Michele Alboreto (#77)
“I am very glad that we have won this race. It was very important for me to score
at least one win with this car because I worked so hard on this project. Today it
was easy to make a mistake, because the competition was very tough. I was a
little bit scared, because after so many months without racing it is difficult to
come back. But I think I did a good job.”
Rinaldo Capello (#77)
“In my first stint I had some problems, but the second stint was fine. In the end I
had only to keep the car on the track and concentrate. It was a very difficult race,
because on this track it is extremely hard to pass, especially during the night.
You can hit oil without seeing it. We have seen very good drivers make stupid
mistakes, this we had to avoid.”
Allan McNish (#77)
“We have won another race, another 1-2 for Audi. It was a very long and hard one
and it was one that kept everyone biting their nails right until the checkered flag
dropped after nine hours of racing. But that's what makes the American Le Mans
Series so special.”
Frank Biela (#78)
“During the last two laps I only saw the bright headlights of the Panoz in my rear
view mirror. So I simply had no time to think. In the last lap I had to pass three
back markers - I got one on the straight and had to pass the other two in the
chicane. After that was done I was sure we would make it.”
Tom Kristensen (#78)
“I enjoyed this race very much, especially since I’m only driving with the team for
three races. It was a great fight to bring the car back into the lead after all the
problems we had at the beginning. That was the result of a great team effort and
very good strategy. The incident with Jan and me was just racing, we both think it
was very unfortunate because it made the race quite difficult for both of us.
Finishing second today is like a victory.”
Emanuele Pirro (#78)
“We lost a little bit at the beginning. Then we got our lap back and I was starting
to believe that we could do well, but then we had bad luck with the Panoz. When
we lost the rear diffusor it was only important to finish the race. The balance of
the car was not bad, but it was very light and more difficult to drive than normal. I
think we finished the race in the best possible way. “
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport
“We have won all important long distance races this year at least with a 1-2. This
is a great achievement and I would like to thank everybody who worked for this
result. We had no technical problems, when Jan Magnussen and Tom collided
the mounting of the diffusor was damaged and we could not change it. I have
great respect for the lap times the drivers did without the diffusor. It was a great
team effort.”
Reinhold Joest, Team Director Audi Sport North America
”I think today not a single person felt bored. We can be very proud to have such a
great car and drivers who know how to maximize it perfectly and to behave in an
endurance race. Of course the last three laps were really thrilling. But we stayed
calm and finally saved second position.”
|