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Video: Australian GT Round 3 at Phillip Island with Audis from MPC and Minda

By Johan Laubscher

The third round of the Australian GT Championship took place at Phillip Island last weekend. The two Audis from Melbourne Performance Centre and Minda Motorsport performed very well.

Two sets of top ten finishes were achieved by the Audi R8 LMS and ultra teams. Other Side Productions has produced another Australian GT highlights video for the series. The highlights package featuring round three hat Phillip Island as been embedded below:

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in full shape for Silverstone’s challenge

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

All the emotion of the Blancpain Endurance Series is back this weekend, as the world's GT élite travels to England for the second round of the 2013 season, which is scheduled on another legendary track: Silverstone. In Monza's season-opener, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT had a positive start, although results were influenced by race incidents and the best-placed of the WRT Audis finished fourth after losing the podium in the last corner. The Belgian squad is crossing the Channel determined to better, on a track that should be more favourable to the R8 LMS ultra. The three cars of Laurens Vanthoor-Stéphane Ortelli-René Rast, Edward Sandström-Frank Stippler-Christopher Mies and Nicky Mayr-Melnhof-Matt Halliday-Rahel Frey are all entered in the Pro category, where competition is particularly fierce.

"We are very happy to resume activity in the Blancpain", states Team Principal Vincent Vosse, "as this is really the top GT competition at the moment and a series I personally like very much. It's always nice to go to Britain, which is the cradle of modern motorsports and there are always so many fans, and Silverstone has always been a track where we have done well. The fact that it's a flowingly fast track suits the Audis well, although we know the R8 is not the fastest car in terms of pure performance. Last year we achieved two podium finishes, and we aim at being on the podium this time too. The competition, though, is extremely strong, once again, and there are plenty of very good cars and teams, with excellent drivers and great ambitions, but that's what we are too!"

With 60 cars entered, the Blancpain will indeed feature again a fabulous grid, and the battle will be fiercer than ever. A key addition will be the works car from Aston Martin, which will certainly aim at shining on home soil. "It will be certainly one of the cars to be watched more closely", confirms Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonné, "although not the only one, of course. But we know we also are among the strong teams. For the rest, there haven't been many developments since Monza. Only very minor adjustments have been made to the Balance of Performance, which in the Blancpain is working reasonably well. Needless to say, weather conditions may play a role, and the forecasts seem to point to changing conditions, but that is something pretty usual in Britain and nothing that can scare a ... Belgian team!"

Among the drivers, spirits are high and one man is looking for revenge. Edward Sandström shared with Mies and Stippler the best-placed WRT car at Monza and drove the last and incredibly lively stint, managing to preserve the third place from the fierce attacks of rivals until the last corner. Since then, the Swede has overcome the slight disappointment and reflects on what happened: "It was, of course, frustrating to lose the podium so close to the finishing line and because of the obstruction of a slower car", he concedes, "but it was still a good race and a good result. I fought well in the last stint, not only against rivals, but also against some pick-up problem, and there is always something to be learnt. Maybe when I stumbled into that slower car, I should have been less conservative, but I wanted to avoid taking unnecessary risks. Anyway, fourth was not a bad result with regard to the championship, especially at Monza, which was probably the most challenging circuit for us".

"Now we go to Silverstone", goes on Edward, "It's a track I adore, I am always excited at going there, and I think we will be competitive, despite the very strong opposition. The Audi always performed well there, especially in the fast corners such as Becketts, Copse and Stowe, and the WRT Team is working perfectly, in an excellent atmosphere. With 60 cars on the track, qualifying well will be important and also a challenge, as you cannot have a clear lap for yourself, and you need to choose the right group of cars to be with."

The weekend format, as usual, foresees free practice and pre-qualifying on Saturday, with qualifying on Sunday morning and the 3-hour race kicking off at 2:50 pm UK time (one hour later in continental Europe).

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club

BES: Seven Audi R8 LMS ultra for round 2 at Silverstone

By Tarek Ramchani

Silverstone is hosting the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series this weekend. A traditional 3-hour race format, and no less than seven Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will be entered for the event.

Seven cars from three different Audi Sport customer racing teams. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is fielding three cars, all of them in the upper Pro-Cup class. The #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra will be shared by Stephane Ortelli, Laurens Vanthoor and Rene Rast. The #2 car will be driven by Rahel Frey, Matt Halliday and Niki Mayr-Melnhof. The #13 machine is for Edward Sandstrom, Christopher Mies and Frank Stippler. The Belgian team had a mixed race last time out at Monza. Strong performances on track but also a lot of bad luck. The best ranked car was the #13 Audi in fourth, losing the podium spot in the last corner to a McLaren MP4-12C. Silverstone should be more favorable for the Audi R8 LMS ultra, the Belgian team is aiming high in Britain. In the team standings Belgian Audi Club Team WRT are fourth with 12 points.

