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A newly developed Turbo FSI petrol engine available from this week for the Audi A5 provides the sought after Coupé with yet another choice blend of pace and pence-per-mile efficiency. The new 211PS A5 2.0T FSI can be ordered in either front-wheel drive or quattro permanent four-wheel drive forms for £28,760 OTR or £30,285 OTR, and will reach its first UK customers in August.

The new high-tech 2.0-litre unit is derived from the already much praised 1.8T FSI engine introduced recently in A3, A4 and A5 models, but takes its efficiency a step further still through the use of new Audi valve-lift technology. By employing sliding cam units mounted on the intake camshaft that allow for more variation in the degree of valve lift, the engine is able to ‘breathe’ even more effectively, switching to a higher cam profile when strong acceleration is required, or a lower profile that requires less fuel and air compression when throttle usage is more relaxed.

The new 2.0T FSI unit delivers 211PS from 4,300rpm and a very impressive 350Nm torque maximum from just 1,500rpm – more even than the 3.2 V6 FSI unit also powering A5 models. It enables the front-wheel drive A5 2.0T FSI with 6-speed manual transmission to cover the 0-62mph sprint in 6.9 seconds, reach a top speed of 155 mph and return up to 42.8 mpg according to the combined cycle test. And despite doing full justice in performance terms to the purposeful styling of the A5, it also shows restraint where emissions are concerned, with an output of 154g/km for the front-wheel drive version.

Standard specification for front-wheel drive and quattro four-wheel drive versions of the new A5 2.0T FSI includes 17-inch 7-spoke alloy wheels, tri-zone electronic climate control, a 10-speaker Concert CD audio system, full Milano leather upholstery and rear acoustic parking.

The widely anticipated duel between Audi and Peugeot definitely kept its promise: in front of a record crowd of 258,500 spectators, the two car manufacturers entered into a thrilling battle with their diesel sportscars which Audi finally won by a margin of 4m 31s.

During the entire race distance, the winning Audi R10 TDI and the best Peugeot 908 was never separated by more than a lap. After Peugeot initially set the pace, both the reliability and efficiency of the Audi R10 TDI gained the upper hand at night. After rain set in at Le Mans, Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish took the lead at 05:17 and held it until the finish at 15:00 hours.

On a rain-soaked track, the Audi drivers fully profited from the superiority of Audi TDI Power and led the field by a margin of one lap. In addition, they took advantage of the fact that Audi Sport Team Joest had entered the race with a set-up that was the best compromise for both dry and wet track surfaces. Whilst the opposition had to change their cars during the race to a rain set-up, Audi only needed to change tyres.

Changing tyres, however, was an exercise that was practiced frequently as the conditions changed throughout the second half of the race owing to the weather. Slicks, intermediates, and rain tyres – it was crucial to take the most suitable tyres at the correct time.

Audi Sport Team Joest and the Audi drivers fully exploited their experience and operated faultlessly. The only frightening moment occurred in the dramatic final phase when there was a collision between the leading car and a backmarker involving the innocent Tom Kristensen. In that situation, the sheer strength of the Audi R10 TDI became visible as well. The car ran faultlessly without the slightest technical lapse during the 24 hours.

Scotsman Allan McNish scored his second Le Mans victory after his inaugural 1998 triumph – 2008 being his first win with Audi. Tom Kristensen, from Denmark, extended his existing record to eight Le Mans victories now. Italian Dindo Capello won for the third time after 2003 and 2004.

For Audi Sport Team Joest, it was the third successive victory with the Audi R10 TDI. Thus, a hat-trick has been achieved for the second time after 2000, 2001 and 2002: three Le Mans victories achieved by one team. The Le Mans winners’ trophy that normally needs to be returned 12 months after each single victory is therefore in the possession of AUDI AG for good.

The other two Audi R10 TDI cars finished fourth and sixth. Youngsters Lucas Luhr, Alexandre Prémat and Mike Rockenfeller were in contention for a podium finish until shortly before the end and had previously occupied third place. In the penultimate hour of the race, however, the oil filter of their V12 TDI engine had to be changed.

Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner also encountered bad luck: the winning trio of 2006 and 2007 lost all chances for a better result on Sunday morning when a clutch had to be changed owing to a spin and the subsequent re-start in second gear.

In its tenth attempt, Audi has won the Le Mans 24 Hour race for the eighth time. Since 2000, Audi technology has been victorious at Le Mans. “This was a success of drivers, team and the efficiency of the Audi TDI technology – a triumph of reliability”, said Rupert Stadler, Head of the Board of Management of AUDI AG who followed the race at Le Mans personally in the Audi pit garage. “It was the most tense Le Mans race I remember. We had a very strong opponent who had an extremely fast car. But once more, it became obvious that Le Mans particularly rewards reliability and efficiency. I am proud of this team. And every Audi employee and customer can be proud, too.”

