[LM24] Audi plans for 2010 revealed

[R4z3rw33n]

Originally Posted by Mal

After all they still have announce at least one other race entry to qualify for LMIC.

I thought they were required to have competed in at least five events (LMS and/or ALMS) to qualify?
By my count Spa + Silverstone + PLM = 3 (unless LM counts?).

[CTD]

Originally Posted by R4z3rw33n

I thought they were required to have competed in at least five events (LMS and/or ALMS) to qualify?
By my count Spa + Silverstone + PLM = 3 (unless LM counts?).

Le Mans does not count.

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by R4z3rw33n

I thought they were required to have competed in at least five events (LMS and/or ALMS) to qualify?
By my count Spa + Silverstone + PLM = 3 (unless LM counts?).

You forgot the race in Asia. That makes 4.

[R4z3rw33n]

Originally Posted by CTD

Le Mans does not count.

Originally Posted by gwyllion

You forgot the race in Asia. That makes 4.

So (providing they're serious about IC) they *may* be present for *at least* one more event (also providing I've interpreted correctly this time )?

[CTD]

Originally Posted by R4z3rw33n

So (providing they're serious about IC) they *may* be present for *at least* one more event (also providing I've interpreted correctly this time )?

Yes but probably not Sebring, it's too early.
Maybe one more in Asia?

[Birddog07]

I'd love to see them tackle the rollercoaster Algarve track for the LMS race.

[LeMans.pt]

Originally Posted by Birddog07

I'd love to see them tackle the rollercoaster Algarve track for the LMS race.

You and me...

[CTD]

Well, the old R15, would be good at that track!, it was made for small bendy tracks

[tkelland]

Originally Posted by CTD

Well, the old R15, would be good at that track!, it was made for small bendy tracks

(I think) more like, the R15 would have been also built to do well at smaller, twistier tracks. However, I don't think Audi will ever build a Le Mans prototype that is built primarily for small bendy tracks while the 24hr is still in existance. Audi sport have many goals, I'm sure. But, I feel the biggest for them each year is Le Mans, not to win at small twisty tracks around the world.

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by CTD

Well, the old R15, would be good at that track!, it was made for small bendy tracks

The R15 was built with only one track in mind , just like every other P1 Audi was ..... Le Mans .

[CTD]

Originally Posted by The Badger

The R15 was built with only one track in mind , just like every other P1 Audi was ..... Le Mans .

I'm sorry, i didn't put it right .
What i meant was that the R15 among others is designed to do well at smaller bendy tracks.
Of course the R15 was made for Le Mans, no doubt about it, but Audi wanted it to be fairly good in the ALMS, so therefor gave it some design features which made it better on these tracks than the R10 was (ei. the high amount of downforce it could create).

[TWK]

Originally Posted by Mal

I still haven't seen anywhere where Audi have categorically said they WONT be doing Sebring. If they are planning to test at Sebring immediately after the 12H then they are expecting to have the car built so maybe they are waiting to see how early testing goes before making a decision.

After all they still have announce at least one other race entry to qualify for LMIC.

So when they announced the races they would do in 2010, you expected them to list the races they WON'T be doing?

As in, "We won't be doing Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Miller, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio...."

[CTD]

Originally Posted by TWK

So when they announced the races they would do in 2010, you expected them to list the races they WON'T be doing?

As in, "We won't be doing Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Miller, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio...."

I can just picture Dr. Ullrich standing there reading up, all these races, in his plane german-accent?

[chernaudi]

Originally Posted by gwyllion

Murphy also believes that Rockenfeller and Primat will be dropped. Does this mean that Rockenfeller will not do DTM either? That would be strange because Audi announced that they will probably run 9 DTM cars and Kristensen already retired from DTM.

Also strange that Primat is mentioned because he drove for Aston Martin last year. Perhaps he means Fassler?

But will the be dropped from the LM program, DTM, or both? If it's for the LM/IC, then I guess that Audi is trying to make room for Kristensen, Dumas, Bernhard, and maybe Fassler(who was orginally signed to run for Audi at Le Mans/ALMS), especially if outside of Le Mans Audi only intends to run two drivers per entry(which is what Audi has traditionally done outside of Le Mans and Sebring in recent years).

[CTD]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

But will the be dropped from the LM program, DTM, or both? If it's for the LM/IC, then I guess that Audi is trying to make room for Kristensen, Dumas, Bernhard, and maybe Fassler(who was orginally signed to run for Audi at Le Mans/ALMS), especially if outside of Le Mans Audi only intends to run two drivers per entry(which is what Audi has traditionally done outside of Le Mans and Sebring in recent years).