The second Audi entry is from Phoenix Racing. The German team has a two-car effort in the demanding Pro-Cup class. The #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Christopher Haase, Oliver Jarvis and Harold Primat, and the sister #16 car for Enzo Ide, Anthony Kumpen and Markus Winkelhock. At Monza Phoenix Racing performed very well, both cars entered the top 10 on a very penalizing track which had a very healthy grid. Phoenix Racing is fifth in the points standings with 10 points.

Sainteloc Racing is the third Audi team in the series. A big change for the Silverstone round as their Pro-Cup entry will not take part in the event. The French privateer team will have two cars. The #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Ronnie Latinne, David Hallyday and Romain Monti in the Pro-Am class, and the sister #41 car of Pierre Hirschi, Marc Sourd and Claude-Yves Gosselin in the Gentlemen Trophy.

As seen at Monza, the 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series has an impressive level of competition. The largest and most competitive GT3 racing series around. The five Pro-Cup Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will have to fight very hard against very strong rivals from Ferrari, McLaren, BMW, Porsche and the full factory Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3.

Photo credit: Blancpain Endurance Series

Australian GT: Solid weekend for Salmon and Winslow at Phillip Island

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 LMS ultra
Rnd#3, Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Phillip Island, Victoria (24-26 May)

After a race winning weekend at Melbourne’s Sandown Park during the Victorian State Series the week prior to the third round of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, Melbourne Performance Centre/Skwirk.com.au Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra pilot Rod Salmon was ‘fired up’ ahead of Phillip Island and ready to get into the thick of it..

Joined by Englishman James Winslow - a multiple Formula 3 champion - the team were ready to do battle. “Last weekend I had my first victory in the Audi, which was pretty special,” Rod reflected. “It was nice way too to prepare for this weekend, especially after a three month break.”

Whilst the Sandown event provided Rod with some extra momentum heading into Phillip Island, it also turned up an unexpected set of circumstances that would plague the team through practice and race one.

During the opening practice session, Rod’s times were affected by stones that had become embedded in the hot rubber after the final race at Sandown, when the Audi driver was forced to return to the transporter through the back of the pits. The cool Phillip Island conditions, and the lack of grip kept the tyres below operating temperature, with the stones remaining embedded in the tyre through much of the session.

The other impact of the Sandown event didn’t become apparent until race one where both drivers reported a ‘long’ clutch pedal, a result of Sandown’s standing starts. “That’s not something we do in the GT Championship,” MPC’s Troy Russell explained. “And whilst it hasn’t impacted the pace of the car, it’s a driver comfort issue, so we’ll fix it between races.”

Despite losing much of the opening practice session, the Skwirk.com.au Audi was into the thick of the action in P2 with Winslow sitting on top of the timesheets for much of the session, his 1:29.4124 beaten only by GT rookie Jack Le Brocq in the Erebus Mercedes Benz SLS AMG in the closing stages of the session.

Ahead of qualifying the team opted for strategy, leaving Rod in the car to avoid further pit stop penalties on top of Winslow’s classification as a professional driver.

“During the compulsory pit stop (CPS) in each race, teams are given performance time penalties based on their qualifying position and the experience of each of their drivers,” Rod explained. “With James in the car we automatically receive an additional 18-second penalty, and for every row further forward we qualify, that’s a five seconds more.”

James started race one off the fourth row, and the experienced open-wheel star was quickly into the thick of the action, locked onto the tail of the McMillan Lamborghini in a battle for sixth position. That soon became a battle for fifth position after McMillan spun wildly off the circuit on the run out of the final corner on lap two.

“I could see he was watching me in his mirrors,” Winslow confirmed afterwards. “He started to slide on the exit, then caught it and then finally went completely sideways. I wasn’t sure exactly which way to go initially, but he was soon off the circuit and we kept at it.”

Next in line was Roger Lago, although the two-time Porsche Challenge champion wasn’t about to be pressured into giving up track position, leaving Winslow as the sandwich between the Lamborghini and a hard-charging Klark Quinn.

Lap after lap ahead of the CPS, Winslow looked for a way past the big V10 Gallardo, but was unable to effect a pass ahead of the pit stops.