Quotes after the Le Mans 24 Hours
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “The 2008 Le Mans 24 Hour race will become part of history as a unique race. It was a tense race for the whole duration of 24 hours. We didn’t enter the race as the favourite, but our success was the result of good performances and a faultless showing – and we achieved that against strong opponent. I think you couldn’t imagine a better race for the spectators. Audi once again showed that its slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” is true.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #2): “It was a great race, a perfect race. I’m totally happy and proud to be part of this team. The only possibility for us to beat the faster Peugeots was a race without mistakes. The team did an incredible job. Our Audi did not have the slightest problem. We did not lose a single second in the pits. Like this we were able to beat Peugeot. Audi has the right people to win races even if for once we do not have the fastest car. We’ve showed that.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R10 TDI #2): “Wow! What a race. This was the extension of Allan (McNish), Dindo (Capello) and myself from last year. We just grew into the race getting better and more confident all the time. We forgot all that talking that we can’t win together or can’t win with the ‘yellow’ car. Thanks to Audi! They trust in us. They prepared us a race car which we could race and really push hard through 24 hours to win against great opposition from Peugeot. We did a perfect race thanks to our engineer Howden (Haynes) and all the people in the background including Ralf Jüttner and Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. They all made the right calls in terms of the right tyre choices during this crazy showers. Allan deserved to finally win Le Mans with Audi. Dindo is a fantastic Italian gentleman and very fast. I hope we can do many more Le Mans races together.”

Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #2): “I’m overjoyed to have finally won the Le Mans 24 Hours with Audi. I’ve come very close on numerous occasions in the past but despite fierce opposition from start to finish, some of the most demanding and difficult track conditions, and unpredictable weather, I’ve finally done it – my thanks to everyone at Audi Sport and Team Joest. I didn’t take risks at the start and was happy to follow the Peugeots. But they soon encountered problems of varying degrees. The track was treacherous in the rain – greasy and slippery – like driving on ice. Thankfully the car was very sure-footed but driving in those conditions for over three hours required 100% concentration because if you made the slightest mistake, you just didn’t go wide, you would have crashed off and out of the race.”

Lucas Luhr (Audi R10 TDI #3): “Heart-full Congratulations to the whole Audi Team, Joest, Tom (Kristensen), Allan (McNish) and Dindo (Capello). They did a fantastic job and deserved the victory. Our race was okay, but we lost some time at the beginning. At the end we had to come twice into the garage ending our battle with the #9 Peugeot prematurely. We just missed the podium with our fourth place. But we have the chance for improvements next year…”

Alexandre Prémat (Audi R10 TDI #3): “I’m very happy about my first finish at Le Mans. We just missed the podium by finishing fourth. This is a really good result because the fight between the six diesel-powered cars from Audi and Peugeot was very tough. I think Lucas (Luhr), Mike (Rockenfeller) and I did a very good job. We can only be happy. We get a lot of experience this year for the future.”

Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R10 TDI #3): “We knew before it would be a great and extremely difficult race. We three gave everything, but unfortunately it was not enough for Alex (Prémat), Lucas (Luhr) and me to make it onto the rostrum. We had some minor problems, and in such a strong field this means you can’t be at the top. But we three learnt a lot and now we hope that we can attack again next year and maybe make it onto the podium.”

Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #1): “I certainly expected more but it is as it is. The good thing is that Audi has won today – in spite of the strong performance that Peugeot has shown in practice. My sincerest congratulations. Also, I want to extend my wishes to the three winners.”

Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1): “It’s been an unbelievable and fantastic race. Allan (McNish), Dindo (Capello) and Tom (Kristensen) really deserve this victory because they did a fantastic job. It proves that even with a faster car that you can’t win when you don’t have the right package (I mean Peugeot). It was a great day for Audi. As far as we are concerned I’m not so happy about our race. We did not have the luck, we did not have enough speed this year. This has been quite an unfortunate race for us.”

Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #1): “I’m very proud to be part of the team which has again won Le Mans. Congratulations to Allan (McNish), Dindo (Capello), Tom (Kristensen) and Audi for the victory. Of course it’s a shame that not all of our cars made it to the top of the field. As expected it was a tough weekend. Two cars had some little issues, but one car completed the race without difficulties and won thanks to the great reliability. What else do you want?”

