Le Mans 24 Hours 2011

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Audi reveals what it takes to win Le Mans in epic ad



The film, entitled 'A day in the life of an Audi driver', was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty and is fronted by two-time Le Mans winner, Allan McNish.

It will be shown immediately before the kick-off during ITV and Sky Sports' live coverage of Manchester United's clash with Barcelona on Saturday (28 May).

Sky 3D will broadcast a 3D version of the film, which will then be rolled out to cinemas nationwide.

It is the first time Audi has run a 3D ad and the first time it has used a spokesperson in its promotional campaigns.

McNish explains how Audi's exceptional planning, teamwork and the driver’s remarkable skill and physical prowess have helped it win the 24 Heures du Mans race nine times in the past 11 years.

At BBH, the creative directors for the campaign were Kev Stark and Nick Kidney. Stark handled art direction and Kidney wrote the ad, together with McNish. Illustrations were by Tim Marrs.

The film was directed by Chris Hemming and produced and post-produced by Passion Pictures. Sound was by Factory Studios.

The TV and cinema campaign comes ahead of this year's race on Saturday 11 June and will be supported by print activity, a special supplement in The Sunday Times and an app.

The film can also be watched on the Audi website and YouTube.

Media planning and buying was by MediaCom.

Campaignlive.co.uk

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Treluyer takes pole for Audi


Audi secured the front row of the grid for the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours thanks to an opportunist lap by Benoit Treluyer with 40 minutes of the final qualifying session left to run. Peugeot fought back but its drivers' efforts were ultimately thwarted by traffic. The Simon Pagenaud/Sebastien Bourdais/Pedro Lamy Peugeot 908 lined up third on the grid behind the R18s of Treluyer/Marcel Fassler/Andre Lotterer and Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Mike Rockenfeller.

The first sorties in the battle for pole were fought in the opening minutes as Bourdais in the #9 Peugeot and Tom Kristensen in the #3 Audi essayed fast laps on fresh tyres. Traffic precluded them from improving on their cars' times from the previous session straight away, and it was Dumas in the #1 Audi who found a clear lap to vault from fifth place to the top of the timesheets with a 3m25.799s. Kristensen took over a second out of the #3 R18's fastest time from the previous session but it was not enough to move the car up the order.

Anthony Davidson spun at the Ford chicane before starting his first flying lap and then hit traffic, and further attempts to improve the #7 Peugeot's time were stymied by a red flag at the 20-minute mark.

The session was stopped after 20 minutes when the #58 Ferrari of Anthony Beltoise went off on oil at Mulsanne Corner and hit the tyre barrier. Christian Klien also fell foul of the oil in the #007 Aston Martin and sustained a rear left puncture, but made it back to the pits. Twenty minutes were lost while cement dust was laid on the racing line at crucial corners between Mulsanne and the pits, particularly in the first right-hander of the Porsche Curves.

A lull followed as the leaders worked through their programmes, but with 40 minutes to run the track had cleaned sufficiently for Treluyer to post a 3m25.738s in the #2 Audi, slotting ahead of the #1 car.

With 20 minutes to go the session awoke from its torpor once more. Kristensen had another run but a promising lap was interrupted when he came across the #68 Ford GT at the exit of the Porsche Curves. He took on new tyres and a splash of fuel before heading out again, while Simon Pagenaud clocked a 3m26.010s in the #9 Peugeot to move up to third overall. Traffic interfered with further efforts and as the clock counted down to zero Kristensen spun off at Tertre Rouge.

Both Rebellion Lolas improved during the early part of the session, before it was halted. Neel Jani posted a 3m32.883s to surpass the #16 Pescarolo as the quickest petrol-powered car, while Andrea Bellichi's 3m34.573s fell a second and a half short.

The Soheil Ayari/Franck Mailleux/Lucas Ordonez Signatech ORECA-Nissan remained at the head of the LMP2 field but did not surpass its 3m41.458s, lining up 14th overall. Once again, Strakka Racing's rebuilt HPD ARX.01 did not improve upon the 3m42.615s Jonny Kane recorded in the car during last night's qualifying session, but it remained unbeaten by its other rivals and will start 16th.

Augusto Farfus set the fastest GTE Pro time thus far in the #55 BMW just before the stoppage. His 3m57.592s is nearly half a second clear of the #51 Ferrari driven by Gianmaria Bruni/Toni Vilander/Giancarlo Fisichella, which improved to 3m58.040. The Ferrari therefore moves ahead of the Andy Priaulx/Dirk Muller/Joey Hand #56 BMW, which did not take part in the session.

