AUDI FINISHES FIRST AND SECOND IN RAIN-SOAKED SIX-HOUR WEC RACE

AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 20, 2014) – Audi Sport Team Joest made it a perfect evening Saturday night, finishing first and second in the six-hour FIA World Endurance Championship race during Lone Star Le Mans weekend at Circuit of The Americas.

First across the finish line was the No. 2 car driven by Marcel Fassler, André Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer, followed by the No. 1 car with Loïc Duval, Tom Kristensen and Lucas Di Grassi behind the wheel.

Toyota Racing’s No. 8 car piloted by Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Nicolas Lapierre finished third after starting on pole.

The race was marked by a severe downpour about 90 minutes after the start, causing several cars to spin out at various spots around the track and bringing out the red flag.

Afterward, several drivers said the race should’ve been red flagged because of the wet conditions, or a safety car should have been dispatched prior to the mayhem. The race was stopped for nearly an hour before cars were allowed back out on the track at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Taking home the three trophies in the LM P2 class were KCMG Racing’s No. 47 Oreca – Nissan, SMP Racing’s No. 27 Oreca – Nissan, and Extreme Speed Motorsport’s No. 30 HPD ARX-038 Honda.

Aston Martin Racing’s No. 97 car, driven by Darren Turner and Stefan Mucke, won the LM GTE Pro class, despite qualifying second. Coming in behind them were Porsche Team Manthey’s No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR, piloted by Frédéric Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet. Placing third was the AF Corse team’s No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia, driven Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander.

In the LM GTE Am class, Aston Martin Racing’s No. 98 and No. 95 cars finished first and second, while Proton Competition’s No. 88 Porsche 911 RSR took third.

The next stop for the WEC series will be the 6 Hours of Fuji, being held October 10-12 at Fuji International Speedway in Japan.