Ralf Jüttner (Technischer Direktor Audi Sport Team Joest): “This race was absolutely crazy. We didn’t start as the favourites. Still, we always believed we could do it and I had a good feeling without knowing why. Initially, Peugeot has been quicker as expected. But then our opponent had to fight some gremlins and we followed closely. At a certain stage, everything went well for Peugeot and we dropped back slightly. Then came the weather which was chaotic. It required decisions at very short notice: which tyres do we go for, which ones are available at all? Everything worked well. The guys sometimes received their instructions regarding the tyre variant barely seconds before the pitstops. Not a single fault of the crew, the strategy was good, the drivers made no mistakes. This is something extremely unusual in a 24 Hour race. That’s why this race will have a special place in my memory.”

Scheider and Ekström were among the protagonists in a nail-biting DTM race at the Norisring, in which the first four cars were separated by merely 2.5 seconds when they crossed the finish line. The preliminary decision was made as early as in the qualifying and at the start: Ekström had to start the race from the unfavourable eighth position on the grid, while Scheider started with slightly insufficient revs when the red lights went off and dropped to seventh place on lap one.

The recovery made by both Audi drivers showed that the new Audi A4 DTM is also capable of winning on circuits that primarily demand top speed: Ekström and Scheider fought and made up ground to positions three and four and, in the final phase, caught up with the two leading Mercedes cars. The two Mercedes drivers, however, made no mistakes so that Ekström and Scheider had no overtaking opportunities. Instead, there was a team-internal duel in which Timo Scheider in the last corner pushed past Mattias Ekström. After five of eleven races, Timo Scheider continues heading the leaderboard with a one-point advantage over Norising winner Jamie Green.

In the early phases of the race, all four new Audi A4 DTM cars were circling the Norisring in a “formation flight”. Martin Tomczyk, who had made a good start, lost positions, however, because his accelerator pedal repeatedly got stuck. Then, Tom Kristensen was on the heels of the leading Mercedes trio, before his A4 lost important aerodynamics components in tussles and the Le Mans record winner, due to the resulting overheating of his brakes and a cramped leg, was relegated to seventh place.

Last year’s A4 cars, which were the heaviest vehicles in the entire field in Nuremberg, had no chance for points. After a disappointing qualifying, Markus Winkelhock drove a good race, making up ground from position 17 on the grid to eleventh place. Oliver Jarvis, Mike Rockenfeller – who was moved to the rear of the grid – and Alexandre Prémat – who was struggling with clutch problems – occupied places twelve, 13 and 14.

Katherine Legge finished her Norisring début in the 2006-spec Audi A4 DTM in 15th place. Her team-mate Christijan Albers, after a strong starting phase, retired due to a steering problem.

The next DTM race is on the schedule only two weeks from now at Zandvoort (the Netherlands). Audi has not been beaten at this venue for the past two years and celebrated a one-two-three-four victory there last year.

Quotes after the race

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “We continue leading the championship and clinched a podium result at the Norisring. That – as well as the fact that the new A4 DTM was really very fast in the race and our teams did great work in the pits – is definitely positive. It’s not hard to imagine, though, what would have been possible if we hadn’t lost so much time at the start. But to win, everything’s got to fit together. We saw fair fights within the Audi teams today as well as between the two brands. That was touring car racing at its best, with nail-biting suspense from start to finish, and simply good advertising for the DTM.”

Timo Scheider (GW: plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM #10): “That was really a sensational race today, an extreme thriller. I’m just sorry that I messed up the start the way I did. As a result, I had to attack extremely hard during the rest of the race. Thanks to our race strategy, good stops and the fast car I was able to make a quick recovery. Together with ‘Eki’, I put pressure on the two leading Mercedes of Green and Spengler. ‘Eki’ really gave everything. I think that in the end his brakes weren’t the best anymore. On the final four or five laps one of his wheels kept locking. On the last lap I took advantage of that. My thanks to ‘Eki’ for such a fair drive.”

Mattias Ekström (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM #1): “My A4 was great today, so I was able to fight at the front of the field again. Recovering from eighth on the grid to third in the race was a tremendous thing. When we were fighting for the podium place on the final laps, I unfortunately lost my brakes and Timo (Scheider) was able to pass me. Too bad, because I’d have liked to take a trophy home with me. At Zandvoort, we’ll launch an all-out attack again.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi A4 DTM #9): “This has been one of the races after which you really appreciate a scoop of ice-cream! The car was excellent, and so was the start. In the beginning, I was quicker than Mercedes in certain sectors but I wasn’t able to put pressure on the cars in front of me there. I was caught in a sandwich with Mattias (Ekström) behind me and wanted to save my brakes. The brakes overheated somewhat, and so did I, because I developed a cramp. I probably didn’t drink enough. These factors worked against me in the race. So my lap times deteriorated and I lost some ground. But the result is good for the team. We added a bit to our tally again.”

