Audi aims for twelfth victory at 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans is the race that this writer waits for all year long, perhaps even more than Audi. Okay probably not, but I’m psyched nonetheless. On June 22 through June 23, Audi will be competing at the classic 24-hour race for the 15th time.

Le Mans 2013 will be a year of historic proportions. The inaugural event of the endurance race was held 90 years ago and Audi competing for the 15th time. The current World Endurance Champions Marcel Fassler (CH), Andre Lotterer (D) and Benoit Treluyer (F) will enter the race in the number “1” Audi R18 e-tron quattro. If successful, the three drivers, following two consecutive victories, could manage a hat-trick at La Sarthe. Another Audi trio last achieved this in 2000, 2001 and 2002; Frank Biela (D), Emanuele Pirro (I), and Tom Kristensen (DK) remained unbeaten three times in succession.

Le Mans record winner, Tom Kristensen, with eight wins, is expected to be in high competition for a top result with his current teammates Loic Duval (F) and Allan McNish (GB) as well. In April, the trio won the season opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone. A year ago, Kristensen and McNish finished as the runners-up at Le Mans.

Viewers can watch the race live on Eurosport and on the Internet at Audi TV. Audi’s broadcast will include onboard footage and telemetry data of the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars. A live ticker is available on the Audi Sport app, which can be downloaded from iTunes.