Frank Biela (Infineon Audi R8 #1)
“To keep our championship hopes alive, Emanuele and I definitely have to
win in Trois-Rivières. In Washington we proved that we are strong on a
street circuit, too. I took the pole position and we were fast in the race as
well. On a street circuit, however, you also need to have some luck. And
Panoz will be again very competitive in Canada.”
Emanuele Pirro (Infineon Audi R8 #1)
“Frank and I are in a good shape at the moment. During the last three
races we have been very fast and always in the lead, but we won only once.
The desire to take victory at Trois-Rivières is therefore very strong – also
because we need the points to keep our championship hopes alive. I can´t
say anything about the track. Although the R8 has not been developed for
´city traffic´, things were going much better in Washington than expected.
Apart from the bad luck with the yellow flags I really enjoyed the race.”
Rinaldo Capello (Infineon Audi R8 #2)
“I heard that the track in Trois-Rivières is even tighter than the one in
Washington. But I was also sceptical before Washington and then
surprised in a positive way because the track was really good. So I am
curious about Trois-Rivières. By now we know that the R8 is strong also on
this kind of tracks.”
Tom Kristensen (Infineon Audi R8 #2)
“I am really looking forward to Trois-Rivières, a race with a big history.
Washington showed that our car is competitive also on street circuits
despite we have full steering lock in hairpins. The track at Trois-Rivières is
said to be more bumpy, so we should use a softer setup of the
suspension. We are leading the championship, but on a street circuit the
smallest mistake can take you out of the race.”
Johnny Herbert (ADT Champion Audi R8 #38)
“I must score well in Canada after the recent disappointment in
Washington. I´m only fourth in the standings now and it´s vital to score well
in Trois-Rivières so as to narrow the gap on Tom. Stefan and I have
suffered some bad luck in the last three races and it´s about time we have
some good fortune so that we can reward the Champion Audi guys who
work so hard.”
Stefan Johansson (ADT Champion Audi R8 #38)
“I´ve never been to the track but I believe it will be interesting to drive
according to reports I´ve heard. It will be tight and twisty, a little like
Washington – a race which promised a lot but delivered only heartache for
us. The Champion Audi team has made progress in terms of narrowing
the gap to our rivals and I´m optimistic we can continue this way.”
Ralf Jüttner, Technical Director Team Audi Sport North America
“Trois-Rivières should be similar to Washington, but the track is even
shorter and the surface presumably more bumpy. We expect lap times of
around one minute and another thrilling race like the one in Washington. Of
course, this time we want to have the better end for us.”
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport
“In Trois-Rivières, we will again face the difficult task to set up a gearbox
which was built for a top speed of about 205 mph for a track where you
reach just 150 mph. It is also difficult to get the tyres to their ideal working
temperature. Despite that we have immediately been fast in Washington.
You should not forget that the R8 which in the end was beaten by just 0.7s
had a spin and a stop-and-go-penalty. We did not lack speed in
Washington. The problem on a street circuit is, that overtaking is extremely
difficult. That´s why we expect another hot race in Canada.”
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