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Audi Pulls Out Of American Le Mans Series

The Associated Press

This June, 2008 file photo shows the Audi No.2 car driven by Tom Kristensen passing mechanics and technicians celebrating after winning the 76th 24 hours Le Mans motor race, at Le Mans race track in western France. Audi is pulling out of the American Le Mans Series, ending a dominating nine-year run in which its cars won the LMP1 class championship every season.

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Highlands Today Staff Report

Published: December 5, 2008

Updated:

FRANKFURT, Germany - Audi is pulling out of the American Le Mans Series, ending a dominating nine-year run in which its cars won the LMP1 class championship every season.

Audi motor sports chief Wolfgang Ullrich said Friday the German car maker wanted to concentrate on Europe "in these difficult economic times."

The announcement came on the same day that Honda said it was pulling out of Formula One, as car makers around the world have been hit by massive declines in sales amid the global financial downturn.

Ullrich said the decision to drop out was "a difficult one" since Audi helped establish what he called a "fascinating motor sports series."

"Our brand dominated the last season with seven wins in 11 races," he said.

The racing cars in the series used so-called TDI technology - or Turbocharged Direct Injection for diesel engines - which "perfectly supported" the launch of the technology in the United States, Ullrich said.

Audi will continue to race in the 24-hour race in Le Mans, France, and will also keep its cars in the German touring cars (DTM) series, as well in the 12-hour race in Sebring.

"It wasn't a huge shock when I heard the news about Audi leaving ALMS," Sebring communications director Ken Breslauer said. "With the economy the way it is, it makes sense that they concentrate on the European circuit.

"Where it's going to hurt ALMS is all the tracks after Sebring won't have the dominant car."

Breslauer has seen this happen before (Nissan and Porsche both left ALMS in the early 1990s) and said it always opens the door for another manufacturer.

"I think this really paves the way for Acura to become the lead car in the LMP1 class," Breslauer said. "I know Acura would probably like to beat Audi head-to-head, but this is the stage that's set.

"The lineup at Sebring is going to just as strong as last year, with Audi returning and Peugeot entering two cars next year along with Acura. The 12 Hours is going to be as strong as ever."

American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton expressed nothing but praise for Audi following its announcement that it will depart after the first event of the 2009 season, calling Audi's near-legendary accomplishments and technological advancements "the pinnacle of achievement in sports car racing."

"I cannot say enough about how great a partner, competitor and participant Audi has been since it first competed in the Series in 1999," said Atherton about the auto manufacturer that literally rewrote the record books for the world's premier sports car series. "We understand that the economic climate is forcing many companies to make very difficult decisions. We will welcome Audi back to the American Le Mans Series stage at the appropriate time to compete against our world-class group of race teams and manufacturers.

"Audi, along with Dave Maraj and his Champion Racing organization, have established the benchmark for how a motorsports organization should be run," Atherton added. "They raised the game for all our competitors with their innovation, work ethic, professionalism and accomplishments, which are major reasons why the American Le Mans Series enjoyed its most successful season ever this year."

Audi's new state-of-the-art R15 TDI sport prototype will still make its debut, however, in the American Le Mans Series. With its new revolutionary clean diesel-powered prototype, Audi will attempt to record its 10th consecutive victory at America's most iconic sports car race, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on March 21. After that, it returns to Europe to prepare for its defense of the 24 Hours of Le Mans championship.

Audi campaigned its first full season in the American Le Mans Series in 2000. By the end of the 2008 season, it had recorded 55 LMP1 class victories, including 30 consecutive wins from Sebring 2006 to Detroit 2008. Its dominance was unmatched, particularly in the endurance classics where it excelled unlike any other. Audi won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans nine times each. In 2005, the Maraj-led Champion Racing team from Pompano Beach, FL became the first American-based team to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 38 years. A year later, Audi introduced the revolutionary R10 TDI turbo diesel, often called the world's most technically advanced and sophisticated race car. It has captured Le Mans every year since that debut.

"The decision to withdraw from the American Le Mans Series was a very difficult one," said Ullrich. "Furthermore, with the Champion Racing team, we also had a partner that operates at the highest level. The extraordinary dedication and precision of Team Champion was the key to Audi's victories over the last few years in America. We achieved an unprecedented winning series together. Our brand dominated proceedings last season by taking seven wins in 11 races. TDI-Technology supported perfectly the launch of Audi-TDI Technology in the USA."

The Associated Press contributed to this article. The Highlands Today sports department can be reached at 863-386-5841 or sports@highlandstoday.com.

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