Audi S4 quattro a tough act to follow in PE‏, South Africa

Press Release from Audi South Africa

THREE races meant three chances to earn points at round three of the national WesBank Super Series round for the 2012 season. For three of the Audi S4 quattro competitors this event took place at their home circuit – or at least the home circuit for their car.

Defending champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun) looked to be in dominant form, making the very best of his home track advantage. Stephen charged into the lead, posting the fastest qualifying time and claiming pole for the first race by 0.3 of a second over his nearest rival, Johan Fourie (A9 – EPS / IndyOil) and his Audi S4 quattro which is garaged and prepared in Port Elizabeth.

“It was a good day at the track,” says Stephen. “The Audi S4 quattro was strong and everything was working well from Friday already. This weekend was a great result.

“The last few race meetings at Zwartkops we have been on the pace – or been the pace – for the series, and we race there next. The previous outing there I had an issue in race three that ended what could have been a weekend just like the one we just had, but I'm confident things will play into our hands again.”

Fourth fastest in qualifying was another Audi S4 quattro, this time that of another Port Elizabeth racer, Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun). Three places behind Sipuka was the Audi S4 quattro of Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sport Medicine).

“We haven't done enough practise, we spent the time between CT and PE fixing the car so we didn't go in expecting too much since we haven't tested. There has been little time because we just got the car back together again but we've already got a test booked for this week. We're looking forward to Zwartkops and I'm good at the track.

“There's a lot to take into account, both from a driver and engineering perspective, and that's what we're working on now, that's our biggest task.”

PE is the first time we've had a chance to get some proper testing time this year and we've made good use of that, things should go much better from this point.”

Technical infringements in terms of how much turbocharger/supercharger boost is allowed in the series saw three of the Audi S4 quattro competitors sent to the back of the starting grid for the first race – leaving only Stephen to retain his qualifying position.

In the first race Stephen made great use of the power of his Audi S4 quattro to keep his pole position advantage and claim victory. It was his teammate, Tschops Sipuka, however that posted the fastest laptime as he concentrated on working his way through the field. Sipuka finished in seventh, just behind the Audi S4 quattro of Fourie.

For Priest the first race saw him cross the line in ninth place – a result he wasn't prepared to repeat with two more races on the day. Priest proved exactly that, posting a sixth place finish in the second race and claiming fifth in the last race of the day.

Fourie's fortunes also improved with two fourth place finishes to off-set his sixth place in race one.

“I wish we could have swopped Friday and Saturday this weekend,” says Fourie. “We were battling with a small splutter in qualifying and that penalty made the first two races very difficult. The handling also wasn't great on the day so there's lots of work to do for the next round.”

The biggest winner on the day was the defending champion, Stephen. Fastest in qualifying, a race victory in the first and third race and a second place in race two, he is now just a single point behind the current leader, the Subaru of Hennie Groenewald.

This means Stephen is the leading Audi S4 quattro racer and he will enter the Zwartkops round with a good chance of claiming the lead at that event. Priest, Fourie and Sipuka currently hold fifth, sixth and seventh in the series, with the Zwartkops event likely to favour their quattro systems and giving them the opportunity of closing the gap to the leaders.

Audi South Africa

Photos hosted at www.motorpics.co.za

More information:

Audi South Africa

Audi Motorsport in South Africa FB page

Unofficial Audi Sport FB page

Bridgestone Production Cars Website

Bridgestone Production Cars FB page

Audi LMP1 cars technical and cutaway drawings by PAN_NULLO

By Johan Laubscher

There are many technical based websites focusing on sports car racing. One such website is Antonio Pannullo’s blog, also known as PAN_NULLO. 

 PAN_NULLO Le Mans Prototypes Blog link

He is an extremely talented individual who produces these drawings and also has a great technical understanding for these types of race cars. His blog is filled with updated articles showing all the latest news in sports car racing regarding the cars. He makes brilliant side by side drawings of the different versions of the cars as they are developed, showing all the small detail changes during their development. He documents the evolution of LMP car designs. 

