Ten minutes with Tom Kristensen

Tom Kristensen comes to Le Mans this year seeking a record ninth overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. AUTOSPORT caught up with Audi's talismanic Dane to assess his views on the ultra-close match up between the German manufacturer and its great turbo-diesel rival Peugeot.

Kristensen also gave us the lowdown on the new-to-Le Mans Audi R18 TDI and his thoughts on the introduction of a World Endurance Championship for 2012.

Q. What do you make of the FIA and ACO's decision to make the ILMC a World Championship for next year?

Tom Kristensen: I think it's good. Obviously it's good news for sportscar racing, for sportscar enthusiasts and generally it's great for the sport.

Q. Does it change anything in real terms?

TK: It does a little bit. It does to the wider audience. There is a lot of fantastic fans around Le Mans, and what Le Mans has created over its history... it now means something for the whole year. You'll have a more important championship, but still again if you ask anyone in cycling, for example, if they want to be world champion or win the Tour de France, you know what they will say.

But on the other hand, Le Mans will now be in the championship and that is what is unique about it. That's why I think it supports everything well in that sense. So for the FIA, for [FIA president] Jean Todt and the people who have pushed it through, it is a big thumbs up. It is the right direction for the ACO to go and in general if we can combine the best race in the world, with a World Championship over a season, then that is fantastic. It is great that it has come along because it means that what we have done over these last years has been really good. For sure it is going to attract even more manufacturers to go in and do a similar effort such as Peugeot and Audi have done.

Q. Has a World Championship come along at the right time for you? Do you plan to do the whole season next year?

TK: Oh for sure. Well I hope so anyway. It's coming at the right time. But what is the right time? It comes when it comes. It could have been earlier, but...

Q. Given your record at Le Mans, and the period of time that you have raced in sportscars, do you wish a World Championship had come along sooner?

TK: No. I just think it is good that it is here. The jewel of the crown will always be Le Mans, but still I guess there will be more points awarded for winning Le Mans, so to win both would obviously be a fantastic achievement and require the best effort from any team and driver.

Q. What about this weekend. Did we see all the full potential of the Audi R18 TDI in testing here?

TK: In testing there were four cars within two tenths at the end of the day. But you would say that to go under 3m30s [per lap], with less power it means that for sure something has been done right with the new car and the new concept, both from Audi and the regulations in a way.

But with less power you need more efficiency in the aero because you have to use less of it, but you also need to have a stable platform. It is a compromise of having a very light engine and a single turbo. We have an electronic gearbox that's also lighter, we have full LED lighting which is lighter and even the bodywork we have lightened up to 40kg since we ran the car for the first time. All these things have made the car's momentum and efficiency very good.

Because we are so light, through the corners we are faster than we have ever been. Obviously we've lost a bit of top speed, but that is mainly going up through the gears. So acceleration. The top speed is not so much slower but to get there is not as steep a curve as it was before.

Q. So are you faster in the corners because you are distributing less weight?

TK: We are still at 900kg but we have the weight placed much better in the car. Because the engine is a six-cylinder [unit], the aerodynamics around the car are optimised we have less aero where we don't need it and we are still okay where we do. The aero has evolved a lot over the past few years. Also the creating of a stiff chassis has evolved and that is what Audi is really pushing for with this car.

The 3m30s mark is what the ACO was aiming for in terms of race pace with these rules and I think we will be around there more or less. But to break that over one lap is, I think, more than we expected. The efficiency of the fuel has advanced a lot as well. There is a lot of development going into this.

Q. What about tyres, do you still have a lot of development work to do to harness the potential of the Michelins?

Kristensen in action with the R18 TDI at Spa earlier this year © LAT

TK: Le Mans is Le Mans and every other circuit is very different. We have explored some of that [tyre development] and we will try to explore some more in that sense. We are not far from knowing what we want to achieve. In Spa, though obviously you don't want to forget the race, it did not run fantastically for us. One car had a contact, one had a spin and the other went off with pick-up. Then that was multiplied by a few other things, but yes the pace was there, though we were not really happy in the long runs. We are pretty sure that this will not be the case here, and then after Le Mans we will probably be able to run with a bit more aero to compensate for that.

Q. There is a theory that currently Audi is quicker over one lap, while the Peugeot is faster over a stint. Do you agree with that?

TK: For sure if you look at Spa that was correct.

Q. Is that the case here as well?

TK: Well we don't know yet but that is certainly not what we are aiming for. The plan is to be fastest in qualifying, over a stint and then to win the race.

Q. Do you think this is the most closely contested Le Mans you have ever competed in?

TK: It could be for sure. But the thing is every time you compete you are pushing your limits again and whatever you did before means nothing. You have to go out and push yourself and that is what I like about it. That's what we are here for, and to win of course.