Here we go again, Audi is right back at the top of things, scoring a perfect one-two at the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship opener in Sebring. The victory is significant because it’s been achieved by the Audi R18 TDI, the old diesel-powered car. The Sebring 12 Hours was its farewell race, and it went out with a bang.
From the second WEC round on May 5 at Spa (Belgium) Audi drivers will be behind the wheel of the new R18 e-tron quattro and the new R18 ultra. You know what would be funny? If the e-tron turn out to be rubbish! That is highly unlikely of course, as Audi knows how to make successful race cars. They’ve been doing so since 1980s.
This was Audi’s 10th victory at Sebring, and sixth personal success at the classic race in Florida for Tom Kristensen, fifth for Dindo Capello and fourth for Allan McNish. The race featured heavy traffic and a large number of accidents in the field of 63 entrants but thanks to very good driving, the victorious R18 TDI managed to complete the entire distance without any bodywork damage.
The e-tron R18’s main rival this season is Toyota’s new Hybrid Le Mans racer. Never thought hybrid-powered motorsport would be exciting, but…
Sebring 12 Hours Race results
1 Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R18 TDI) 325 laps
2 Bernhard/Dumas/Duval (Audi R18 TDI) – 4 laps
3 Potolicchio/Dalziel/Sarrazin (HPD-Honda) – 6 laps
4 Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa (HPD-Honda) – 6 laps
5 Nicolet/Lahaye/Pla (Morgan-Judd) – 7 laps
6 Collard/Boullion/Jousse (Pescarolo-Judd) – 7 laps
7 Perez Companc/Kaffer/Ayari (Oreca) – 8 laps
8 Dyson/Smith/Kane (Lola-Mazda) – 8 laps
9 Zugel/Gonzalez/Julian (Zytek) – 9 laps
10 Leventis/Watts/Kane (HPD-Honda) – 9 laps
