Audi goes diesel for Le Mans

Audi hopes its R10 TDI will fare as well as the R8.

After 30,000km of testing and 1500 hours on engine dynamometers, Audi says it is ready to become the first carmaker to win the 24-hour Le Mans race with a diesel-powered race car.

The German company believes the target this weekend is in no way too ambitious - its R10 TDI won the 12-hour race at Sebring on its race debut.

Audi has already won Le Mans five times with the R8, if victory in 2003 with the Bentley Speed 8 is included.

Audi motorsport chief Dr Wolfgang Ullrich says the challenge is bigger this time because Le Mans is twice as long a race than Sebring. "For Audi, Le Mans is the most important race of the year," says Ullrich.

"The R10 TDI is a completely new car with an all-new engine.

"We have tested intensively and are well prepared.

"But we know that we can encounter many unexpected things and that a Le Mans victory depends on many factors.

The aluminium V12 power unit in the R10 TDI produces 485kW (650bhp) and 1100Nm of torque.

Dr Ullrich says tyres, clutch and gearbox must come to terms, just like the drivers - Frank Biela, Dindo Capello, Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner - with these enormous forces over a 24-hour period. The two R10 TDI race cars reeled off their first laps around the Le Mans circuit on June 4, the only opportunity to test on the circuit, which partly runs over public roads.

"Le Mans is the greatest sportscar race in the world," Biela said.

"It's always something very special for me to drive at Le Mans - even more with special projects. The R10 TDI is the first prototype with a TDI engine and again something extraordinary.

"The car was very good from the beginning, we had to address only some small issues.

"We've seen at Sebring that the car has the speed. It is also reliable. However, for such a long race you have always to keep your fingers crossed.

And Capello said: "I've been driving a TDI privately for 10 years. Obviously the V12 TDI of the R10 is much more powerful, but there are some things in comparison to the road cars, especially with regard to the torque, how quiet the engine is and the way it starts.

"The R10 TDI is really beautiful to drive. It's probably the race car I like most in my entire career. The power you get at low revs is something unique.

"We want to repeat our Sebring victory, but we know how difficult this will be and that it is impossible to make a forecast for such a long race."

The grid positions will be decided today and tomorrow and the start on Saturday (European time) will be an hour later than normal because of the World Cup soccer match between Portugal and Iran.