These cutaway drawings are just a small taste of what his blog has in store:

Audi R10 TDI cutaway drawing

Audi R15 TDI plus cutaway drawing

Audi R18 TDI cutaway drawing

Here are a few links to Audi related articles on his blog:

Link: Audi R18 e-tron quattro vs Audi R18 ultra

Link: 2012 Sebring Hybrid Testing

Link: Audi R10 TDI

Link: Audi R15 TDI

Link: Audi R15 TDI plus 

If you scroll through his blog you will find much more fascinating and detailed Audi content along with equally brilliant content and information about the other LMP cars and manufacturers. Antonio Pannullo’s blog really does make for a great read. 

Tough weekend for Fourie in PE (Audi S4)

Johan Fourie Racing Press Release  

TOUGH WEEKEND FOR FOURIE IN PE

After taking home two Bridgestone Production Car wins in Cape Town, Johan Fourie was looking forward to much of the same at the second round of the WesBank Super Series held at Aldo Scribante this past weekend. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be.

Friday's practice sessions looked promising and Johan managed to set a great time in qualifying. A time that would have put him on the front row of the grid. The team were however confronted with a huge problem that put the boost pressure of their Audi S4 above the allowed limit. A problem that did not present itself on Friday. Johan, together with two other competitors were moved to the back of the grid for this technical infringement.

After making some mapping changes, the team were ready for the first race, albeit concerned about their pace and the reason for the sudden boost anomaly. The rolling start did not give Johan any advantage over the rear wheel drive BMWs, but he managed to move into seventh place by the end of the first lap. Two laps later, he was into sixth. He drove hard to keep up with the BMWs, but was unable to improve his position.

Johan did not benefit from a reversed grid after only the top four finishers were inverted for the race two rolling start. He had a good start and was up to fifth place by the end of the first lap. The racing was close and three laps from the end, Johan saw an opportunity to pass Anthony Taylor, he executed the move and made it stick taking the flag fourth.

The final race grid was determined by the fastest race two lap times. This put Johan fourth on the grid for the standing start. The Audi got off the line well and Johan moved up to third. Going into turn one however, he found himself being squeezed by Etienne van der Linde (BMW). The two touched and van der Linde spun in front of Johan. This allowed stablemate Tschops Sipuka to get through and into third. Johan held onto fourth place for the remaining 14 laps.

"It was a difficult weekend filled with unexpected problems which we will need to rectify before the next race. The boost will be lower at altitude, but we are very concerned that we may have a problem with our ECU. I was going for the race win, but at the end of the day, we still took some points home and got to race. It could have been worse," commented Johan.


"Once again, the support from our fans has been amazing. Thank you for your support," he concluded.


The team will be back in action at Zwartkops on 26 May. 


More Information:
Johan Fourie Racing website
Johan Fourie Racing FB page
MotorPics


Photos hosted at Motorpics

Bridgestone Production Cars tame Aldo Scribante

Bridgestone Production Cars Press Release

BRIDGESTONE PRODUCTION CARS TAME ALDO SCRIBANTE

The Bridgestone Production Car Championship put up some close racing as part of the third round of the WesBank Super Series held at Aldo Scribante this past weekend.

QUALIFYING:

The weather played along nicely and it was good to see race fans parked around the circuit, despite it being a long weekend. Friday's practice sessions were exceptionally close, but Michael Stephen (Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun Audi S4), Johan Fourie (JFR Audi S4) and Hennie Groenewald (Sasol Subaru WRX STI) all featured very strongly at the top of the charts. This trend continued into Saturday's qualifying session with Stephen taking pole from Fourie and Groenewald. Tschops Sipuka (Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun Audi S4) claimed fourth place, whilst Lee Thompson (Pirtek BMW 335i) was the fastest rear wheel drive competitor in fifth. He was followed on the time sheet by Anthony Taylor (Afrox BMW 335i) and Melvill Priest (Meuller Sports Medicine Audi S4). Although Etienne van der Linde only qualified eighth, he was just a second off the pole position time. Richard Pinard (Sasol Subaru WRX STI) and Nieyaaz Modack (Audi A4) claimed the fifth row of the grid, with BMW 335i drivers, John Mayer (Tricor Signs) and Kishoor Pitamber (Pirtek) a row further back.

Fourie, Priest and Sipuka were later moved to the back of the grid after data showed that their Audis were boosting too high. Whilst the reason for this was likely caused by the coastal altitude and cooler weather, the rules had to be enforced.