AF Corse's #61 Ferrari driven by Piergiuseppe Perazzini, Marco Cioci and Sean Paul Breslin took a clear lead in the GTE Am class, edging into the GT Pro tail-enders with a 4m01.282s, over a second quicker than the previous session. Its nearest opposition, the #63 Proton Competition Porsche, did not improve on its previous best of 4m03.532s.


Pos Cl Drivers Team/Car Time
1. LMP1 Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer Audi R18 TDI 3m25.738s
2. LMP1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller Audi R18 TDI 3m25.799s
3. LMP1 Lamy/Bourdais/Pagenaud Peugeot 908 3m26.010s
4. LMP1 Montagny/Sarrazin/Minassian Peugeot 908 3m26.156s
5. LMP1 Capello/Kristensen/McNish Audi R18 TDI 3m26.165s
6. LMP1 Gene/Wurz/Davidson Peugeot 908 3m26.272s
7. LMP1 Lapierre/Duval/Panis ORECA Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAP 3m30.084s
8. LMP1 Jani/Prost/Bleekemolen Rebellion Lola-Toyota 3m32.883s
9. LMP1 Collard/Tinseau/Jousse Pescarolo-Judd 3m33.066s
10. LMP1 Belicchi/Boullion/Smith Rebellion Lola-Toyota 3m34.573s
11. LMP1 Monteiro/Moreau/Ragues Oak Pescarolo-Judd 3m34.933s
12. LMP1 Ickx/Martin/Leinders Kronos Aston Martin 3m36.551s
13. LMP1 Amaral/Pla/Hughes Quifel-ASM Zytek 3m37.393s
14. LMP2 Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari Signatech ORECA-Nissan 3m41.458s
15. LMP1 Hein/Nicolet/Yvon Oak Pescarolo-Judd 3m41.908s
16. LMP2 Leventis/Watts/Kane Strakka HPD ARX-01d 3m42.615s
17. LMP2 Premat/Hallyday/Kraihamer Oreca-Nissan 3m43.098s
18. LMP2 Perez Companc/Russo/Kaffer Pecom Lola-Judd 3m43.223s
19. LMP2 Nakano/De Crem/Charouz Oak Racing Pescarolo-BMW 3m43.479s
20. LMP2 Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard Greaves Zytek-Nissan 3m43.812s
21. LMP2 Frey/Meichtry/Rostan Race Performance ORECA-Judd 3m44.294s
22. LMP1 Mucke/Turner/Klien Aston Martin AMR-One 3m45.918s
23. LMP2 Erdos/Newton/Collins RML HPD ARX-01d 3m47.308s
24. LMP1 Zacchia/Lammers/Elgaard Hope ORECA 3m47.691s
25. LMP1 Primat/Fernandez/Meyrick Aston Martin AMR-One 3m48.355s
26. LMP2 Rosier/Haezbrouck/Fournoux Extreme Limite Norma-Judd 3m48.420s
27. LMP2 Barlesi/Da Rocha/Lafargue Oak Pescarolo-Judd 3m48.665s
28. LMP2 Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa Level 5 Lola-Honda 3m48.863s
30. GTE P Farfus/Muller/Werner BMW M3 3m57.592s
29. GTE P Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander AF Corse Ferrari 3m58.040s
31. GTE P Priaulx/Muller/Hand BMW M3 3m58.426s
32. GTE P Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook Corvette C6 ZR1 3m59.519s
33. GTE P Farnbacher/Simonsen/Keen Farnbacher Ferrari 3m59.519s
34. GTE P Beretta/Milner/Garcia Corvette C6 ZR1 3m59.633s
35. GTE P Lieb/Lietz/Henzler Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 3m59.662s
36. GTE P Ortelli/Makowiecki/Melo Luxury Racing Ferrari 3m59.901s
37. GTE P Goossens/Holzer/Van Lagen Prospeed Porsche 3m59.962s
38. GTE P Dolan/Hancock/Buncombe Jota Aston Martin 4m00.747s
39. GTE P Bell/Sugden/Maasen JMW Ferrari 4m00.890s
40. GTE P Bergmeister/Long/Luhr Flying Lizard Porsche 4m01.024s
41. GTE P Beltoise/Jakubowski/Thiret Luxury Racing Ferrari 4m01.176s
42. GTE A Perazzini/Cioci/Breslin AF Corse Ferrari 4m01.282s
43. GTE P Al Faisal/Tandy/Miller Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 4m01.752s
44. GTE P Kauffman/Waltrip/Aguas AF Corse Ferrari 4m02.216s
45. GTE P Pilet/Narac/Armindo IMSA Performance Porsche 4m02.548s
46. GTE A Felbermayr/Felbermayr/Ried Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 4m03.532s
47. GTE A Niemen/Law/Pumpelly Flying Lizard Porsche 4m03.648s
48. GTE A Bourret/Gibon/Belloc Larbre Porsche 4m03.918s
49. GTE A Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc JMB ORECA 4m04.640s
50. GTE A Giroix/Goethe/Wainwright Gulf Aston Martin 4m04.825s
51. GTE A Krohn/Jonsson/Rugulo Krohn Ferrari 4m05.211s
52. GTE A Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel Larbre Porsche 4m05.955s
53. GTE A Ehret/Lynn/Wills CRS Ferrari 4m07.236s
54. GTE P Hirschi/Rossiter/Mowlem Jetalliance Lotus Evora 4m07.465s
55. GTE A Robertson/Robertson/Murry Robertson Racing Ford-Doran 4m08.208s
56. GTE P Rich/Slingerland/Hartshorne Jetalliance Lotus Evora 4m12.569s

