Audi to enter third R18 following Loic Duval's huge crash
#1
06-12-2014, 04:08 PM
Audi to enter third R18 following Loic Duval's huge crash
Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Hybrid, Audi, Diesel, Racing
When we saw the picture above yesterday, our first thought went to driver Loic Duval. After hearing that he, miraculously, walked away from the annihilated heap that had been the number one Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, our next thought went Audi's hopes in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the race kicking off on Saturday, we couldn't be sure if the team would run a two-car effort (that would put them on even footing with the two-car teams of Porsche and Toyota), attempt to rebuild the decimated racer or bring in a new tub and start from scratch.
Turns out, Audi opted for door number three, importing an all-new chassis to replace the destroyed R18. According to Audi, the team pulled an all-nighter to ready the new car in time for scrutineering and the second round of qualifying.
Because it was the defending race champion involved in the wreck, the ACO allowed Audi to bring in a new chassis and swipe its reserve driver, Marc Gene, from the Jota Toyota LMP2 team, in place of Duval. According to Reuters, Duval was precluded from driving by doctors following the crash as a safety measure. Gene, meanwhile, is no stranger to Audi's LMP efforts, having run as a primary driver for the team in 2012 and 2013. He's also won Le Mans with the now-defunct Peugeot team.
"The accident looked horrible," said Chris Reinke, Head Audi Sport's LMP efforts. "It speaks for the safety concept of the Audi R18 and the Le Mans prototypes that Loic survived the enormous crash nearly uninjured. We're relieved to see that he's well, considering the circumstances."
There's still no guarantee that the number one car and its drivers, Lucas di Grassi, Tom Kristensen and Duval's replacement, Mark Gene, will make it to the starting line. Due to the wreck, none of the drivers have completed their mandatory night laps. Were something to go wrong with the new car before that takes place, car number one could be missing from the 2014 24-hour race.
Take a look below for the official statement from Audi, and be sure to tune in to the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans. For our American viewers, Fox Sports 1 will kick off pre-race coverage at 8:30 AM on June 14, and run flag-to-flag between FS1, Fox Sports 2 and the Fox Sports Go mobile app.Continue reading Audi to enter third R18 following Loic Duval's huge crash
Audi to enter third R18 following Loic Duval's huge crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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When we saw the picture above yesterday, our first thought went to driver Loic Duval. After hearing that he, miraculously, walked away from the annihilated heap that had been the number one Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, our next thought went Audi's hopes in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the race kicking off on Saturday, we couldn't be sure if the team would run a two-car effort (that would put them on even footing with the two-car teams of Porsche and Toyota), attempt to rebuild the decimated racer or bring in a new tub and start from scratch.
Turns out, Audi opted for door number three, importing an all-new chassis to replace the destroyed R18. According to Audi, the team pulled an all-nighter to ready the new car in time for scrutineering and the second round of qualifying.
After a lot of hard work the rebuilt #Audi R18 e-tron quattro No. 1 is almost complete #R18 #LM24 @FIAWEC pic.twitter.com/xicPj0wScW
- Audi Sport (@Audi__Sport) June 12, 2014
According to Autoblog staffer Jonathon Ramsey, who is on the ground at Le Mans, Audi said Duval's in-car camera stopped working about 15 minutes into qualifying, meaning the team is still in the dark about just what caused the wreck. The accident itself happened in the last left-hander of the Porsche Curves. Duval lost control, and the car "spun, went airborne, hit the wall and slid a good 80 meters," Ramsey said via email.- Audi Sport (@Audi__Sport) June 12, 2014
Because it was the defending race champion involved in the wreck, the ACO allowed Audi to bring in a new chassis and swipe its reserve driver, Marc Gene, from the Jota Toyota LMP2 team, in place of Duval. According to Reuters, Duval was precluded from driving by doctors following the crash as a safety measure. Gene, meanwhile, is no stranger to Audi's LMP efforts, having run as a primary driver for the team in 2012 and 2013. He's also won Le Mans with the now-defunct Peugeot team.
"The accident looked horrible," said Chris Reinke, Head Audi Sport's LMP efforts. "It speaks for the safety concept of the Audi R18 and the Le Mans prototypes that Loic survived the enormous crash nearly uninjured. We're relieved to see that he's well, considering the circumstances."
There's still no guarantee that the number one car and its drivers, Lucas di Grassi, Tom Kristensen and Duval's replacement, Mark Gene, will make it to the starting line. Due to the wreck, none of the drivers have completed their mandatory night laps. Were something to go wrong with the new car before that takes place, car number one could be missing from the 2014 24-hour race.
Take a look below for the official statement from Audi, and be sure to tune in to the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans. For our American viewers, Fox Sports 1 will kick off pre-race coverage at 8:30 AM on June 14, and run flag-to-flag between FS1, Fox Sports 2 and the Fox Sports Go mobile app.Continue reading Audi to enter third R18 following Loic Duval's huge crash
Audi to enter third R18 following Loic Duval's huge crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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