Motorsport News: Russ Bonds Weekly Report

Vin Diesel!

There may well be a new king of manufacturers in the Sports car world. It used to be, if you wanted to win a sports car race, you went out and plunked down your dough on the Porsche de jour and off you went - trophies were soon to follow. Well, now all that has changed - not overnight, but it has changed.

Audi, after demonstrating their products in British Touring Cars, the Trans Am series, Rallying, and others, built the consummate long distance sports car - the R8. Victory after victory followed at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring, and just about every other venue that the ALMS series runs at. Other teams took their best shots at the R8, but it couldnt be dethroned - until now.

For many, the retirement of the R8 was welcome news. Then came word that the R10 would be diesel-powered, which actually gave a glimmer of hope to everyone else. The thought of having a diesel-powered car race, let alone win anything substantial, seemed to be a pipe dream at best.

This past weekend at Sebring - debut of the new R10 diesel - shattered the dreams of all the other LMP teams. The new R10 diesel was dominant.

Audi is the new king of manufacturers in the Sports car world. (Photo: Audi Sport)

One of the two entries took the pole, and then went on to claim the victory.

The V12 powered Audi R10 TDI was in very capable hands.� Dindo Capello (Italy), Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Allan McNish (Scotland) took the victory, while the second entry, in the hands of Frank Biela (Germany), Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany) had to retire due to overheating problems.

The list of problems for the R10 was fairly short - and for the other teams - and probably not that difficult to solve. Heat exchangers and fuel filters, along with a wheel problem was all that went wrong.

With this historic win - the first for a diesel powered car - it makes you wonder just how many other manufacturers have scrapped engine plans on this Monday morning. Word is that Peugeot is coming to Le Mans with a diesel, and for sure, others will be following suit. Realistically,

The new Audi R10 diesel was dominant throughout the 12 hours of Sebring. (Photo: Audi Sport)

this has the potential to change the sportscar world as never before.

"Audi has once again written motorsport history, this time by being the first manufacturer to win an endurance race with a diesel powered sportscar," said a very proud Prof Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of AUDI AG after the race.� "This impressively confirms the efficiency of the modern TDI technology. It is especially remarkable that this success was achieved at the very first race of the new Audi R10 TDI. The whole team from Audi Sport and the Technical Development of Audi has once again done a great job. I thank everyone who is participating in this ambitious project."

Audi has earned the right to brag, as what they have accomplished is a huge feat. This is something that could also change the buying publics impression of diesel engines, especially the perception that they are noisy and smell bad, which reporters in the pits attested was not the case

The list of problems for the R10 was fairly short and probably not that difficult to solve. (Photo: Audi Sport)

at all, and that is something Audi is counting on.
"Audi has again done something extraordinary. With this victory we really make a new chapter about motorsport history," said driver Dindo Capello. "It reminds me when Audi started rallying with the quattro to show that four-wheel drive is good not only for farm vehicles. When Audi announced it would go racing with a Diesel engine, maybe many people did not take us seriously. But I think now they will not laugh anymore about us."

For sure, no one is laughing, except maybe Audi itself, which could well be laughing all the way to the bank as diesel sales soar over the next few months.

In the other classes, Jon and Clint Field along with Liz Halliday took P2 honors over the new Porsche Spyder, while Team Corvette rebounded from last year with the #3 car of Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen, taking the GT1 win. Scott Maxwell was part of the winning GT2 effort. Maxwell along with David Brabham and Sebastien Bourdais took their Panoz Esperante

"Audi has once again written motorsport history, this time by being the first manufacturer to win an endurance race with a diesel powered sportscar," said Audi Chairman, Prof Dr Martin Winterkorn.

to a same lap victory over a Porsche GT3R.

Results (bold denotes class winners):

1. (1) Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Tom Kristensen, Denmark; Allan McNish, Scotland; Audi R10 TDI Power (1, P1), 349.
2. (28) Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Liz Halliday, Rancho Santa Fe, CA; Lola B05/40 AER (2, P2), 345.
3. (12) Oliver Gavin, England; Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Corvette C6-R (3, GT1), 338.
4. (10) Stephane Sarrazin, France; Jason Bright, Australia; Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal; Aston Martin DB9 (4, GT1), 337.
5. (6) James Weaver, England; Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Andy Wallace, England; Lola B06/10 AER (5, P1), 336.
6. (11) Darren Turner, England; Nicolas Kiesa, Denmark; Tomas Enge, Czech Republic; Aston Martin DB9 (6, GT1), 324.
7. (13) Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny OConnell,

Chevys C6.R #4 driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Jan Magnussen, took GT1 honors. (Photo: Richard Prince, GM Racing)

