Quotes from the drivers on the podium

First race and first victory for the new Audi R18 Ultra, but third step of the podium as well, and second place for the brand new R18 e-tron quattro hybrid car.

Dieter Gass (Head of Racing Commitments): "We’re very happy with this result. On the whole, it couldn’t have gone any better, even though the situation became a bit unpredictable toward the end. We suffered punctures on two cars because obviously after the numerous accidents some sharp debris was on the track. Technically, the cars ran without any problems throughout the six hours. That was an important step in our preparation for Le Mans. I want to thank the squad after a very tough preparation period. This is the nicest reward one could wish for."

Romain Dumas (Audi R18 ultra #3): "We had a perfect race. My team-mates and our squad showed a brilliant performance. Our strategy was right on the mark and our fuel consumption was low. That paid off. That way, we increased our advantage. The tires were very good, that’s why I opted not to change tires in the end. That was another reason for our success."

Loïc Duval (Audi R18 ultra #3): "Today, we experienced a surprise. This was only my second race with Audi but already my first victory. As always, there wasn’t a single problem when I’m sitting in an Audi. The conditions were very difficult in the beginning but the car was fantastic. We had no problems whatsoever. It’s a nice result for Audi to finish on positions one, two, three and four. I’m very happy to be on the very top of the podium."

Marc Gené (Audi R18 ultra #3): "That was incredible. More was not possible today. Life is full of surprises. On my debut with Audi I clinched my third personal victory at Spa. It was an honest win in difficult conditions. As a driver team, we were well matched; the engineers, the team and the car were perfect. I never believed in taking victory. My goal had been a podium finish."

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): "Sincere congratulations to Audi and car number "3" on taking victory. They did a perfect job and made their decisions at exactly the right moment. We had the pace for winning. A key point in time was a safety car period that separated us from the cars in front and caused us to lose ground from a 15 to a 50 second gap. It was difficult to make up such a gap. After my pit stop a wheel locked once when I hit the brakes. Afterward there were heavy vibrations and I was no longer in contention for victory. I secured second place in order to score important points for the World Championship. To avoid a puncture I had new wheels fitted just to be on the safe side."

Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 ultra #4): "A great day. The most important thing was to not make any mistakes and to complete as many kilometers as possible. We may be inexperienced but the pace was there. Now the wish remains to finish on the podium at Le Mans as well - maybe we’ll even move up a bit more."

Cécile Bonardel (from Audi Sport's press release)

Photo : FRANCORCHAMPS (LIEGE, BELGIUM), CIRCUIT OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, SATURDAY MAY 5TH 2012, RACE. Romain Dumas celebrates his victory with Audi drivers Marcel Fässler and Oliver Jarvis .