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From YourSITE.com Motorsport News
As the sun began to climb the sky and the temperature rose, Audi continued to drive smoothly - pitting only to refuel and receive regular maintenance. All three retained their positions carved out earlier in the morning – the ADT Champion Audi #3 in first, the ADT Champion Audi #2 in third, and Audi PlayStation Team Oreca #4 in fourth. The two Pescarolos battled to rise in the ranks from their solid second and fifth positions. While the #17 Pescarolo continued to have problems with debris, the #16 had been running trouble-free and gaining around 5 seconds a lap on the lead Audi. After 11am it became apparent that the #3 Audi was having a problem with the right headlight. The rules stipulate that the headlights must work properly upon leaving the pit, and the marshall reviewing the cars upon exit attempted to flag that car down for repair. Knowing that the distance from the Pescarollo was small, Lehto blew past the marshall and out onto the track with the light flicking on and off. With a little luck, the light stayed on when Kristensen relieved Lehto. Just before 11:30am the #17 Pescarolo driven by Ayari veered off the course at the first Chicane and slammed into the tire wall, suffering severe damage on the right side. The car limped around the remaining three-quarters of the track and into the pits. The extent of the damage forced the car to be scratched. The lone Zytek #9 moved into fifth place, eight laps behind the #4 PlayStation Audi. After having taken the lead at 7:20 PM on Saturday, the #3 ADT Champion Audi continued to dominate the pack more than 20 hours into the race. The #16 Pescarollo relentlessly chipped away at the distance and by 12:50pm the two were only a lap apart. The efficiency of the ADT Champion Audi pit team earned a five-second edge to Audi, aiding in this battle to the finish. Still, fans of Audi and Pescarolo were both on the edge of their seats, wondering if the French car would close the gap in the remaining time.
The last two hours were brutal for drivers and cars. At 2:20pm the #9 Zytek driven by Hignett drove into the wall and became mired in the gravel. Having to be towed out resulted in a drop to tenth position after four GT1 class autos. At 2:30pm the Pescarolo had a brief stint in the garage for overheating. While not offering much of an advantage to Audi, it provided just a bit of breathing room for Kristensen in the leading #3 Audi. A few minutes later both Aston Martins began to exhibit serious problems – #59 was rolled into the garage for overheating repairs just as the #58 ran out of gas on the track. There was no recovery for the #58 Aston Martin. The times slowed considerably as the heat took its toll. Stress and high temperatures began to show their faces at Pescarolo, as lap times slowed to match Audi’s pace, and the remaining Pescarolo slid off the track and narrowly missed the wall along the Arnage bend. There was no need to pit, and the French car continued its pace – looking now more like it was on a run to maintain a second place podium finish rather than a push for the all-out win. At 3:15pm, Kristensen held a two-lap advantage with a 12-second gain on the Pescarollo driven by Comas who had slowed to a 3-minute 59-second lap. Biela in the #2 ADT Champion Audi after a five-lap gap completed the sandwich around the Pescarolo. Montagny in the #4 PlayStation Audi held fourth place with a solid pace of 3 minutes 45 seconds and two laps behind Biela. Speaking in an Audi hospitality suite just minutes before the close of the race, Allan McNish said, “I think that today was the most difficult [race] that Audi had to win at Le Mans.” When asked if he thought that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest was too strong with their rule implementation in regards to the R8, the Scotsman commented diplomatically, “If we win, I don’t care.” Le Mans 2005 marked another big win for Audi. Kristensen, Lehto, and Werner in the #3 ADT Champion Audi won the 73rd Le Mans, drawing out a 2-lap lead over the Pescarolo team. With an impressive run for the trophy, the Pescarolo team of Collard, Bouillion, and Comas placed second, and the #2 ADT Champion Audi team of Biela, Pirro, and McNish placed third. This was Tom Kristensen’s seventh win at Le Mans, breaking the all-time record for wins at Le Mans by a single driver. The Champion Audi #2 piloted by Frank Biela, Emanuelle Pirro and Allan McNish took third place and the French Audi PlayStation Team Oreca brought home fourth place - the Audis split only by the second place Pescarolo. The 2005 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans also marks the “swan song” Le Mans for the R8, never to return to the historic endurance race in competition unless it’s a vintage event. Earlier in the week, the R8 had been referred to as a “museum car” – a classic in competition. In fact, at the Audi press conference, where the term was coined, was held at a historic automobile museum on the grounds of “Le Circuit” where a former Le Mans-winning R8 now resides. In regards to it’s “museum car” status, Tom Kristensen stated in his post-race trophy acceptance speech, “Dr. Ullrich (Chief of Audi Sport), if the Audi R8 is a museum car, I’d like to drive it there.” This was a huge feat for Champion Racing, having a first overall win at Le Mans for an American team since 1967, before Tom Kristensen was even born. Also at the pre-race Audi press, team owner Dave Maraj said he'd consider a win here this week as a "lifetime achievement". In hitting that mark, we congratulate Maraj and the team at Champion, including the young former Speed World Challenge RS6 pit team who managed a podium finish on their first trip to Le Mans. For Dr. Ullrich, head of Audi Sport, this must also be a great feat. We hear he has his program for an R8 successor already decided, its fate determined by the Audi board in the fall of this year. Dr. Ullrich suggested any further details of the new R8 successor would be made at that time. However, we think he should have an easier argument to make when he faces the board later this year. Look for additional, more detailed coverage from Le Mans on Fourtitude throughout the week.
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