“The three of us were locked together for much of the opening stint of the race, and I just couldn’t get past the Lamborghini,” Winslow admitted. “I tried everything, and used every trick I had up my sleeve maximising my aero experience from Formula 3, but we just didn’t have the legs to get past him.”

Rod put in a consistent drive to cross the line in sixth place, having dropped a position to the R8 of Andrew McInnes in the closing laps.

“It’s nice not to have had to complete the full one hour distance on my own,” Rod admitted afterwards. “I looked at how exhausted Tony Quinn was after he emerged from his car after having completed the full race distance alone and remembered just how hard that had been at Clipsal. To be consistently quick across a full hour in one of these cars is hard work, both mentally and physically, so that was a much more pleasant experience for me.”

Rod was back behind the wheel for the start of race two, and despite dropping a position early to the hard-charging Justin McMillan, he sat comfortably within reach of the battle unfolding between McMillan’s Lamborghini, the Audi R8 of McInnes and the Ferrari 458 of Peter Edwards.

“I just wanted to settle into a rhythm and stay within reach ahead of the pit stops,” Rod admitted. “I knew that if we kept within a couple of seconds that James would be able to recover that during his stint, and there was no sense getting into the middle of a battle for position; this weekend was about amassing points and getting back into the championship.”

After their CPS, Winslow charged, moving quickly back into the top six, the Skwirk.com.au now the third fastest car on the circuit, but despite his pace he fell just short of McMillan’s Lamborghini, crossing the line in sixth place.

“A couple more laps and I would have had him,” James explained afterwards. “We were consistently in the 29s, but lapped traffic cost us in the end, but all up I was grateful for my Audi experience with Rod, it’s a fantastic car to drive, we just needed a slightly longer race.”

For the MPC/Skwirk.com.au team it’s off to Sydney Motorsport Park in July (12-14) for round four of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli.

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli 
Rnd#3, Phillip Island - Qualifying [May 25]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:26.5248R 
02. 88. John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:27.4308 
03. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:28.0291 
04. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:28.8855 
05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:29.0617 
06. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] - 1:29.1267 
07. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:30.5255 
08. 6. Rod Salmon - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] - 1:31.3387 
09. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 1:33.9012 
10. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP] - 1:35.9553 

Race #1 [May 25]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP] - 39-laps 
02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] 
03. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP] 
04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] 
05. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 38-laps 
06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] 
07. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] - 36-laps 
08. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport] 
09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP] 
10. 73 Michael Hovey - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport] - 35-laps 

Race #2 [May 26]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP]- 38-laps 
02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] 
03. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] 
04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] 
05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP] 
06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] 
07. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 37-laps 
08. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 36-laps 
09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP]  
10. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport] 

A highlights package will be televised on SBS Speedweek on Sunday, June 9 from 2:00pm AEST (check local guides for confirmation).

Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli 
GT Championship points(after round three of six)  
1. Klark Quinn (195 points), 2. Tony Quinn (141), 3. Roger Lago (135), 4. Craig Baird (133), 5. Peter Edwards/John Bowe (118), 6. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes (115), 7. Justin McMillan (111), 8. Jack Le Brocq (110), 9. Jim Manolios (70), 10. Rod Salmon (65), 11. Christian Klien (70), 12. Andrew Taplin (59), 13. Shane Van Gisbergen/Matt Kingsley (54)

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli - calendar
Rnd#1, 8-10 February - Bathurst 12-Hour, NSW
Rnd#2, 28 Feb - 3 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA
Rnd#3, 24-26 May - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#4, 12-14 July - Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Rnd#5, 2-4 August - Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD
Rnd#6, 8-10 November - Highland Motorsport Park, NZ

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre

British GT: M-Sport Audi R8 LMS ultra recovered well at Silverstone

By Tarek Ramchani

As expected the Silverstone 500 was a very close event. Round 3 of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship had a special 3-hour endurance race, with fantastic performances from the M-Sport Audi

The qualifying session was very hard for the three Audi cars. For the race there were fears that the R8 LMS cars would not be able to recover and fight for top spots. However M-Sport, with their #10 Audi R8 LMS ultra, was able to improve and bounced back. The car shared by Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes recovered very well against a world class field of GT3 machines. They started down from twenty-second and they finished in a very strong fourth position. The Scottish based team again doing well after their great second at Rockingham last time out.

Less luck for the other Audi R8 LMS ultra entry from United Autosports. The #25 car of Mark Patterson and Matt Bell finished way down in seventeenth place after they had started from twenty-first position on the grid. A very hard result for the Anglo-American team in the chase for points and the championship title. The #11 PE Group Blendini Motorsport Audi R8 LMS ended in twenty-second place with drivers Dom Evans and Tom Roche.

