Audi plan to defend title in 2007

Audi motorsport boss Dr Wolfgang Ullrich is sure that the team will return to Le Mans in 2007 even though its programme cannot be officially confirmed until the budget is decided in the autumn

Jun 18, 2006, 6:27 PM

Ullrich says that Peugeot's impending arrival with its own diesel project provides sufficient motivation for Audi to continue the R10 TDI programme.

"In principle I can say that a project like this Audi would not do unless we had in mind to do it for more than one year," he said.

"But formally I have to say that our motorsport budget is released always in October for the following year so I cannot give you any formal information here.

"But knowing that we have done this project for more than one year and having in mind that next year Peugeot is coming back with a diesel engine, I am quite sure that we will try to defend our title."

The works Audi R10 TDIs dominated this year's Le Mans 24 hours at the first attempt, with the Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner car winning the race while Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello's polesitting entry recovered from a string of problems and incidents to finish third.