The "final countdown" for the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 18/19 begins: Next Sunday, the two Audi customer teams Champion Racing (USA) and ORECA (France) will take part in the Le Mans pre-test session in preparation for the race. As requested by the regulations, the three Audi R8 sports cars will race with 50 kilograms extra ballast and about 30 hp less. On Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., the two Audi teams will therefore be mainly looking for the best places to fit the extra weight. Seven of the nine Audi Le Mans drivers will be in action during the pre-test. Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish are competing in the DTM at Brno this weekend and so will not be present at the test session.