Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Audi adds three new drivers to 2010 Le Mans lineup, tease R15 "Plus"

Click Video ALMS 2009 Mobil1 12 Hours of Sebring - The Audi R15 shows it's power! from Youtube


After finally losing the top spot on the Le Mans podium to Peugeot last June, Audi is bound and determined to recapture victory this year. To than end the automaker has signed on three new drivers for this year's squad including one Peugeot veteran. Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benogt Treluyer will man Audi's third car in France after a warm-up race at the 1000-kilometer race of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium in May.


Fassler ran a pair of races for Audi in the American Le Mans Series in 2008, while Lotterer drove one of the privater R10s for the Kolles team last year. Benoit Treluyer was part of the nine-driver Peugeot crew at Le Mans last year.

Audi also released three images of each driver sitting in what may be a new version of the R15 diesel-powered race car dubbed the "R15 TDI Plus." This new version of the R15 is being developed to address official complaints made by rival Peugeot about the original's car design.

The driver images don't show much besides a decidedly sexy naked carbon fiber body, and the "Plus" moniker is a bit misleading as these modifications won't likely help the R15's performance in any way, which would give Peugeot cause for more complaints. With the new car still in devepment and Peugeot not willing to race against a modified version of the 2009 car, don't expect the R15 "Plus" on the starting grid at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March, though Audi is expected to be there testing the new car.



Source: www.autoblog.com

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