Audi has already made a $12.5 million bid to reunite retiring Formula One driver Michael Schumacher with a race car. According to the Cologne based Express broadsheet, the German marque's competition boss Wolfgang Ullrich is hoping the offer will convince Schumacher - albeit with a personal fortune of more than half a billion dollars - to enter DTM or race at Le Mans. The newspaper said $12.5m is more than the combined salary of all existing DTM drivers, including Schumacher's old F1 rival Mika Hakkinen. But Ullrich cautioned: "I don't know if his contracts with Fiat and Ferrari would allow it. " 37-year-old Schumacher's spokeswoman Sabine Kehm also played down the speculation, telling the BBC that he will 'miss the intensity (of racing) but really wants to let go for a while.'
I doubt MS would drive for a lesser know manufacturer especially someone like AUDI....... Now don't get me wrong Audi has somewhat of a race history but nothing compared to that like FERRARI.
Audi has been racing long before a great majority of teams out there. Anywhere from Rally racing to endurance....To say they are lesser known is crazy.........' I recall the great Tazio Nuvolari racing at the wheel of an Auto union (Audi) back in the day.... I dont think its to far fetched to have MS go back into racing such as Lemans after he relaxes for awhile.
I doubt he will go there either. As for history, Audi (Auto Union) was one of the pioneers in F1 technology in the 30's and with MB they dominated the sport.
Nice idea but it would be even better for Ferrari to show up with its own ride and MS at the wheel. Signed, One can dream even if the reality is not well...reality.
Audi has owned the LeMans 24 Hour race for the last several years. Their dominance of endurance racing these last several years is on par with Ferrari's dominance of F1.
Why not? A lot of retired F1 drivers have chosen that path. Age is less of a factor in endurance racing. Personally I'd prefer to see him in a Ferrari, but if he wants to win Le Mans he has to go with Audi. At least for now.
Sure, why not . . Michael in GT1 in an FXX at the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa in July '07 - just dreaming. . . Carol
correct Andreas, but from autosport.com, he was asked in the interview, if he will continue racing...he said no. personally, i still think he has what it takes to race in F1 at least another 1 season. i wonder if he considers other types of racing, ( 4 wheels ) a step down, comapred to F1.
I think MS wouldn't mind winning LeMans in an Audi in the prototype class, as Ferrari has no plans (as far as I am aware) to get back into sports prototypes.
Other forms of racing might be a step down from F1, but I always thought that it is a sign of a true champion if a driver also excels in other forms of racing. Andretti, Mansell and Jacques Villeneuve come to mind, maybe Montoya if he gets the hang of NASCAR. Michael would do just fine in Le Mans. He was already darn good in Group C in the Sauber.
He's been at LeMans. Maybe he'd like a real shot at it? http://www.formula2.net/1991.htm Check the DNQ.
I think it'd be cool to see Schumi racing at LeMans, but it would be even better if Ferrari decided to get back into the scene in the prototype class. Anyone think it's a longshot?
That car (P4/5) and Jim actually made it on to Comedy Central in a funny bit by Louis Black. Just click on the "Back in Black: Spending Cash" on the far right of the second row: http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/videos/most_recent/index.jhtml?start=17 It maybe a repost but, it's funny none the less.
I am sure he could get a ride from any of the GT2 430's ! ! Prototype - longshot; GT1 - possible too. I'll have to ask my friend this weekend if he knows anything about this Audi speculation. Carol
The 'modern' AUDI firm has nothing to do with the 1930s AUDI company - part then of the Auto-Union group. Auto-Union was the association of Horch, DKW, Wanderer and Audi. That group disappeared after the war, only DKW survived for a while, producing 2-stroke cars -pretty horrible if you ask me! NSU, a German bike and car manufacturer was in trouble in the 60s, having launched the first rotary engine. Volkswagen bought it, remodelled their car, put a 4-cyl inside, and sold it as NSU, before changing the badge and calling it AUDI. VW built AUDI as Toyota built Lexus, but the modern AUDI doesn't share any lineage with the pre-war AUDI, even less with Auto-Union, although VW is quite happy to claim the racing heritage. They won't fool me!!
Although I don't really like MS, I would really like to see him drive at LeMans. He started as part of Mercedes junior team driving the Sauber C9, and I think his physical fitness would pay off in spades. I doubt Ferrari would get back into endurance racing with a factory team since it would siphon money from their F1 programme, but you would surely see a surge of fan interest in the series if Ferrari did come back with MS as their driver. However, if MS holds a grudge for the circumstances around his retirement, I could see him going to work for Audi or even Porsche factory teams.
IMHO, Schumacher has lots to lose by taking an Audi drive at LeMans so soon. The biggest reason to do it is that Audi is German. But the fact that Audi has dominated for a while is the problem. If he wins it's just " Of course he won, it's Michael Schumacher in an Audi, anyone can win in an Audi." If he loses it's" Schumacher didn't win LeMans in an Audi, What the hell?" I could just hear some of the children on here that hate Michael using that as a defining moment in Michael's great career. I hope the guy takes off for a while and then comes back in some way with a factory sponsored roadracing 430 or 599. All red with just small Fiat, Magnetti Marelli , Carello and Koni stickers.
