Audi - Time To Move On?

[Pilgrim]

There's no question whatsoever that Audi have had a magnificent run at La Sarthe. They've won multiple outright victories, solved the riddle of which teams of drivers are best suited for each car, fought off successive challengers including the might of the Peugeot factory team and generally set a new benchmark for what a truly legendary Le Mans team should be able to achieve and how to achieve it.

But what else is there? They've done pretty much everything a team can do, their position for this year doesn't look likely to be much different to pretty much every other year they've entered, I don't see a significant threat other than possibly Toyota for an outright victory (Porsche don't even arrive as a factory team until 2014 assuming the sportscar programme at Weissach isn't pulled before then) and it's looking rather a lot like it'll be yet another Audi parade.

I'm not knocking the team or the drivers. Like I said, they've set a new benchmark for what a team can achieve. But, having achieved it all already, is it now time forAudi to say 'Auf Wiedersehen' to La Sarthe, rest on their (many) laurels and let someone else in for a crack at immortality? Even when Bentley won in 2003 it was essentially an Audi wearing a different badge and paint job.

Are Audi actually harming the 24 Hours by remaining there?

[Robbo]

Nope

[Bob U]

Move on to what? An endurance race series is far better for testing different technologies and Inovations for the development of road cars than any other type of racing. You only have to look at how Audi road cars have improved since the works team has been at Le Mans. A few teams tried the F1 approach, BMW, Toyota etc but pulled the plug after realising the vast expense didn't lead to a lot of useable ideas for what they ultimately exist for which is producing cars for Joe Or Fritz Public. I say stay at Le Mans Audi you have thrown down the gauntlet, let those that dare pick it up. All IMHO of course.

[Canada Phil]

I am with you BobU. First it.s not the same old Audi we have had the R10 R15 R18 and now Etron all very different cars and Bentley may be from the same group but a different engine different transmission and different body makes enough difference for me  Would Peugout (sp) have put in the effort if we had not had Audi? Would we have the battle with Toyota shaping up if not for Audi? Would Rebbelion be as good without the competition?
Champions Defend and so far no one has tipped them off the top. So No not time for Audi to go away.
Phil

[Boorish Grobian]

First off, Audi Sport, and their cars, have been some of the most successful, and utterly soulless creations to have ever graced a racing circuit, Dr Ulrich comes across as a pompous ass, and the way they jerked around the ALMS is shameful.
That said, if they wish to continue, its their call, and its up to the competiion to knock them off the podium.  Its a huge corporation, they'll stop racing when it doesn't make sense to the boardroom anymore.
As Bob said all IMHO.
Fax

[Robbo]

First off, Audi Sport, and their cars, have been some of the most successful, and utterly soulless creations to have ever graced a racing circuit, Dr Ulrich comes across as a pompous ass, and the way they jerked around the ALMS is shameful.
That said, if they wish to continue, its their call, and its up to the competiion to knock them off the podium.  Its a huge corporation, they'll stop racing when it doesn't make sense to the boardroom anymore.
As Bob said all IMHO.
Fax

I wonder if your passport states "Devil's Advocate" as your job description!!

Audi has and will continue to produce the technologically advanced race cars the world has/will ever see with technology that is on their road cars within a couple of years. They are not soulless, they are things of beauty and are there as a gauntlet the rest of the worldwide car manufacturers. Dr. Ulrich is anything but a pompous arse, I suggest you look at Olivier Quesnel!

The ALMS was/is a shambles. In true American style, the "show" took precedence over any technology advancement and subsequently has now been consumed by NASCAR where it will continue to be a "show" rather than a platform for technology.

I don't have a problem with that, but for christ's sake leave it over the pond and don't attempt to bring anywhere near the rest of the world!

[Boorish Grobian]

One man's soulless creation is another man's work of art, all about perception.  I thought the BMW LMP's, the Porsche RS Spyders, and Ferrari 333SP's had charisma.  The Audi's have always seemed to drone around like a metronome, silently reeling off laps.  Enormously successful, and amazing pieces of technology? Of course, but never did anything for me.  I fully appreciate the engineering involved, but when I go to race, I go to be entertained, and the Audi's never stirred me.
Agreed, the ALMS was always a train wreck waiting to happen.   Disagree though about your show comment though, The ALMS loved to promote the technology aspect of its racing, it was the backbone of their advertising. Problem was they put all their eggs in the big manufacturer basket, and for a while it was golden with Audi, Honda Porsche, etc all slugging it out.  But when all those manufactureres pulled the plug, or in Audi's case went to a policy of showing up for Sebring and the Petit, and then ignoring the rest of the calendar, the ALMS were screwed.  Things weren't helped by poor media exposure, blundering TV broadcast's and contracts.
Fax

[gatordad]

How about when the ALMS decided to broadcast Sebring on a computer site and then didn't provide hardly any bandwidth for us to watch?  A couple of years ago the Porsche Ferrari battle in GT was very hot.  They would come by our site, we would time the difference and then run inside to watch them on the rest of the track.  Also, we always knew what was happening when cars failed to appear.

Bad move!