Audi Wins 12 Hours of Sebring with Maiden Voyage of R10
By Editors of Motor Trend
Photography by the Manufacturer
Audi Motorsports, with its diesel-powered R10 Prototype has entered the annals of history with its victory at the 52nd annual 12 Hours of Sebring race. Drivers Dindo Capello, Tom Christensen, and Allan McNish piloted the number-two Audi R10 to victory. The R10 was introduced late last year on the street of Paris in a dazzling display of showmanship with the streets closed off and driver Tom Kristensen taking a few laps around the Eiffel Tower.
Pre-race testing at Sebring earlier this year, along with the dominance of the previous Audi R8, underscored the firm's ability to field top-performing cars, even on maiden voyages.
But this maiden voyage was not without its iceberg. After McNish fired off a record-breaking pole position time in qualifying, the winning R10 started the race in last place from the pits after a heat exchanger required replacement after the morning warm-up session.
With Capello at the helm, the first half-hour of the race was spent playing catch up as the R10 gained ground from 35th and last position, to second place behind its sibling. Before the second hour, the number-two car had assumed the lead, which it maintained until the finish. The number-one team car, driven by Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro, and Marco Werner was withdrawn a third of the way into the race after the radiator fins became blocked with tire rubber, causing the engine to overheat. Rather than continue on a stressed engine, Team Audi Sport North America withdrew it from competition. The race results, and this win, are best summed up by Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of AUDI AG who said "Audi has once again written motorsport history, this time by being the first manufacturer to win an endurance race with a diesel powered sportscar. This impressively confirms the efficiency of the modern TDI technology. It is especially remarkable that this success was achieved at the very first race of the new Audi R10 TDI. The whole team from Audi Sport and the Technical Development of Audi has once again done a great job. I thank everyone who is participating in this ambitious project."
Kristensen also became the first driver to win America's most famous endurance race for a fourth time, achieving another record after his record seventh Le Mans victory from last year.