Audi Takes LeMans. Again.

In racing, speed is not everything, as proved by Audi. It takes Speed, Planning/Strategy, Will, and Luck!

Go Audi!!!

3 Diesel cars on the podium at Le Mans ! pretty amazing stuff. Is it a coincidence that the imminent arrival of the high tech, powerfull, econonical european diesel engines in the USA coincides with the massive rise in the price of diesel fuel here?

no the price of diesel coincides with bush's dumbassness

and dick cheney's shotgun

This makes the arrival of the R8 6.0L V12 TDI all the more enthralling.

Congradulations Audi.

Where is BMWDVR saying Audi is crap???

Well done Audi.

Just FYI, Audi capitalized due to lack of competition. All the big players (see Lemans history) had dropped out since the 90's - BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota and Porsche. In the first two years that Audi competed with the above, it lost both times. It won in all the years that followed (Bentley won once, which is also owned by VW) with the absence of all the above teams. Audi also employed the "out-of-job" Joest racing team which previously worked for Porsche.

Audi won in it's second year. Everyone else is welcome to compete. Just like Peugeot has competed, but has not won.

It was a great race, with action to the last hour. Great win for Audi.

If Peugeot didn't win with a diesel race car, I don't think BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota or Porsche would've won either (with gas-powered cars).

Really, seems like BMW runs away everytime Audi enters the ring where they are competing. BMW always finds a way to make an excuse for themselves to try to save face. Just look at their exist from DTM. At least MB has the guts to take on Audi in DTM. F1 serves no purpose for Audi at this time in terms of marketing. It's not like those others are enjoying anywhere the success Audi has in motorsports over the last decade. Such fanboy bias that you cannot look past the tree to see the forest as the saying goes.

VISO you are dillusional, your the biggest fanboy here. Audi is welcome to join F1 where the big boys play I dont see them stepping up.

FYI I highly doubt Audi could compete with BMW's motorsport machine. Mario theissen is why he is one of the most brilliant minds in engine engineering in the world.He single handedly runns BMW entire motorsport program worldwide.

"If Peugeot didn't win with a diesel race car, I don't think BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota or Porsche would've won either (with gas-powered cars)."

Thats an ignorant statment. If it was a dry race Peugeot would have walked away with it and you know it. The Peugeuts were considerably faster, but it was a wet race and Audi gambled and went for an intermediate setup, and it payed off.If it was dry it would have been a diff. story, or even if the peugeuts had an intermediate setup.

911gt2
if it was dry peugeot would have won?!?! what kind of excuse is that? as if weather changes are a freak ocurrence? Audi won becuase it was the best car in any condition and because they kicked a** in reliability.

As far as entering F1 where the "big boys" play? its more like where some stupid boys play. Participating in Le Mans is much more suited for developing technologies that have direct application in production automobiles while costing far less to support. Audi gets FAR more marketing success from Le Mans than it could ever get from winning F1. The only brand I see benefiting from F1 is Ferrari which build cars with closest resemblance to F1 racing machines. Not so with MB, BMW, Toyota or Honda. None of which, BTW, have benefitted from F1 participation in the scale that Audi has from Le Mans.

Re Le Mans history, it seems to me that BMW ran scared from Audi as it saw a major rival entering the prototype class and decided it could not continue competing. Same for the German Touring Championship DTM (as noted by someone else), SCCA GT Class and anything Audi has entered. BMW has not won any F1 championships that I know of, has not won Le Mans, ALMS, SCCA in YEARS. The only championship it manages to win is WTCC where the economy cars race (Skoda, VW, Volvo and small market Alfa Romeo with minor private entries of other brands).

Just an added note ... Audi recently won a coveted European award for the Most Technologically Driven and Superior Car Company (re some comment on BMW's "vastly superior technology"... they should add in small print "but have not managed to win any major motorsport event with it thus we are all hype")
These are the facts.

TheSailor,
I must disagree, the competition left when Audi came in because they did not want to make the expense of designing a new car, and years later when Audi entered the R10 no one was ready to compete against a V12 TDI Diesel engine. Thus Audi has managed to compete because its technology has been ahead of everyone for years. Any petrol car from any of the major OEMs would have suffered the same fate. Audi is one of the few (if not the only) OEMs that have forced major rule changes in motorports because they entered the event with vastly superior technology than what the field had at the time and led to dominance.

Peugeot's latest attempt failed because they built a poorly designed car that could not muster the endurance of a 24 hr race. Their car had undersized radiators to reduce size, increase aerodynamics, decrease weight and thus improve speed. I don't call that superior technology. They tried to cheat the system with a badly thought out design. If the event was dry there is no guarantee they would have won either, because a dry track would have been much hotter and they may have even had to withdraw because they routinely had to clean out their radiators during the rain. I can't imagine what would have happened if their radiators would have overheated. Perhaps they were lucky that it rained, otherwise they mayh ave had to withdraw their cars due to overheating.

Mean vulcan, viso you guys need to lay off the Audi covered crack your smoking. And pull your heads out of Audis ass b/c you are as blind as a fanboy can get.

The peuguet was the faster car clear and simple seven seconds a lap in quilifying to be exact. The peuguets also had the reliability they finished 2nd and 3rd. The Audi won b/c it gambled on set up and they capitalized on it b/c it rained..which is excellent for them, but in terms of out right speed peugeut was the faster car.no excuses.fact.

