ALMS: Audi rue smaller fuel tanks

[Plex]

Audi believe that they would have beaten the LMP2 Porsches for the first time since the second round of the season if they weren't running smaller fuel tanks.

The LMP1 Audi R10s have been unable to fight with the lighter LMP2 cars on most of the American circuits this year, but at Mid-Ohio last weekend Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner led 67 of the 134 laps.

However, due to the smaller fuel tanks that diesel cars have to run, the Audis had to put more fuel in each time, while the cars with bigger tanks were able to take on less fuel later in the race.

"We lost the race in the pits," said Werner. "At the second stop we simply lost too much time during refuelling. That's how the regulations are."

Despite losing out to the Porsches again, Pirro was pleased with Audi's performance at the weekend.

"This was a really great race," he said. "But with the smaller fuel tank we are really penalised.

"The Porsches beat us in the pits due to their bigger tanks and needing less fuel. Apart from that I'm really pleased with our performance."

Audi Sport North American team boss Dave Maraj admitted that the team had enjoyed being in the hunt for an overall victory again.

"This was quite an exciting race, but I'm a little bit disappointed that we weren't able to get the overall victory," he said.

"But it's quite obvious that the smaller fuel capacity is hurting us. Porsche were able to short fill and beat us twice out of the pits."

Pirro and Werner finished third overall ad Mid-Ohio, just 15 seconds adrift of the race-winning Porsche of Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas.

Autosport