Graeme Nathan (IndyOil VW GTI) blitzed the Class T competition, qualifying a full second ahead of the rest of the class. Michael van Rooyen (Williams Hunt Opel Astra OPC) was the best of the rest, qualifying marginally ahead of Jacques Joubert (IndyOil VW GTI). Up next, was Gennaro Bonafede (Ferodo VW GTI) ahead of Castrol Ford Focus ST teammates, Gary Formato and Shaun Duminy. Only seven tenth of a second separated second to sixth. Ebrahim Levy (Jive VW GTI) was the final qualifier. He and his team arrived at the track in the early hours of Saturday morning after their tow vehicle broke down. Levy went straight into qualifying without the benefit of a practice session.

RACE 1:

Race one got under way from a rolling start. Although Stephen had a good start, he couldn't pull away from Groenewald and the two had a race long fight for the lead. Taylor, van der Linde and Thompson were in a tussle of their own, the teammates jostling for third place. In the end, Stephen took the win from Groenewald, Taylor, van der Linde and Thompson. Fourie had worked his way up to sixth, but was never really able to challenge the BMW trio ahead of him. Sipuka finished ahead of Pinard, with Priest struggling down in ninth. Modack had a great race in his older spec A4, taking the flag in front of Pitamber and Mayer.

Graeme Nathan left nothing to chance, taking an unchallenged Class T victory. Behind him, things weren't quite as simple. Joubert managed to get ahead of van Rooyen on the first lap and spent the next seven laps defending the position. The youngster withstood the pressure claiming his third second place finish of the season. Van Rooyen has happy to take the final podium spot ahead of Bonafede, Duminy and Formato. Formato was up to fourth place, before his alternator stopped working, he limped home a lap behind. Levy retired at the end of the first lap.

RACE 2:

The top four finishers in each class we inverted for the start of the second race.

As the pole sitter, Etienne van der Linde had an easy decision and chose to have a rolling start. The field got away cleanly and van der Linde kept his lead from Taylor and Groenewald. Stephen was caught in a five way tussle for fourth but managed to keep Thompson, Sipuka, Fourie and Priest at bay. A lap later, Stephen successfully challenged  Groenewald to take third. Not happy to settle for this position, he closed down Taylor, lining the BMW driver up. He passed Taylor on lap four and chased hard to catch van der Linde. Further back, Taylor was losing ground and slipped down to fifth place, behind Groenewald and Fourie. The chequered flag came out and Stephen made one last ditch effort to pass van der Linde. The BMW driver was wise to Stephen's sprint for the line and held his position, taking the win by one tenth of a second. Groenewald took third with Fourie working his way into fourth. Taylor crossed the line ahead of Priest, Sipuka, Thompson, Pinard and Mayer. Modack was the final runner after Pitamber retired on lap two.

There was some start line confusion in Class T and although Bonafede was meant to take up pole position, van Rooyen crossed the line first. By the end of the first lap, van Rooyen led Bonafede and Nathan. Nathan wasted no time, moving his way into the race lead by the third lap. He went on to take his second unchallenged victory of the day. The positions remained fairly static after that, with van Rooyen crossing the line ahead of Bonafede and Duminy. Van Rooyen was later moved behind Bonafede as a result of the start line confusion. Joubert finished a lap down after a boost pipe came off his GTI. Levy finished sixth, whilst  Formato did not start the race.

RACE 3:

Based on the fastest race two lap times, Stephen took up pole position and opted for a standing start. There was a lot of action on the start line. The lights went out and the four wheel drive cars launched off the line, with the exception of Priest who had inadvertently left his Audi in reverse after lining up in his grid box. As he dropped the clutch, he went flying into Thompson who in turn drove straight into the back of the Audi. Fortunately, Priest's reaction time was exceptional and he quickly snapped to first gear and no major damage was caused. Going into turn one, Fourie and van der Linde were side by side. Fourie was running out of track and the two cars touched. Van der Linde spun in front of Fourie and Sipuka used the opportunity to catapult himself into third. By the end of the race, Stephen lead from Groenewald, Sipuka, Fourie and Priest. Taylor was sixth, ahead of van der Linde, Thompson, Pinard, Modack, Pitamber and Mayer.

