Wow, what an incredible video. I love onboard camera shots and this one is especially entertaining, as it is from the famous Long Beach street circuit at the 3rd round of the American Le Mans Series, presented by Tequila Patron.
Audi took everyone by surprise in 2006, as the first diesel powered car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Last year was tough for Audi Sport North America, as the Penske Porsche RS Spyders dominated 2007. This year, Audi is ramping up the charge against the LMP2-class Spyders and showing them their Audi P1 machines can give them a run for their money as the Penskes usually pull away from the Audis through the twisty bits. Penske might’ve won the 12 Hours of Sebring, but Audi has kicked back and won the last 2 races (which happen to be street circuits). Audi has had difficulty with tight, street circuits in the past, as their R10 was designed for Circuit de La Sarthe (Le Mans) and other high speed tracks. The long body is perfect for the Mulsanne Straight and for high speeds, but posed a challenge for tight, twisty street circuits. Nonetheless, Audi engineers have worked hard to make the best setup they can for the narrow, technical circuits.
Yay, I wear the same Oakley gloves as Audi factory pilot Marco Werner! Okay, enough drooling as I wish I was piloting a prototype sports car. Here is a 14 minute highlight reel from the Long Beach race. No runoff room and very difficult passing…I like it!
