INGOLSTAADT/Austin — Audi achieved a historic milestone on the Texan debut of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Austin last Sunday. The squad of Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich celebrated the 100th overall victory of an LMP sports car of the brand. The event has a parallel, as Audi had clinched its first-ever victory in America as well – at Sebring, on March 18, 2000. Back then and today, it was Audi Sport Team Joest that fielded the victorious race car and, back then and today, Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen was part of the successful Audi driver squad.

With an air temperature of 28 degrees centigrade and track temperature of 45 in Texas, Audi managed the next top performance, as the brand remains unbeaten in the current WEC season. Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (F/DK/GB) celebrated their third WEC victory this year on the demanding ‘Circuit of the Americas.’ The trio had previously won the season opener at Silverstone and the Le Mans 24 Hours. The number ‘2’ Audi R18 e-tron quattro crossed the finish line with a 23.617-second advantage in front of challenger Toyota. For the brand with the four rings, this marked an amazing fifth victory in an equal number of WEC rounds this year and the sixth LMP win in succession, if the triumph at the Sebring 12 Hours in March is included in the tally.

In addition to driving skills, tactical intelligence was crucial, as — contrary to common practice at other events — not every tire change was accompanied by a driver change. As a result, the Audi drivers remaining in the cockpit immediately and consistently converted the reserves of the tires from partner Michelin into excellent lap times, as they were able to continue their race rhythm unchanged.