Ten years ago, Audi entered the paddock at Le Mans in sadness. A few weeks earlier, Michele Alboreto had been killed on the track.

During the Test Day 2011 on 24th April, the rear wing of the Audi R18 carried the yellow and purple helmet colours of Michele Alboreto, in tribute to the brilliant Italian driver who came to Audi after a career in Formula 1. During a test session at Lausitzring (Germany) in 2001, he was killed aboard his Audi R8. It was a blow for Audi and Tom Kristensen, the man with 8 wins who wrote the first line of his record at Mans alongside Alboreto. "I have nothing but good to say about Michael, I owe him so much. I met him first at Le Mans in 1997, on the Monday before the 24 Hours. This was my first participation, and we won together. It gave me confidence and I started the 24 hours of Le Mans with his support. He had so much experience ... He was intelligent, funny, and had a lot of heart. "

For Allan McNish, it was primarily the red suit of Scuderia Ferrari he saw regularly on the podium in F1: "A few days ago, I saw the documentary on Ayrton Senna. We see many pictures of Michele on the podium in Formula 1 because he was a Ferrari driver at the time. With Dindo we won the Petit Le Mans in 2000.” But the Scottish driver, keeps in mind the most painful weeks that followed his demise, as he was greatly involved at Audi. "He was a very easy, very fast, and had a lot of heart. His demise has been a real disaster.”

Dindo Capello, who shared with Alboreto (and McNish) the last podium of the Italian, the feeling is still immense and intense: "Michele,  was my friend and my team-mate. The last great memory I have of him was the victory we shared together at the 12 Hours of Sebring, a month before his death. ", Capello looked at the Le Mans track and mentioned a recent tribute. "On April 25, ten years later, his family and driver friends were reunited. The adventure of Audi in endurance owes so much to his experience, gleaned both in Formula 1 and sports cars. " No doubt the crew of the Audi R18 TDI #3, will think of Alboreto on Saturday at 3pm at the start of the race.

Jean-Philippe Doret

Photo: 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 13 & 14 June 1999. Michele Alboreto, driving here, was fourth in the Audi R8R with Dindo Capello and Laurent Aiello.