Nathan was the Class T pole sitter and took an early lead from van Rooyen, Duminy, Bonafede, Formato and Joubert. On lap four, the mid field was turned upside down. Formato passed Duminy for third, taking Bonafede with him. Duminy and Joubert had a huge tussle, while the status quo up front was also under threat. Van Rooyen took the race lead on lap five and was delighted to take his first win of the season. Nathan took second, with Bonafede passing Formato for third. Duminy ended fifth, with Joubert sixth.

The next round of the championship will take place at Zwartkops on 26 May.

More information:

Bridgestone Production Cars Website

Bridgestone Production Cars FB page
MotorPics

Photos hosted at Motorpics

Second place finish for Audi Sport Team Phoenix at VLN's round 3

By Tarek Ramchani

Round 3 of the VLN Endurance Series today at the Nurbrugring Nordschleife. The Audi R8 LMS scored its best result of the season so far with Audi Sport Team Phoenix.

A nice second place finish for Phoenix Racing and their #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The car shared by Christopher Mies and Markus Winkelhohck was right behind the winning Porsche GT3 R. The sister #15 car of the team finished in a good fourth place outright with drivers Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase and Frank Stippler. The Audi race experience with the #11 car landed in fifteenth place, while the other car from the team #22 R8 LMS finished in twentieth. The Belgian WRT team finished in nineteenth. Bad luck hit the #44 Raeder Motorsport and the #14 Mamerow Racing cars, both retired.

The SP4T class was an all Audi TT RS affair. The #272 from Raeder Motorsport won the class and did achieved amazing thirteenth overall. The #282 car of FH Koln Motorsport was in second and the #269 machine from Raeder Motorsport was in third.

Full race results

Today's race is the final one before the big 24 Hours of the Nurburgring next month.

#15 Audi R8 LMS - Audi Sport Team Phoenix

#36 Audi R8 LMS - WRT

#270 Audi TT RS - Besaplast Racing Team

Video: A new star is born - the Audi RS5

By Johan Laubscher

The video title basically says it all; the new Audi RS5 in the Italian Superstars Series has been a sensation straight out of the box. The new car that had fans waiting in anticipation during 2011 came onto the racing scene in 2012 had has taken its first victories in only its second race weekend. Three short videos bellow regarding the new Audi RS5s built by Audi Sport Italia. The first is a short piece about the car followed by two videos showing the RS5s first two race wins which were at Imola with Johan Kristofferson dominating the race weekend. Enjoy:  

Photo by Audi Sport Italia

More information:

Audi Sport Italia official Facebook

Superstars Series official website

Superstars Series official Facebook 

Audi RS5 feature video

Superstars at Imola - Race 1 Highlights

Superstars at Imola - Race 2 Highlights

Mattias Ekström gives Audi the first DTM pole of 2012

By Tarek Ramchani

The 2012 DTM season has started at Hockenheim this weekend. Audi immediately did a great job with a stunning pole position for Mattias Ekström and a strong fourth place for Edoardo Mortara.

A very close and fought qualifying session with great battles between the drivers from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz drivers. The qualifying format has changed this year now with four sessions. Only the top four drivers are allowed to compete in the final "Q4", the fourth qualifying session. Two Audi drivers made it to this weekend’s Q4. Edoardo Mortara was the first to do his "one shot" lap. The Audi Sport Team Rsoberg driver made a mistake and that gave him the fourth place on the grid for tomorrow's race. Later it was the turn of Mattias Ekström, the Swede completed a perfect lap of 1:34.680. Eki faced great competition from AMG's Jamie Green. The British driver did a great lap, but wasn't able to prevent the Swedish ace from taking the first pole position of the new season. Audi has placed four of its drivers in the top ten. Mike Rockenfeller from Audi Sport Team Phoenix qualified in a good fifth. Timo Scheider the two times DTM champion was eighth. The other Audi drivers were twelfth with Adrian Tambay, fourteenth with Filipe Albuquerque, seventeenth with Miguel Molina and twenty-second with Rahel Frey.

