Thanks to Audi, Auto123.com attended the 14th running of the Petit Le Mans this past weekend, marking the sixth round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
Imagine a shorter version of the 24 Hours of Le Mans taking place on American soil. The competition, which covers 1,000 miles (1,600 km) or lasts a maximum of 10 hours, is held at Road Atlanta, home of American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz (a lover of France who also builds cars that bear his name).
This was a first visit to the U.S. for the astonishing Audi R18 TDI (LMP1 class), which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in June.
Road Atlanta is a relatively-short yet demanding track with a number of inclines. The last, No. 12 corner features a dizzying high-speed dive that turns right.
With a total of 53 cars on the track, managing traffic represents the biggest challenge for racers. The speed difference between LMP1 cars and the ''poor'' GT cars (BMW M3, Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari F430) is monumental. In fact, prototype car drivers don't have a choice but to hit the open spots as soon as they see one. It might be more intense than Formula 1!
The Audi R18s and Peugeot 908s are extremely close in terms of performance, with only mere seconds separating them. The slightest bit of hesitation usually means you get passed instead of passing somebody else. And that's exactly what cost the No. 1 Audi, then in second place and trailing the Peugeot by less than a second. Romain Dumas sought to quickly overtake a slow Porsche, but the two cars made contact and he ended up crashing his Audi into a wall.
Despite numerous efforts by series officials to close the performance gap between turbo diesel and gasoline-powered cars (through smaller turbo reducers, smaller gas tanks, longer pit stops, etc.), diesels remain considerably faster. What will be the next step for slowing down these monsters with tractor engines?
Road Atlanta resembles Mosport and Mont-Tremblant, set in the middle of nature and offering spectators breathtaking viewpoints. Thousands of enthusiasts gathered on Saturday. There were tents, cars, RVs and lounge chairs littered all around the 2.54-mile track!
Imagine a shorter version of the 24 Hours of Le Mans taking place on American soil. The competition, which covers 1,000 miles (1,600 km) or lasts a maximum of 10 hours, is held at Road Atlanta, home of American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz (a lover of France who also builds cars that bear his name).
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| Start of the race. (Photo: Audi Motorsport) |
This was a first visit to the U.S. for the astonishing Audi R18 TDI (LMP1 class), which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in June.
Road Atlanta is a relatively-short yet demanding track with a number of inclines. The last, No. 12 corner features a dizzying high-speed dive that turns right.
With a total of 53 cars on the track, managing traffic represents the biggest challenge for racers. The speed difference between LMP1 cars and the ''poor'' GT cars (BMW M3, Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari F430) is monumental. In fact, prototype car drivers don't have a choice but to hit the open spots as soon as they see one. It might be more intense than Formula 1!
The Audi R18s and Peugeot 908s are extremely close in terms of performance, with only mere seconds separating them. The slightest bit of hesitation usually means you get passed instead of passing somebody else. And that's exactly what cost the No. 1 Audi, then in second place and trailing the Peugeot by less than a second. Romain Dumas sought to quickly overtake a slow Porsche, but the two cars made contact and he ended up crashing his Audi into a wall.
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| The spectators can sit really close to the action. (Photo: Rene Fagnan/Auto123.com) |
Despite numerous efforts by series officials to close the performance gap between turbo diesel and gasoline-powered cars (through smaller turbo reducers, smaller gas tanks, longer pit stops, etc.), diesels remain considerably faster. What will be the next step for slowing down these monsters with tractor engines?
Road Atlanta resembles Mosport and Mont-Tremblant, set in the middle of nature and offering spectators breathtaking viewpoints. Thousands of enthusiasts gathered on Saturday. There were tents, cars, RVs and lounge chairs littered all around the 2.54-mile track!