Champion Racing

Champion Racing Audi R8 was only one of the four Audis to race in 2004. The American
Audi was not lacking in top-class drivers with JJ Letho (winner of Le Mans in 1995),
Emanuele Pirro (winner of Le Mans in 2000-2002) and Marco Werner who was the only
one not to have won at Sarthe.
In the April practice the Champion Racing Audi was half a second slower than the Veloqx yet
they all had the same cars and tyres! In 2003, the champion Racing Audi finished 3rd behind the
Bentleys and won its category. This year the R8 improved its 2003 time by over two seconds
without, however, equalling its best preliminary practice best. Marco Werner got round in 3m
34,927s and his team-mates were under two seconds slower comfirming the american audi as
one of the favourites for outright victory!
On the first lap Letho went past Capello up to 3rd palce behind the two Veloqx Audis and both
Letho and capello were obliged to push hard on the two British Audis. But it was almost over for
the Champion Racing Audi in the first hour. Porsche no. 78 spewed a liquid on the track in the
Porsche curves and it proved fatal for McNish and Letho's Audis. Both R8s, which were
runningnose to tail, ploughed off the circuit at the entry of the Porsche curves shot aqcross the
gravel trap and slammed into the double row of tyre baririers protecting the guardrail. The Finn
got a bit upset with the marshals but the Champion Audi came off best in the accident as Letho
was able to rejoin the track 8 minutes later. Letho came back to the pits and the Champion
mechanics took only 31 minutes to stitch the Champion Audi back together again. Letho, Pirro
and Werner dropped to 36th place 9 laps down!

It was now pedal to metal all the way for
Letho, Pirro and Werner. Since rejoining the
Champion Audi was pulling back around 12 pla-
ces per hour. They were now in 24th and clim-
bing. By 22h00 the R8 was in the Top 10 and a
rostrum finish looked on the cards.
At 00h46 JJ Letho set a new lap record in 3m
36,060s (227,437 km/h) helped by the very fa-
vourable atmospheric conditions. The Audi pas-
sed the LM GTS leaders adn took 5th place
overall and 5th in LM P1. Their next target
were the Dallara, and the C60 Pescarolo which
was only four laps ahead.
At 09h44 the Leth, Pirro and Werner Audi was
in 3rd place having fought back from 36th posi-