Audi has done a great job in qualifying. Ekstrom will start from pole, with both Mortara and Rockenfeller not far behind. Audi has a great chance to take the victory for tomorrow's race

Full qualifying results

Photo Credits: Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

Edoardo Mortara - Audi A5 DTM - Audi Sport Team Rosberg

Mike Rockenfeller - Audi A5 DTM - Audi Sport Team Phoenix

Video: The mighty S1 being prepared for the Pikes Peak return

By Johan Laubscher

Few cars are as legendary and iconic as the Audi S1 that competed at Pikes Peak in 1987. The car that was driven to victory along with a record breaking time by Walter Röhrl has achieved cult status amongst Audi fans. The car now resides in the Audi Tradition collection, but 2012 has some exciting news in store for the car. The car, along with its original driver Walter Röhrl will be at Pikes Peak in July for a demonstration run up the recently paved Pikes Peak hillclimb route. Audi fans from around the world will once again be able to see this monstrous car racing towards the sky.

The car is being prepared for it return to Pikes Peak, the video bellow (in German) shows the car during its preparation. Well worth the watch and the car still sounds amazing after all these years. Enjoy: 

Pikes Peak Preparation

First glimpse of the full 2012 spec Audi R18 e-tron and ultra

By Johan Laubscher

The first photos of the full 2012 specification Audi R18 race car models have surfaced on the internet. The new R18 e-tron quattro and the R18 ultra. A week ahead of the debut of the two new cars and fans are now able to see them in detail. There are clear visual changes to the cars. Most notably the new front headlights, various aerodynamic and small layout changes. The cars will debut next weekend at Spa, round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The cars look awesome and we cannot wait to see them at Spa and then onwards to Le Mans.

The photo are by the official Audi Sport press

More Information:

The official Audi Sport Facebook page

Truth in 24 II - Trailer and Website are LIVE

By Johan Laubscher

The big news of the day has been the Truth in 24 website that has gone live. For many fans this is very exciting as it reveals not just a lot of very insightful content but also reveals that the launch of the film is imminent. The website has a lot of great features including wallpapers and the trailer which is downloadable.

The trailer has landed on youtube via Audi America's youtube channel and we have embedded that video bellow. It is a brilliant trailer and one that further heightens the anticipation for the film's official release.

Remember to head over to the website as well to enjoy the latest content relating to the upcoming film.

Truth in 24 II Website

Truth in 24 II Trailer

The Truth in 24 II website is LIVE

By Johan Laubscher

17 days to go!

The moment that we have all been waiting for, the Truth in 24 II website has gone LIVE. For weeks we have seen the coming soon banner on the website but now it is LIVE and loaded with content for the fans who are anxiously awaiting the release of the film. The website also includes a countdown timer which is showing a countdown to the download release of the film, so mark your diaries.

The website has a lot in store for the fans, information and downloads relating to the film are available.

The link to the website, enjoy:

Truth in 24 II Website

Five Audi R8 LMS assault on French GT Tour

By Tarek Ramchani

The FFSA GT Tour series will start this weekend at the Ledenon circuit. Last year Audi missed out the championship title in the very last round. This year no less than five Audi R8 LMS race cars will enter the French national GT series.

Team Audi France:

As in the last couple of years Team Audi France will lead the Audi squad in GT Tour. Last year a single car was entered with support from the Belgians of WRT, this year it's the same again. A brand new Audi R8 LMS ultra for the team's regular drivers: Stephane Ortelli and David Hallyday. In 2011 the two drivers battled for the championship title until the last round at Paul Ricard. The official Audi France dealer team will be among the big favorites fighting for the series crown.

Sainteloc Racing:

Sainteloc Racing is a truly privateer team that has been racing with Audi since 2010. Last year they entered two cars and this year no less than three Audi R8 LMSs are joining the series from Sainteloc. Two brand new Audi R8 LMS ultra models in the "main" GT Championship. Gregory Guilvert and Lamic and Dino Lunardi and Bruno Hernandez will share the cars. Right before the French series starts, the two R8 LMS ultra also raced at an international level, doing quite well in both FIA GT3 European Championship and Blancpain Endurance

The third car is an older spec R8 LMS, it will enter the "amateur" GT Cup. Madelaine/Sourd will be the drivers. This car will be among the big favorites in the GT Cup division.

JWS Racing:

New comers to the series and to Audi, JWS Racing will enter the GT Cup with their old spec Audi R8 LMS. The car will be shared by William David and Jean-Marc Quintois. The team is young, but they are aiming high in the GT Cup battle.

