23 replies to this topic

[Gilles4Ever]

Audi Sport @Audi__Sport

Tom Kristensen will retire at the end of the 2014 @FIAWEC season #R18 #welcomechallenges #mangetak

 

Simon Strang @StrangAutosport

Tom Kristensen. Eternal legend. Great honour to write about him, and great honour to watch him win. Now it's time to chill TK!

 

Adam Cooper @adamcooperF1

Sorry to hear that the great Tom Kristensen is retiring. Got to know him well when he was an F3 driver in Japan back in 1992. Top guy

 

Adam Cooper @adamcooperF1

I saw Tom K's first ever sportscar race in '92, when he shared a Toyota with two guys called Villeneuve and Irvine. He was the referee!

 

Steven English @StevenEnglish

Saluting the legend that is Tom Kristensen. One of an elite group of drivers it was a genuine pleasure and a privilege to cover and know

 

Steven English @StevenEnglish

TK's story of his Le Mans wins (told on the eve of his 8th) was one of my journo highlights autosport.com/journal/articl…

[Victor_RO]

Well done TK on an astonishing career. And as a formerly-Peugeot currently-Toyota fan, thank you for always being a worthy, brilliant but also very sporting opponent to all these teams over the years.   

[Spillage]

Sad to see him go. An outstanding career.

[Gilles4Ever]

[FerrariV12]

Absolute legend of the sport, as with McNish it's good to see him going out on his own terms while still competitive.

 

Wonder what Audi will do now, promote one of their part timers like when di Grassi replaced McNish, or look elsewhere, whether someone like Button, a Rebellion/LMP2 driver, or poaching from one of their rivals.

[JHSingo]

Mixed feelings as ever when one of your motorsport heroes retires. Felt the same way with McNish and Franchitti, among others. Sad, but happy to have seen them race.

 

What a fantastic career. I doubt we'll see anyone break his record of 9 Le Mans wins any time soon. A shame his last one will always be remembered for those tragic circumstances.

 

Enjoy retirement, Mr Le Mans.

[Victor_RO]

A shame his last one will always be remembered for those tragic circumstances.

 

I feel slightly proud and very sad at the same time for having seen that last win from trackside. 

 

 

Absolute legend of the sport, as with McNish it's good to see him going out on his own terms while still competitive.

 

Wonder what Audi will do now, promote one of their part timers like when di Grassi replaced McNish, or look elsewhere, whether someone like Button, a Rebellion/LMP2 driver, or poaching from one of their rivals.

 

Probably promoting from within and then bringing in someone like Harry Tincknell in the place of the promotee. 

[KWSN - DSM]

Tom Kristensen made Danes into Autoracing fanatics, last time I was at Le Mans it was with 35.000 other Danes. Best of luck moving forward in his new career as AUDI Ambassador.

 

[taran]

Maybe Button's chance of landing a top seat in WEC.

[Imateria]

I've seen so many great drives from him over the last 15 years of watching motorsport, I'll be sorry to see him go, and he thoroughly deserves the name "Mr Le Mans" with 9 wins.

 

It'll be very strange not seeing the names Kristensen and McNish on the entry lists for Sportscar races next year.

[LeClerc]

A legend in his own time!

[Scotracer]

Mixed feelings as ever when one of your motorsport heroes retires. Felt the same way with McNish and Franchitti, among others. Sad, but happy to have seen them race.

 

What a fantastic career. I doubt we'll see anyone break his record of 9 Le Mans wins any time soon. A shame his last one will always be remembered for those tragic circumstances.

 

Enjoy retirement, Mr Le Mans.

 

Agreed. Being a Scotsman, McNish & Franchitti were massive childhood heroes of mine..so for them to retire seemingly in the height of their reign, was saddening.

 

As well as losing McRae, I'm out of Scottish heroes! di Resta never quite did enough.

[huisne]

It's always sad to see someone like Tom retire, although I've been expecting this in the last months. He is 47, has a family with 3 kids, proved everything he needed to prove and much more. Audi was not competitive this year in the majority of the races, and the same is possible for next year, I understand that he doesn't want to continue fighting for 6th places. 

A great driver with a great personality, Le Mans and WEC will definetely miss him. 

I hope he can stand on the podium in Interlagos, he deserves it one more time!

[Henri Greuter]

Maybe Button's chance of landing a top seat in WEC.

 

 

Strange manner to pay a tribute to the man about whom the topic is started don't you think?

 

 

Le Mans will become a more open race from now on. This is for me comparable with Indy having no Team Penske entries anymore. Penske at Indy, Tom at Le Mans, you always had to fill them in on your list of certain top 3 finishers if not the most likely winner. But Le Mans will be more open than ever before and Audi no longer a near certain winner.

 

Enoy whatever the future may bring for you Mr Kristensen.

 

 

Henri

[F1matt]

Amazing career and a man who always comes across as a top professional. Good luck to him for the future,

[Dolph]

So its set at nine then.

[pathogen]

9 Le Mans wins! A superior and outstanding driver for me. Sometimes de F1 illusion dulls sports cars specialists. Guys like Bell, Pescarolo, Ickx, Wollek, Weaver or Kristensen are truly and high standard drivers. Good luck to him!

[OleDK]

Mixed emotions. Thanks for the show, Tom. Thanks for being the world's best ever WEC driver.

[DanardiF1]

This wasn't much of a surprise to me... for all that TK has done it's clear now that he was beginning to fall away from the pace of his teammates much as Dindo Capello did in his last few seasons. His experience and racing nous helped him contribute but the LMP1 driver pool is getting younger than in the years previously where grizzled old hands like TK, Dindo etc. could still reign supreme.

 

Still one of the greatest racing drivers of our time, just for his relentless speed, incredible determination, grace and sportsmanship and overall being a top guy. Even if you aren't an Audi fan you don't begrudge the things TK has achieved... his emotional words on the 2013 podium (after winning for the 9th time!) for his departed compatriot and friend Allan Simonsen were incredibly moving.

 

Will be strange to see the 2015 24 Hours without 'Mr Le Mans' in it...

[taran]

Strange manner to pay a tribute to the man about whom the topic is started don't you think?

 

 

Henri

 

I didn't realise this was a tribute thread. Seemed like a discussion thread to me....

And his retirement means there is a top seat available so discussing who will succeed him seems pretty relevant to me. With Button likely searching for a drive in the WEC, it all comes together. YMMV.

Edited by taran, 20 November 2014 - 07:53.

[Victor_RO]

I didn't realise this was a tribute thread. Seemed like a discussion thread to me....

And his retirement means there is a top seat available so discussing who will succeed him seems pretty relevant to me. With Button likely searching for a drive in the WEC, it all comes together. YMMV.

 

Button-to-Audi has been denied time and time again and more than ever in recent weeks by various insiders in the sportscar paddock.

[OvDrone]

What a legend. Sad to see him go and I would of loved to see him race live and get maybe a final tenth win at Le Mans. One of the all time greats, anyways, so yeah, enjoy the finer things in life Mister Le Mans. It was a pleasure watching you race.

[taran]

Button-to-Audi has been denied time and time again and more than ever in recent weeks by various insiders in the sportscar paddock.

 

Surely I don't have to remind you that no story in racing is true until it has officially been denied? Maybe Button is still negotiating with McLaren too and doesn't want to derail that with rumours of Audi drives....Maybe Jacques Villeneuve first needed to cut his ties with Albatec before his signing can be announced .

 

However you slice it, a WEC star is retiring and his competitive factory drive is therefore up for grabs. Discussing that is also part of Kristensen's decision to retire IMO.....

[LORDBYRON]

Whoo its finally happened