Ingolstadt, January 24, 2005
Audi of America increases its involvement in the American Le Mans Series
(ALMS): Team ADT Champion Racing, which had already contested the
final two races of the 2004 season with two cars, enters two Audi R8
prototypes in all ten races of the North American sports car series this
year. Dave Maraj’s team also lines up at the start with two R8 prototypes at
the Le Mans 24-hour race on 18/19 June.
AUDI AG once again assists the importers’ commitment to sports car
prototypes with the loan of their works drivers. Frank Biela (Germany),
Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany) contest the 2005
ALMS. The defending ALMS champion will again team up with Finn JJ
Lehto. Lehto/Werner won six of the nine ALMS races last season. Frank
Biela and Emanuele Pirro, one of the ALMS championship’s most
successful driver pairs, return to the series: Biela/Pirro celebrated a total of
nine ALMS victories together between 2000 and 2002 with the Audi R8.
At the season’s opener at Sebring on 19 March and at Le Mans, Audi
strengthens the team with two extra works drivers, who are mainly
competing in the DTM this year with the Audi A4 DTM: Allan McNish (Great
Britain) and Tom Kristensen (Denmark). Furthermore, the team’s entry at
Sebring and Le Mans will be supported by the British Audi importer.
With Biela, Pirro, McNish, Lehto, Werner and Kristensen, Team ADT
Champion Racing has a driver squad available that could hardly be of
higher calibre: All six Audi drivers have won the Le Mans 24 Hours, the
12-hour race at Sebring or the American Le Mans Series at least once.
The Audi R8 enters its sixth and final season in 2005, before new sports
car prototype regulations come into force. It is already the most successful
Le Mans prototype of all time with 52 wins from 62 race starts. The R8
remains unbeaten to date in the 12-hour race at Sebring. Audi won the
ALMS title five times in succession with the R8, and the Le Mans 24 Hours
four times. With its Turbo FSI engine the Audi R8 is again considered the
sports car to beat in the forthcoming 2005 season.
|