Prototype giants Peugeot and Audi will face off at England’s historic Silverstone circuit to contest the last European round of the International Le Mans Cup series.
After four races, Peugeot has a 43-point lead over Audi, having outscored Audi in every round even if Peugeot didn’t win every race. With only two races left after Silverstone (Petit Le Mans in October and Zuhai, China in November,) Peugeot could close out the series at Silverstone if both cars finish well.
While Peugeot has a large lead in the manufacturers’ standings, Audi Sport Team Joest is only there points behind in the team standings.
Both teams have done extensive testing since the Imola round in July. Audi wants revenge for its loss at Imola, and Peugeot wants to seal up the championship as quickly as possible.
“Our goal is to win a second Manufacturers’ title in ILMC,” explained Peugeot Sport Director Olivier Quesnel in a press release. “To do that, we really must make sure we get both cars to the end of the race. Just one retirement could open the door to our rivals again.
“We have taken advantage of these last few racing-free weeks to work in depth on the car development, not only with the second half of the season in mind, but also looking ahead to 2012.”
After four races, Peugeot has a 43-point lead over Audi, having outscored Audi in every round even if Peugeot didn’t win every race. With only two races left after Silverstone (Petit Le Mans in October and Zuhai, China in November,) Peugeot could close out the series at Silverstone if both cars finish well.
While Peugeot has a large lead in the manufacturers’ standings, Audi Sport Team Joest is only there points behind in the team standings.
Both teams have done extensive testing since the Imola round in July. Audi wants revenge for its loss at Imola, and Peugeot wants to seal up the championship as quickly as possible.
“Our goal is to win a second Manufacturers’ title in ILMC,” explained Peugeot Sport Director Olivier Quesnel in a press release. “To do that, we really must make sure we get both cars to the end of the race. Just one retirement could open the door to our rivals again.
“We have taken advantage of these last few racing-free weeks to work in depth on the car development, not only with the second half of the season in mind, but also looking ahead to 2012.”
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport, gave this statement: “The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup is now in the decisive half of the season. After the disappointing result at Imola we want to be at the very front again at Silverstone.
“By winning Le Mans we showed the performances that are possible with the R18 TDI. Silverstone should be a race track on which we can convert this potential into a good result.”
“In the championship, unfortunately, things are not looking so good for us. But we want to take revenge for Imola and win,” said Ralf Jüttner, Technical Director of Audi Sport Team Joest, in a press release.
“By winning Le Mans we showed the performances that are possible with the R18 TDI. Silverstone should be a race track on which we can convert this potential into a good result.”
“In the championship, unfortunately, things are not looking so good for us. But we want to take revenge for Imola and win,” said Ralf Jüttner, Technical Director of Audi Sport Team Joest, in a press release.
Silverstone, called “The Home of British Racing,” has been updated to handle the speed and cornering potential of the latest generation of prototypes. The new circuit, 5.9 kilometers (3.66 miles) long with 18 turns, includes all the famous corners: Woodcote, Copse, Maggot’s, Beckett’s, Stowe and Brooklands.
Along with the traditional, and fast, portion of the course, the new infield section offers includes slower, tighter turns, which will challenge engineers: the cars will need to be trimmed for speed and still work well on through the infield.
The course has four straightaways; Hangar Straight, the longest of the four straight sections, is 738.28 meters (.46 mile) long. Cars will hit 190 mph at the end of this straight heading into Stowe corner. Traffic might be less of an issue Silverstone than at Imola as the circuit is .6 miles longer, and the high-speed sections might allow the prototypes to pick through slower cars more easily.
Along with the traditional, and fast, portion of the course, the new infield section offers includes slower, tighter turns, which will challenge engineers: the cars will need to be trimmed for speed and still work well on through the infield.
The course has four straightaways; Hangar Straight, the longest of the four straight sections, is 738.28 meters (.46 mile) long. Cars will hit 190 mph at the end of this straight heading into Stowe corner. Traffic might be less of an issue Silverstone than at Imola as the circuit is .6 miles longer, and the high-speed sections might allow the prototypes to pick through slower cars more easily.
Both Audi and Peugeot have done extensive testing, both to further develop the cars and to adapt to the new ILMC-regulated 5-millimeter increase to the undercar skid board.
This panel, made of a wood composite, is bolted under the car and is measured after every race to ensure that the cars maintain a safe ride height. If too much material is scraped off during the race a car can be disqualified.
The increase from 20 to 25 millimeters thickness mandates an increase in overall ride height, which raises the center of gravity and changes the suspension geometry. Teams won’t know until the first practice session whether their adjustments will need further adjustments.
The Six Hours of Silverstone starts at 11:35 a.m. local time (GMT+1, 6:35 a.m. ET) Sunday, September 11, 2011. The event will be streamed live at www.peugeot-sport.com and at http://microsites.audi.com/lemans starting at 10:35 a.m.
This panel, made of a wood composite, is bolted under the car and is measured after every race to ensure that the cars maintain a safe ride height. If too much material is scraped off during the race a car can be disqualified.
The increase from 20 to 25 millimeters thickness mandates an increase in overall ride height, which raises the center of gravity and changes the suspension geometry. Teams won’t know until the first practice session whether their adjustments will need further adjustments.
The Six Hours of Silverstone starts at 11:35 a.m. local time (GMT+1, 6:35 a.m. ET) Sunday, September 11, 2011. The event will be streamed live at www.peugeot-sport.com and at http://microsites.audi.com/lemans starting at 10:35 a.m.
