I think that something that people always seem to miss is the fact that Audi have stuck around in Sports Cars after winning Le Mans. Look at the other manufacturers.
BMW, ran at Le Mans twice, won and left to F1. Toyota, ran at Le Mans twice, nearly won and left to F1. Porsche, ran three years at Le Mans with works GT1 cars, won, left and built the Cayenne. Nissan, ran three years at Le Mans, didn't win and left. Mercedes, two years and left (which they would have done if you'd won anyway - probably). Bentley, three year program to win at Le Mans, then left.
At least Audi have been around for 6 years and counting. However, they do seem to keep a firmer control over their "customer cars", than Porsche did with the phlethera(sp?) of 956/962 that were sold.
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