The race win went to the BMW Z4 GT3 of Ecurie Ecosse. The Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 of Beechdean AMR was second and the BMW Z4 GT3 of Optimum Racing was third.

The next stop for the British GT Championship will be at Snetterton, with a two race format on June 15th and 16th.

Photo credit: British GT Championship

Portuguese GT: 1-2 victory for Novadriver Audi at Estoril

By Johan Laubscher

Team Novadriver has converted their pole position into a 1-2 race victory at Estoril. It has been a brilliant weekend for the Portuguese Audi Sport Customer Racing team, in what was the second round of the Supercars Portugal Series (Portuguese GT championship).

Qualifying provided the team with two top three starting positions. The #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra crew of Cesar Campanico, Carlos Vieira and Mikko Eskelinen took pole position yesterday, followed by their teammates, João Figueiredo, João Ramos and Manuel Gião, taking third on the grid in the #10 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

The race progressed very well for the team. The #10 Audi R8 LMS ultra held the lead after the first set of pitstops and the #1 was holding fifth. An Audi 1-2 was established after the second round of pitstops with the #1 leading the #10.

The Audi 1-2 was maintained to the end of the race as Team Novadriver celebrated a well deserved double triumph with the #1 crew taking victory.

The next round of the Supercars Portugal Series takes place alongside the International Supercars Series at Boavista in Portugal, schedule for June 29-30.

Photo credit: Supercars Series

Australian GT: Sixth and seventh for Audi teams in Philip Island race 2

By Tarek Ramchani

The second Australian GT Championship race of the weekend was held at Philip Island today. The two Audi Sport customer racing teams again made it into the top 10.

As was the case yesterday in race 1, the two Audi cars were not able to fight for the win, however they showed good pace. The best ranked Audi was the #6 R8 LMS ultra. The Melbourne Performance Centre supported car, driven by Rod Salmon and James Winslow, finished sixth overall. The second Audi entry from Minda Motorsport was one position behind the MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra. The #71 R8 LMS shared by Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes was seventh.

The competition in Australian GT is more competitive than ever. Six different brands finished within the top 6. Race victory went to Jack Le Brocq with the #36 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. In second was Tony Quinn with the #7 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and third Klark Quinn with the #1 Porsche 997 GT3 R.

The next round of the Australian GT Championship will be at Sydney Motorsport Park, July 12th-14th.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

British GT: Extremely hard qualifying for Audi teams at Silverstone

By Tarek Ramchani

The qualifying session for the Silverstone 500 was held this afternoon. A very difficult session for the Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars.

Three Audi cars have been entered for the third round of the British GT season. Unfortunately none of them made it into the top 10 during qualifying. The best ranked R8 LMS ultra is the #25 machine from United Autosports. Mark Patterson and Matt Bell were only able to qualify in twenty-first position. The other R8 LMS ultra entry from M-Sport was right behind them in twenty-second, the #10 Audi is shared by Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes. The third Audi is the #11 R8 LMS from PE Group Blendini Motorsport, which qualified further down the field. Dom Evans and Tom Roche, drivers of the #11, ended in thirtieth place. Disappointing results for the Audi squad compared to the stunning performances shown last time out at Rockingham.

Pole position went to the #79 BMW Z4 GT3 of Ecurie Ecosse. Second was the #31 Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R and third the sister #32 Trackspeed car. The qualifying session results can be seen here.

The race is set for tomorrow. We hope that the Audi cars will be able to recover and improve on track against a very healthy and strong field of GT3 rivals.

Photo credit: Endurance-Info

Portuguese GT: Pole position for Novadriver Audi R8 LMS ultra at Estoril

By Tarek Ramchani

Estoril is hosting the second round of the Supercars Portugal Series this weekend, formerly known as the Portuguese GT Championship. Team Novadriver is there with two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.

The qualifying session was held this afternoon, with great results for the Portuguese Audi Sport customer racing team. The #1 Audi R8 LMS Ultra shared by César Campaniço, Carlos Vieira and Mikko Eskelinen took a brilliant pole position with a time of 1.39:446. In second was the #7 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 of team Sports & You with drivers Miguel Barbosa and José Pedro Fontes. The second Novadriver entry, the #10 car of drivers João Figueiredo, João Ramos and Manuel Gião, was third fastest with a time of 1.40:192.

