Innovation, Innovations! Innovations win the 82th, 24hrs Le Mans motor race, Audi again, Toyota on the podium.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...
This title "cry" is however marred was marred by the death of Aston Martin pilot Allan Simonsen and bad weather that caused several minor accidents.

THE LE MANS WINNER

Nevertheless Innovation is still the big, big winner of this 82th edition of the iconic Le Mans' race. And it's an Audi hybrid that does it once again following on from last years success. 

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro N° 2 took first place in this year's edition of this years (2013) endurance race, marking the car's second consecutive victory and Audi's twelfth overall win.  

The three man winning team was Loïc Duval, (France) Allan McNish (Scotland) and last but not least Tom Kristensen, nine times winner of Le Mans six of which were consecutive (Denmark), Audi's diesel-electric hybrid race car finished the race a full lap ahead of the runner up, a Toyota TS0030 driven by Nicolas Lapierre, Kazuki Nakajima and Alexander Wurz.  The R18 e-tron logged 348 laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe, which equates to roughly 3,000 miles.

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INNOVATIONS

The carbon fiber-bodied R18 e-tron packs a technologically-advanced diesel-electric hybrid drive-train that uses an electric flywheel accumulator to store the kinetic energy that is generated when the brakes are applied.  Active only above 75 mph, the system sends power to two electric motors that spin the front wheels and give the car a noticeable acceleration boost.

The rear wheels are driven by a 3.7-liter V6 TDI turbodiesel and are not linked to the hybrid setup.   Mated to a six-speed electronically-operated sequential gearbox, the oil-burner produces over 626 lb-ft. of torque and about 500 horsepower.

SUSPENSION SYSTEM AUDI-R18 e-Tron-Quattro
CREDIT TO WINNING TEAM-ENGINEERS & PILOTES FROM THE TOP...

Audi credits the hybrid setup for enabling the R18 to beat Toyota and come out on top.

“We owe the twelfth victory of our brand at Le Mans to the consistent, innovative spirit of our engineers, the unconditional commitment of the entire team and the skills and strong nerves of our drivers. On behalf of Audi, I extend my sincere congratulations on this success to all of them,” said Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler.

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TOYOTA Racing achieved an emotional runners-up finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours after a rollercoaster race which saw drivers and team overcome immense challenges.

The N° 8 TS030 HYBRID of Anthony Davidson (UK), Sébastien Buemi (Switzerland) and Stéphane Sarrazin(France) finished second while the N° 7 of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima completed a satisfying week for the team by taking fourth.

SUSPENSION SYSTEM TS030

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FROM THE WINNERS HOME PAGES

The future of AudiBegins on the track at Le Mans one learns from Audi motosport website

Audi is consistently pushing the envelope when it comes to design and performance. Last year, Audi was the first team to win using hybrid technology. Before that? The first team to win using TDI® clean diesel technology—for six consecutive years. This year, Audi is out to do it again. Winning is in our heritage. And the R18 e-tron® quattro® is poised to make history again.

SOME HISTORY

A legacy of successWinning on the racetrack and on the road.

Audi burst onto the scene in the 1980s with the now legendary quattro® all-wheel drive—dominating the World Rally Championship. Starting in 2001, win after consecutive win was ushered in at Le Mans with the help of TFSI® engine technology. The victories continued with the revolutionary development of TDI® clean diesel engine technology—unleashing more power and increasing fuel efficiency. All of these pioneering innovations ultimately made their way into production models, utilizing racetrack performance on the open road. And that’s the real win.

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AUDI INNOVATION-MOTORSPORT

LAST BUT NOT LEAST "THE SHOES" - OUTSTANDING TYRES

Michelin’s endurance racing tyres stand out from those of its rivals thanks to their balanced ‘Michelin Total Performance’ package which offers longer life and better grip combined with consistency and safety.

That is why Michelin supplies more than 60 percent of the grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Prior to the creation of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2012, the development of tyres for the discipline was chiefly geared to the Le Mans 24 Hours, where the longevity and consistency of Michelin’s solutions allowed the firm’s partners to multi-stint in total safety with no drop-off in performance. Multi-stinting meant less time spent in the pits to have fresh rubber fitted.

Today’s development work covers tyres for both Le Mans and the WEC, although there are not two distinct ranges. On the contrary, the objective for Michelin Motorsport’s engineers and developers and their colleagues at the Michelin Technology Centre has been to produce a selection of versatile products which are competitive at all the circuits visited during the season, as well as for the different race formats. The tyres developed by Michelin for its partners in the WEC are not available for general sale.

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