Luhr drove the last hour and 55 minutes with the same set of Michelin tires and one more stop for fuel. Werner started fifth on the grid but moved up to third on the first lap, was second on the third lap and took the lead for good when Werner passed pole-sitter Gil de Ferran's Acura ARX-01b a minute later.

Audi's victory broke a string of two consecutive overall wins for Penske Racing and Porsche at Mid-Ohio. Werner and Pirro placed third overall last year in the first race for the diesel-powered R10 TDI at Mid-Ohio. Winter development and a better handling race car gave the big Audis and its drivers an easier time navigating the ups, downs and arounds at the track.

Acura Sports Car Challenge
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
Saturday's results
1. (5) Marco Werner, Germany; Lucas Luhr, Germany; Audi AG R10/TDI (1, P1), 111.
2. (7) Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Audi AG R10/TDI (2, P1), 111.
3. (3) Timo Bernhard, Germany; Romain Dumas, France; Porsche RS Spyder (1, P2), 111.
4. (2) Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; David Brabham, Australia; Acura ARX-01B (2, P2), 111.
5. (6) Luis Diaz, Mexico; Adrian Fernandez, Mexico; Acura ARX-01B (3, P2), 111.
6. (8) Sascha Maassen, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Porsche RS Spyder (4, P2), 111.
7. (9) Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, England; Porsche RS Spyder (5, P2), 111.
8. (10) Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Porsche RS Spyder (6, P2), 111.
9. (19) Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Dirk Mueller, Germany; Ferrari F430 GT (1, GT2), 104.
10. (20) Patrick Pilet, France; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (2, GT2), 104.
11. (18) Wolf Henzler, Germany; Jörg Bergmeister, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (3, GT2), 104.
12. (17) Richard Westbrook, England; Dirk Werner, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (4, GT2), 104.
13. (16) Jaime Melo, Brazil; Mika Salo, Finland; Ferrari F430 GT (5, GT2), 103.
14. (4) Raphael Matos, Brazil; Franck Montagny, Brignoles France; Acura ARX-01B (7, P2), 103.
15. (12) Ryan Lewis, UK; John Faulkner, Pittsford, NY; Lola B06-10 AER (3, P1), 103.
16. (21) Harrison Brix, San Jose, CA; Patrick Friesacher, Austria; Ferrari F430 GT (6, GT2), 102.
17. (23) Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Tom Sutherland, Los Gatos, CA; Panoz Esperante Ford (7, GT2), 102.
18. (27) Jim Tafel, Alpharetta, GA; Alex Figge, Hollywood, CA; Ferrari F430 GT (8, GT2), 101.
19. (25) Nicky Pastorelli, Netherlands; Francesco Pastorelli, Netherlands; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (9, GT2), 101.
20. (30) Ben Devlin, England; Gerardo Bonilla, Orlando, FL; Lola B07 46 Mazda (8, P2), 99.
21. (14) Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Corvette C6.R (1, GT1), 98.
22. (15) Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Oliver Gavin, England; Corvette C6.R (2, GT1), 98.
23. (29) Paul Drayson, London, UK; Jonny Cocker, UK; Aston Martin Vantage (10, GT2), 94.
24. (24) David Murry, Cumming, GA; David Robertson, Ray, MI; Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Ford GT-R (11, GT2), 93.
25. (13) Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Creation CA07-002 Judd (4, P1), 92.
26. (1) Gil de Ferran, Brazil; Simon Pagenaud, France; Acura ARX-01B (9, P2), 67, Fire.
27. (28) Joel Feinberg, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Chris Hall, Daytona, FL; Dodge Viper Comp Coupe (12, GT2), 43.
28. (22) Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Lonnie Pechnik, Pacific Grove, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (13, GT2), 37.
29. (26) Tim Pappas, Boston, MA; Anthony Lazzaro, Acworth, GA; Doran Ford GT-R (14, GT2), 27, Electrical.
30. (11) Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Richard Berry, Evergreen, CO; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Lola B06/10 AER (5, P1), 23, Engine.

It was also scary to see the fire in the pts. The fueler was life flighted to a Columbus hospital. Even with a helmet and fire suit, he was badly burned all over.

On a brighter note, I was able to watch the race at Mid-Ohio from the Audi Hospitality area (upper level of pavilion overlooking Madness). Pirro and Luhr stopped by before the race. We were all waving Audi flags from the deck on the last laps of the race. After the win, they stopped on the track in front of us and waved. We went nuts.

It was a great time!