Ingolstadt, March 22, 2002
The Audi driver line-up for the 2002 Le Mans 24 Hour race is
complete: Germans Michael Krumm and Marco Werner will form a
German-speaking trio together with Austrian Philipp Peter at the
season highlight on 15/16 June. The three are part of the driver team
of "auto motor und sport" special interest magazine, which supports
the running of the third Infineon Audi R8 at Le Mans as a media
partner.
Marco Werner and Philipp Peter start at Le Mans for the first time but
are no newcomers to sportscar racing. Werner won the 24 Hours at
Daytona in 1995, Peter was runner-up in the 2000 Sportscar World
Cup. Michael Krumm has competed at Le Mans twice and secured
the title in the 1997 Japanese GT Championship. “To be successful
at Le Mans has always been one of my major goals,“ explains
Krumm. “With Audi I now have a unique chance - I can't wait for June
to come.“
His colleagues are equally euphoric. “To do Le Mans with Audi is a
dream,” says Marco Werner. Philipp Peter, an Audi works driver in the
mid-nineties, adds: “The Infineon Audi R8 has won at Le Mans twice
already – a driver couldn't wish for better prerequisites.” In April,
Krumm, Peter and Werner will gain their first experience of the
Infineon Audi R8 in a 30 hour test when the Audi works team
prepares for the season highlight in June. On 5 May pre-practice
takes place at Le Mans.
Audi starts the Le Mans 24 Hour race with three silver Infineon Audi
R8 sportscars which fly the additional colours of black, red and yellow
resembling the German flag. Krumm/Peter/Werner drive the “black”
R8. The winning trio of the last two Le Mans races, Frank Biela, Tom
Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro, share the “red” car. Rinaldo Capello,
Johnny Herbert and Christian Pescatori – the winners of the 2002
Sebring 12 Hour race – compete in the “yellow” Audi. Dr Wolfgang
Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport, is convinced: “With this strong driver team
we have the best chance to claim a hat-trick at Le Mans.”
A fourth Audi sportscar will be run at Le Mans by a customer squad,
Audi Sport Japan Team Goh. Japanese drivers Seiji Ara and Hiroki
Katoh start together with four times Le Mans winner, Yannick Dalmas
(France), in an 2001-spec R8.
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