Braselton, October 18, 2003
For the fourth time in a row Audi has won the Petit Le Mans race at Road
Atlanta (USA). JJ Lehto and Johnny Herbert, driving Team ADT Champion
Racing’s Audi R8, scored an unrivalled victory in the 2003 American Le
Mans Series (ALMS) finale. Frank Biela and Marco Werner, driving Infineon
Team Joest’s Audi R8, dropped to the back of the field early because of a
crash. However, the two Germans fought their way back to third position
clinching the ALMS title. Reinhold Joest’s team won the ALMS Teams’
Championship for the fourth consecutive time.
The race at a glance
Weather
dry, warm
Starting positions
1 #1 Werner; 3 #38 Lehto
Start
#1 Werner drops to second behind #16 Weaver
Lap 1
#38 Lehto passes #1 Werner and #16 Weaver
#1 Werner also passes #16 Weaver
Hour 1
A total of three caution periods, #38 Lehto ten seconds ahead of #1 Werner
after one hour
Hour 2
#1 Biela has to avoid a GTS car, touching a wall. Front suspension, rear
section, front splitter and bodywork parts are changed in 10 minutes 23
seconds. 10 laps lost. #1 Biela drops to the back of the field
Hour 3
#1 Biela pits during a caution period to bleed the brakes
Hour 4
New nose for #38 Herbert. After four hours #38 Herbert/Lehto have a 4-lap
lead, #1 Biela/Werner 9 laps down back in the top 10
Hour 5
#1 Biela has nose changed. Engine of #38 Lehto does not restart after
routine pit-stop, battery changed, one lap lost. After five hours #38
Herbert/Lehto are leading by four laps, #1 Biela/Werner eight laps down in
6th position
Hour 6
#38 Lehto has nose changed again, one lap lost. #1 Biela has an
unscheduled pit-stop to remove grass from the coolers, but is able to move
to third before end of 6th hour
Hour 7
Engine of #1 Werner does not restart after routine stop, battery and rear
bodywork changed, one lap lost. #38 Herbert/Lehto enjoy a 5-lap lead after
seven hours, #1 Biela/Werner third, 8 laps down
Hour 8
#1 Werner spins into the gravel, gets towed out and is able to continue,
three laps lost, drops to fourth but retakes third position during 8th hour
Hour 9
Unscheduled pit-stop for #1 Werner because of a tyre pressure alert. #1
Biela loses the little windscreen on the cockpit
Finish
#38 Herbert/Lehto win, 3rd place for #1 Biela/Werner
- Fourth victory of the season for Team ADT Champion Racing
- Fourth consecutive Petit Le Mans victory for Audi
- First Petit Le Mans victory for Champion Racing, JJ Lehto and Johnny
Herbert
- Frank Biela and Marco Werner clinch the Drivers’ title, Infineon Team
Joest win the Teams’ Championship
- Audi had already won the Manufacturers’ title
|