Why didnt the Audi R8 win in 2003?
#1
10-23-2005, 07:44 AM
Why didnt the Audi R8 win in 2003?
The R8 has won Le Mans five times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005) and the overall season championship in the American Le Mans Series five times in a row (from 2000 to 2004). Joest Racing had had previous experience racing predecessors of the R8, the open-top R8R and the closed-roof R8C during the 1998-99 season. The R8 was almost unforeseen by the automobile industry, as Audi's specialty is undoubtedly all-wheel drive cars. The R8 won a hat trick at Le Mans (three wins in a row) campaigned by Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest and driven by Tom Kristensen, Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela during the 2000-2002 seasons. First time out in 2000, the team won a 1-2-3 finish, which was just a small preview of what this all-new Audi was capable of. Since then, the Audi R8 has won numerous championships and races, including wins at Le Mans in 2004 and 2005. (It should be noted, however, that the Le Mans winning Bentley Speed 8 in 2003 utilised a heavily modified 4-litre version of the engine taken from the Audi R8, campaigned by Team Bentley (Apex Motorsport) with assistance from Joest Racing and Audi Sport, and even driven by the drivers who had won in the Audis the previous three years.)
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#2
10-23-2005, 12:49 PM
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RE: Why didnt the Audi R8 win in 2003?
Bentley won in '03, huh? I trhink they were counting on a couple more dev years, and a win in '05 to mark their 75th year since a win, but screwed up and won 2 years early... stuupit Bentley. Winning before they intended to. PLUS... Plus, their intent was to have the number 8, "Speed8" come home the victor, but their #7 car took the honours and #8 was second. They can't do ANYTHING right[:@]
#3
10-23-2005, 04:57 PM
RE: Why didnt the Audi R8 win in 2003?
I didn't think that the Bentley was in the same class as the R8, due to its enclosed cockpit design. I think the Bentley won its class at LeMans(as it is the only car racing in that class), but has not won overall in recent history. The Speed 8 is a cool looking car.
#4
10-23-2005, 06:12 PM
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RE: Why didnt the Audi R8 win in 2003?
Nope! Overall win.
ORIGINAL: Autosport, 15th June 2003:
Bentley takes victory 73 years in the making
Autosport, 15th June 2003:
The number 7 Bentley, co-driven by Tom Kristensen, Guy Smith and Rinaldo Capello has come home to take a dominant victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. It marked the British marque's first win at the Circuit de la Sarthe since 1930, although Kristensen also made history, becoming the first driver to win the event four straight years.
Smith took it easy at the wheel of the Bentley in the final 60 minutes of the race, able to relax with a secure three-lap cushion back to the sister car of David Brabham, Mark Blundell and Johnny Herbert.
If the final hour of the event was relaxing for the front-runners, the battle for fifth behind the two privateer Audis certainly wasn't. Gunnar Jeannette's Panoz and Jean Marc Gounon's Courage-Judd fought wildly in the closing laps, with side-by-side action more befitting a sprint race than the final moments of a 24 hour enduro, with the Panoz eventually emerging victorious.
The faultless Veloqx Prodriver Ferrari came home to take a massive victory in the GTS class, ahead of the works Chevrolet Corvette duo.
The plucky Noel del Bello Reynard-Lehmann claimed the LMP675 honours, by virtue of not breaking down when all its rivals did. In the GT class, the Alex Job Racing Porsche held on to claim victory.
Bentley takes victory 73 years in the making
Autosport, 15th June 2003:
The number 7 Bentley, co-driven by Tom Kristensen, Guy Smith and Rinaldo Capello has come home to take a dominant victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. It marked the British marque's first win at the Circuit de la Sarthe since 1930, although Kristensen also made history, becoming the first driver to win the event four straight years.
Smith took it easy at the wheel of the Bentley in the final 60 minutes of the race, able to relax with a secure three-lap cushion back to the sister car of David Brabham, Mark Blundell and Johnny Herbert.
If the final hour of the event was relaxing for the front-runners, the battle for fifth behind the two privateer Audis certainly wasn't. Gunnar Jeannette's Panoz and Jean Marc Gounon's Courage-Judd fought wildly in the closing laps, with side-by-side action more befitting a sprint race than the final moments of a 24 hour enduro, with the Panoz eventually emerging victorious.
The faultless Veloqx Prodriver Ferrari came home to take a massive victory in the GTS class, ahead of the works Chevrolet Corvette duo.
The plucky Noel del Bello Reynard-Lehmann claimed the LMP675 honours, by virtue of not breaking down when all its rivals did. In the GT class, the Alex Job Racing Porsche held on to claim victory.
and decided to take a breather
#5
10-23-2005, 06:46 PM
RE: Why didnt the Audi R8 win in 2003?
ORIGINAL: AWDaholic
I'm assuming that Audi got BORED with winning ALL THE TIME and decided to take a breather
I'm assuming that Audi got BORED with winning ALL THE TIME
and decided to take a breather
#6
10-23-2005, 07:20 PM
RE: Why didnt the Audi R8 win in 2003?
Cool. It is hard to keep up with the stats in that series as they are always changing the classes on me. It is weird that it doesn't mention that there were no other cars competing in the class with Bentley. I'm trying to think of if there were any other closed cockpit cars in 2003. I can't remember.
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