Allan McNish Blog

TV & Radio Times 1000km of Spa

2011-05-04T15:42:00+01:00

Tune in to watch Allan race in Spa at the following times.

EUROSPORT (UK)

(GMT)

Saturday 7 May

14:45 (Live on Eurosport 2) INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 2: SPA

17:30 (Live on Eurosport 1) INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 2: SPA

EUROSPORT (European)

(CET)

Saturday 7 May

15:45 (Live on Eurosport 2) INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 2: SPA

19:00 (Live on Eurosport 1) INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 2: SPA

RADIO LE MANS (www.radiolemans.com)

(GMT)

Thursday 5 May

15.45 – Free Practice

Friday 6 May

10.45 – Free Practice

14.45 – Qualifying

Saturday 7 May

08.45 – Warm Up

12.30 – INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 2: SPA 6 hour

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Race debut for Audi R18 TDI At One Of My All-Time Favourite Tracks . . .

2011-05-04T10:50:00+01:00

Spa is a circuit that I think every driver really looks forward to going to. And this year, probably more than most, for us all at Audi Sport, it’s more ‘attractive’ then ever because we are there with a new car, the Audi R18 TDI.

The Spa 1,000km on Saturday 7 May, the second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, marks the race debut of this car. We were up against the competition at the Le Mans test day a week or so ago and we know the competition is very fierce.

But we are going to Spa with two goals in mind; first goal is to win this race staged on this magnificent, historic track. Our second goal is to progress with the development for the Le Mans 24 Hours which is coming up very soon afterwards.

Spa requires a similar characteristic car, however because it has got slightly shorter straights and more corners than Le Mans, and definitely more cars, there are around 60 entered, we have to compromise our set-up slightly.

Spa, as most of you know, has got some strange weather peculiarities that I have only previously seen at Knockhill in my whole racing career! It can be sunny and raining at the same time. But that is one of the features of the place.

It has a fast flowing section through Eau Rouge down Pouhon and Blanchimont. it has got the tight La Source hairpin, it has got overtaking opportunities, it has got places where you have to take big risks to do that.

But overall, it is one that when you finish a lap around Spa, you know you have worked very hard for it. I can’t wait!

Listen to Allan’s Spa Preview Podcast here

Posted by in Allan's Blog

McNish & Audi To Give Race Debut Of R18 TDI In Spa 1,000km

2011-05-03T12:43:00+01:00

Allan McNish gives the new Audi R18 TDI an important race début when the Scotsman competes in the second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup at Spa in Belgium of Saturday (7 May).

McNish lines-up with regular co-drivers Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Dindo Capello (Italy) in the new diesel-engined R18 Coupé for the 1,000km race around the stunning 4.35-mile Spa-Francorchamps track.

Spa takes on the added importance of it being the first and only race for the R18 TDI before the Le Mans 24 Hours (11-12 June) meaning Audi Sport will use the near six-hour race in the Ardennes region as a full, three-car “dress rehearsal” for the prestigious French race.

“It’s essentially two races in one because I’ll have one eye on the Spa race and claiming as many points towards the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup as possible while also looking at the bigger picture of the Le Mans 24 Hours,” stated Allan who finished third in the corresponding Belgian race 12 months ago.

“Although we tested at Le Mans recently, we’ll learn a lot more about the new Audi R18 TDI and also how it fares against the competition at Spa. The 20-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon will be the first time when we’ll see the true performance of all of the new cars because it will be the first time when everybody is on the same playing field together at the same time.

“Dindo, Tom and myself were very close at Spa last year in the R15 TDI which we ran in a Le Mans track set-up. We have a good chance going into the event but it will be a testing one and I am looking forward to seeing how things shake out.”

McNish, Kristensen and Capello recovered superbly to claim fourth place at the chequered flag in the opening ILMC race at Sebring, the trio having led the field several times before one of the “factory” Peugeot sportscars miscalculated an overtaking manoeuvre and hit their Audi R15 TDI with Capello at the wheel.

“Spa gives us a chance to bounce back in the ILMC from the disappointment of not taking top honours at Sebring in March,” continued McNish. “We managed to salvage fourth position and get some points on the board and hopefully Spa will give us another opportunity of a good points haul.”

A magnificent field of 60-cars is entered for the Spa race. Meanwhile ILMC organisers have announced that a six-hour race at Zhuhai in China will close the seven-race series on 12 November – McNish and Kristensen having claimed second place in the corresponding race last year.