The race is set for tomorrow, a 2-hour endurance event. We wish the best of luck for Team Novadriver and all their drivers.

Photo credit: Team Nova Driver

Oliver Jarvis Q&A - ‘True Brit’ looks forward to home race

Blancpain Endurance Series Press Release

One of the very best professional drivers produced from British shores in the last decade. Surprisingly the Phoenix Racing driver will be making his first appearance at Silverstone since 2006 but is adamant that he and his team mates - Harold Primat and Christopher Haase will fight for a top result next weekend.

How much are you looking forward to Silverstone?
"Well we had a reasonable start at Monza, we knew it was going to be difficult on there because the straightline speed is not the strongest aspect for us. But yes, it is always great to race in the UK, I did not have too many opportunities to race there in the last few years, especially at Silverstone. I don't think I have driven there since British Formula Three, which was back in 2006. I haven't driven on the new Grand-Prix track yet, so there is going to be some learning to do for me as well."

"I won't get the chance to go in a simulator before the race; I am learning just on watching onboard footage which you can find on-line. For me it is important to know the track really well, and I usually go around it either by foot or on a scooter beforehand. You can see things that quite often you don't see in the car, so it is very valuable."

You can pick up little track secrets you don't see from the cockpit, really?
"Yes, indeed. You can see changes in the actual make-up of the surface, different patches on the tarmac which can have a big say in how you approach the lap. A track walk is always the best solution when you can find the time and the opportunity. It is also good to see how ‘rubbered-in' the circuit is and if it is particularly ‘green' in certain areas."

In terms of competition, it is going to suit different cars at different times this season isn't it? How do you think Silverstone might differ from Monza for the Audi R8 LMS ultra?
"Well, I like to think that we are going to be much stronger from Silverstone onwards with our Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra. From what we have seen in the past, I expect Silverstone to suit the Audi much more. Let's not underestimate our competition there, because the Blancpain Endurance Series is so competitive this year and with such a variety of machinery. It makes it fascinating, for the drivers, the teams, and also the spectators. I would like to think we are going to be much stronger, Silverstone is a real downforce circuit and it is probably somewhere that the Audi will excel."

From a driver's perspective what is it like driving an LMP car one week and then an Audi R8 LMS ultra GT3 the next? How are you adjusting to those very different disciplines?
"They are completely distinct and they do need quite different driving styles too. But actually, even just sitting in the car is a change of scene, so it almost makes it easier because you instantly know you are in a different kind of machine. But indeed, it just takes a little bit of adjusting. I just need the first few laps to get the flow back in the R8 GT3 and vice-versa. You have to adapt quite quickly and it is challenging sometimes but I really enjoy driving the R8 LMS ultra and I love being part of the Blancpain Endurance Series. Monza was probably one of the most enjoyable races I have had in years because every lap, there was something going on, we were overtaking and there would be traffic...it was a ‘real' race and very enjoyable to be in."

At Silverstone we are going to have a lot of quality British drivers. It shows the tremendous level that the Blancpain Endurance Series is at now doesn't it?
"Yes, it is interesting because the Blancpain Endurance Series started only two years ago but now has ‘big name' drivers competing in it and you can see each year it is getting more and more competitive. It has the best driver line-ups of any GT series. I think it just adds another fascinating aspect to the mix of pro drivers and amateur drivers but even those who aren't pros are still very good and I respect them all."

Regarding the Total 24 Hours of Spa. What does that great race mean to you? How much are you looking forward to it?
"I have to say that for me it is as important as the series itself, despite being a single race. It is a race I have wanted to do for years. I have to say it was one of the real highlights of being part of the Blancpain Endurance Series line-up with Phoenix Racing. It is an incredible race and globally prestigious with unique characteristics.

"Anything can happen and it usually does at Spa, especially with the weather. It is probably one of, if not the greatest racetracks in the world. I love driving there, no matter what car I am in. The sensations that you get at Eau Rouge are like nowhere else in the world. It is going to be a tough race, everybody wants to win, and so it is all about not making mistakes and trying to keep out of trouble with so many cars and variable weather conditions."

Photo credit: Blacpain Endurance Series

Australian GT: Fifth and sixth for Audi teams in Philip Island race 1

By Tarek Ramchani

The Australian GT Championship Presented by Pirelli is at Philip Island this weekend, round 3 of the season. As was the case last time out at Adelaide, two Audi Sport customer racing teams are taking part in the event with a single car each.

The two Audi R8 LMS cars are supported by Melbourne Performance Centre. The #6 MPC Audi R8 LMS ultra is shared by Rod Salmon and James Winslow. The other entry is the #71 Audi R8 LMS of Minda Motorsports in the hands of Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes.

