Photo : Dave Davies - ACO Nikon -

The three new Audi R18 have finally been revealed to the public, but those fans who wanted to have a close look at them had to be there just at the right moment. Indeed, their public appearance during scrutineering was very brief.

Saturday 23rd of april, 11h25 – The garage boxes of nine times Le Mans 24 hours winner Audi are still closed. Nonetheless more and more visitors gather in front of the iron curtain doors beyond which car #1 is still waiting with only 5 minutes left before scrutineering.

Only a couple of seconds before the car is ultimately due for it's scrutineering appointment, the curtain literally rises on the biggest rival to the Peugeot 908. There's no time to lose, and the mechanics are busy pushing their chariot to the end of the pitlane, where it will soon be measured and weighed in every possible way. Photographers only have a couple of seconds to freeze the R18 on their memory cards as the car soon disappears behind the ACO truck. About a quarter of an hour later there will be another chance to take more pictures of Audi's 2011 Le Mans contender, this time with car #2 on its scheduled trip to the scrutineers.

Photo : - Julien Hergault - ACO/Nikon

Photo: Circuit des 24 heures, Le Mans. 23rd April 2011, The Audi R18 #1 passes through scrutineering. An impressive number of race fans crowded the end of the pitlane to grab a glimpse of the new design.