Audi to Field Two R15 TDIs at Petit Le Mans in U.S.

Is it time for a repeat? Following a successful debut at the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring, Audi Sport plans on fielding its new R15 TDI LMP1 cars in yet another U.S. venue: the Petit Le Mans, held at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia.

Audi Sport views its involvement at the 2009 Petit Le Mans as a test for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. The race at Road Atlanta, scheduled for September 26, is the R15’s first event following its third-place finish at Le Mans.

“The race at Road Atlanta already marks the first part of our preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2010. We want to use it as an opportunity for our engineers to learn even more about the new Audi R15 TDI in direct competition with strong rivals,” said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Motorsport.

The team feels itdidn’t fully compete with the new R15’s at this year’s Le Mans. Third place is respectable for an all-new car, but given the R10 TDI’s legacy–winning Le Mans five years in a row–the new R15 has some enormous boots to fill.

“We’re convinced that we weren’t able to fully exploit the potential of the R15 TDI at Le Mans,” says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “At Road Atlanta, we’ll have the opportunity to test on Sunday before the race so that we should be in a better position than we were at Le Mans.

“Despite the strong competition by Acura/Honda, Peugeot, Mazda, Oreca, and other prototype teams, we figure on having good chances of fighting for victory, as we did over the past few years.”

Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta is part of the American Le Mans Series. It’s a series Audi is largely absent from, following its decision to withdraw from the 2009 ALMS season. Audi Sport Team Joest will field two cars at the 1000-mile race with Dindo Capello and Allan McNish as one driver team, and Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner driving the second R15.