Race 1 has already been held today, a positive race for the Audi cars. Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes finished the 1-hour sprint event in fifth overall, whilst Rod Salmon and James Winslow were one place behind them in sixth position. The top 5 represented many brands, with Mercedes-Benz winning ahead of Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Audi. Race victory went to Jack Le Brocq with the #36 SLS AMG GT3 from Erbus Motorsport. Tony Quinn was second with a Vantage V12 GT3 and Roger Lago was third in a Gallardo.

Race 2 is set for tomorrow, another 1-hour sprint event. We wish the best of luck for both Audi entries.

Photo credit: Australian GT Championship

British GT: Audi teams eager to do well at Silverstone 500

By Tarek Ramchani

Silverstone is hosting the third round of the British GT Championship this weekend. A very special 3-hour endurance event and an impressive entry list. Three Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars will be there aiming to do well.

United Autosports drivers Mark Patterson and Matt Bell, the drivers of the #25 Audi R8 LMS ultra, are now second overall in the points standings. The two drivers have 42.5 points, only half a point behind the series leaders David Ashburn and Nick Tandy, with the Trackspeed Porsche. Last time out at Rockingham Patterson and Bell ended in a strong third place after the two-hour race.

The second Audi R8 LMS ultra car is from M-Sport. The World Rally Championship specialists had a very strong Rockingham round. Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes finished the race in second with their #10 Audi. At Silverstone the Scottish based team will again fight for strong points. Rembert and Hughes are now fifth overall with 27 points, not bad as they were not classified for points in the first round at Oulton Park.

PE Group Blendini Motorsport will field the third Audi, an older specification R8 LMS. Dom Evans and Tom Roche will be the drivers of the #11 R8 LMS. At Rockingham they finished in seventeenth place.

The Silverstone 500 event will have live coverage on Motors TV. No less than 48 cars will enter the race, with a format similar to the one used in the Blancpain Endurance Series. As was the case in the first two rounds, the Audi squad will have to fight hard against a great quality field of GT3 cars. The Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R cars will be the ones to beat.

Photo credit: British GT Championship

Audi customers pass tough Eifel test

Audi Press Release

The customer teams of last year's winner Audi experienced one of the toughest events of the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year. Heavy rain forced race control during the night to interrupt the race for more than nine hours. Numerous accidents caused a treacherous mix of oil, mud and rain water on the track. Three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars had accidents in these critical conditions and retired. In the end, Marcel Fässler/Mike Rockenfeller/Frank Stippler/Markus Winkelhock (CH/D/D/D) in fifth place were the best Audi drivers.

For the first time since the 24-hour Nürburgring debut of the racing version of the R8 in May 2009, there was no trophy for the GT sports car. Four times in succession, the R8 LMS won the GT3 class. In addition, Audi celebrated overall victory a year ago. Following this factory-backed commitment, customer teams exclusively relied on the most recent evolution of the R8 LMS ultra. Five teams put eight race cars on the grid. Frank Stippler (D) started the race weekend for Phoenix Racing by setting the best time in qualifying. From grid position one, last year's winner in car number 4 took the lead at the beginning of the race. Subsequently, the local hero from Bad Münstereifel, who was nominated for two cars, concentrated on his stints in car number 1, the R8 LMS ultra of G-Drive Racing by Phoenix.

Stippler with his team-mates Marcel Fässler, Markus Winkelhock and Mike Rockenfeller, who had directly arrived from Brands Hatch where he won a DTM round, was initially running among the top three teams. Due to an exchange of the oxygen sensor, car number 1 dropped to tenth place on Sunday night. Up to the interruption of the race the team had recovered to fourth place. On Monday, the quartet defended its position in the fiercely competitive field of the front runners as rain was repeatedly setting in again. In the end, they finished in fifth place.

Several Audi customers got to experience the trickiness of the conditions that prevailed after the race was interrupted. Michael Ammermüller (D) was fortunate when after an excursion only the tie rod on his number 4 Audi had to be exchanged. Consequently, together with Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck (A), he managed the leap onto position eight. One position behind them, Frank Biela/Christer Jöns/Luca Ludwig/Roman Rusinov (D/D/D/RUS) in the second car of G-Drive Racing by Phoenix reached the finish.

