
consumption - ingredients that can be critical in a 24 Hour
race.
Herbert
commented: “The car felt fairly good at the end of the morning
when I did most of the driving although there was still too
much understeer. I drove for the final 45mins in the afternoon
and managed to achieve the second quickest time with five
minutes to go.
“The
timetable during the race week doesn’t allow you to experiment
and make changes to the car – especially with three drivers
sharing a car. We get two evenings of qualifying for grid
positions before the actual race weekend so today was vital.
“We
were able to try different tyre compounds, suspension settings
and calculate fuel consumption. All of these elements are
critical in a race which is essentially a 24 Hour ‘sprint’
with the average speed likely to be in excess of 130mph depending
on weather for a day!”
The “sister” Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx R8 of Allan McNish and
German duo Frank Biela and Pierre Kaffer set the fastest time
of the day – a mere 0.012secs faster than Herbert.
British
Audi team upbeat after Le Mans test
Audi
UK Press, 25th April 2004: Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx recorded
the first and second fastest times in “Preliminary Practice”
for the Le Mans 24 Hours today (25 April).
Allan
McNish (GB) driving the #8 Audi R8 stopped the clock at 3min
32.615secs, an average speed of 143.58mph around the 8.48-mile
circuit. Meanwhile Johnny Herbert swept the #88 Veloqx Audi
to a 3:32.627 (143.57mph) – a mere 0.012secs slower than McNish.
The times of Allan and Johnny were both faster than last year’s
pole-position time for the race (Kristensen [Bentley] 3:32.843)
despite running with a narrower rear wing due to rule changes.
Fifty-two
cars contested the eight hour test in preparation for the 72nd
running of the famous Le Mans race on 12-13 June. The British
Audi team, victorious in the Sebring 12 Hours last month, will
be aiming to earn Audi its fourth Le Mans 24 Hours victory in
the last five years. But prior to returning to France in June,
Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx compete in the opening 1,000km race
of the new Le Mans Endurance Series at Monza in Italy on 9 May.
Allan McNish and Pierre Kaffer share one Audi R8 with Johnny
Herbert now partnering Jamie Davies in the second Veloqx Audi.
Audi
R8 - #8
Frank
Biela (D). Age: 39. Born: Neuss, Germany. Lives: Monte
Carlo, Monaco: “Our car’s only problem all day was when I
ran wide in to the gravel when a backmarker almost forced
me off the track but thankfully there was no damage to the
car and soon afterwards I set my personal best time [3:35.206].
We are in good shape for the race.”
Pierre
Kaffer (D). Age 27. Born: Bad-Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Ger.
Lives: Burgbrohl, Ger: “This was my first experience of the
circuit and it is very fast - it’s amazing, I love it and
cannot wait to race here - especially at night. I was content
to drive steadily and let my experienced co-drivers fine-tune
the Audi. Judging by our R8’s time, this worked well.”
Allan
McNish (GB). Age: 34. Born: Dumfries, Scotland. Lives:
Monte Carlo, Monaco: “After a four year absence, it’s good
to be back at Le Mans! We worked through a tyre programme
before lunch, collecting valuable data for the race. Prospects
look encouraging but the competition, not just from the other
Audi teams, will be tough. I got back on track with 70mins
to run and managed to break the 3m34s barrier with 20-minutes
to go then sub 33s with just six minutes left which turned
out to be the fastest.”
Audi
R8 - #88
Johnny
Herbert (GB). Age 39. Born: Brentwood, England. Lives:
Monte Carlo, Monaco: “The car felt fairly good at the end
of the morning when I did most of the driving although there
was still too much understeer. I drove for the final 45mins
in the afternoon and managed to achieve the second quickest
time with five minutes to go.”
Jamie
Davies (GB). Age 30. Born / Lives: Yeovil, England: “I’m
a little frustrated myself in that I could not find a ‘clear’
lap and always lost time due to slower cars on my quick laps
but I was still getting used to driving an Audi R8 at Le Mans.
The important thing is that our car is on the pace and we
proved that today.”
Guy
Smith (GB). Age 28. Born / Lives: Beverley, England: “I
made a number of changes to the car when I drove in the afternoon
session which gradually improved the handling. We’ve all worked
well together and Johnny’s time ultimately underlined the
progress that we have made today with our car.”
Sami
Li, Team Principal:
“Having
finished first and third at Sebring and now claimed the two
fastest times in the Le Mans Pre-Test, Audi Sport UK Team
Veloqx are under pressure - but it’s a nice sort of pressure!
The competition will be tough here in June, that is certain
but we must attempt to repeat this form at Monza and in the
24 Hour race. What is especially pleasing is that entire team
is performing – absolutely everyone.”
David
Ingram, Audi UK Motorsport Manager:
“We
came here with high expectations after our Sebring victory,
acknowledging that the competition, particularly the other
Audis, was very strong. We had to wait until the last few
laps of the session, but to finish up 1st and 2nd quickest
gives us real confidence for the race in June. There is no
doubt that this team is up there with the best.”
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effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but no
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