Originally Posted by
Chernaudi
And why was the Audi R8 so dominant? It was designed to take on the likes of Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes Benz at Le Mans. So what happened? Toyota bolted for F1, M-B, after LM '99 ditched plans to run the CLRs in the ALMS after the blow over accidents(which has lead us to the horrible LMP areo rules), BMW did a lame duck year in the ALMS(most of BMW motorsport's budget was spent on Williams, and now Saulber(spelling)). That left for 2000 at Le Mans only a private 1998-spec BMW LMP, Pescarolo with half-hearted support from Peugeot, and Panoz in the ALMS and at Le Mans with equally half-hearted support from Ford.
And even when the R8 was run by privateers, there were at least an Audi engine and chassis/areo guy helping out with set-up info. Granted, Joest had a ton of Audi personell with the R8 and R10, and Champion only had 4 in 2008(probably a similar or lesser number during the R8 days), when you have the support of a factory slung behind you, and the rest have only half hearted, half baked support, or none at all, what does one expect to happen in a series such as the ALMS, which is about as close to formula libre as you're gonna get today?
When you have a car that's 6 sec a lap faster in 2005 and still can't beat a R8, you know you should not be complaining when Audi brings back the factory team from 2006 onward.....factory support or not, the winning teams have always been the better quality teams....be it as the Champion/Goh with private old R8 against the faster Pescarolo, or the Factory Joest Audi against the Peugeot that likes to shoot itself in the foot.....
University of Toronto Formula SAE Alumni 2003-2007
Formula Student Championship 2003, 2005, 2006
www.fsae.utoronto.ca