Drivers Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) are jointly tackling the title defence. The trio has been racing together for Audi since 2010 and celebrated the WEC drivers’ title and victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours last year, their biggest successes so far. Eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB), who has won at La Sarthe twice, are forming a team with Loïc Duval in 2013 for the first time. The Frenchman made his debut with Audi in 2012 and won the Spa 6 Hours. The two driver teams will be competing at all eight WEC rounds.
At the Spa 6 Hours and the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi is relying on an additional driver line-up. The Brazilian Lucas di Grassi, who debuted with Audi in the WEC at his home round at São Paulo last year and immediately qualified on the front row, will be driving a third R18 e-tron quattro. He is sharing the cockpit this season with the Spaniard Marc Gené, last year’s winner of the Spa 6 Hours. Oliver Jarvis is the third driver in this combination. In the Audi R8 GRAND-AM, the Briton won the GT class at the Daytona 24 Hours a week ago.
"With these three combinations we’ve put together an international team that we expect a lot of," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "Our younger drivers will have the chance to establish themselves alongside the experienced Audi drivers who have really been pleasing us with their top results in all these years. With that, we’re in a very good position in terms of drivers for the Le Mans 24 Hours as well as for the other WEC races."
Dumfries-born Allan McNish comments: “I’m delighted to be racing in the World Endurance Championship for a second consecutive season. Silverstone is the opening round of this year’s eight-race series in April, which is a ‘first’ so that will be intriguing in itself.
“But of course the ‘big’ race for any sportscar driver is the Le Mans 24 Hours. I’ve won this race twice myself and I’m very, very eager to earn Audi its 12th victory in June.
“I’ll be racing an Audi R18 e-tron quattro throughout the year with long-time co-driver Tom Kristensen while Loïc Duval joins us in the absence of Dindo Capello who retired from sports-prototype racing after last year’s Le Mans. Dindo is irreplaceable but I’m very pleased that Loïc is joining us.
“Loïc is very fast, ambitious and a good fit with Tom and I, in terms of the way he drives, his mentality and personality. I’m sure we’ll be a strong combination from the word go.
“From a personal point of view, 2012 was a little frustrating. We had a lot of second place finishes so I’m determined to turn those into wins this season. It is going to be a tough year because we know Toyota is strong.
“Our 2013 car development is going well. It’s not a revolution more an evolution of what we had last year and Audi Sport is doing a good job in fine-tuning what was already a very good car.”
Oliver Jarvis, from Burwell near Newmarket, says: “Le Mans will again be the focus of my season and after getting a taste of what it’s like to be on the podium there having finished third last year, I cannot wait to go back and try and improve on that position.
“Last year was my first year as part of the Audi Sport ‘factory’ team at Le Mans and not only did I love every second of the entire week, but I also learnt so much that will benefit me this time in June.
“This year I will be part of a different driver line-up with Marc Gené and also Lucas di Grassi. Marc brings a wealth of experience and Lucas has shown he's fast not only in Formula 1 but also his outing in the WEC with Audi last year.
“Therefore I see no reason why we can't give the more established driver line-ups a real run for their money.”
2013 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) driver combinations
Spa 6 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours
Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F)
Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (F/DK/GB)
Marc Gené/Lucas di Grassi/Oliver Jarvis (E/BR/GB)
All other 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship races (WEC)
Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F)
Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (F/DK/GB)
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