Flowery Branch, GA; Max Papis, Italy; Corvette C6-R (7, GT1), 324.
8. (3) Lucas Luhr, Germany; Emmanuel Collard, France; Sascha Maassen, Germany; Porsche RS Spyder (8, P2), 323, Mechanical.
9. (15) David Brabham, Australia; Sebastien Bourdais, France; Scott Maxwell, Canada; Panoz Esperante GTLM (9, GT2), 320.
10. (20) Marc Lieb, Germany; Johannes vanOverbeek, San Francisco, CA; Jon Fogarty, Los Gatos, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (10, GT2), 320.
11. (16) Ralf Kelleners, Germany; Jaime Melo, Brazil; Anthony Lazzaro, Acworth, GA; Ferrari 430 GT Berlinetta (11, GT2), 320.
12. (9) William Binnie, Portsmouth, NH; Alan Timpany, England; Rick Sutherland, Los Gatos, CA; Lola B05/40 Zytek (12, P2), 317.
13. (23) Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Lonnie Pechnik, Pacific Grove, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (13, GT2), 315.
14. (21) Richard Dean, England; Tom Kimber-Smith, England; Lawrence Tomilson, Ireland; Panoz Esperante GTLM (14, GT2), 312.
15. (18) Mike Rockenfeller, Germany; Klaus Graf, Germany; Graham Rahal, New Albany, OH; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (15, GT2), 311.
16. (8) Michael Vergers, England; Elton Julian, Los Angeles, CA;

Renaults Giancarlo Fisichella maintained front position from beginning of the Malaysian Grand Prix to the end. (Photo: Renault F1)

Juan Barazi, Switzerland; Courage C65 (16, P2), 293.
17. (19) Jorg Bergmeister, Germany; Nic Jonsson, Sweden; Tim Bergmeister, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (17, GT2), 292.
18. (25) Joeren Bleekemolen, Netherlands; Mike Hezemans, The Netherlands; Spyker C8 Spyder Audi (18, GT2), 281.
19. (32) Terry Borcheller, Gainesville, GA; Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, WI; Jean-Philippe Belloc, France; Saleen S7R (19, GT1), 275.
20. (26) Tim Sudgen, England; Jim Matthews, Boca Raton, FL; Wolf Henzler, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (20, GT2), 267, Transmission.
21. (22) Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, VA; Jep Thornton, Orlando, FL; Mark Patterson, Bronxville, NY; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (21, GT2), 263, Engine.
22. (31) Guy Cosmo, Long Island, NY; Raphael Matos, Brazil; Jamie Bach, West Palm Beach, FL; Courage C65 Mazda (22, P2), 262, Overheating.
23. (35) Peter Kox, The Netherlands; Donny Crevels, The Netherlands; Spyker C8 Spyder Audi (23, GT2), 248.
24. (24) Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Pierre Ehret, Santa Rosa, CA; Lars Nielsen, Denmark; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (24, GT2), 198.
25. (33) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Ian James, England; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; BMW E46 M3 (25, GT2), 197.
26. (4) Timo Bernhard, Germany; Romain Dumas, France; Patrick Long, Oak Park,

Seeing Jacques Villeneuve pass Jarno Trullis Toyota to finish a solid seventh was enough to bring smiles to many faces. (Photo: BMW Sauber F1)

CA; Porsche RS Spyder (26, P2), 193, Clutch.
27. (5) Guy Smith, England; Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Lola B06/10 AER (27, P1), 173, Overheating.
28. (27) Jan Vonka, Czech Republic; Mauro Casadel, Italy; Bo McCormick, England; Porsche 911 GT3 RS (28, GT2), 130, Engine.
29. (7) Duncan Dayton, North Salem, NY; Gregor Fisken, Scotland; Rick Knoop, Laguna Beach, CA; Lola EX257 AER (29, P1), 128, Mechanical.
30. (34) Justin Marks, Sacramento, CA; Bryan Sellers, Centerville, OH; Martin Jensen, Denmark; BMW E46 M3 (30, GT2), 124, Gearbox.
31. (30) Michael Lewis, San Diego, CA; Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Lola EX257 AER (31, P1), 121, Mechanical.
32. (2) Frank Biela, Germany; Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Marco Werner, Germany; Audi R10 TDI Power (32, P1), 117, Overheating.
33. (17) Gunnar Jeannette, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Bruno Junqueira, Brazil; Panoz Esperante GTLM (33, GT2), 71, Drivetrain.
34. (14) Fabio Babini, Italy; Jamie Davies, England; Paolo Ruberti, Italy; Saleen S7R (34, GT1), 66, Gearbox.
35. (29) Andy Lally, New York, NY; James Gue, Athens, GA; Andrew Davis, Lilburn, GA; Courage C65 AER (35, P2), 62, Gearbox.

Page: 1

ADD TO:

Digg

Del.icio.us

Google

Blink

Furl

Simpy

Spurl

Y! MyWeb

Your Comments

Enter review title	Choose a star rating	Type in your review
Your Name (optional)	Your Email (optional)

Relatd Vehicle Listings

User Tools

	Discuss in our Forums

	Photos of Car

	Print this Auto News

	Email this Auto News

NEW PRICE QUOTE

Get a FREE, No-Obligation Internet Price Quote for !


Find Dealer \| Search Auto Listings for

Acura Audi Bentley BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Daewoo Dodge Eagle Ferrari Ford Geo GMC Honda Hummer Hyundai Infiniti Isuzu Jaguar Jeep Kia Lamborghini Lexus Lincoln Lotus Maserati Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercury MINI Mitsubishi Nissan Oldsmobile Plymouth Pontiac Porsche Saab Saturn Scion Subaru Suzuki Toyota Volkswagen Volvo