Kristensen is defiantly a full time LM driver now, so he has to take someone's seat!
I wonder how the will set up the cars now? (Capello and McNich usually driving together).
Will McNish be but in another car? (Capello and Kristensen has a history driving together)

[carsten66]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

But will the be dropped from the LM program, DTM, or both? If it's for the LM/IC, then I guess that Audi is trying to make room for Kristensen, Dumas, Bernhard, and maybe Fassler(who was orginally signed to run for Audi at Le Mans/ALMS), especially if outside of Le Mans Audi only intends to run two drivers per entry(which is what Audi has traditionally done outside of Le Mans and Sebring in recent years).

Dumas and Bernhard so far are Porsche works driver...

[chernaudi]

Originally Posted by CTD

Kristensen is defiantly a full time LM driver now, so he has to take someone's seat!
I wonder how the will set up the cars now? (Capello and McNich usually driving together).
Will McNish be but in another car? (Capello and Kristensen has a history driving together)

If Audi runs 3 drivers per car(which they may), TK will be paired with Allan and Dindo. But of course, Bernhard and Dumas will probably be included in Audi's lineup somewhere-after all, I doubt that Porsche has much for them to do, since Penske closed down his Grand Am team and merged it with his NASCAR and Indy Car teams.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

If Audi runs 3 drivers per car(which they may), TK will be paired with Allan and Dindo. But of course, Bernhard and Dumas will probably be included in Audi's lineup somewhere-after all, I doubt that Porsche has much for them to do, since Penske closed down his Grand Am team and merged it with his NASCAR and Indy Car teams.

Yes, but has Audi any plans for running 3 drivers per car in all races!?
If they are only going to race 2 drivers per car, then there will be a problem between Tom K, Dindo and McNish, because, who will get who? (Imagining that Dindo will be the driver Tom K and McNish would be fighting for)

[Mal]

Originally Posted by TWK

So when they announced the races they would do in 2010, you expected them to list the races they WON'T be doing?

As in, "We won't be doing Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Miller, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio...."

You really do often tend to refer to others comments in a patronising manner that is not welcome You and your Bear need to come down off your pedestal sometimes

.....Of course I don't but they clearly have not yet announced all the races they will do if they are to comply with the stated 5 races plus Le Mans rule so that could be any race run under the Le Mans rules - Sebring included... and having run Sebring for so many years I might well have expected a specific comment about not doing it.

[Speed-King]

Here's your specific comment:

Erstmals in diesem Jahrtausend wird Audi 2010 nicht an den 12h von Sebring teilnehmen. Aus Audi-Kreisen heisst es dazu: «In der kurzen Zeit von der Bekanntgabe der Änderungen bis zum März können wir nicht entwickeln, in den Windkanal gehen, testen und dann noch die notwendigen Teile produzieren, um in Sebring seriös mit zwei Autos zu starten.

Translation:
For the first time in this millenium, Audi will not participate in the 12h of Sebring. An unnamed Audi employee said: "We can't develop, go to the wind tunnel, test and produce the necessary parts in the short time between the announcement of the rules changes and March and thus we wouldn't be able to bring a serious two car effort to Sebring."

[Mal]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Here's your specific comment:

Thanks for the straight and clear answer.

[TWK]

Originally Posted by Mal

You really do often tend to refer to others comments in a patronising manner that is not welcome You and your Bear need to come down off your pedestal sometimes

.....Of course I don't but they clearly have not yet announced all the races they will do if they are to comply with the stated 5 races plus Le Mans rule so that could be any race run under the Le Mans rules - Sebring included... and having run Sebring for so many years I might well have expected a specific comment about not doing it.

Did I hurt your little feelings, Mal?

Now you post they haven't "yet announced all the races they will do." When we last heard from you, you told us they hadn't "ruled out" the races they wouldn't. I'm really sorry if you don't understand that difference.

[gsmith2424]

Originally Posted by carsten66

Dumas and Bernhard so far are Porsche works driver...

This seems like the oportunity for Penske to get to LM with a car (R10) that could clean house. Since Penske was never a Audi team they could get away with this and could run all of the Porsche factory drivers from which have never ran the Audi before.

[R4z3rw33n]

Latest interview with Dr. Ullrich: Clicky

Seems to hint at the possibility that the fifth event required for IC entry could be either the first race of the LMS, or the second race of the AsLMS (translation isn't great).

Also, seems as if Dumas/Bernhard are likely to return.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by TWK

Did I hurt your little feelings, Mal?

Now you post they haven't "yet announced all the races they will do." When we last heard from you, you told us they hadn't "ruled out" the races they wouldn't. I'm really sorry if you don't understand that difference.

Let's have the toys back in the pram children.........