British Le Mans ace Allan McNish says that Audi's new diesel sportscar will face a 'major fight' for victory this year, despite its status as overwhelming favourite for the race.
Speaking in an exclusive Autocar.co.uk video interview, conducted during his drive south through France to the famous La Sarthe circuit, McNish said that the French Pescarolo team could give the German manufacturer a hard time in the endurance classic. 'Their car is fully developed and ours is still new,' said McNish. 'We've already seen from testing that they've got the pace. I think we can beat them on fuel economy with the TDI diesel engine but I also think it would be a surprise if our cars went the full 24 hours without at least a minor problem. Reliability could be key.'
McNish set fastest time in first qualifying for the race, but the Pescarolos struck back in the second session. The event starts at 4pm UK time on Sunday afternoon.
To see the video interview, and McNish's guide to La Sarthe, visit our movies page here.
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