- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: Kristensen Upbeat On WEC Title Chances
Switch back to Audi R18 e-tron quattro to play into their title hopes, according to the eight-time Le Mans winner...
Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish head into Saturday's FIA WEC Six Hours of Bahrain with a 7.5 deficit to their Audi teammates in the title chase. (Photo: LAT)
While Audi may have already wrapped up the FIA WEC Manufacturers' World Championship, the drivers' title is still yet to be decided among the German manufacturer's two R18 squads.
Veterans Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen currently trail teammates Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler in the Drivers' World Championship but head into this weekend's Six Hours of Bahrain back on equal ground following Audi's decision to run two R18 e-tron quattros for the remainder of the season.
"We put in a good performance with the R18 e-tron quattro at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the car proved that it can win this important endurance race first time out," said Kristensen.
"Since then development at Audi Sport has not stood still. I’m really looking forward to returning in Audi’s hybrid sportscar from the sixth round onwards. The car’s greatest advantage is in traffic and under acceleration."
Despite having kicked off the year with a win at Sebring, the final race with Audi's 2011-spec R18 TDI, Kristensen and McNish have yet to visit victory lane since and now trail the No. 1 car by 7.5 points.
Coupled with the rather instant success of Toyota, which scored its first victory in only the TS030 Hybrid's third start last time out in Brazil, the battle for overall honors is expected to be hard-fought.
"I think Allan and I have maintained our chances of being able to fight for the drivers’ title for the rest of season," Kristensen said. "We had good races at Silverstone and in Brazil, even if things didn’t go completely according to plan there.
"With the R18 e-tron quattro, which we haven’t driven since Le Mans in June, we can now accelerate just as well as our competitors. This helps in the title fight, which is still wide open."
Kristensen and the rest of the WEC competitors, however, will face some unknowns this weekend in Bahrain, the first-ever Le Mans endurance race in the Middle East.
With temperatures expected to break 100 degrees Fahrenheit, along with a possible heat index exceeding 115 degrees, Saturday's race into the night could be one of the toughest yet.
"Everything will be new; the race in Bahrain differs fundamentally from every other race," he added. "The track is in the desert, so sand and possibly also the wind will have a particularly special impact. We are expecting it to be very hot.
"It’ll be pretty hard for man and machine. And on top of this, the majority of the race will be staged in the dark. This makes the competition in an already interesting WEC debut season even more appealing."
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Veterans Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen currently trail teammates Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler in the Drivers' World Championship but head into this weekend's Six Hours of Bahrain back on equal ground following Audi's decision to run two R18 e-tron quattros for the remainder of the season.
"We put in a good performance with the R18 e-tron quattro at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the car proved that it can win this important endurance race first time out," said Kristensen.
"Since then development at Audi Sport has not stood still. I’m really looking forward to returning in Audi’s hybrid sportscar from the sixth round onwards. The car’s greatest advantage is in traffic and under acceleration."
Despite having kicked off the year with a win at Sebring, the final race with Audi's 2011-spec R18 TDI, Kristensen and McNish have yet to visit victory lane since and now trail the No. 1 car by 7.5 points.
Coupled with the rather instant success of Toyota, which scored its first victory in only the TS030 Hybrid's third start last time out in Brazil, the battle for overall honors is expected to be hard-fought.
"I think Allan and I have maintained our chances of being able to fight for the drivers’ title for the rest of season," Kristensen said. "We had good races at Silverstone and in Brazil, even if things didn’t go completely according to plan there.
"With the R18 e-tron quattro, which we haven’t driven since Le Mans in June, we can now accelerate just as well as our competitors. This helps in the title fight, which is still wide open."
Kristensen and the rest of the WEC competitors, however, will face some unknowns this weekend in Bahrain, the first-ever Le Mans endurance race in the Middle East.
With temperatures expected to break 100 degrees Fahrenheit, along with a possible heat index exceeding 115 degrees, Saturday's race into the night could be one of the toughest yet.
"Everything will be new; the race in Bahrain differs fundamentally from every other race," he added. "The track is in the desert, so sand and possibly also the wind will have a particularly special impact. We are expecting it to be very hot.
"It’ll be pretty hard for man and machine. And on top of this, the majority of the race will be staged in the dark. This makes the competition in an already interesting WEC debut season even more appealing."
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Latest Gallery
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
LE MANS: Audi Leads Wednesday LM24 Qualifying
Audis 1-2-3 in incident-filled and shortened opening day of qualifying… -
LE MANS: Lotus LMP2 Returns To Track
Seized parts returned to Lotus LMP2, No. 31 car rebuilt and completes… -
SPEED, SPEED.com Plan Live & Continuous LM24 Coverage
In-car streaming of Corvette Racing highlights two-screen experience...… -
VIDEO: 8Star LM24 Wednesday vBlog
Rui Aguas checks into SPEED.com prior to the start of practice and… -
LE MANS: Corvette On-Board Pass Returns For LM24
Watch! Live in-car and garage cameras from Corvette Racing during… -
LE MANS: Lotus LMP2 Cars Seized By Court
BREAKING: Lotus T128 parts seized by local courts over financial… -
LE MANS: Taylor Brothers Continuing Family Tradition
Second-generation racers Jordan, Ricky Taylor seek victory at Le… - More News
