Audi run makes Mosport faster than Road America

Audi driver Dindo Capello has turned the former Canadian Grand Prix circuit at Mosport into the fastest racetrack of the American Le Mans Series. In Saturday’s qualifying, he beat last year’s pole time with the over 650-hp Audi R10 TDI by almost two seconds. With an average speed of 138.116 mph, Capello recorded the fastest lap ever in the history of the American Le Mans Series thus beating the record which his team-mate Lucas Luhr had established just a fortnight ago at Road America.

Driving the "sister" car, Marco Werner made sure that both Audi R10 TDI prototypes will start from the front row of the grid on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. local time (9:05 p.m. in Germany). The German was a mere 94 thousands of a second slower than Dindo Capello. The Italian celebrated his tenth pole position in the American Le Mans Series having captured his last pole exactly one year ago also at Mosport.

The performance of the Le Mans-winner was very special because he did not drive at all in the last practice before qualifying as a part of the track surface had broken up and the session had to be stopped prematurely.

The two Audi R10 TDI prototypes incurred significant damage due to the tarmac already the day before giving the Team Audi Sport North America considerable overtime. The monocoque of the car of Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner even had to be changed overnight because a repair of the damaged tub at the race track was not possible. Hence the joy was even greater following the perfect qualifying result.

Thunderstorms are predicted for race day at Mosport. Audi won with the Audi R10 TDI at Mosport in 2006. Last year, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish enjoyed a commanding lead before dropping to second place just minutes from the end of the race due to a problem with the shifting system.