For 2012, the GT Tour has a seven round calendar, with a visit to Navara in Spain. The series is set to use the same Balance of Performance as used by the FIA GT3 European Championship. We are hoping for  strong performances from the three Audi teams with the Audi R8 LMS ultra is being the strongest GT3 racer at the moment.

More Informations:

GT Tour official website

GT Tour official Facebook

Video: Full 2011 DTM season highlights, Audi champion

By Tarek Ramchani

The 2011 DTM season was a great and winning one for Audi Sport. The driver championship title for Martin Tomczyk and Audi Sport Team Phoenix. The teams title went to Audi Sport Team Abt. Mattias Ekstrom finishing in a strong second in the overall standing. A great ending to the successful Audi A4 R14 with no less than seven race victories, plus a non championship event victory.

Waiting for the 2012 opener and the new Audi A5 DTM R17, enjoy the full 2011 season highlights.

Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (21-22/04/2012)

By Johan Laubscher

The clear theme from the past weekend was one of wet and drying races, especially on Saturday in all the GT3 specification races on both sides of the equator. The weekend was filled with success and heartbreak in equal measure for the Audi brand.

1. The Weekend

Focussing this week on the weekend of 21-22 April 2012

2. The events

-          FIA GT1

-          FIA GT3

-          Brazilian GT

-          Superstars

-          DTM presentation Wiesbaden

-          Targa Tasmania

-          Austrian Hillclimb

-          DMV-TCC

-          RCN

2.1. FIA GT1

The second round of the FIA GT1 World Championship was held at Zolder. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT #33 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Frank Stippler started from pole and Oliver Jarvis put in an amazing drive in the first half of the race and pitted as the leader on the drying track. The good fortune did not last long, Jarvis had called for slick tires but due to radio problems the team did not receive this message and sent Stippler out on wets, he was subsequently passed and had to pit again for slicks. A similar fate befell the sister #33 car of Ortelli and Vathoor. The tire disaster dropped both WRT cars down the field, eventually finishing just outside the top 10. Race two started on a reasonably dry track but with ominous black clouds surrounding Zolder. Teams gambled with tire choice choosing between slicks and wets. The Belgian WRT team got the gamble wrong and their slick tires dropped them down the field in the early stages. The track began to dry and the WRT pair began moving back up through the field before the first pit stop where the cars opted for slicks again. The team then battled in the middle of the top ten with the two Audis running together until Ortelli and Jarvis came together with Ortelli punting Jarvis off track accidentally under heavy breaking. Both cars continued circulating with #32 finishing in 6th and #33 in 10th.

FIA GT1 website

2.2. FIA GT3

Qualifying for round 2 of the FIA GT3 championship at Zolder was an Audi affair. The Novadriver R8 LMS ultra took pole for race one and Sainteloc took a 1-2 for race two. Race one saw another drying track race and the tire choice pit stops were the key to the race. The #14 Novadriver R8 LMS was in a tremendous three-way lead battle during the beginning of the race but the wrong tires caused them to slip back to an eventual sixth after having taken the lead on the pit stop cycle. Race two was again a wet race with a drying track. All three Audis again chose the wrong tires by staying on wets after the pit stops anticipating more rain. The Audis dominated the race in the wet conditions but after the pit stops the wrong tires ended their chances. The rain did come but it was too late, a dry line and various spins for the Audis resulted in the cars finishing well down the order.

FIA GT3 website 

2.3. Brazilian GT

One Audi R8 LMS is present in the 2012 Brazilian GT championship, entered by Ebrahim Motors and driven by Fábio and Wagner Ebrahim. The pair qualified well taking second position on the grid for both the weekend’s races. Race one was yet another race that effectively got off to a wet start, after a massive rain shower just after the race had started. Just like the first FIA GT1 and FIA GT3 races at Zolder on the same Saturday the track began to dry. The R8 LMS was very fast in the wet. The Ebrahims finished second after having held the lead the entire race until loosing the lead on the penultimate lap to the factory BMW Z4 team. Race two took place in warm and dry conditions. The Ebrahim R8 LMS spent the race in second position with a spirited drive in the closing stages to catch the leader but eventually had to settle for second position. A very good weekend, two second places and the overall championship lead in Brazil for the Ebrahim pairing.