Almost simultaneously with Ammermüller, Laurens Vanthoor (B) had slipped into the guard rails on an oil leak. The suspension of his number 29 Audi of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT was too heavily damaged for a repair. Around 80 minutes later, Christian Mamerow (D) was struck by misfortune. At the ‘Schwedenkreuz' he got off track on a slippery spot. He destroyed the suspension of his number 2 R8 LMS ultra so that Prosperia C. Abt Team Mamerow retired.

Car number 14 of the Audi race experience experienced a smaller accident as well on lapping a rival but Pierre Ehret (D) was able to continue to drive. Piloted by other enthusiastic customers and several professional drivers, the two R8 LMS ultra cars of the Audi race experience otherwise completed their laps in a commanding manner and in the end took positions 18 and 28.

"I've never experienced such a tough event of the 24-hour race since the R8 started running here," said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "Still, our customers demonstrated a great fighting spirit. Our congratulations today go to those who finished the race and of course to the overall winners of Mercedes-Benz. I'm sure that our customers will attack again at Spa in July at the next 24-hour race."

Romolo Liebchen, Head of Customer Sport at quattro GmbH, commented, "Every string comes to an end. Since May 2012, the R8 has won four 24-hour races - at the Nürburgring, at Spa, at Zolder plus the class victory at Daytona in January. That the R8 LMS ultra is a reliable and fast endurance race car we saw nonetheless at the Nürburgring in the fierce competition of more than 30 GT3 race cars. Together with our customers, we're already looking forward to the next challenges."

Photo credit: Audi Media

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT pays toll to Nordschleife epics

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

It wasn't to be. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT's race at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, probably the toughest GT race in the world, ended on Monday morning when the Audi R8 LMS ultra of the Belgian squad suffered an accident after hitting a spot of oil on the track, sustaining heavy damage. Until then, Team WRT had been a win contender and was in fifth position at the moment of the accident. There was frustration among team members and the four drivers (Laurens Vanthoor, Christopher Haase, Christopher Mies and Edward Sandström) but also satisfaction for the competitiveness shown throughout the weekend, in what was only the second participation of the Belgian squad in the landmark race on the Eifel track. This year's edition has matched in excess the epics of the Nordschleife, as the race had to be neutralized during the entire night because of heavy rain and fog. Eventually, Audi could not retain the crown, with the best-placed R8 only in fifth, in an edition dominated by the Mercedes SLS.

Following its positive debut in 2012, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT was keen to show its potential in this second outing at the 24 Hours and that happened since the first practice sessions. The car proved well-balanced and fast, and was qualified in an excellent 10th position (out of 175 entrants!) by Edward Sandström.

The race started at 5 pm on Sunday and during the first hours, the Belgian R8 stabilized in the top ten, with very short gaps within the front-runners. Options for a big result remained open even a first alert, when the Battlefield4-livered R8 slightly touched the barriers after going into aquaplaning in the rain. The car could be perfectly repaired and re-prepared as the race was red-flagged around 11 pm. The rain had become heavier and heavier, with visibility made poorer by darkness and spots of fog. The situation went on for the entire night, with the race resuming shortly after 8 am on Monday morning.

The pace of the Belgian squad's car was again excellent and the car charged back to 5th, when, shortly before 10 am, it fell victim of an accident in the fast section of Bergwerk. Laurens Vanthoor was at the wheel at that moment and the young Belgian rookie was surprised by a sudden spot of oil, not flagged by the marshals. The car hit the barriers several times and was too heavily-damaged to continue, but luckily, Laurens escaped unscathed.

Team Principal Vincent Vosse was philosophical in wrapping up the experience: "That's the kind of thing that can happen anytime in a race such as the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, and you have to accept it. This year, things were made even more difficult by the apocalyptic weather conditions. It's a pity, because we proved competitive, we were in the top positions and very often the best-placed Audi, but that's racing. Now we are all trying to lift up Laurens' spirits. He feels a little bit miserable at the moment, and any driver would do so in his position, but there is nothing he should be blaming himself for, what happened would have occurred to anyone at the wheel at that moment. I am happy with what we showed, with the great work done by the team and the drivers, and we are going to turn the page and focus on what comes next".

This will be the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series scheduled on 1st - 2nd June at Silverstone.

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club

Follow the Nürburgring 24 Hours LIVE

By Johan Laubscher

The Nürburgring 24 Hours is taking place this weekend. Audi and Phoenix Racing are the reining champions with the Audi R8 LMS ultra. A total of eight Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are entered in this event, including a number of privately built Audi race cars. A total of seventeen cars wearing the four rings will be racing this weekend.

It should be another great race and we have included a list of links below with which you will be able to follow the race live.

