No Easter break for Scot McNishposted in LMANS22 | 04 | 2011
SCOTS LE MANS 24-HOURS winner Allan McNish, unlike the rest of the country, will not be rolling his Easter egg with the rest of the family on Sunday. Instead the 41-year-old from Dumfries will be fine tuning his brand new Audi R18 on the Le Mans circuit in an crucial one-day test.
McNish, accompanied by co-drivers Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Dindo Capello (Italy), will attempt to find a consistent, comfortable but fast set-up for their diesel-engined R18 in readiness for the 24 Hour race on June 11-12. It will also be the first public outing for the new R18 Coupe, powered by its a 3.7-litre V6 TDI turbocharged diesel engine.
The Scot — who has won the prestigious race on two previous occasions — and his two team-mates will drive the No1 car in Audi's three-pronged assault on the French endurance classic. The German car giant first entered the race in 1999 and has since racked up nine wins, with at least one Audi finishing on the winner’s podium every year.
The eight hour test, split in to two, four-hour sessions is the only opportunity the 56-car invited entry gets to compete on the 8.47-mile circuit comprising of closed public roads before race week.
“The Le Mans test day marks the first occasion that we will be on track along with the R18 and the latest cars from Acura, Aston Martin and Peugeot,” McNish explained.
“We have tested the Audi R18 in Florida and Europe this year but it’s critical we find a good set-up on the Le Mans circuit so we can return in June with a good feeling for the car so we can go into qualifying happy.”
McNish/Kristensen/Capello finished third at Le Mans last year after losing three laps 4hrs into the race having been the highest-placed Audi in fourth when driver Kristensen came across a slow-moving car which moved across in front of him resulting in car damage, costing valuable time in the pits for repairs.
Audi though recovered to finish 1-2-3 with its now “retired” R15 TDI sportscar when Timo Bernhard (D)/Romain Dumas (F)/Mike Rockenfeller (D) won, setting a new distance record, with Marcel Fässler (CH)/André Lotterer (D)/Benoît Treluyer (F) finishing second.
“The new regulations dictate a much smaller engine capacity, so therefore less power," McNish continued, "but our R18 Coupé is going to be ultra-efficient aerodynamically, the shape being ‘slippery’ so hopefully well suited for the big long straights and high-speed nature of the unique Le Mans circuit.
“Not only should the Audi R18 be good on top speed but also for fuel efficiency as well which is going to be important. It’s promising to be a very exciting year with the new R18.”
Sunday's outing will also be the first time the R18's new colour scheme (pictured) is seen in public for the first time. All three cars will again feature the marque's traditional black, red or yellow markings to differentiate them from a distance.
Audi has gone back to a more traditional silver paint scheme for this year, while it has left several parts of its cars in bare carbon fibre to promote lightweight technology.
CLICK HERE to see more images of the all-new R18's colour scheme.
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Jim McGill