Who's going to replace Dindo Capello?

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by Holt

Yes, the #1 car has won Le Mans two years straight. However, I remember that the #1 car was the slowest of the 3 Audis in last year's race.

Actually... last year #1 (or #2 as it was back then) scored pole-win-fastest lap.

[chernaudi]

Actually, I thought that this year was being referred to, but the #2 Audi (#1 in 2012) did get the trifecta of pole, win, and fastest lap in 2011. But in 2012, it seemed that in the end, they didn't really push that hard and worked more on consistency than outright one lap speed.

[Holt]

I think its a bit misleading that the #1 earned pole/win/fastest lap. It is after all the only R18 that finished more then 8 hours of the race.

My memory of 2011 is that McNish was the fastest car on track in the early going. His accident happened when he was trying to pass the Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer for the lead shortly after the first pit stops. He was held up by one of the Peugeots in the early going which delayed his progress. Thats different from this year when Lotterer managed to gap McNish by 45 or so seconds in the first two hours.

Also I remember that in the evening Rockenfeller was going very quickly and caught and passed the Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer R18. He gapped them by over 30 seconds if my memory serves me correctly before tangling and crashing with the Ferrari.

So if McNish's early pace was anything to go by and Rockenfeller passing and gapping the Fassler Audi I think it's safe to say they probably would have ended up the 3rd fastest car in the race.

As a Peugeot supporter I was happy the Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer R18 was the only one left, because from what I saw in that race they showed the least pace. Of course in happy hour, or early mourning they set the race fast time, but I think the other two R18s could have bettered that, if they were still around

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by Holt

My memory of 2011 is that McNish was the fastest car on track in the early going. His accident happened when he was trying to pass the Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer for the lead shortly after the first pit stops.

McNish was battling with Bernhard for the lead when he crashed.

Originally Posted by Holt

Also I remember that in the evening Rockenfeller was going very quickly and caught and passed the Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer R18. He gapped them by over 30 seconds if my memory serves me correctly before tangling and crashing with the Ferrari.

Rockenfeller was catching the #2 Audi until he crashed, but he never got into the lead. See http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com/Res...uence_Race.PDF

[Holt]

Well, my memory is shot. I can't trust it.

I still believe a McNish/Kristensen/Gene combo can go head to head with the Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer combo. After all they almost did it this year (with Capello) and probably would have pulled it off if not for the safety car interference. They were only so far down the order thanks to the rubber build up in their car. But they never lost a lap until McNish's crash.

[porsche91722]

Originally Posted by courageous

A related question - will Dindo retire properly or might we see him in an R8? (daytona, spa, nurburgring, bathurst all beckon)

I'll be at Bathurst in any case, but yeah, that would be fantastic to see Dindo turn up in an R8 for the 12 hour next year. Worth going just to see this great champion in action. I realise that Audi wouldn't be putting the older guys in cars just for the sake of it, but it would be great PR value to them to have their great champions doing a "final fling" season of racing, if only to give the fans a good opportunity to witness them racing one last time. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that Dindo won't be doing a real lot of racing, when he does finally hang up his helmet. Which sort of begs the question, what do they have lined up for TK when he calls it quits?
On the main topic of replacements, I'd like to see Audi swing a few of their young guns into an R18. Not likely I suppose, but they have some great young guys who are showing plenty of promise and would certainly be capable enough, and with Dindo hanging around in some sort of mentoring capacity, it would make a lot of sense with both McNish and TK in the back end of their careers.

[ArnageWRC]

Dindo usually does the Monza Rally each November – and the last few years has been in a Citroen C4/DS3 WRC....Which I find amusing, driving a car of the PSA group.

[KlBD]

My prediction -

#1 - Swap Duval for Fassler. Gotta love Marcel but you can't deny that Loic is faster and as someone said earlier, Super GT ftw!!!! Audi already have a monopolly on the top factory drivers for Japan's big 3, they might as well use that.

#2 - They get Bonanomi to replace Dindo. Pretty fair trade, keeps the #1 car pretty strong.

#3 - Jarvis and Rocky stay, maybe Fassler goes here but I would also like to see Edoardo Mortara get a shot...he's been on the rise and could be headed for bigger things with Audi.

[alexkiller8]

a lot of people write that bonamoni should replace capello, ok but what's the reason? bonamoni this year won't drive a r18 anymore, so what's the deal to insert a good driver but with poor experience in lmp1 in the most expert line-up? the most logical choice is to pick gené as third driver for the #2, isn't fast like mcnish and kristensen, but is solid and has a huge experience in diesel/coupè lmp1 cars. So, if bonamoni is ok, why not jarvis? or some other vanthor etc... for now seems that the only reason is that bonamoni should replace capello just because is italian...

[Dead-Eye]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

a lot of people write that bonamoni should replace capello, ok but what's the reason?

Because people have said that Bonanomi is very much like a younger version of Dindo. Not just in being Italian, but also with a similar character and possibly driving style. And we know that it's also important that the drivers in a team get along.

[alexkiller8]

what's exactly the "capello's style" ? capello (like others audi drivers of the past like biela and werner) is a good driver but having a past as tourism car driver, you surely couldn't expect from him the performances of people like mcnish, kristensen, or the gt500 guys... a lot of other drivers like cocker, nicolas prost, neel jani and surely also bonamoni and jarvis are as good as him, if not faster, but don't drive an audi racecar...
Capello runs very kindly, can't run fast like mcnish and kristensen and because of this and the lack of aggressivity is hard for him make accident, this is his style. I totally disagree in comparing the "capello's style" with somebody else driving style.

[Aysedasi]

Well, we'll do the comparisons if you like - just feel free to watch.

[alexkiller8]

for me there aren't problems, i just expressed my opinion that is pointless to compare bonamoni driving style with the capello's one....

[Dead-Eye]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

what's exactly the "capello's style" ? capello (like others audi drivers of the past like biela and werner) is a good driver but having a past as tourism car driver, you surely couldn't expect from him the performances of people like mcnish, kristensen, or the gt500 guys... a lot of other drivers like cocker, nicolas prost, neel jani and surely also bonamoni and jarvis are as good as him, if not faster, but don't drive an audi racecar...
Capello runs very kindly, can't run fast like mcnish and kristensen and because of this and the lack of aggressivity is hard for him make accident, this is his style. I totally disagree in comparing the "capello's style" with somebody else driving style.

That's why I said "possibly", because I wasn't sure if those comments I was talking about (which came from people within the Audi organization) were referring to the driving style as well, or just his personality.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

for me there aren't problems, i just expressed my opinion that is pointless to compare bonamoni driving style with the capello's one....

I don't see it as pointless at all; if DC is replaced in the TK/AM line-up, he needs to fit in - I know that's not just a question of how he drives, but I would have expected TK and AM to have a idea of how DC's replacement ought to drive......