Audi wins the thrilling FIA World Endurance Championship opening race at Silverstone

Posted on April 13, 2015

Ingolstadt/Silverstone, 12 April 2015: In the season opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone, Audi Sport got off to a dream start. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro team of Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer emerged victorious after a fiercely contested thrilling six-hour race in which the lead kept changing.

Audi, Toyota and Porsche fought a three-way battle from start to finish, but when the checkered flag fell, the number ‘7’ Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid sports car was ahead with a 4.610-second advantage. The sister car of Lucas di Grassi, Loïc Duval and Oliver Jarvis took fifth place following two unscheduled pit stops.

Fans will not have to wait long for the next appearance of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. In just three weeks from now on 2 May 2015, round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship will be held at Spa-Francorchamps (B). For Audi, the race on the famous circuit in the Ardennes marks a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the season’s pinnacle event, the Le Mans 24 Hours. To prepare for Le Mans, Audi Sport Team Joest will be fielding the third hybrid sports car, designated as number ‘9,’ that will be driven by Filipe Albuquerque (P), Marco Bonanomi (I) and René Rast (D).

Race results:
1. Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) 201 laps
2. Dumas/Jani/Lieb (Porsche) +4.160s
3. Davidson/Buemi/Nakajima (Toyota) +14.816s
4. Conway/Sarrazin/Wurz (Toyota) -1 lap
5. di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) -4 laps
6. Rusinov/Canal/Bird (Ligier-Nissan) -16 laps
7. Yacaman/Derani/Gonzalez (Ligier-Nissan) -17 laps
8. Dalziel/Sharp/Heinemeier Hansson (HPD-Honda) -18 laps
9. Leventis/Watts/Kane (Dome-Nissan) -23 laps
10. Bruni/Vilander (Ferrari) -29 laps