LE MANS, France.
(June 19, 2005)
–
In
front of over 230,000 spectators and approximately 2,000 media
representatives, Team ADT Champion Racing and the No. 3 Audi R8
piloted by JJ Lehto, Marco Werner and Tom Kristensen, crossed the
finish line in first position in what will be remembered as one of
the most fiercely contested races in the history of the event. In
doing so, Team ADT Champion Racing re-wrote history for an event
that dates back to 1923.
For Dave Maraj, owner of Champion Racing
(Pompano Beach, FL), winning the 73rd 24 Hours of Le Mans
fulfills a lifetime achievement that began back in 1993. Not only
is this win significant to Maraj personally, but it also marks the
first time in 37 years that an
American team has won the coveted 24 Hours of Le Mans trophy. The
elusive trophy will now travel across the ocean and live for a year
under the sunny blue skies of southern Florida.
“For us, this win is everything, “ exclaimed a jubilant Dave Maraj,
Team Owner, Champion Racing. “To be able to win Le Mans after all
these years of trying is just an absolutely amazing feat. And now
it’s given us the taste that we want to come back and do it again.”
For the drivers of the winning Audi R8, earning this checkered flag
signifies three very important accomplishments. JJ Lehto (Finland)
now celebrates his second Le Mans win, the first having been
achieved in 1995. Marco Werner (Germany) celebrates his first Le
Mans win and completes a motorsports tri-fecta by winning the three
most prestigious sports car endurance events in the world: the 24
Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and now the 24 Hours of Le
Mans. The most significant however, would be that of Tom Kristensen,
as he will now be known as the most successful Le Mans driver ever.
Last year the Dane celebrated his sixth victory at the French
24-hour classic and equaled the record held by the Belgian Jacky
Ickx. In only his ninth Le Mans appearance, the Audi "works” driver
is now the first driver in history to claim a seventh victory.
As
expected, the Audi R8 sports cars were not the fastest cars in the
field due to the handicaps imposed by the regulations. Thanks to the
low fuel consumption of the Audi Turbo FSI engine, however, the Audi
drivers could complete up to 13 laps on one tank of fuel. The
Pescarolo-Judd that had started from pole position, had to refuel
for the first time after eight laps despite being allowed to race
with 10 liters more fuel tank capacity.
Now the Audi R8 can retire with it’s last, well deserved honor.
It’s fifth win at Le Mans. “What a magnificent send off to the
greatest racing car the world has ever seen,” commented Johan de
Nysschen, Executive Vice President, Audi of America. “Nothing could
stop the Audi R8. The victory was ours in a very convincing fashion
and Audi is on a roll. Nothing is holding us back and the future is
even greater.”
“I’m very proud of Champion Racing and what these gentlemen have
achieved over the last few years,” commented Rod Bymaster,
Motorsports Manager, Audi of America. “They’ve risen to the point
where they are the number one sports car team in the world. They’ve
won the American Le Mans Series, they’ve won the 12 Hours of Sebring
and now they’ve won Le Mans. They are the best sports car team in
the world. No one can dispute that now.”
DRIVER QUOTES:
TEAM ADT
CHAMPION RACING AUDI R8 #3
JJ
Lehto (Fin). Age: 39. Born: Espoo, Finland. Lives: Monte Carlo,
Monaco:
“Ten years ago
when I won it the first time, I didn’t really understand what it
takes and what it means but now all the work we have been doing in
the last years with Champion Racing, it just now is paying us back.”
Marco
Werner (D). Age: 38. Born:
Dortmund, Germany. Lives: Ermatingen,
Switzerland:
“I feel so fantastic, so
great. I can’t believe it. Le Mans was always a goal for me so I
am quite happy. This was not just about the driver’s job. It was a
team job: teamwork, pit-stops, strategy, everything was very
important. The Audi was perfect, as always. It delivers every
time, every time.”
Tom Kristensen
(Den). Age: 37. Born: Hobro, Denmark. Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco:
“It’s fantastic what we
took from Sebring as a crew and made this one possible. Without the
strong desire from Mr. Maraj to come here, I would never have had
the chance to win my seventh victory. I drive full-time for DTM so
I thank Audi AG for allowing me the privilege to drive for Champion
Racing. This year was an extreme pleasure because of winning with
these penalties. I also want to thank the Danish sponsor on our
cars, Jyske Bank. It makes me extra motivated to do well.”
TEAM ADT
CHAMPION RACING AUDI R8 #2
Frank
Biela (D). Age: 40. Born: Neuss, Germany. Lives: Monte Carlo,
Monaco:
“We had a little bad luck
and a few problems so I am happy that we were on the podium. Third
place is always hard but still, this is the biggest event so to be
up there, I am quite happy. The guys did a brilliant job,
especially our crew, as it was their first Le Mans race. They made
no mistakes.”
Emanuele Pirro
(It). Age: 43. Born: Rome, Italy. Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco:
“It’s been a great day for Audi and Champion Racing. The R8 can
retire in glory and Champion Racing can now bring the trophy home to
America. I’m a little sad because we had a very good car but our
luck wasn’t so good, again.”
Allan McNish
(GB). Age: 35. Born: Dumfries, Scotland. Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco:
“It’s a proud moment for everyone within Team ADT Champion Racing.
From a personal point of view, it rounds out my podiums as I’ve now
finished first, second and third here. Knowing Mr. Maraj since
1999, seeing the development of the team, I honestly could not
believe they could have achieved so much in such a short space of
time. It’s just a testament to everybody in Champion Racing how
they attack their motor racing and how they go for the big goals,
not just the little ones.”
DRIVERS
CAR Laps
1)
JJ.Lehto/M.Werner/T.Kristensen Audi R8
370
2)
E.Collard/JC.Boullion/E.Comas Pescarolo Judd
368
3)
E.Pirro/F.Biela/A.McNish Audi R8
364
4)
F.Montagny/JM.Gounon/S.Oretelli Audi
R8 362
5) O.Gavin/O.
Beretta/J.Magnussen Corvette C6-R 349
For more
information on Audi motorsports visit
www.audiusa.com.
For more information on Champion Racing, visit
www.championracing.net.
For “copyright
free”, hi-res images, please visit
http://www.championracing.net/2010/media/
