The Audi V6 uses a flywheel to return stored energy from regenerative braking to the front wheels.
The first qualifying session for the 80th running of the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race saw an Audi with hybrid drive set the fastest time. In an historic moment in racing that occurred shortly after midnight, last year’s winner André Lotterer in the R18 e-tron Quattro diesel hybrid designated as car #1 set a time of 3m 25.453s in the first qualifying session. This beat last year’s pole position time by 0.285 seconds.
Two Toyota TS030 hybrids were on the 13.629 km-long Sarthe circuit. When the chequered flag fell at midnight, the #7 TS030 HYBRID of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima was fourth. Nicolas set its best time of the session; 3mins 27.191s. The #8 TS030 HYBRID of Stéphane Sarrazin, Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi ended the session in sixth, although traffic severely disrupted its fastest lap. Anthony set its fastest time of 3mins 28.295s.The pole position is not of great importance in any 24 race, of course. It was a terrific showing for the new racing effort.
Last year, Benoît Tréluyer took the first spot on the grid for Audi 30 minutes before the end of the final qualifying session on Thursday night. Audi has so far started from the pole position six times at Le Mans and has won the French endurance classic ten times since 2000.
Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen posted the second-fastest time at the wheel of the #2 R18, so both diesel hybrids from Audi provisionally occupy the front row of the grid. (See Le Mans Test Day – Audi and Toyota Hybrids, Nissan DeltaWing)
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