“Spa is a circuit that every driver looks forward to and this year more than most for us at Audi Sport because of the R18 TDI’s race debut,” continued McNish. “We were up against our competition at the Le Mans test day and we know it’s very fierce. As a driver when you finish a lap around Spa, you know you have worked very hard for it.”

ILMC Classifications (after Sebring):

Manufacturers – LM P1: 1. Peugeot, 27 pts ; 2. Audi, 17 ; Aston Martin, 0. Teams – LM P1: 1.Team Oreca Matmut, 15 pts ; 2. Peugeot Sport, 12 ; 3. Audi Sport, 9 ; 4. Rebellion Racing, 6.

Provisional timetable:

Thursday 5 May: 1220-1320 Practice 1; 1655-1755 Practice 2.

Friday 6 May: 1150-1250 Practice 3; 1620-1640 Qualifying.

Saturday 7 May: 0955-1015 Warm-up; 1405-2005 Race.

* Local times

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Successful Le Mans Pre-Test & Public Debut for Audi R18 TDI

2011-04-28T06:38:00+01:00

The Le Mans test day was very important for everybody but for us with the new car, the R18 TDI, it was vital to get a feel for the circuit the car was principally designed for, to see how it was going to react on the big long straights, for top speed performance to see how it would be in the fast corners of Porsche and Indianapolis or the slow corners of Mulsanne and Arnage and even the chicanes on the Mulsanne straight.

Overall, I have to say, I think all Audi Sport drivers came away quite satisfied with the base set-up that we’d achieved at the end of the eight hour test and satisfied with our performance level.

It was very close with us [Audi] and our main competitors [Peugeot], there were just two tenths of a second difference, I repeat two tenths of a second difference, covering the top-three so it really is nip and tuck over a 13km track.

Audi Sport worked through a lot of base development elements, making sure we understood the tyres, which have to be new with the big wide, front tyre now on the R18 TDI, and also how they are going to react to this car on this track, with this kind of downforce, with this power level – we have got quite a lot less horse power than we had in previous years with the regulation changes.

Each of the three cars worked on different programmes but we will pull all of that together in time to go back there for the race in June. I wouldn’t necessarily go too much on the lap times, in terms of pure performance, because traffic is always a big thing around there.

There were a lot of new drivers to the track and it does take a bit of time to get acclimatized to it. When you have got an average speed of 150mph around that place, and you have got top speeds four or five times a lap, then it takes your attention.

It does take more than the average circuit to get used to. So all in all, I think when we come back in June, quite a lot of things will have changed, but the one thing that I am quite sure hasn’t changed is our determination to be successful and we’ll be gunning to give Audi a 10^th Le Mans 24 Hour race victory.

Follow Allan on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/AllanMcNish

Posted by in Allan's Blog

Audi relying on ultra lightweight technology for Le Mans

2011-04-22T10:08:00+01:00

Lightweight design expertise expressed visually: This is the principle under which Audi enters the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. The three Audi R18 TDI cars, which join the grid for the French endurance classic on June 11/12 and which make their first public appearance over the Easter weekend at the Le Mans test day, perfectly embodies - also visually - Audi’s core expertise in lightweight technology.

The livery of the three Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 TDI cars is dominated by puristic carbon fiber. The car of last year’s Le Mans winners carrying start number "1" even runs in the characteristic black of the extremely light and, at the same time, high-strength material, which also plays an increasingly important role in the development of new production cars.

"Carbon fiber is ideally suited for lightweight design and construction," explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "We have deliberately made this material and the ultra lightweight technology visual for Le Mans. Lightweight design has occupied us for many years in motorsport. Everything that we have learnt over the years and especially about lightweight design and construction during development of the R18 TDI will also be available for our customers in the future - either in the form of greater performance or in the shape of low fuel consumption and lower emissions."

The R18 TDI is a particularly authentic ambassador for the company’s lightweight technology which will be bundled by the term ‘ultra’ in the future. "Lightweight design is a very important factor at Le Mans because a light car is also always a more efficient car," says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. This year, it is of even greater significance since the regulations stipulate smaller engines producing less power - for the Audi R18 TDI this means over 540 hp (397 kW).

Although there is a minimum weight of 900 kilograms for LMP1 cars at Le Mans, the target is to produce a car weighing significantly less than this limit in order to optimize the weight distribution with the help of ballast and to lower the center of gravity as much as possible.

"With the R18 TDI every component was optimized logically with regard to weight," stresses Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sport. "The same applied to the chassis and the bodywork, the gearbox and the engine. We scoured the car for every superfluous gram."

