Le Mans 2006
Ralf Jüttner, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich at the Audi Le Mans press conference

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “The TDI project is the biggest challenge that Audi Sport faces. We have decided to contest this race with a diesel engine. Nobody has ever done that in this form before. That is why it is a special challenge for all those involved in this project. Audi is the inventor of TDI and has developed passenger car diesel technology to a level that was unthinkable ten years ago. Environmental friendliness, comfort and the availability of power through the rev band are on an extremely high level.”

Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #8): “Since the roll-out 199 days ago, lots of things have happened. We have tested intensively and we have tried to sort out everything. We had the Sebring 12 Hour race and the car has passed this first outing well. It was impressive that everything worked well out of the box and that we immediately started to work on details. However, Le Mans remains a challenge; it is a long race that harbours the unexpected.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #7): “I am proud of my third pole-position at Le Mans. Particularly if you bear in mind that I achieved my last pole here four years ago. This is evidence that my grey hair doesn’t mean I’m slower. As it is very difficult in qualifying to get a clear lap, we decided to use soft race tyres that allow more than one flying lap. This worked well.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R10 TDI #7): “I look forward to Le Mans every year. You need energy, a good preparation and lots of motivation to be successful here. After my seventh victory last year, my dream came true and I am a little bit more relaxed. I regard everything else I might achieve from now on simply as a bonus. I enjoy being here and to work with my team-mates. I am happy to be involved with Audi in such a historic project.”

Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #7): “I’ve had the honour to finish second and third with the Audi R8 at Le Mans. Everybody who claims a podium at Le Mans can be proud. But if I could succeed with the Audi R10 TDI to double the number of my Le Mans victories, it would be a unique experience for us and for the team. We have written history at Sebring already and we’ve claimed pole-position here. We know, however, that we face a very difficult race.”

Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #8): “I am happy although our car is not on pole position. If you want to be successful at Le Mans, you need a good car for the race. We need a set-up that allows us to drive on the edge. In qualifying, we missed the pole by only a tenth of a second. This shows us just how close we came to the best time. The Audi R10 TDI is the most exciting project in my career which spans over 460 races so far.”

Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #8): “After the first part of Le Mans, the positive aspects dominate my impressions, even if we didn’t capture pole-position. When I returned to the pits, I only saw happy faces. We are delighted that we locked out the first row on the grid with both cars. This is the first historical step. You can be very quick with TDI in motor racing – that’s what we have shown.”

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “We are proud to co-operate with Audi again as a ‘works’ team in such an ambitious project. The advantage of the Audi R10 TDI in the Le Mans 24 Hour race is the incredible amount of torque developed by the turbo diesel engine. We also expect an advantage in terms of fuel consumption when compared with a petrol engine. We hope to be able to do one or two more laps than with the Audi R8 in the first year. The pole-position on Thursday was a strong motivation for the entire squad.”