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Audi triumph in Le Mans classic

Andre Lotterer handed Audi victory in a classic Le Mans 24 Hours, taking the chequered flag less than 10s ahead of Simon Pagenaud in the nearest #9 Peugeot.

The final 30 minutes were a fitting end to what has been a spectacular race, with the #2 Audi proving equal to everything Peugeot could throw at it - and even coming close to lap record pace in the final 20 minutes.

With both cars needing to pit one final time, Pagenaud in the Peugeot upped his pace and regularly dipped under the 3m30s bracket, only to see Lotterer in the Audi respond by going even faster.

The #2 Audi made its final stop on lap 343, and it was immediately followed in by Pagenaud in the Peugeot, just 24s down the road. The German marque then rolled the dice by electing to change tyres, while the #9 908 opted just for fuel and consequently came out just seven seconds behind.

Lotterer quickly extended that advantage to more than 10s, which gave him a small but precious comfort barrier as traffic and spots of rain in the final 20 minutes threatened to add more drama to an already enthralling Le Mans.

Pagenaud was relentless in his pursuit of the Audi, however, keeping the gap below 20s to ensure the Audi could not afford even the slightest mistake.

Under such scrutiny Lotterer proved faultless, claiming an incredible and richly deserved victory in a classic edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Nicolas Minassian ensured Peugeot took the bottom two steps of the podium, finishing third in the #8, while Marc Gene finished fourth in the sister #7 car.

Nicolas Lapierre finished fifth in the #10 Matmut Peugeot, ahead of Neel Jani in the sole surviving petrol LMP1 car, the #12 Rebellion Lola.

Olivier Lombard took an emphatic victory in LMP2 for the #41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan, which finished with a lead of more than seven laps.

Soheil Ayari in the #26 Signatech Nissan took the flag in second in LMP2, less than one lap clear of the #33 Level 5 Motorsports Lola-HPD in third.

Antonio Garcia continued to stretch the lead of the #73 Corvette at the head of the GTE Pro field, finishing more than one lap clear of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari. Third went to the #56 BMW M3 GT.

The #50 Larbre Competition Corvette meanwhile took victory by just over one lap in the GTE Am class.

NOTES:

- Jan Magnussen lost control of the GTE Pro-leading #74 Chevrolet Corvette and crashed into the #63 Proton Porsche during the 17th hour, putting both cars out.

- Jean-Christophe Boullion crashed the Rebellion Lola-Toyota in the 14th hour at the Porsche Curves. He had been running eighth at the time of the shunt.

- Mike Rockenfeller was taken to hospital following a frightening accident that totally destroyed the #1 Audi in the seventh hour of the race. The German had been running third when he made contact with a GTE Ferrari at kink after Mulsanne. Audi later confirmed that the German would be kept in overnight for observation but that he was okay.

- The #3 Audi of Allan McNish crashed out of the race in the first hour having just taken second position. The Scot collected the #58 Luxury Racing Ferrari in the right-hander after the Dunlop Bridge. The heavy impact destroyed the car and McNish was taken to hospital for precautionary checks, but was later released with an all-clear.