The carbon monocoque produced in a single-piece, for which a highly complex manufacturing process was developed and which is an impressive proof of the company’s lightweight design expertise, is not only revolutionary for a Le Mans sports car. The same applies for the bodywork which was lightened by 40 kilograms between the first and second version. "Such a consequent lightweight design is a high technical challenge," says Christopher Reinke, Technical Project Leader at Audi Sport.

The V6 TDI engine in the R18 TDI is about 25 percent lighter than the V10 TDI engine in its predecessor. "On one hand through downsizing, but also to a certain extent because we explored completely new directions and chose an unusual engine concept," explains Ulrich Baretzky, Head of Engine Development at Audi Sport.

The new six-speed gearbox, which has a high amount of carbon-fiber composite material, and the complete LED headlights also help to save weight. It was also possible to omit the electric cooling of the light-emitting diodes in the headlights commonly found in production cars. Because the gearshift is no longer activated pneumatically but rather electrically, the R18 TDI requires no more pneumatic system. Optimized airflow through the cockpit should make air-conditioning redundant.

"The Audi R18 TDI is equipped with many innovative solutions," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich proudly. "It was built for regulations specifically targeting future technologies - and with the background enabling these technologies to be introduced into road going cars in the future. This is what makes sport prototypes so interesting for Audi. That we will now see the first impact of Audi ultra lightweight technology at Le Mans demonstrates just how motorsport and production line development go hand in hand at Audi. I’m convinced that ultra will be mentioned in one breath with terms like quattro or TDI in a few years."

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Eurosport Sign Three Year Deal To Broadcast Le Mans 24 Hours

2011-04-18T10:10:00+01:00

Eurosport will broadcast every minute of the Le Mans 24 Hours live across Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and Eurosport Asia-Pacific in the first of a three year deal this season.

Round-the-clock live streaming of the race will also be available in Europe on the Eurosport Player web TV service and mobile application.

For the second consecutive year, Eurosport's coverage starts before the race with "Le Mans 24 Minutes" show each evening at 19:30 CET from Monday 6 June to Saturday 11 June 2011.

Eurosport’s coverage also features live coverage of the Wednesday practice sessions and all qualifying sessions on Thursday 16 June.

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No Easter Break For McNish Who Looks To Lay Foundations For Successful Le Mans 24 Hours Assault

2011-04-15T09:52:00+01:00

Allan McNish gets no holiday during the Easter weekend with the Scotsman firmly focussed on fine tuning his brand new Audi R18 to the unique demands of the Le Mans circuit on Sunday (23 April) in an all-important one-day test.

McNish, together with co-drivers Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Dindo Capello (Italy), will attempt to find a consistent, comfortable but fast set-up for their diesel-engined R18 in readiness for the 24 Hour race staged on 11-12 June.

Audi enters three “closed cockpit” R18 sports-prototypes in the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours, the annual twice-round-the-clock race in France which Audi first entered in 1999 and have since won nine times – with at least one Audi finishing on the winner’s podium every year.

The eight hour test, split in to two, four hour sessions (0900-1300 & 1400-1800) is the only opportunity the 56-car invited entry gets to compete on the 8.47-mile circuit comprising of closed public roads before race week.

“The Le Mans test day marks the first occasion that we [Audi] will be on track along with the R18 and the latest cars from Acura, Aston Martin and Peugeot,” commented Allan.

“We have tested the Audi R18 in Florida and Europe this year but it’s critical we find a good set-up on the Le Mans circuit so we can return in June with a good feeling for the car so we can go into qualifying happy.”

McNish/Kristensen/Capello finished third at Le Mans last year after losing three laps 4½hrs into the race having been the highest-placed Audi in fourth when driver Kristensen came across a slow-moving car which moved across in front of him resulting in car damage - costing valuable time in the pits for repairs.

Audi nevertheless recorded an incredible 1-2-3 result with its now “retired” R15 TDI sportscar when Timo Bernhard (D)/Romain Dumas (F)/Mike Rockenfeller (D) won, setting a new distance record, with Marcel Fässler (CH)/André Lotterer (D)/Benoît Treluyer (F) finishing second.

The test day will be the new R18’s first public outing, a 3.7-litre V6 TDI turbocharged diesel powered Coupé which will bid to earn the German manufacturer a 10th victory in the annual 24 hour race which this year is staged on 11-12 June.

Allan added: “The new regulations dictate a much smaller engine capacity, so therefore less power, but our R18 Coupé is going to be ultra-efficient aerodynamically, the shape being ‘slippery’ so hopefully well suited for the big long straights and high-speed nature of the unique Le Mans circuit.

“Not only should the Audi R18 be good on top speed but also for fuel efficiency as well which is going to be important. It’s promising to be a very exciting year with the new R18.”