Markus Winkelhock (Playboy Audi A4 DTM #19): “The start was fair to middling – I gained nothing and lost nothing. In the first corner I stayed clear of trouble. I didn’t want to take any risk. The car felt pretty good. After ten, 15 laps the brakes started to become soft. I was hoping they’d last until the end of the race, and they did.”

Oliver Jarvis (Best Buddies Audi A4 DTM #15): “My start was good and the first two laps were really varied while fighting with Alex (Prémat) and the others. Those were some nice fights and I advanced a few places. After the pit stops, I was in a good position but Maro Engel came up behind me in turn four on the inside line. He braked too late and hit me in the rear. I lost a few places. At the end, it was a really tough battle because the braking distances got longer. A disappointing race end.”

Mike Rockenfeller (S line Audi A4 DTM #18): “My start was poor and I wasn’t able to improve either up to the first turn. In the beginning, I was driving behind Markus (Winkelhock). Things were going well for me, while he was having brake problems. A few laps later, I started having problems as well because I was following in his slipstream the whole time. All that counted for me then anymore was to finish the race, because points were no longer possible. Now our car will become lighter. After a weekend to chalk off to experience, things should be clearly better again for us at Zandvoort.”

Alexandre Prémat (Audi Bank/Shell Helix Audi A4 DTM #14): “Unfortunately, at both pit stops the clutch slowed me. On the track, I showed that I’m one of the quickest drivers of a 2007-spec car. That’s why I’m a bit disappointed about the result. I started from tenth place and had hoped to be scoring one or two points.”

Katherine Legge (Audi A4 DTM #20): “The race didn’t go the way we’d been hoping it would. At least, we finished and gained valuable experiences. The circuit is very difficult, and I started having problems with the gearbox and brakes. I was no longer able to shift from first into second gear and therefore often used second. I often made room for others and that caused me to lose a lot of time as well. I learned a lot this weekend and have a positive feeling about Zandvoort.”

Christijan Albers (Audi A4 DTM #21): “I had a good start. The only problem was that I wasn’t able to overtake any of the Mercedes cars in front of me. After 18, 19 laps, the power steering system lost power and started locking. It was difficult to turn in. The more hydraulic fluid was lost, the worse it got. I had to stop my race.”

Martin Tomczyk (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM #2): “The start was pretty good because I gained a position. From the first lap forward, I was having problems with the accelerator pedal sticking a little. It got worse and worse. That’s why I made several braking mistakes. Towards the end, while heading for the Schöller-S, the pedal got stuck completely.”

Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): “An absolutely thrilling race. Congratulations to the team. We really made no mistakes. Our performance was right, but the grid positions were the preliminary decision for the race. The overall result is such that Timo Scheider continues leading the championship. And we’ve got a big weight advantage for the next race. We’re taking a good result with us form the Norisring, because we’ve got to ensure that in the end we finish the championship in front.”

Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): “Up to the first pit stop, everything was going according to plan. We were able to keep the old Mercedes cars – except for Gary Paffett – behind us. Oliver (Jarvis) lost several positions in an action that wasn’t shown on TV. During Alex’s (Prémat) first stop there was a clutch problem and the drive axle didn’t stop, which cost us a lot of time. That was the end of our race. We want to make up for that at Zandvoort with less weight and lots of motivation.”

Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg): “First, our apologies to Mike (Rockenfeller) for our mistake with the tyres in the warm-up, which were the reason why we had to start from the last row. Both drivers drove good races. With places eleven and 13 we made the best of the situation. A better result wasn’t possible, although we’d expected more.”

The results in Nuremberg

1 Jamie Green (Mercedes) 74 laps in 1h 01m27.700s
2 Bruno Spengler (Mercedes) + 0.467s
3 Timo Scheider (GW: plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM) + 2.191s
4 Mattias Ekström (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM) + 2.536s
5 Paul di Resta (Mercedes) + 18.026s
6 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes) + 19.577s
7 Tom Kristensen (Audi A4 DTM) + 23.040s
8 Mathias Lauda (Mercedes) + 32.168s
9 Maro Engel (Mercedes) + 33.578s
10 Susie Stoddart (Mercedes) + 37.660s
11 Markus Winkelhock (Playboy Audi A4 DTM) + 43.684s
12 Oliver Jarvis (Best Buddies Audi A4 DTM) + 47.264s
13 Mike Rockenfeller (S line Audi A4 DTM) - 1 lap
14 Alexandre Prémat (Audi Bank/Shell Helix Audi A4 DTM) – 1 lap
15 Katherine Legge (Audi A4 DTM) - 2 laps
16 Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes) - 5 laps
Not classified:
Gary Paffett (Mercedes) + 14.402s
Christijan Albers (Audi A4 DTM) - 43 laps
Martin Tomczyk (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM) - 51 laps