Audi R10: The unbeatable diesel!

Another race, another victory for the Audi R10 at the ALMS series.

After its fourth race, the Audi R10 TDI remains unbeaten: The prototype which became the first diesel-powered sportscar to win the Le Mans 24 Hour race, added another victory in the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series in Portland. In the third race for the Audi R10 TDI in the US, Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) triumphed ahead of their team-mates Frank Biela (Germany) and Emanuele Pirro (Italy) to score the first double victory of the Audi R10 TDI.

The two Audi sportscars started the race from the second and third rows. After a late change of regulations in which the organizers allowed the strongest competitor in the LM P1 class, the Dyson-Lola team, to reduce the weight of the car by 88 lbs. to 1892 lbs., the Audi drivers Dindo Capello and Emanuele Pirro had to be content in qualifying with positions three and five respectively. Because the weight reduction change had not been made giving the mandatory 14-day notification, organizer's IMSA and the Dyson team agreed a compromise. The two Lola sportscars started the race with a minimum weight of 1936 lbs.

At the start of the race staged on the 12-turn, 1.944-mile track featuring few overtaking opportunities, Emanuele Pirro was second behind Guy Smith in the Dyson-Lola. Dindo Capello followed in fourth after a delay at the first corner behind the "pole-sitter" Butch Leitzinger (Dyson-Lola). When the leading teams pitted during a yellow after 45 minutes for "full service" including driver change, fuel and tires, Frank Biela took over the #1 Audi R10 TDI and snatched the lead at the re-start on lap 54 with Allan McNish, now at the wheel of the #2 Audi, in second. Moments later Allan McNish took the lead from Biela. After 142-laps, the two R10 TDI sportscars claimed the first Audi diesel 1-2 victory.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, Audi R10

Source: PR Newswire, picture by Audi

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