Follow Allan on Twitter - www.twitter.com/#!/AllanMcNish

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Allan returns from Sebring race and R18 test

2011-03-28T10:06:00+01:00

Allan McNish touched down in his native Scotland yesterday (27 Mar) to bring a close to a hectic and exhausting 16-day trip to Florida.

Dumfries-born McNish, President of the Scottish Motor Racing Club and back home for various business meetings today (28 Mar), flew to Miami on 10 March, from his adopted home in Monaco, for a PR event the following weekend.

McNish then tested his diesel-engined Audi R15 TDI at the Sebring race track all week before finishing fourth in the race on 19 March – an unfortunate accident involving his Italian co-driver Dindo Capello robbing Allan and Audi of scoring a possible fourth and 10th Sebring race win respectively.

Then last week Audi put the next stage of its R18 project to the test when McNish and the other Le Mans 24 Hour race drivers tested the latest version of its new diesel race car at the Florida venue.

The "Evolution 2" Audi R18 is the result of the findings of previous test drives and wind tunnel testing, with a particular focus on improved aerodynamic efficiency and cooling of the interior of its V6 TDI engine.

Two "Evolution 2" R18 vehicles (chassis numbers 101 and 102) were put to the test during the four days of testing in Sebring, together with an R15 TDI as a reference vehicle, clocking up thousands of test miles to generate important findings relating to vehicle set-up, aerodynamics, tyres, cooling, and reliability. The two R18 sportscars are already back in Germany being dismantled and thoroughly analyzed at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt.

“It was good to get more mileage on the Audi R18. It was hot and humid everyday while the Sebring race track is very punishing on machinery,” said McNish. “It was essentially the first time Audi Sport had been testing in a more ‘race’ environment. The R18 worked well in terms of from the driving, the reactions and also from the cooling inside the car. I am now looking forward to getting the R18 onto the Le Mans circuit and to the test day. That will give everyone a bit more of a feel for what it is going to be like on the La Sarthe circuit.”

McNish’s next outing is at the official Le Mans 24 Hours one-day “test” on Easter Sunday (24 Apr) prior to the 3.7-litre V6 TDI turbocharged diesel powered Coupés race debut in the second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) on 7 May.

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Bye, bye to the R15 TDI and Sebring reflections . . .

2011-03-21T10:10:00+01:00

“Well it was bye bye to the Audi R15 TDI here at Sebring. We weren’t able to give “her” a winning send off but we certainly had the pace and the capability to have done so. Right from the start of the Sebring 12 Hours we were in contention with the two, new ‘factory’ Peugeots and also with the Oreca and the new Acura.

“It was a really tight battle up at the front and with the new regulations for the full course yellows over in the US, it meant that you had to be cute and clever to try to take any advantage out of it. But unfortunately after a few hours, Marc Gene miss calculated and tagged the back of Dindo which broke our right rear suspension and Gene’s left front suspension and that effectively ruined the chances for both cars in the race.

“But typically the Audi Sport Team Joest team, once again, did a very good job when repairing the car, getting it back out on the track again with the minimum of time lost but we were seven laps so it became a ‘recovery’ drive, one of our famous ones, but this time we weren’t able to give it the final victory that we could have done in the past.

“We had the pace, we had the capability, and we had the speed in traffic. We’d set-up the Audi especially for the end of the race, not the beginning, because the track changes quite a lot here and we believed that the race was going to be won in the closing stages.

“And we were right with it being won by the privateer Oreca Peugeot team from the Acura with Montagny bringing the new 908 home in third and us in fourth, so it was quite a good fight for the 160,000 fans present. It was certainly a good race, it was a hot and hard race and it is one that I think we had the chances to be writing our names on the trophy again but it wasn’t to be this time. Now we focus on the new R18 . . .”

Posted by in Allan's Blog

Three times Sebring 12 Hour winner, Allan McNish, to focus on his brand new Audi R18 following a disappointing weekend

2011-03-20T10:45:00+01:00

Britain’s Allan McNish will turn his attention to fine-tuning his brand new diesel-engined Audi R18 sportscar at Le Mans next month after enduring disappointment in the annual Sebring 12 Hour endurance race in Florida.

Dumfries-born McNish shared his diesel-engined Audi R15 TDI with regular co-drivers Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Dindo Capello (Italy), the trio recovering superbly to claim fourth place at the chequered flag. Having led the field several times, an accident wrecked their chances of earning Audi a 10^th win in the annual Floridian race.

