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From Formula One, through MotoGP, to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, Shell develops performance fuels and lubricants for a wide variety of motorsport teams, including Audi Sport, Ducati Corse, and Scuderia Ferrari. While Shell has been a key technical partner in motorsport for many years, 2006 was an exceptional year of unprecedented wins and bittersweet losses.
Setting the tone was the Audi R10 TDI fueled by Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel, which made motorsport history in June 2006 by becoming the first ever diesel-powered winner of the legendary endurance event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This remarkable result was due in part to the inclusion of Shell GTL (Gas to Liquids) fuel in the race formulation, one of the first uses of this special, industry leading synthetic fuel technology. Audi’s success continued throughout the 2006 American Le Mans series with Audi using Shell V-Power Diesel to win every race and take home the final championship. Following the Le Mans series championship, the 57 th Formula One season came to a close at the Brazilian Grand Prix with Scuderia Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher pulling the curtain down on the most successful Formula One career in the history of the sport. The legendary racing champion ended his career with 91 victories, seven Drivers’ Titles and 68 pole positions. Meanwhile, Schumacher’s new teammate Felipe Massa proved to be more than capable of running at the front of the championship, with a sterling ’06 performance that delivered him third place in the Drivers’ Championship and second in the ever important Constructors’ Championship. Shell’s two-wheeled motorsports program was also highly successful in ’06 with Australian rider Troy Bayliss taking his second World Superbike title with Ducati. Following his World Superbike title, Bayliss was drafted to the MotoGP team as a last minute injury replacement for the final race of the season, only to re-write the record books by taking a phenomenal victory for Shell and Ducati. All in all, the close of 2006 not only marked the end of a very successful and exciting year of motorsports, but also marked another successful year in the long-standing technical relationship between Shell and Ferrari. All Ferrari road cars are designed using Shell fuels and lubricants. In addition, Shell provides fuel, engine oil, gearbox oil, hydraulic fluid and greases to the Formula One team and Ferrari’s road car production line. For additional information, please visit www.shell.com/motorsport. NEXT STORY >> |