Allan McNish starts his diesel-engined Audi R18 TDI from fourth place on the near 50-car grid in tomorrow’s (SUN) six-hour endurance sportscar race at Imola.

The Scotsman, in competition for the first time since stepping uninjured from his spectacular Le Mans 24 Hours accident three weeks ago, posted a personal quickest lap of 1min 32.974secs, an average speed of 118.13mph, around the 3.05-mile Italian track.

Having posted fourth (Sebring, USA) and third places (Spa, Belgium) in the opening two rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, McNish is determined to bounce back from his Le Mans disappointment in the fourth round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup but does not underestimate the task ahead.

“The race will be tough,” commented McNish. “Tom has never raced here previously and while I have on just one previous occasion, with the near total lack of running we’ve both had over the past two days due to numerous red-flag stoppages, torrential rain and a couple of other issues, it’s going to be tricky but ‘TK’ and I are here to fight and that’s what we intend to do in the race.

“I qualified the best as possible in the circumstances. The balance of the car was reasonable but apart from my first lap, I had ‘traffic’ on each of the other laps but then it’s the same for everyone.”   

Dumfries-born McNish co-drives his brand new Audi R18 TDI with Tom Kristensen (Denmark) while Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), one of the three triumphant Le Mans 24 Hour race drivers, partners 2010 Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard (Germany) in the “sister” Audi R18 TDI. Fässler set the second fastest time in today’s (FRI) 20-minute qualifying session – 0.618secs-secs slower than the pole-starting Anthony Davidson (Peugeot).

The Imola Six Hours marks the third race for the Audi R18 TDI which made its race début less than two months ago. Having claimed pole-position on its race début at Spa (7 May), the 3.7-litre turbo diesel engined Coupé scored a “pole”, fastest race lap and race win in its second race, the Le Mans 24 Hours (11-12 Jun), to chalk up the German manufacturer’s 10th Le Mans race win in 13 years. 

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