McNish had hoped to give the R15 TDI sportscar a perfect send-off in the opening round of the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup prior to Audi Sport switching to the brand new R18 for the rest of the year. The same trio had scored the model’s maiden win in the corresponding race in 2009 and showed the Audi R15 TDI was today on par with the new LMP1 sportscars of Peugeot and Acura/Honda in its last ever race.

“It was a tense and close fought battle as we’d expected but our bid for victory was destroyed when Marc Gene miscalculated entering one of the fast turns and hit the side of Dindo which damaged our car’s suspension,” reflected McNish.

“That cost us a number of laps for repairs so it was a case of recovering the best we could from that major setback. The car ran very well, the balance was excellent towards the end of the race, and our lap times extremely competitive. It’s a case of what might have been but we can take heart from just how competitive our ‘old’ R15 TDI was against the new cars”.

Audi “factory” ace McNish, who had himself previously won the Sebring race in 2004, ’06 & ’09, started the race from fourth on the 55-car grid that contested the 59^th Twelve Hours of Sebring in what was also the opening round of the American Le Mans Series.

McNish swept his Audi into the lead for the first time on 90mins but with Capello at the wheel and almost 4½hrs on the clock, the Italian having taken over from Kristensen, the Audi and Peugeot of Marc Gene collided as the pair diced for second place on the heels of the leader.

Seven laps were lost for right rear suspension repairs, Capello resuming 17^th but was into seventh by mid-distance, seven laps down on the leader. McNish “triple stinted” for an energy-sapping three-hours in the hot and humid 80°F weather conditions handing the car to record eight-time Le Mans 24 Hour race winner Kristensen placed fifth with three hours to run.

The “Great Dane” moved in to fourth place with 2½hrs remaining with McNish ultimately taking the chequered flag in that position, five laps behind the winning Peugeot of Loic Duval (F)/Nicolas Lapierre (F)/Olivier Panis (F).

The “sister” Audi Sport Team Joest entry of 2010 Le Mans 24 Hour winning combination of Timo Bernhard (D)/Romain Dumas (F)/Mike Rockenfeller (D) finished fifth. Having started from second position, fourth-placed Rockenfeller collected a left rear puncture from debris 65mins into the race resulting in bodywork damage.

Rejoining after repairs and fresh tyres, the German returned to the pits after damage from the initial incident caused a second puncture on his “out” lap, causing more bodywork damage and costing eight laps for repairs which dropped them to 50^th.

McNish’s next outing is when the Audi Sport team makes important preparations for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours at an official one-day “test” with its three-car Audi R18 entry on Easter Sunday (24 Apr).

The test day will be the new R18’s first public outing, a 3.7-litre V6 TDI turbocharged diesel powered Coupé which will bid to earn the German manufacturer a 10^th victory in the annual 24 hour race which this year is staged on 11-12 June.

McNish and Audi are contesting the entire Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and will give the Audi R18 its race début in the 1,000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) on 7 May.

Audi Sebring 12 Hours Formguide (Début: 1999 – 10 wins from 12 races)

1999: 3^rd (Alboreto/Capello/Johansson) Audi R8R. Also 5^th.

2000: 1^st (Biela/Kristensen/Pirro) Audi R8. 360 laps (1,332 miles), 110.692mph. Also 2^nd.

2001: 1^st (Capello/Alboreto/Aiello). Audi R8. 370 laps (1,369 miles), 113.983mph. Also 2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th.

2002: 1^st (Capello/Pescatori/Herbert). Audi R8. 346 laps (1,280.2 miles), 106.507mph. Also 2^nd & 5^th.

2003: 1^st (Biela/Werner/Peter) Audi R8. 367 laps (1,357.90 miles), 113.097mph. Also 2^nd & 6^th.

2004: 1^st (McNish/Biela/Kaffer) Audi R8. 350 laps (1,295 miles), 107.711mph. Also 2^nd & 3^rd.

2005: 1^st (Kristensen/Lehto/Werner) Audi R8. 361 laps (1,335.70 miles), 111.028mph. Also 2^nd.

2006: 1^st (McNish/Capello/Kristensen) Audi R10 TDI. 349 laps (1,291.30 miles), 107.319mph.

2007: 1^st (Biela/Pirro/Werner) Audi R10 TDI. 364 laps (1,346.8 miles), 112.039mph. Also 4^th o/a (2^nd LM P1).

2008: 3^rd (McNish/Capello/Kristensen) Audi R10 TDI. Also 6^th (Luhr/Rockenfeller/Werner) Audi R10 TDI.

2009: 1^st (McNish/Capello/Kristensen) Audi R15 TDI. Also 3^rd (Luhr/Rockenfeller/Werner) Audi R15 TDI.

