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Audi Presents Petit Le Mans |
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September
24, 2001
A LAP OF ROAD ATLANTA WITH TOM KRISTENSEN
NOTE: The 2001 American Le Mans Series season will end with the running
of Audi presents Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on Saturday, October 6.
Three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, who drives for
Audi Sport North America, is one of four drivers still in contention to
win the 2001 ALMS driving championship, and he will also be seeking his
first win in the prestigious sports car endurance race. In this
narrative, the Dane describes how he drives his Audi R8 Prototype around
the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta course.
By Tom Kristensen
Road Atlanta is one of the best tracks in the country. The rolling
terrain and the red clay make for a beautiful layout in the Georgia
countryside.
Coming down the front straight in the Infineon Audi R8 you are doing
nearly 300 kph (186 mph) to get set up for turn one. Turn one is a
fast corner that we will take in fifth gear. You turn in and
then the corner drops down a little and you have to wait until the car
compresses and nail it up the hill to turn two.
Turn two has a blind entry. You have to commit yourself to the apex,
brake hard and clip the curb a little in third gear. The car will
struggle a little for traction and then accelerate on your way into the
esses.
Coming through three and into the esses, we will short shift to fifth
gear. When you are on new tires you have a lot of grip and can carry a
lot of speed through here. In traffic you have to be patient and
be very committed to your overtaking without lifting, or you will have
contact. The Audi will carry about 250 kph (155 mph) through this
section.
You come into five, the fast left hander, in fourth at about 160 kph
(100 mph). You compress and run up on the curb, but not too much, making
sure not to damage the rear diffuser. You then head down the short
straight to the next corner.
This section is one of the most important on the track. These next
two corners, six and seven, set you up for the long straight. The
first one is taken in fourth with a quick blast on the accelerator,
brake and then down to second. Turn seven is the slowest corner
with very low grip. You have to be patient and aggressive to get
the power down. You track out and let the curb catch you at the
exit, then accelerate down the long straight reaching over 300 kph (186
mph). You also have to be careful how you are following someone so
you don't upset the aero of the car over the hump.
The next section into10a is critical. You brake from over 300 km down to
110 (68 mph) in less than 100 meters for the chicane. Shifting into
second through the chicane you can run up on the curbs at the entry and
exit aggressively before you go over the hill.
The hill is great! Coming over the hill is like a roller coaster
ride. It is my favorite part of the circuit. You head for the
right hand side of the road next to the bottom of the bridge. The speed
you carry with the g-forces from the acceleration will deliver you to
the track out point. From here to the entry of turn one we are
flat out.
At Road Atlanta we will shift the Audi R8 43 times per lap and average
race lap times will be one minute and eleven seconds.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Andy Hall, American Le Mans Series Director of Media
& Communications (317) 295-3500, ext. 31.