- Both Aston Martin AMR Ones ran into trouble on the first lap of the race. Darren Turner spinning with mechanical trouble and Adrian Fernandez stopping out on the Mulsanne. The #007 car of Turner was recovered to the pits where it was discovered an alternator belt tensioner was to blame.

POSITIONS AFTER 24 HOURS

Pos Car Team Class Gap
1. #2 Audi Audi Sport Team Joest (LMP1)
2. #9 Peugeot Team Peugeot Total (LMP1) + 13.854
3. #8 Peugeot Peugeot Sport Total (LMP1) + 2 Laps
4. #7 Peugeot Peugeot Sport Total (LMP1) + 4 Laps
5. #10 Peugeot Team Oreca-Matmut (LMP1) + 16 Laps
6. #12 Lola Rebellion Racing (LMP1) + 17 Laps
7. #22 Lola Kronos Racing (LMP1) + 27 Laps
8. #41 Zytek Greaves Motorsport (LMP2) + 29 Laps
9. #26 Oreca Signatech Nissan (LMP2) + 35 Laps
10. #33 Lola Level 5 Motorsports (LMP2) + 36 Laps
11. #73 Corvette Corvette Racing (GTEP) + 41 Laps
12. #36 HPD RML (LMP2) + 41 Laps
13. #51 Ferrari AF Corse (GTEP) + 41 Laps
14. #49 OAK OAK Racing (LMP2) + 42 Laps
15. #56 BMW BMW Motorsport (GTEP) + 42 Laps
16. #77 Porsche Team Felbermayr-Proton (GTEP) + 43 Laps
17. #76 Porsche IMSA Performance Matmut (GTEP) + 44 Laps
18. #80 Porsche Flying Lizard Motorsports (GTEP) + 45 Laps
19. #40 Oreca Race Performance (LMP2) + 51 Laps
20. #50 Corvette Larbre Competition (GTEA) + 53 Laps
21. #70 Porsche Larbre Competition (GTEA) + 54 Laps
22. #65 Lotus Lotus Jetalliance (GTEP) + 60 Laps
23. #75 Porsche Prospeed Competition (GTEP) + 62 Laps
24. #66 Ferrari JMW Motorsport (GTEP) + 65 Laps
25. #35 OAK OAK Racing (LMP2) + 67 Laps
26. #68 Ford Robertson Racing (GTEA) + 70 Laps
27. #83 Ferrari JMB Racing (GTEA) + 83 Laps
28. #44 Norma Extr (LMP2) + 108 Laps
29. #16 Pescarolo Pescarolo Team (LMP1) Retired
30. #55 BMW BMW Motorsport (GTEP) Retired
31. #74 Corvette Corvette Racing (GTEP) Retired
32. #81 Porsche Flying Lizard Motorsports (GTEA) Retired
33. #48 Oreca Team Oreca-Matmut (LMP2) Retired
34. #63 Porsche Proton Competition (GTEA) Retired
35. #13 Lola Rebellion Racing (LMP1) Retired
36. #61 Ferrari AF Corse (GTEA) Retired
37. #59 Ferrari Luxury Racing (GTEP) Retired
38. #71 Ferrari AF Corse (GTEP) Retired
39. #88 Porsche Team Felbermayr-Proton (GTEP) Retired
40. #42 HPD Strakka Racing (LMP2) Retired
41. #60 Aston Gulf AMR Middle East (GTEA) Retired
42. #39 Lola PeCom Racing (LMP2) Retired
43. #89 Ferrari Hankook Team Farnbacher (GTEP) Retired
44. #58 Ferrari Luxury Racing (GTEP) Retired
45. #64 Lotus Lotus Jetalliance (GTEP) Retired
46. #57 Ferrari Krohn Racing (GTEA) Retired
47. #24 OAK OAK Racing (LMP1) Retired
48. #1 Audi Audi Sport Team Joest (LMP1) Retired
49. #5 Oreca Hope Racing (LMP1) Retired
50. #62 Ferrari CRS Racing (GTEA) Retired
51. #15 OAK OAK Racing (LMP1) Retired
52. #79 Aston Jota (GTEP) Retired
53. #20 Zytek Quifel-ASM Team (LMP1) Retired
54. #3 Audi Audi Sport North America (LMP1) Retired
55. #007 AMR-One Aston Martin Racing (LMP1) Retired
56. #009 AMR-One Aston Martin Racing (LMP1) Retired

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