Audi TDI Power helps overtaking

Emanuele Pirro in particular made the headlines in the previous two years. In 2006, the Italian kept Lucas Luhr, at that time sill at the wheel of a lighter LM P2 Porsche, at bay during the dramatic closing stages and crossed the finish line as winner by a mere 0.318 seconds. Pirro managed quite probably the most spectacular start of the year at Miller Motorsports Park in 2007: Starting in eighth position with the Audi R10 TDI, he stormed into the lead before the first corner after overtaking every competitor, who had started in front of him, on the long start-finish straight.

The sensational manoeuvre was viewed frequently on many Internet based video portals afterwards. It was yet another impressive demonstration of the performance of Audi TDI Technology, which is long since established in Europe and is also launched on the American market at the end of 2008. The Audi R10 TDI, which is known as the “whispering revolution” in the USA because of its quiet engine, heralds Audi’s diesel offensive on the US market.

The more than 650 hp V12 TDI engine powering the Audi R10 TDI provides its drivers with the same advantages that a TDI engine has in a road going Audi: reduced consumption, a pleasant low background noise and enormous torque which is available spontaneously.

The V12 TDI engine produces more than 1,110 Newton metres of torque, against which no other competitor has anything comparable to offer in the American Le Mans Series. At the start or during a re-start after a full-course yellow the Audi drivers always have a good chance of overtaking cars in front under acceleration thanks to TDI Power – just as Emanuele Pirro succeeded in doing at Salt Lake City last year or, more recently, as Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner demonstrated to win in St Petersburg and Long Beach.

The race at Miller Motorsports Park is one of two races in the American Le Mans Series which are not held on a Saturday but on Sunday (18 May). It runs for the duration of two hours 45 minutes. The start is at 1:05 p.m. local time. SPEED broadcasts live in the USA, Motors TV in Europe.

Facts & figures

The Audi driver line-up at Salt Lake City
#1 Frank Biela / Emanuele Pirro
#2 Lucas Luhr / Marco Werner

Frank Biela about Miller Motorsports Park: “Salt Lake City is an extreme race track with a totally unique character. Even after 20 years of motorsport this circuit is something very special for a racing driver. It’s unusual to find such a circuit packed with so many corners. It is quite difficult to learn the layout.”

Interesting facts

The Audi R10 TDI contested its 25th race in Long Beach and celebrated its 14th overall victory in the process… Salt Lake City is the final race for the Audi R10 TDI before the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14/15 June ... Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro won the inaugural race at Miller Motorsports Parks with the R10 TDI in 2006 ... In 2008 the American Le Mans Series uses the outer track at Miller Motorsports Parks for the first time ... The race’s official title is “American Le Mans Series Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix Presented by The Grand and Little America Hotels at Miller Motorsports Park” and suspiciously long into the bargain ... For Audi Sport the weekend of the 18 May is a “double header” event: In parallel to the ALMS race at Salt Lake City the fourth round of the DTM is held at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany.

The schedule at Salt Lake City

Friday, 16 May
14:05 – 14:35 Test session (GT cars)
14:35 – 15:35 Test session (all classes)
15:35 – 16:05 Test session (Prototypes)

Saturday, 17 May
10:20 – 11:20 Free Practice 1
13:55 – 14:55 Free Practice 2
15:05 – 15:25 Qualifying (GT cars)
15:35 – 15:55 Qualifying (Prototypes)

Sunday, 18 May
08:00 – 08:25 Warm-up
13:05 – 15:50 Race (2:45 hours)