EXCLUSIVE - Tom Kristensen

Shell and the world's greatest drivers

Shell's racing affiliation, along with an ongoing technical partnership with the Audi Sport team, has evolved into the development of a winning diesel race fuel based on Shell V-Power Diesel technology. In 2006, Shell and Audi Sport made motorsport history when the Audi R10 TDI was the first diesel-powered car to ever win the Le Mans 24-hour race - motor racing's toughest endurance race. Since then, Shell and Audi Sport have set a new standard for success on the Le Mans track with three consecutive gasoline-beating diesel wins.

Tom Kristensen took the chequered flag at Le Mans 2008, and is now the most successful Le Mans racer ever, with a record eight wins. We caught up with Kristensen, still setting records after 25 years in the sport, just a few days after he crossed the line first once again…

Tom Kristensen

Another year, another Le Mans victory. How does this year’s compare to the other seven?

Tom Kristensen: I’ve loved them all but this is very special because the Peugeots were very fast - we beat them by being fast and disciplined.

TG: You have raced at Le Mans 12 times – do you have a favourite memory?

TK: So many, but the first in 1997 stands out. I signed to race just three days before and took the win and set a new lap record.

TG: You’ve had an amazing career in sportscar racing but did you ever dream of breaking into Formula One?

TK: Sure and I worked hard to make it happen – I tested with Tyrrell, Jaguar and Williams – but I am very happy about the way things worked out with Audi.

TG: How does a good sportscar driver differ from any other race driver?

TK: Sportscar racing is about endurance and team work. Any good driver must be versatile and have the ability to adjust to changing conditions. But a good sportscar driver really must be a team player too. Power, engine endurance and fuel efficiency are also essential to success.

TG: And what makes a great driver?

TK: You have to have it all: speed, consistency, control. You must only ever take calculated risks, that sort of thing.

TG: Audi won Le Mans with a diesel engine first time out in 2006 having scored the first major victory with diesel power at Sebring the same year. How significant has winning with a diesel-powered car been?

TK: Well, Sebring was very important because it was in America, a country that does not buy many diesel-powered cars, historically. This is changing now. Being the first diesel-powered sportscar to win a high profile and challenging endurance race like Le Mans makes the victory even sweeter. The Audi R10 TDI and Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel have given the team a more powerful driving experience and introduced a new era in endurance racing.

TG: What difference does diesel make to you during an endurance race such as Le Mans?

TK: A lot. Economy can be improved, although not as much as in a diesel-powered road car, but driveability is the big difference. The diesel R10 has so much torque and although this can be a handful to control, the power band is much wider.

TG: Who’s the greatest driver you have raced against?

TK: I’m still racing so I’m not saying…

TG: OK, your biggest hero growing up?

TK: Mario Andretti. Because he was just so versatile and accomplished in everything he raced. And he looked like my dad! I liked Jacky Ickx, and the raw speed of Ayrton Senna, too.

TG: Is racing still fun or is it now a job?

TK: Oh, it is still fun. I appreciate what I do very much, but you have to remain very determined.

TG: And what do you drive on the road?

TK: I am very lucky here, too. An Audi RS6 and an Audi Q7.

TG: And can you tell the difference between diesel and unleaded in a road car?

TK: Ha! Enough to know it doesn’t help if you put diesel in a car with an unleaded engine!

How you can win with V-Factor 2008

If you make it into the top 20 after three testing quiz rounds, you will be one of the lucky - and talented - finalists who go forward to the V-Factor Driving Challenge, the first part of which will be held on the morning of Friday 14 November at Daytona Raceway in Milton Keynes. Make it into the top three of that event and you'll secure a place in the V-Factor 2008 grand final later that day at MPH 08, Top Gear Live at Birmingham NEC.

But there are still plenty of prizes on offer along the way, too. To tie in with our focus on the Shell V-Power Diesel / Audi Sport technical partnership, this month you could win two great items from the Audi range of merchandise: an Audi design Circle watch and an Audi Le Mans Windbreaker jacket.

Audi design Circle watch

with an automatic Swiss movement and convex sapphire crystal face and base that allows you to see part of the watch’s precision mechanics, this watch is every bit as smart and efficient as Audi’s race and road cars. Water and vacuum resistant to 100 metres.

Audi Le Mans windbreaker jacket