24h Le Mans
24 HOURS OF LE MANS CENTENARY – MAKES, MARQUES AND IMPRINTS ⎮ Between 1999 and 2016, Audi compiled one of the most impressive track records Le Mans has ever known: 13 wins in 18 starts. In many ways the bounteous crop can be attributed to Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, the man at the helm of the team, who embodies the core values of our race: human endeavour and technological innovation.
2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014… Who said 13 was unlucky? Probably not Dr Ullrich, for whom the number has a magical quality.
In the long list, some victories have a particularly sweet taste. “2011 was very special”, says the Austrian team leader. Not surprisingly. Two of the three Audis were out of the running by midnight following two accidents, as horrifying as they were miraculous. “We were on an emotional rollercoaster, with Peugeot hot on our heels”, says Ullrich, visibly moved at the memory. In the early hours of Sunday morning Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer caught a glimpse of victory, and after a relentless second day, they dashed for the line only 800 metres ahead of the Peugeot team.
“To my mind, the other great Audi victories are the 1-2-3 in 2000, the first diesel engine win in 2006 and the first hybrid win in 2012”, says Ulrich, who presided over Audi’s sporting arm for 23 years (1993–2016) having worked on the design of the TAG-Porsche Formula One engine for McLaren in the early eighties.
The 2000, 2006 and 2012 triumphs applied quite literally to Audi’s strapline Vorsprung durch Technik (driven by technology) and the constructor joined the likes of Mercedes and BMW at the helm of the world-class German automotive industry. “I am sure it had an impact, because Le Mans is one of the world’s three most famous races and winning undeniably boosts brand notoriety”, says Ullrich, now a special advisor to the ACO. “Audi grew thanks to race-tested technology which was then transferred to road cars for the benefit of all our customers.” After rally, Super Touring and 4WD, Audi was ready for the challenge of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the great endurance race, equated with technology, speed and staying power.
Advancement through technology coupled with team spirit of the rarest kind led to victory. Ullrich’s collaborative approach nurtured a close-knit community much admired in the Le Mans pit lane and beyond: “My idea was to found the most functional family possible, better than the rest. I made sure each person played their role as part of a whole and gave their all so that the result was perfect harmony."
Driven by technology, performed by people. The essence of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
PHOTOS : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS - From top (ACO ARCHIVES): first win - and first 1-2-3 - for Audi in 2000; Dr Ullrich raises the trophy after Audi’s tenth victory in 2011; Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer, winners in 2011, celebrate their first hybrid win in 2012; Dr Ullrich with Leena Gade, first woman to win Le Mans as chief engineer of the Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer car in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
