Audi will be aiming to secure the Manufacturer’s Championship in Fuji at the sixth round of the World Endurance Championship.
Having won every round of the WEC this year, including Audi’s 100th LMP win at the previous round in the United States, Audi can mathematically wrap up the title in Fuji, the home of some of the most enthusiastic motorsport fans in the World. Sitting 69 points ahead of Toyota, and only 52 points remaining in the two rounds following Fuji, all Audi realistically need to do to secure the championship is finish the race.
This does not mean, however, that Audi won’t be going all out for victory. The four rings lost out to Toyota on the Japanese team’s home turf last year and will be going all out to stop another defeat and keep its 2013 100% win record intact.
“Fuji won’t be an easy task for us,” said Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “For one, challenger Toyota will be fielding two cars in the race, and, for the other, we saw last year that the track doesn’t suit us so well. But we’re going to leave no stone unturned to continue our string of success. I’m already looking forward to a particularly popular 6-hour race and the enthusiastic crowd.”
In terms of the Drivers’ Championship, #2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro drivers, Loic Duval, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish carry a 33-point advantage over their team-mates, the reigning champions of Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler, in the #1 Audi.
“Following Audi’s 100th LMP overall victory, we’ve set our sights on the next aim when we’re traveling to Japan,” said Kristensen. “We’re competing in a nation that’s absolutely enthusiastic about motorsport and want to win the manufacturers’ World Championship there. We’ll be meeting with two cars from our challenger Toyota, which will make the race particularly interesting and exciting.”
