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Not taking the chicane adds another 320m of straight before Curva Grande (1505m instead of 1185m). Also, if you can take Curva Grande flat, you get an even longer run, and a better gauge of your top-end and high-speed stability. Unless you're going to rent out the Nordschleife, cutting the first chicane at Monza is about the only way to get a "straight" of the length you have to deal with at Le Mans, four times a lap. The longest piece of the Mulsanne is the first segment, which measures 1850m.
I'd be curious just what the specific top-end was that the Audis were getting in their tests. The Peugeot 908s were hitting 327km/h during the 1000km weekend in 2008, with the chicane of course. And yes, Curva Grande definitely changes when you're entering it with an extra 60-70mph.
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