Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx

In 2003 the Veloqx team associated with Prodrive won the GTS category in a Ferrari
F550. The British outfit sports a very strong driver line up led by 3 times winner Frank
Biela in 2000-2002, Allan McNish victorious in 1998 and Pierre Kaffer (ex F3). This year
the trio got off to an excellent start with victory in the Sebring 12 Hours beating the
Champion R8 on home territory. Backing them up in the second British Audi would be
Johnny Herbert (victorious in 1991), Guy Smith winner in 2003 and Jamie Davies, the
GTS 2003 victor.
It looked like the Veloqx-Audi UK team received a bigger helping hand from the manufacturer
than the Goh and Champion squads. And the times proved it as the two silver and purple R8s
were a second and a half quciker than any ohter Audi in practice in April. The man who really
put the cat among the pigeons was Allan McNish whose lap in 3m 32,615s was over five
seconds faster than the best Audi time in 2003 despite a set of regulations supposed to slow
down the LM P1s! The last time the Scot drove an Audi at Le Mans was in 2000 when he lapped
in 3m 36,615s so he was well, placed to see just how much the R8 had progressed in four years.
Herbert, though, was only 12/1000s behind.

Allan McNish showed that his speed in April was
no fluke and was the quickest of the Audi Sport
UK Team Veloqx drivers at the practice in June.
Johnny Herbert, though, wasn't giving up
without a fight and finished the first part of the
session on provisional pole. However, only
fifteen minutes after practice resumed at 22h00
the Scot scorched round the 13,650 km circuit
and set the fastest time of the evening in 3m
34,683s, some two seconds off his April best.
In 2003, Johnny Herbert set fastest lap in the
Bentley and this year he added a Le Mans pole
to his tally. His take was made easier by the
fact that Allan McNish was immobilised between
19h00 and 20h40 due to a precautionary engine
change following a fuel injection problem.

Johnny's 3m 32,838s beat Werner's 3m 35,745s but was just 211/1000s slower than his best in
April. He was also quickest in the Monza 1000 kms and won the race. The Brit had finished se-
cond in the last two Le Mans 24 Hours and this year he was hoping to notch up a second vic-
tory after 1991.
Jamie Davies lead the pack with McNish in second place and there were obviously no team
orders in the Audi UK Veloqx squad and even before the flag fell both drivers were at it hammer
and tongs. In addition, McNish and Davies did not give 3rd position Andy Wallace in the Zytek
the slightest opportunity to make a break for 1st place.
When Porsche no. 78 spewed liquid on the track in the Porsche curves, Allan McNish in the Audi
no. 8 and JJ Letho in the Champion Racing Audi ploughed off the circuit, across the gravel trap
and slammed into the double row of tyre baririers protecting the guardrail. It took 10 minutes
before McNish could get his Audi back on the track before being able to extricate himself and
his car. He managed to crawl back to his pit in the silver and purple R8 and although he jumped
out of the car with no problems he more or less collapsed at the rear of the box and after a
quick check up by the Audi medical staff he was brought to a hospital in the Le Mans for further
examination. He was advised not to drive in the race again.
The Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx squad had a hard job given the extend of the damage but after
1h 7m in the pit no. 8 rejoined by Pierre Kaffer. He came back in on the next lap with the road
holding and adjustments took a further 11 minutes. When he went back out he was down at
44th place 16 laps behind the sister car no. 88.

Jamie Davies was given a warning by the ste-
wards for having crossed the white line defin-
ing the starting grid. He was no longer under
pressure following his team-mate's and the
Champion R8's accidents. His lap times were in
the 3m 36s while the Pescarolo, the Domes
and the Dallara were all getting round in 3m
41s. Davies and Smith both triple-stinted so
Johnny Herbert did not get behind the wheel
until 20h28.
Frank Biela and Pierre Kaffer had thrown
caution to the winds as they tried to close the
gap to the front-runners. They lost a further
six minutes adjusting the front end between

21h00 and 22h00, the result of a bit of kerb bashing in the chicanes! With a quater of the
event gone the Germans were 24 laps behind the leading R8 and 15 behind the American Audi. A
rostrum finish was out of the question!
Around midnight was another glitch for Biela and Kaffer. The front bonnet had to be changed
due to a puncture but it was the break in the rhythm that posed the main problem. The car was
in 27th place having covered 117 laps, 24 fewer than its sister car no. 88. It was 15 laps
behind the Champion R8 and later in the night it suffered yet another puncture.

It had been a trouble-free race for Herbert,
Davies and Smith apart from a front bonnet
change in the afternoon. At 00h23 Davies was
called in for having overtaken while the safety
car was out. He was given a 30 secs stop and
go which did not affect his position. It probably
upped his adrenaline level as the leading Cor-
vette discovered to its cost a little later.
Davies collected Magnussen in the Ford
chicane, sending the GTS leading Corvette into
the barrier.
But the battle for the overall victory was now
between Audi no. 88 and the Goh Audi no. 5.

On the official time sheets the gap between the two rivals were one lap, but in fact it was only
2 minutes. After 237 laps in the lead Audi no. 88 rushed into its pit with a seized rose joint in
the left hand rear suspension. The change took only seven minutes but so small was the gap
between the british R8 and the Goh Audi that Davies found himself a lap behind Capello when he
rejoined. The Brits had eight hours to make up the time lost and Jamie set a new lap record
almost immediately in 3m 34,264s, a speed of 229,343 km/h. As both Audis represented
different interests a thrilling final lokked on the cards. A few minutes later no. 8 the second Audi
Sport UK Team Veloqx entry also came in for a suspension change.
The intervention of the safety car can cancel an advantage of a few minutes or more on a long
circuit like Le Mans. This explained why Herbert, Davis and Smith's R8 was really pushing to
unlap itself vis a vis the leading Audi. By the end of the 18th hour it was mission accomplished.
Just do it once more and the race was theirs but the Goh boys didn't see it like that hence a
superb piece of cut and trust racing!
The two teams battling for victory were under extreme pressure. A fuel spillage ignited as the
leading Audi was leaving its pit after refuelling. The fire was quickly extinguished and the R8
went out still in 1st place. Then Davies, pushing like crazy, spun in the Dunlop chicane just
before midday. The gap between the two cars was under two minutes. Dr. Ulrich, meanwhile,
let them get on with it.
If Herbert, Davies and Smith wanted to be the first 100% British 3-driver team to triumph in the
Sarthe they lost their bet. Their score card read, pole, fastest lap andfifteen hours in the lead.
The battle raged until the second-last lap when the gap to the Goh Audi was only about 20
secs! An excursion into the Michelin chicane gravel dashed their hopes of a last demon lap and
Herbert settled for second. He waited for Biela in 5th place and they did a couple of parade laps
for the greater glory of the British Audi UK Team Veloqx.
Audi no. 88 came 2nd, 379 laps in 24 hours and was only 41,354 secs behind the winner and
no. 8 came 5th, 350 laps in 24 hours, 29 laps behind the winner.