Ingolstadt, February 11, 2004
The driver squad of the Audi sports car teams for the 2004 24 Hours of Le
Mans has been completed with the signing of the two former Formula 1
drivers Johnny Herbert (England) and Allan McNish (Scotland) by Audi
Sport UK Team Veloqx. Four ex-Formula 1 drivers and eight Le Mans
winners are now among the high-calibre line-up. Audi had already
presented its works drivers for the assault on the DTM (German Touring
Car Masters) at the end of November.
With support of Audi Sport and the Audi importers in Great Britain, Japan
and North America, four Audi R8 prototypes, which will be entered by the
Audi customer teams of Champion, Goh and Veloqx, will compete in the
French long-distance classic on June 12/13.
The newly-formed Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx lines-up with two Audi R8
prototypes. Four of the six Veloqx drivers have already won the Le Mans 24
Hours at least once: Frank Biela (Germany) in 2000, 2001 and 2002,
Johnny Herbert in 1991, Allan McNish in 1998, Guy Smith (Great Britain)
last year. German Pierre Kaffer and Briton Jamie Davies complete the Le
Mans squad of the British team. In preparation for the Le Mans event,
Veloqx will contest the 12-hour race at Sebring on March 20 with the same
driver squads. Long-time Formula 1 test driver Darren Turner (Great
Britain) is the team’s reserve driver.
The American Team ADT Champion Racing and Team Goh from Japan
each enter one Audi R8 at Le Mans. The Finn JJ Lehto (1995 winner), the
Italian Emanuele Pirro (victorious in 2000, 2001 and 2002) and the
German Marco Werner drive for Champion, while the Japanese driver Seiji
Ara, last year’s winner Rinaldo Capello from Italy and five-time winner Tom
Kristensen from Denmark (1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 winner)
drive for Goh.
Goh (Ara/Capello) and Veloqx (Davies, Kaffer, McNish, Smith, Turner) also
contest the new European Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES) which, with
a total of four races starting on May 9 at Monza (Italy), revives the classic
1000 kilometre races.
In the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), JJ Lehto and defending ALMS
Champion Marco Werner set off on the title hunt in the Team ADT
Champion Racing Audi R8. At the season opener in Sebring – as at Le
Mans – they will be supported by DTM driver Emanuele Pirro.
“It speaks volumes for the Audi R8 that our customer teams can start with
such high-calibre driver squads,” explained Audi motorsport chief Dr
Wolfgang Ullrich. “Whether it is Formula 1 stars, legends such as Paul
Frère or newcomers like Pierre Kaffer and Jamie Davies: Up till now
everybody who has driven an Audi R8 was impressed.”
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