Allan McNish announces his retirement

it was great to see him turn a mediocre open wheel career into one of the most successful sports car careers ever.

here's a pic I took at the COTA round of the Wee Scot and his partner in crime.
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Very surprising news.

I first met Allan at the Alumax/Bettenhausen CART driver audition test at Sebring in 1996
along with Tom Kristsensen, Jorg Muller and Patrick Carpentier.

Very nice guy, always with a smile and a joke. Later at an extended test of the new
Audi R8 at Sebring in 2000, we met over breakfast in hospitality every morning.

Congratulations to Allan on his outstanding career.

BHW

 

now that's ironic...McNish and TK competing for the same ride, all those years ago.

 

Yeah, they all arrived at that test from different directions.

Allan was there as he was high on Scottish team engineer Tom Brown's list. Tom
was recommended by Reynard engineers. Patrick had broken just about all of Jacques
Villeneuve's records on his way to the Formula Atlantic championship and Jorg Muller
had just won the Formula 3000 championship and was high on Mercedes-Benz's list.

Allan was so tiny, Tony Bettenhausen recommended he start eating more potatoes. Ha!

Allan had some of the most inspired drives in sports car racing history. This will leave
a huge void in the Audi Sport team.

BHW

 

He is a truly great racer and when the going got tough he could always be counted on and imo was feared not only for his skill but his "take no prisoners" approach, he will be missed.

 

guess Audi needs to up their driver lineup now that Porsche has joined the fray!

 

A classic moment in F1 broadcasting occurred when he was driving for Toyota. He had gone off track and his pit radioed him to ask about his status. His reply, broadcast to one and all over the live feed, "I'm okay but I can't get the f_____g thing started!"

 

Parting at the pinnacle: Audi driver Allan McNish ends LMP career

• Audi factory driver retires as World Champion and Le Mans winner
• End of an exceptional career in top-caliber sport
• Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: “The end of a great career”
Ingolstadt, December 17, 2013 – One of the most successful and charismatic race drivers is leaving the grand stage of motorsport. A few days before his 44th birthday, Audi factory driver Allan McNish announced that he would not continue his active career in the 2014 season.

The Scotsman began his very successful racing career 32 years ago in karting. McNish achieved many of his greatest victories since the 2000 season with Audi – most recently, the first World Championship title in his career at the wheel of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. “I found the ideal moment for myself to bring an end to my LMP sports-prototype racing with Audi,” says McNish. “Together with my team-mates Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval I finished my most successful season in the sports car. Having also won the Le Mans 24 Hours, I can’t wish for more than what we’ve achieved this year. I can look back on a fantastic career that has left no aims unfinished and I’m looking forward to new challenges the future holds for me. Now I’ll have a lot more time for my family. But I’m going to continue to be part of motorsport in various roles, albeit no longer as an Audi race driver.”

Allan McNish will remain in close contact with Audi Sport and contribute his knowledge. “We appreciate and respect Allan’s decision to retire at the pinnacle of his career,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “At the same time, this is a parting that is particularly difficult for us. All of us are well aware of Allan’s racing successes. We should not forget, though, how valuable he has been in the development of our race cars, how great a team player he has always been and how he has consistently applied himself to achieve Audi’s aims far beyond motorsport with professionalism, loyalty and commitment. We regret that Allan will no longer be contesting any races for us but are happy that he will continue to be associated with Audi Sport and the Audi brand.”

In the 2000 season, Allan McNish in the Audi R8 won the American Le Mans Series for the first time. In 2006 and 2007, in the Audi R10 TDI, he again celebrated title wins in the North American sports car series. Four overall victories in the Sebring 12 Hours complement his track record in North America. Two of his three successes in the Le Mans 24 Hours he celebrated with Audi in 2008 and 2013. The early title win in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Shanghai (China) five weeks ago marked the pinnacle of the Scotsman’s career, who had initially pursed a classic career in formula racing.

Except for the years of 2001 to 2003, when the racing pro with the physique of a jockey was active in Formula 1 as a test and race driver, he was competing for the four rings since 2000. He almost exclusively drove the company’s sports cars and in 2005 he was additionally active in the DTM. He is the only driver to have raced all sports cars ever made in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, from the Audi R8R to the R8, R10 TDI, R15 TDI, R18 TDI models and the R18 ultra through to the R18 e-tron quattro. He has recorded 29 overall victories, 18 pole positions, 17 fastest race laps and four title wins in eleven years, which makes him one of the most successful Audi sports car drivers. “Of course, we’re going to miss Allan in our driver line-up extremely,” says Chris Reinke, Project Manager LMP at Audi Sport. “But it’s typical of Allan that he’s also found a perfect point in time to end his career.”

 

End of an Era...Glad I got to see him race in Houston in 2007....

 

Interesting, I forgot he tested. Carpentier got the ride.

I also remember McNish's horrible shunt in the Toyota F1 car - after which he emerged unscathed, but I wanted to see him take a step away after that (of course he went on to success with Audi).

Best of luck to him!

 

Great and interesting driver.

Wish him the best.

 

Proof that there is more to motorsport than just F1!

Paul De Resta should take note.

 

My money is on di Resta to step in to McNish's spot at Audi.

BHW

 

I'd like to see PDR go to Audi, since it seems he'll never get a good seat in F1. (would also like to see him in Indycar or TUSC).

does Audi have a development system? guys in DTM or whatnot? never really paid attention to it if they do.

 

You wonder how much Franchitti and Edwards had to do with the decision to go out on top while he still could...

Maybe this gives him more time to hang out with the Radio Le Mans guys during broadcasts. Will be interesting to see what he does next.

 

Audi uses the DTM series as somewhat of a drivers in waiting program to a
degree. The problem with that is there are some scheduling conflicts between
WSC and DTM that would prevent a driver from doing an entire season of both
series.

The only one who's successfully made the cross over is Mike Rockenfeller who won the
DTM championship this year and has made appearances in the LMP-1 teams most famously
when he had the huge shunt at Le Mans.

Tom Kristensen did several seasons in DTM and had some success, a few wins but his
most serious incident at the 2007 Hockenheimring season opener when he was T-boned and
suffered a serious concussion.

But, with Porsche coming into the WSC next year with Mark Webber as one of their
drivers, it makes sense that Audi would likewise select an F-1 level driver like di Resta.

Since di Resta's career had been largely backed by Mercedes-Benz, Audi would take
advantage of M-B's investment in him and a good finger in their eye.

BHW

 

Two from Spa
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Hope Audi promotes Lucas DiGrassi to a full season drive. He did very well this year driving the car in a few occasions.

 

Favorite Allan M. drive: 911GT1 in 98 Le Mans.

Nice career in extreme ups and downs of motorsports.

 

I have always loved this Audi promo with McNish.

? Cool New Audi Le Mans TV Ad 2011 Allan McNish Driver Commercial - Carjam Radio - YouTube

 

I should have asked the Scot, "tea or coffee," pointing towards the cup!
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I hate to speculate, but could this be a sign that Audi is a bit nervous of their chances against Porsche at Le Mans this year and he wasn't sure he'd be able to go out "on top" if he didn't leave now?

 

I seriously doubt so. He's a champion. Champions don't back off. He's probably all just burnt out inside. Plus, what's the prove that Porsche can do anything to Audi this year?