Audi has three new drivers for its 24 Hours of Le Mans effort as it bids to regain its crown from archrival Peugeot.

Former Corvette Racing driver Marcel Fassler and André Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer--who have both enjoyed success in Japan’s Super GT series--will share one of Audi’s three R15 LMP1-class turbodiesels. They replace three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner, Alexandre Premat and Lucas Luhr.

“In view of our strong competitors, we have to be perfectly positioned in terms of drivers,” said Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich. “Therefore, we decided to extend our driver lineup. Marcel, André and Benoît attracted our attention during the past two years in a particularly positive way.”

Fassler, Lotterer and Treluyer will race the 2010-spec Audi, known internally as the R15-plus, for the first time in the Spa 1000KM round of the European Le Mans Series in early May. The German manufacturer is treating this as a warm-up for the 24 Hours in June.

Veteran Werner, a former American Le Mans Series champion with Audi, has been dropped after failing to get to grips with the R15 last year. Audi told Premat he must focus on the DTM touring-car series in Germany, while Luhr appears to have fallen out of favor after crashing out of Le Mans last year.

Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen will share one of the Audis, while we expect that Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and Mike Rockenfeller will share the other.

Posted by asusc Friday, January 29, 2010 (17:44:25)