2010: Did not enter

2011: 4^th (McNish/Capello/Kristensen) & 5^th (Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller)

Allan McNish Sebring 12 Hours Formguide (Début: 2000 – Six podiums including 3 wins from 7 races all with Audi)

2000: 2^nd (39.111 seconds behind winning Audi).

2004: 1^st (Qualified 2^nd).

2005: 2^nd (6.365 seconds behind winning Audi – closest margin of victory for this race).

2006: 1^st (Qualified 1^st, 1:45.828secs*, 125.865mph + Fastest Race Lap, 1:48.373* 122.909mph).

2007: 4^th.

2008: 3^rd (Qualified 1^st, 1:43.195secs*, 129.076mph).

2009: 1^st, record distance (1,417.10 miles), record average speed (117.986mph).

2010: Did not Enter.

2011: 4^th.

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The diesel-engined Audi sportscar of Britain’s Allan McNish starts the Sebring 12 Hour endurance race tomorrow (SAT) from fourth place on the massive 53-car grid.

2011-03-19T09:42:00+01:00

McNish’s co-driver Tom Kristensen set a personal best time of 1min 48.173secs, an average speed of 123.136mph around the 3.7 mile, 17-corner track located in central Florida in today’s (FRI) 15-minute qualifying session to claim a second row start position.

“It’s going to be a fast, furious and hot race,” commented Dumfries-born McNish. A daytime temperature of over 80F degrees is forecast. With such a huge grid there will be lots of traffic so constant overtaking of the slower class cars. Tom was delayed with traffic at the last corner. We’ve fine tuned the set-up for the race. We have got a car and a team that has the experience of this event and that will be crucial.”

Audi “factory” ace McNish sets out to score his fourth and Audi’s 10th race victory in the season-opening Sebring race – the start of a hectic seven race, nine month Intercontinental Le Mans Cup campaign.

“Great Dane” Kristensen, the record eight-time Le Mans 24 Hour race winner – victorious at Sebring on five occasions – and McNish share their diesel-engined Audi R15 TDI, being raced for the last time, with Dindo Capello (Italy) – himself a four-time Sebring winner.

The similar Audi Sport Team Joest machine of 2010 Le Mans 24 Hour winners Timo Bernhard (D)/Romain Dumas (F)/Mike Rockenfeller (D) start from second position after setting a 1m 47.680s lap time, 1.109secs slower than the pole-starting position of Stéphane Sarrazin (F).

The race is scheduled to start at 2.30pm UK time.

* Allan McNish audio is available to download from http://www.audi-press.co.uk/motorsport/press_rels.asp?scn=1&md=secthome Open the Qualifying Report then click on the Real Audio File

* Live scoring & timing can be accessed at http://scoring.americanlemans.com/scoring.php

* Race coverage will be screened “live” at http://www.americanlemans.com/

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Japan, my thoughts are with you

2011-03-18T11:16:00+01:00

I have many friends and fans in Japan and my thinking about them all. I support Bart Hayden from Rebellion for his initiative with the Japanese Red Cross and hope you will support them to.

Japan, my thoughts are with you.

Allan McNish

Rebellion Racing wish to offer support to the people in Japan that are suffering as a consequence of the recent earthquakes and tsunami.

At a time when Rebellion Racing are at the first race of our season and our attention is on the motorsport activities that are our passion, we also want to acknowledge that there are people that need help and assistance right now.

Rebellion Racing are fortunate to have a wide base of fans and we hope to encourage our fans and the wider motorsport community to find ways to support the people that are suffering. Rebellion Racing encourages fans that wish to make a donation to one of the organisations that can make a difference to visit the Japanese Red Cross Society website at the following link:

http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

The Rebellion Racing car that is running in the Sebring 12 Hours race will be wearing a sticker carrying a message of support. We hope that our fans will join in offering their support to those that need it and that they will be able to contribute towards the aid effort.

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Thursday testing times at Sebring – Audi is looking strong

2011-03-18T10:30:00+01:00

There is one more practice session now before qualifying for grid positions at 7.35pm (UK time) for just 15mins. All of today’s practice (Thursday) has been littered with red flag stoppages due to on-track incidents. With a field of 56-cars, Saturday’s race is sure to be incident packed with many caution periods. Audi is looking good, no problems with either car all week, and we’re on the pace . . .

Thursday Practice 3 (7.50-9.35pm) – note “night” practice began in temperature of 78F . . . at 7.50pm!

1. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 1m 48.901s

2. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 49.370

3. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 50.111

4. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 50.344

5. #10 Lapierre/Duval/Panis (Peugeot 908 HDI) 50.527

6. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (Lola Coupe Aston Martin) 51.135

Thursday Practice 2 (3.05-4.05pm)

1. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 50.424s

2. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 50.538

3. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 51.055

4. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 51.639

5. #10 Lapierre/Duval/Panis (Peugeot 908 HDI) 51.691

6. #12 Prost/Jani/Bleekemolen (Lola Coupe Toyota) 51.973

Thursday Practice 1 (10.15-11.15am)

1. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 49.253s

2. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 50.037

3 #10 Lapierre/Duval/Panis (Peugeot 908 HDI) 50.296

4. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (Lola Coupe Aston Martin) 50.647

5. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 50.698

6. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 51.819

Tuesday test 4 (3.50-4.50pm)

1. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 49.271s

2. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 49.506

3. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 49.569

4. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 49.607

5. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD ARX-01e HPD) 50.138

6 #10 Lapierre/ (Peugeot 908 HDI) 51.444

Tuesday test 3 (11.35am-12.35pm)

1. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 48.450s

2. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 49.615

3. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 50.080

4. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 50.227

5. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (Lola Coupe Aston Martin) 50.299

6. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD ARX-01e HPD) 50.403

Monday test 2 (1-5pm)

1. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 47.919s

2. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD ARX-01e HPD) 48.448
3. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 48.474

4. #12 Prost/Jani/Bleekemolen (Lola Coupe Toyota) 50.283

5. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 50.476

6. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (Lola Coupe Aston Martin) 50.586

Monday test 1 (8am-12noon)

1. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 1m 47.678s
2. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 48.025
3. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD ARX-01e HPD) 48.342
4. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 48.748
5. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 48.782
6. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (Lola Coupe Aston Martin) 48.836

For information:

* Bold typeface denotes who set time

* Red denotes day’s outright fastest time

Pole position 2010: Gené (Peugeot) 1:45.214s

Pole position record: 1:44.964 (Werner, 2007) McNish set 1:43.195 (2008) but this remains unofficial as the qualifying session was stopped due to an incident on the circuit

Fastest race lap 2010: Bourdais (Peugeot) 1:44.972

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEXU_XKt87w&feature=player_embedded#at=65

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Audi quickest in second Sebring test

2011-03-16T09:38:00+01:00

Tuesday test 4 (3.50-4.50pm)

1. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 49.271s

2. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 49.506

3. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 49.569

4. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 49.607

5. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD ARX-01e HPD) 50.138

6 #10 Lapierre/ (Peugeot 908 HDI) 51.444

Tuesday test 3 (11.35am-12.35pm)

1. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi R15 TDI) 1m 48.450s

2. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot 908) 49.615

3. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi R15 TDI) 50.080

4. #7 Davidson/Gene/Wurz (Peugeot 908) 50.227

5. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (Lola Coupe Aston Martin) 50.299

6. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD ARX-01e HPD) 50.403

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Audi top the testing times on Monday afternoon at Sebring

2011-03-15T10:46:00+01:00

Monday test 1 (8am-12noon)

1. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot) 1m 47.678s
2. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi) 48.025
3. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD) 48.342
4. #10 Davidson/Gene/Wurz 48.748
5. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi) 48.782
6. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (AMR Lola) 48.836

Monday test 2 (1-5pm)

1. #2 McNish/Kristensen/Capello (Audi) 1m47.919s

2. #01 Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud (HPD) 48.448
3. #1 Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller (Audi) 48.474

4. #12 Prost/Jani/Bleekemolem (Lola) 50.283

5. #8 Montagny/Lamy/Sarrazin (Peugeot) 50.476

6. #06 Pickett/Luhr/Graf (AMR Lola) 50.586

Pole position 2010: Gené (Peugeot) 1:45.214s

Pole position record: 1:44.964 (Werner, 2007) McNish set 1:43.195 (2008) but this remains unofficial as the qualifying session was stopped due to an incident on the circuit

Fastest race lap 2010: Bourdais (Peugeot) 1:44.972

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TV & Radio Times - Sebring 12 Hour Race

2011-03-14T15:34:00+01:00

Tune in to watch Allan race in Sebring at the following times.

