1ST AUDI R10 TESTS FOR THE TEAM BEFORE LE MANS

For 3 days, BOUCHUT and TUCKER, alongside Audi team, Dr KOLLES and Tom KRISTENSEN, occupied the HTTT roadtrack, in France, testing the AUDI R10 before 24H of Le Mans. After almost 2000 kms, the 2 drivers have great expectations for this 2010 edition. Team Principal KOLLES recently became Team Principal for the HRT F1 entry.

▌THE MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGE

Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut are taking a break from their record-setting season racing in the American Le Mans Series. However, that does not mean that the champion drivers are relaxing. In fact, the two are getting set for perhaps the biggest challenge they will face all year: the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Tucker and Bouchut just completed an intense test session with Audi-backed Team Kolles at Circuit Paul Ricard in France where they put the now legendary Audi R10 TDI race cars through two thousand kilometers of grueling practice runs. The cars have a stellar track record with three wins in the historic endurance race (2006-08). « The speeds here at Circuit Paul Ricard can reach 240 mph – which is comparable to Le Mans, » Tucker said. « When you consider that they are doing 227 mph at Indy this week, you realize how fast we are running and how sharp you have to be in the cockpit. »

Bouchut, who co-drives with Tucker regularly, is no stranger to endurance racing. As a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1993), 24 Hours of Spa (2001) and the Rolex 24 at Daytona (1995), in addition to being the only triple FIA GT winner in history, Bouchut has found success in the grueling competitions. This marks his 17th consecutive entry in the Le Mans race. « Having a Le Mans winner like Christophe Bouchut is a great incitement for our team, » team owner Dr. Colin Kolles said.