POMPANO BEACH,
Fl. (January 24, 2005) –Audi Sport North America, five-time
American Le Mans Series Manufacturer Champion, and Florida-based
Champion Racing, last year’s American Le Mans Series LMP1
Champion, return to the American Le Mans Series with not one but
two Audi R8 LMP1 cars. Reigning ALMS Driver Champion’s JJ Lehto
and Marco Werner will pilot the #1 Audi R8. Past ALMS Driver
Champion’s Frank Biela (2003) and Emanuele Pirro (2001) return
as teammates for the #2 car.
Assisting Team
ADT Champion Racing in their quest for victory at the 12 Hours
of Sebring and the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans will be six-time Le
Mans Champion Tom Kristensen (ALMS Driver Champion in 2002) and
1998 Le Mans Champion Allan McNish (ALMS Driver Champion in
2000). All drivers apart from JJ Lehto are members of the 2005
Audi works driver’s squad, a fact that underlines the importance
of the American Le Mans Series for Audi of America. Lehto
meanwhile is no stranger to the company and to Team ADT Champion
Racing as 2005 marks Lehto’s 3rd year competing for Audi of
America and Team ADT Champion Racing.
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JJ
Lehto (38), born in Espoo, Finland but now resides in
Monaco, spent a number of years contesting the Formula
One Series before coming to the United States to compete
in sports car racing. Since 1999, Lehto has been
competing in the American Le Mans Series driving for
BMW, Cadillac, and most recently Audi. In last year’s
American Le Mans nine-race season, Lehto earned nine
podium finishes, six first place finishes, one pole
position and a third place podium finish at Le Mans.
Lehto also earned his first American Le Mans Series
Driver’s Championship. |
Marco
Werner (38), born in Dortmund, Germany but now resides
in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, started racing in 1984 and
his career has included success in Formula 3000, touring
cars, and GT racing. Werner has two third place podium
finishes at Le Mans, the first with the factory Audi
team in 2002 and his second with Champion Racing in
2004. Last year in the American Le Mans Series, Werner
earned his second consecutive ALMS Driver Championship
by achieving one pole position, nine podium finishes,
and six first place finishes. |
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Emanuele Pirro (42), born in Rome,
Italy currently residing in Monaco, returns to the
American Le Mans Series after a two-year hiatus. Pirro,
ALMS Driver Champion in 2001, was the winner of the 12
Hours of Sebring in 2000 and has three consecutive Le
Mans victories: 2000, 2001 and 2002. Pirro has teamed
up with Champion Racing the last two years for both the
12 Hours of Sebring (two, 2nd place finishes)
and Le Mans (two, 3rd place finishes) and
spent last year competing for Audi in DTM, the German
Touring Car Masters series. This year marks his first
season driving for Team ADT Champion Racing in the
American Le Mans Series. |
Frank
Biela (40), born in Neuss, Germany currently residing in
Monaco, also returns to the American Le Mans Series
after a year in Europe competing for Audi in DTM
series. Biela, earned his ALMS Driver Championship in
2003. Past successes include three victories at the 12
Hours of Sebring (2000, 2003, 2004) and three
consecutive wins at Le Mans in 2000, 2001 and 2002. |
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Allan McNish (36), born in Dumfries, Great Britain now
residing in Monaco, most recently drove for Audi Sport
UK in the Le Mans Endurance Series achieving first place
finishes at the 1000 km race at Silverstone and at the
1000 km race at Nurburgring. McNish also scored a
victory for Audi UK at last year’s 12 Hours of Sebring
Race. In McNish’s first and only year of competing in
the American Le Mans Series, McNish won the Driver’s
Championship in 2000 and also helped Audi to win its
first Manufacturer’s Championship. McNish’s illustrious
career also includes eight years as an F1 test driver,
an F1 driver for Toyota in their inaugural year (2002),
and a first place finish at Le Mans in 1998. |
Tom
Kristensen (37), born in Hobro, Denmark currently
residing in Monaco, is a six-time Le Mans winner. His
first victory came in 1997 and from 2000 to 2004
Kristensen earned another five wins,
four with Audi driving the Audi R8
and one with Bentley in 2003. Kristensen was the
American Le Mans Series Driver’s Champion in 2002 and
scored a first place finish twice at the 12 Hours of
Sebring in 1999 and 2000. Last year, Kristensen
finished 4th in the DTM Championship. |
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“Audi of
America is very proud to be working again with Champion
Racing in 2005,” commented Rod Bymaster, Manager, Audi Sport
North America. “The Champion Racing Team has developed into one
of the best teams in the world and this year running two Audi
R8 cars, they will be even more competitive. We are also
fortunate to have a great driver lineup for the ALMS, all are
present or past ALMS Champions and they have seven Le Mans wins
combined. As for Le Mans, Champion has proven to be very
competitive with two third place finishes. However, there is
unfinished business and this year we are hoping for a win. The
Le Mans trophy has been out of the US for too long."
Founded in 1994
by Dave Maraj, Champion Racing (Pompano Beach, FL) has become a
formidable opponent for teams competing in sports car racing.
Supported by Audi Sport North America, Team ADT Champion Racing
will seek to defend their 2004 American Le Mans Championship
title after winning eight times in nine starts (seven by the
Lehto/Werner combination). Since scoring its first overall
victory in June of 2003, the Florida-based team has recorded 12
overall ALMS race wins from 17 starts.
Audi will
achieve another milestone this year as 2005 marks the sixth and
final season for the Audi R8, the most successful Le Mans
Prototype of all time. Since its debut in Sebring in 2000, the
Audi R8 has scored 52 victories from 62 races. In the American
Le Mans Series, the prototype has posted 40 LMP900/LMP1
victories, 37 pole positions, the most of any race car in the
ALMS history.
Team ADT
Champion Racing will compete in North America’s most prestigious
and longest running sports car race, the 53rd Annual
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring March 16-19 in Sebring,
Florida. This inaugural American Le Mans Series race continues
to attract the finest and most competitive sports car teams from
around the world, 2nd only to the renowned 24 Hours
of
Le Mans race in
Le Sarthe, France.
For more information on
Champion Racing, please visit
www.championracing.net.
For more information on Audi’s motorsport program, please visit
www.audiusa.com.
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