Frank Biela (Infineon Audi R8 #1)
“It went just perfectly. When we did not change tyres during our pitstop, I
was a little bit worried that we could get into trouble by the end of the race,
but the tyres lasted. We had a perfect car and could pull away permanently
during the race. Concerning the championship, we did not give up our
hopes, but under normal circumstances we do not have a chance anymore.
But you never know."
Emanuele Pirro (Infineon Audi R8 #1)
“This is a special victory, especially under these circumstances – track,
heat, traffic and on top of it we decided not to change tyres. The car was
great and I could pull away from everybody. In the end there was no more
grip left, especially at the rear. The last few laps were just a nightmare. For
the championship I think it is too late for us. All we can do is to wait for a
miracle, but still we can be proud of what we have done this year.”
Rinaldo Capello (Infineon Audi R8 #2)
“The most important thing is that we made it to the podium. Of course it was
a shame that we lost the second place so shortly before the end. The ‘red’
car was a little bit faster today. When I drove behind Frank, I got stuck in the
traffic. But later also Tom was not able to match Emanuele´s speed, so
Frank and Emanuele earn this victory.”
Tom Kristensen (Infineon Audi R8 #2)
“We knew this race would be a survival race. We survived very well and I
think we drove quite cleverly. When I was following Emanuele I had to cruise
half a lap behind slower cars under yellow flags. After that I took it easy just
to get it home. The stop-and-go penalty is arguable, but not the timing. It
was almost one hour after the incident and just before the end. For me this
is unprofessional. We can be lucky to be third. Thanks to the boys, the car
was perfect.”
Johnny Herbert (ADT Champion Audi R8 #38)
“Our strategy was to stay out longer than the ‘factory’ Audis and hope for
another yellow which thankfully came after I’d managed to build up an
advantage in the lead. The grip was pretty consistent from the tyres for the
first half of the race but we decided to change the fronts. It’s just a shame
that we did not finish the race on the podium after the stop-and-go penalty.”
Stefan Johansson (ADT Champion Audi R8 #38)
“The air hose got caught around the rear wing as I exited the pits and I was
forced to serve a stop-go penalty dropping us from third to fifth place which
was very disappointing for the team. In the closing stages I dropped back
because I had very little grip.“
Ralf Jüttner, Technical Director Team Audi Sport North America
“A big compliment to our four drivers. To come through the race without
mistakes on a track like this is a big achievement. I did not believe that we
would be able to do so and really thought there would be many incidents,
involving also our cars. We are happy that nothing was damaged. Tom did a
tactically clever race with the championship in his mind. I can´t say if the
stop-and-go penalty was justified. However, Tom still manged to finish third
and even almost caught the Cadillac.”
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport
“Our drivers drove a great race and did not cause any damage despite
being the fastest during the whole race. Of course the many caution periods
always destroyed the gained advantage. The stop-and-go penalty we got so
shortly before the end is not comprehensible for me. But despite that Tom
is now almost unreachable in the championship. The whole Audi team can
be proud of winning the manufacturer´s title. This third consecutive success
was not as easy to achieve as many believe.”
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