Brazilian GT website

2.4. Superstars

The second round of the Italian Superstars series was held at Imola and it got off to a fast start for the Audi RS5s. Johan Kristoffersson was immediately fast in practice as well as the other two Audis. In qualifying all three Audis finished in the top seven with Johan Kristoffersson taking his maiden pole position. Thomas Schoffler took seventh and Gianni Morbidelli fourth. The first race was an Audi formation, Morbidelli quickly moved up to second behind Johan Kristoffersson and the two Audi RS5s moved away from the field. The two battled hard until Morbidelli tried to pass Kristoffersson on the last lap but contact occurred which damaged Morbidelli's RS5 and dropped him to seventeenth with his car engulfed in flames. Johan Kristoffersson came through to win the race, a remarkable victory in the young Swede’s rookie year and his first race at Imola. Thomas Schoffler finished ninth in his first race with the RS5. Race two would see complete domination by the young Swedish driver Johan Kristoffersson. He made it a successful double for the weekend and a fact to behold: every session of the weekend in which he competed he was fastest/the winner (he did not take part in practice session two). Thomas Schoffler completed the Audi success with a top five finish and Morbidelli finished lower down in race 2.

Superstars website 

2.5. DTM presentation Wiesbaden

The German DTM championship held their annual pre season launch day at Wiesbaden. All the manufactures were present to showcase the new cars and drivers to the large crowds. It rained on the day but it did not dampen the spirits and enjoyment of the 72000 strong crowd. The DTM season kicks of next weekend at Hockenheim.

DTM website 

2.6. Targa Tasmania

Two Audis were present at the Targa Tasmania in Australia, one Audi R8 V10 and the Audi TT RS of Matt and Casey Close. From the start The TT RS was fast and held sixth by the end of day one. Day two would see a storming drive from the Close’s who won four stages and moved up to third overall which they held at the end of day two and day three. Day four would see tragedy strike. The TT RS rolled at the 20km mark in the stage ending the rally for the pair. It was reported that Matt was experiencing lower back pain and was taken to hospital for observation. We wish both Matt and Casey close a speedy recovery; they had put in a tremendous performance during the event in very difficult and changeable conditions. The R8 V10 of Laurence Kalnin and Doug Fernie finished in the top 20.

Targa News website

2.7. Austrian Hillclimb

The Austrian Hillclimb Championship held an event at Auersbach. The Marko Racing team was there armed with the Audi A4 STW. Andreas Marko won his class and also came third overall.

 race-action.com FB page

2.8. DMV-TCC

The second round of the German DMV-TCC series was held at Hockenheim. Two Audis from Roth Racing competed in the event. Eddy Kamm finished second in the first race in his 2004 Audi A4 DTM R11 and Marc Roth finished in the top 30 overall in both races with his Audi A4 STW.

DMV-TCC website 

2.9. RCN

It was the first round of the RCN championship. A series that is very similar to the VLN but for less professional teams and drivers to compete on the legendary Nurburgring Green Hell. Various Audis compete in the series ranging from Audi S2, Audi TTs and many more.

RCN website 

2.10. Other Audi news

The Portuguese Novadriver team have confirmed that they will be running two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars for the remainder of the 2012 season. The team has acquired one new ultra and will be upgrading their older car to ultra specification.

Oryx Racing has withdrawn their entry for next weekend's Grand Am event in Miami. The event will also see the debut of the new Limitless Racing team.  

3. Next Weekend’s events (28-29/04/2012)

-     - Grand Am

-     - Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge

-     - DTM

-     - BTCC

-     - SA Bridgestone Production Cars  

-     - Czech Series

-     - French GT Tour

-     - VLN

-     - Spanish GT

-     - Open GT (Entry list pending)

-     - World Challenge

-     - HSR – Mitty

-     - VdeV

-     - Chinese R8 LMS Cup

-     - Austian Hillclimb

It was a weekend filled with ups and downs for the brand of the four rings. The big news was the disappointments at Zolder. Hopefully next weekend, which is another action packed weekend will have even more success and less heartache for the brand.

All photos are hosted at their respective websites which are listed within the Weekend Round Up