EUROSPORT (UK)

(GMT)

Sunday 20 March

07:30 (1 hour highlights) INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 1: SEBRING

EUROSPORT (European)

(CET)

Sunday 20 March

08:30 (1 hour highlights) INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 1: SEBRING

AMERICAN LE MANS (www.americanlemans.com/primary1.php?cat=tv)

(GMT)

Saturday 19 March

15.30 – INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 1: SEBRING 12 hour

RADIO LE MANS (www.radiolemans.com)

(GMT)

Friday 18 March

19.45 – Qualifying

Saturday 19 March

12.45 – Warm Up

15.00 – Pre-Race Show

15.30 – INTERCONTINENTAL LE MANS CUP RD 1: SEBRING 12 hour

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Allan visits the Go Green Auto Rally in Miami

2011-03-14T11:20:00+01:00

Allan McNish spent two days at the Go Green Auto Rally in Miami (11-12 Mar) before heading to Sebring in advance of Saturday’s 12 Hours of Sebring (19 Mar).

The Audi Sport “factory” driver from Dumfries was present for the “drive green because you can” initiative that is supported by the American Le Mans Series.

McNish, a three-time winner of the annual Sebring race with Audi, gave instruction to Marc Sarnoff, the Miami City Commissioner, at the wheel of an Audi A8, on how to reduce gas consumption, and therefore money, by driving more smoothly and in a safer manner. Organisers fitted cars with GPS data recorders with information then downloaded after a 10-mile journey through Coral Gables.

As well as the City’s Commissioner (pictured), McNish gave advice to representatives from the Miami fire and police departments, army and navy personnel plus members of the general public.

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Britain’s Allan McNish sets out to score his fourth and Audi’s 10th race victory in the season-opening Sebring 12 Hours in Florida on Saturday 19 March

2011-03-11T11:05:00+01:00

Audi “factory” ace McNish begins a hectic seven race, nine month Intercontinental Le Mans Cup campaign and is determined to get his and Audi’s season off to a flying start.

McNish shares a diesel-engined Audi R15 TDI with regular co-drivers Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Dindo Capello (Italy), the trio looking to sign off the R15 TDI sportscar’s career on a winning note.

“Tom, Dindo and I will race the Audi R15 TDI as opposed to our new R18 which is not race ready yet so the Coupé’s first public outing will be at the ‘test weekend’ for the Le Mans 24 Hours in April and race début at Spa the following month,” confirmed Dumfries-born McNish.

“So we’ll be trying hard to give the ‘old girl’ one last victory in its 10^th and final scheduled race. Tom, Dindo and I gave the R15 TDI a début race win at Sebring in 2009, the first of three race wins this particular Audi model scored over the past two years.

“The last win for the R15 TDI was at Le Mans last year when Audi achieved a fabulous 1-2-3 result while Tom and I were very close to adding to that tally in my last race in China last November. So we know the R15 TDI’s reliability record and its performance envelope so believe we can take the chase to the competition.”

A field of over 50-cars is expected to contest the 59^th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, the McNish/Kristensen/Capello Audi Sport Team Joest entry backed up by the “sister” R15 TDI of 2010 Le Mans 24 Hour winning combination of Timo Bernhard (D)/Romain Dumas (F)/Mike Rockenfeller (D).

Audi’s arch-rival Peugeot will compete at the 3.7 mile, 17-corner Sebring International Raceway – America's premier sports car racing facility nestling amongst the orange groves and cattle ranches of central Florida which is the oldest permanent road racing track in North America.

The last time Audi raced at Sebring in 2009, 170,800 spectators attended the race meeting. Legends Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio have previously won the annual race which has also attracted the likes of Steve McQueen, Gene Hackman, Paul Newman and Patrick Dempsey.

Allan added: “Sebring is one of the hardest races because it is the opening race of the year while it’s invariably staged in hot and humid weather conditions. The circuit is fast, intense and bumpy requiring 100% concentration throughout.

“I raced at Sebring for the first time in 1997 and won while in the 12 Hour race itself, have won it three times finishing on the podium six times from seven starts, so it has been a happy hunting ground for me and I’m very much looking to continue that trend in 2011.

“I like the circuit because it is an ‘old style’ circuit and hasn’t changed much since Stirling Moss raced there first in the mid-1950s. The track surface is bumpy with some nasty kerbing at some corners all of which we don’t see in Europe, especially not at circuits used for Formula 1 races, but I think it gives it a lot of character. Additionally there is always a mega crowd generating an electric atmosphere.”

Timetable:

Tuesday 1135-1235 Test; 1550-1650 Test

Thursday 1015-1115 Practice; 1505-1605 Practice; 1950-2135 Practice

Friday 1040-1140 Practice; 1535-1550 Qualifying

Saturday 0800-0825 Warm-up; 1030 Race

* Times are Sebring local and are -4hrs UK time

Audi Sebring 12 Hours Formguide (Début: 1999 – 9 wins from 11 races)