"As far as entering F1 where the "big boys" play? its more like where some stupid boys play. Participating in Le Mans is much more suited for developing technologies that have direct application in production automobiles while costing far less to support. Audi gets FAR more marketing success from Le Mans than it could ever get from winning F1. The only brand I see benefiting from F1 is Ferrari which build cars with closest resemblance to F1 racing machines. Not so with MB, BMW, Toyota or Honda. None of which, BTW, have benefitted from F1 participation in the scale that Audi has from Le Mans."

Exactly what technologies are developed in lemans? diesel technologey was used first in road cars. Technology shoud be developed on track and tricle down to road cars. Not the other way around. So Audi uses the diesel in its R10, then what? it tricles down to the 120k+ R8 where only 1000 people will ever own one?awsome thats great technology transphere.lol.

And F1 is where the Big boys play its the only International motor racing area where all Major car manufactures are represented(except VWgroup and the american 3), and battle for ultimate braging rights.Its a level playing field where big budgets dont always mean success.Formula one is about engineering might amongst the worlds car manufactures.Fact.

Usefull technology transhere does occure in F1 more so than in lemans buddy. Example the latest BMW M3 motor has been praised for its ability to rev effortlessly to redline almost freakisly so. This is a direct result from what BMW has learned in F1 making eninges that redline at 19k.The engines are even cast in the same factory as the F1 engines. Also the overall understanding of how aerodynamics work, is used on road cars. The latest gearbox tech is also developed in F1, along with on-board electronic systems.And the way tire technology has come along in leaps and bounds in the last decade is a direct result of F1.Fact.

"Le Mans history, it seems to me that BMW ran scared from Audi as it saw a major rival entering the prototype class and decided it could not continue competing."

Ignorant statement to say the least.anyway.In 1999 BMW clearly stated that it was its last year in lemans, and would be focusing on F1 after that.

And honestly I dont thing BMW really worries about Audi at all.I mean BMW barly consider Audi a rival. Audi is the company who is publicly going after BMW, along with a hand full of other car manufactures. BMW is BMW, it

dosent try to be like another car manufacturer, they know who they are.

Its funny how you think what ever series Audi is in its the best.lol.

Just an added note:BMW is the leading premium car manufacturer in the world.Aud is 3rd. Also BMW makes the best engines in the world. They won over 30 international engine of the year awards in the past 8 years. Audi won 5 or 6.Fact. BMW has also won more races and championships in various series in its history then Audi.And DTM is in principle the equivelent to NASCAR in america, but on a road course.Its good close racing but thats about it.

You claim that Audi has more marketing success in lemans than, manufactues in F1. F1 maybe a big marketing machine but the manufactures are also battling for ultimate braging rights..to win the world constructers championship.That has a nice ring to it.
And if Audi does have more marketing success in lemans good for them! they need it more.

"The peuguet was the faster car clear and simple seven seconds a lap in quilifying to be exact. The peuguets also had the reliability they finished 2nd and 3rd. The Audi won b/c it gambled on set up and they capitalized on it b/c it rained..which is excellent for them, but in terms of out right speed peugeut was the faster car.no excuses.fact."

I guess you don't understand the main principle of the 24 hours of LeMans: consistency. Consistency = reliability.

Obviously, the Audi was more reliable here. If it wasn't, the Peugeot would've won.

Congrats To Audi!!!

Now its time for them to enter into F1. They have owned the LeMans series.

They've dominated LeMans because BMW and MB aren't there.

BMW and MB arent there because they cant dominate

Anyone heard that VW/Audi may join F1 in 2012? There were news that Ecclestone gives VW/Audi a copy of the rules/regs that will be enforced/in effect, from now until 2012.

Lets hope to see them there too...

Nah, F1 is not as exciting IMO (very little overtaking and too much politics)...I hope Audi enters Le Mans in the GT classes with the new RS8 V10 and goes head to head with Ferrari, Porsche, Aston or Corvette.

FYI I highly doubt Audi could compete with BMW's motorsport machine. Mario theissen is why he is one of the most brilliant minds in engine engineering in the world.He single handedly runns BMW entire motorsport program worldwide.


REALLY....Good for him. And he is such a succes at it.

911gt2...you should pull you head out of BMW's ass as you sound nothing more than a shrill fanboy for BMW. Keep on trying to convince yourself.

VISO getting defensive? Everything I state is clear cut Fact. unlike the twisted statements like you and Meanvulcan spread with some truth, but mostly inflated fanboy ranting.

Why do you think BMW or MB would be able to beat Audi F1 Dunce? You really think BMW or MB can put down a better LMP1 than Audi? If you think so, you are more than welcome to bring them on. Also, Audi is knocking the crap out of MB in DTM so far. So much for your superiority theory. You have no clue what it takes to bring a LMP1 to life and the technology to do so. You are simply a dumbass fanboy. Nothing more.

BMW beat Audi in lemans in 1999. I guess after beating Audi BMW got scared and ran(That must be the only logical explanation for an Audi fan boy). Heck I don't know why anyone bothers competing with Audi b/c they are the best car company ever...right viso? I mean lemans should just be two R10's driving around for 24 hours, and thats it. And only Germannut, viso, chewy, and alext can watch from S4's convertible Audi.

The R10 TDI has as much unique technology as any F1 race car. The latest technology in F1 comes from pointless (to a road car) aerodynamics.

Are you stuck on repeat amazing idiot?

amazinBimmer, the only way to prove anything is if BMW and Audi were involved in the same race TODAY. If BMW were in LeMans or if Audi were in F1, we would see. Unfortunately, that isn't happening (yet). The only thing we know for sure is that they're both doing fantastically in their respective races, and Audi is spanking Mercedes in DTM.