Audi R10 TDI in Hands of Private Team for First Time

Audi R10 TDI

Audi R10 TDI will race with private team against new Audi R15 TDI by Audi Sport

By Alex Ricciuti
January 19, 2009 3:28 PM
Filed Under: Audi, German, Motorsport

Want to see Audi race the new R15 TDI against the old R10 TDI at Le Mans? It just may happen.

For the first time Audi has put the R10 TDI Le Mans racing car in private hands. The Ingolstadt-based automaker has sold two R10s to race team owner Dr. Colin Kolles.

Kolles had previously raced two Audi A4s in DTM. Kolles has had a relationship with Audi Sport since 2006 and now Audi has decided to sell him two R10s which he hopes to race in the Le Mans Series this year.

Kolles' team plans to not only enter the 24-hour Le Mans race but also the 5 rounds of the European Le Mans circuit.

The sale of the two R10s includes a service agreement between Audi and Kolles which involves Audi Sport providing support for the private racing team.

From 2006 to 2008, Audi Sport won three straight 24-hour Le Mans with the R10 as well as 22 out of 38 races on the circuit. This year Audi will be racing the new R15 TDI in the series.

The 24-hour race at Le Mans in France takes place on the 13th and 14th of June.

Source: Audi Sport

Press Release (Click to expand)

Successful diesel sportscar in customer hands for the first time
Dr Colin Kolles’ team plans to buy two Audi R10 TDI cars
Car may also be fielded at the Le Mans 24 Hours

The successful Audi R10 TDI is likely to appear again on European race tracks in 2009. While Audi will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of its factory commitment with the new R15 TDI in 2009, Dr
Colin Kolles is planning to buy two Audi R10 TDI cars for his racing team. The privately fielded prototypes are planned to return to the venues of their greatest exploits in 2009: to the European-based Le Mans Series and to the 24-hour race at Le Mans, in which the Audi R10 TDI has not been beaten so far.

Since the 2006 season Audi has been cooperating with Dr Colin Kolles, who has entered two Audi A4 DTM cars in the DTM since that time. Now, the team owner based in Greding near Ingolstadt wants to extend his motorsport involvement to the sportscar area on his own initiative. The team plans to contest the 24-hour race at Le Mans on 13 and 14 June 2009 as well as the five rounds of the European-based Le Mans Series.

Audi Sport will sell two R10 TDI vehicles to Dr Kolles for this purpose and complement the agreement by a service package encompassing support for the private racing commitments by members of Audi Sport’s technical staff.

"We welcome the fact that Dr Kolles decided to take on this commitment and wants to purchase two Audi R10 TDI cars," said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. "While on the factory side of the house we are concentrating on the development and fielding of the new R15 TDI sportscar as well as on the DTM, we are pleased to see that the R10 TDI will be privately entered in future and that racing vehicles of the Audi brand will continue to be represented in the Le Mans Series. That is why we agreed to the sale of the cars. However, our involvement will be strictly limited to providing support under the terms of the service agreement."

In the 2006, 2007 and 2008 racing years, the Audi R10 TDI clinched as many as 22 overall victories in 38 worldwide entries. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as in the final LM P1 classification of the American Le Mans Series during that time frame the Audi R10 TDI remained unbeaten and last year won the LM P1 class of the European-based Le Mans Series as well.