When Toyota announced their hybrid Le Mans car we thought it meant an amazing battle between the T030 and Audi R18 diesel monster. But Audi ruined it!
They just announced they too will field hybrid cars at 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours. They will have the old TDI car on the grid as well, but it will be driven by the tier two drivers. The tier one hotshots led by Allan McNish will get the hybrid car.
The new Audi sports-prototype with hybrid drive will be presented at the end of February. The first competitive outing follows in the 6-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (May 5). McNish (42), from Dumfries, and Cambridge’s Jarvis (28) were announced at an Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) along with André Lotterer (D) and Timo Bernhard (D) as the nominated driver for each of the German manufacturer’s four sportscars aiming to earn Audi an 11th Le Mans win.
This means a closer competition, but we’d love to see which is really better, hybrid or diesel. Come to think of it, it’s not the fastest who wins in motorsport anymore, it’s the most fuel efficient. Pity.
