Audi Is Not At Le Mans This Year…But It’s There In Spirit (Plus Spotter’s Guide)

[words: Bill Cho, spotter guide: Andy Blackmore Design, photos: Audi Sport]

Audi withdrew from Le Mans in 2016 and Audi fans have been in mourning ever since. While the R8s and R18s may be silent, flashes of Audi’s past are back at the track this year.

André Lotterer, 3-time winner of Le Mans, will be driving the LMP1 #1 Rebellion R13-Gibson. He starts P3 behind the two Toyota TS050 Hybrids who secured the front row. Look for the #1 Rebellion Racing R13-Gibson with red mirrors and windscreen strip. That’s the car we are rooting for.

When you say Le Mans, race fans and Audi fans immediately think of Tom Kristensen. Nine time winner of the legendary race, Tom rolled up to Le Mans in his MK1 R8. He’s very active on Instagram so you should follow him to see a behind-the-scenes look from Mr. Le Mans.

While he may not be there, Allan McNish recently talked about his win with Porsche in 1998 on The Marshall Pruett Podcast. It’s a fascinating story as only Allan McNish can tell. He drove the 911 GT1 against fierce competition and crossed the finish line in front of Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. Listen to the podcast HERE.

Behind every great driver is a great team of mechanics and engineers. Howden Haynes and Leena Gade rank amongst the greatest. From following Howden on social media (ok…we were stalking him), he mentioned that he was hanging out with Leena at the track. If you’re there, keep an eye out for them. We would love to see photos.

While watching the action on the Circuit de la Sarthe, it’s hard to follow the action without a solid spotter’s guide. For that, we look to Andy Blackmore Design.

We’re big fans of Andy. He doesn’t just do spotter guides; he also designs some pretty cool racecar liveries. More information and download can be found at SpotterGuides.com.

Enjoy the race, root for André and keep an eye out for TK, Howden, and Leena. Oh and stay awake.