Live Video Stream
Official Nürburgring 24 Hours Live Stream
Audi Live Racing Video Stream

Live Audio
Radio Le Mans Link

Live Timing
Live Timing Link

Live Timing Video Link

Link Lists
Radio Le Mans List of Links
20832.com List of Links

Entry List
Official Entry List

Spotters Guide
Sportscar-Info.de Spotters Guide

Websites

Official Nürburgring 24 Hours website
20832.com

Schedule
Time Schedule for the weekend

Facebook

Official Audi Sport on Facebook
Nürburgring 24 Hours on Facebook
Nürburgring on Facebook
20832.com on Facebook
Audi Motorsport Blog on Facebook

Twitter

Official Audi Sport on twitter
Audi Motorsport Blog on twitter

Audi Teams

Official Audi Sport on Facebook
Phoenix Racing on Facebook
G-Drive Racing on Facebook
Prosperia C Abt Racing on Facebook
Mamerow Racing on Facebook
Twin Busch Motorsport on Facebook
WRT on Facebook
Audi race experience / TKL Motorsport on Facebook
pro Handicap e.V. on Facebook
DUPRÉ Motorsport on Facebook
Brandl Motorsport on Facebook

Photo credit: Audi Sport Media

Audi customers at Nürburgring on grid positions one and three

Audi Press Release

Frank Stippler posts best time in Audi R8 LMS ultra of Phoenix Racing
Christian Mamerow for Prosperia C. Abt Team Mamerow on second row
Three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in top five

Ingolstadt/Nürburg, May 18, 2013 – The quickest Audi customers have completed their preparations for the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring with a very good qualifying result on the first three rows of the grid. The team of Ernst Moser is particularly happy: In the Eifel, the squad with the Audi R8 LMS ultra of Frank Stippler is at the very front, whereas Mike Rockenfeller in the Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM starts from the top spot of the grid at Brands Hatch in the DTM.

Frank Stippler starts the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2013 where he finished the past race: in first place. In the final qualifying session, last year’s winner achieved the best time in the single timed laps of the top 40 teams. The local hero from Bad Münstereifel in the Audi R8 LMS ultra #4 of Phoenix Racing posted a time of 8m 17.212s.

The second-best Audi customer team in the Eifel was Prosperia C. Abt Team Mamerow. Christian Mamerow completed the lap around the circuit as the third-fastest driver in 8m 19.073s. On his second outing, the race driver from Waltrop was no longer able to improve his time when he was slowed by a car in front.

Team G-Drive Racing by Phoenix provided the third-best Audi in the field. Le Mans winner Marcel Fässler completed the lap around the Nordschleife including the Grand Prix circuit in 8m 20.320s. Another R8 team – the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT – qualified for one of the top ten grid positions. The Swede Edward Sandström drove the tenth-best time of 8m 22.055s. The other Audi customer teams achieved positions 18 (G-Drive Racing by Phoenix #3), 24 (Audi race experience #14), 27 (Audi R8 LMS ultra #16) and 29 (Audi race experience #15). The race will start on Sunday at 17:00.

Selected quotes

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “It’s nice to see that Audi’s customer sport concept that has been put into practice this year is working out well at the Nürburgring. With the support from Audi Sport customer racing, the teams have prepared in a way that put four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the first five rows of the grid. My congratulations go to Frank Stippler and his team Phoenix who achieved the best time.”

Romolo Liebchen (Head of Audi Sport customer racing): “Our customers were running superbly. They continued what we started with a factory-backed commitment. That makes us proud because it shows that our product is competitive in the customer’s hands as well. Qualifying, however, was just an initial, small step into the race and therefore shouldn’t be overestimated.”

Frank Stippler (Audi R8 LMS ultra #4/Phoenix Racing): “Catching a clear lap on the Nordschleife is really something special. With my 38 years, I’ve never experienced this on this track before – neither in racing nor in tourist driving. It was a great qualifying session and I’m pleased to accept this position but it’s nearly meaningless for a 24-hour race.”

Qualifying results

1 Frank Stippler (Audi R8 LMS ultra #4) 8m 17.212s
2 Pedro Lamy (Aston Martin #7) 8m 18.362s
3 Christian Mamerow (Audi R8 LMS ultra #2) 8m 19.073s
4 Richard Lietz (Porsche #50) 8m 19.838s
5 Marcel Fässler (Audi R8 LMS ultra #1) 8m 20.025s
6 Sean Edwards (Mercedes #9) 8m 20.320s
7 Maxime Martin (BMW #25) 8m 21.007s
8 Jens Klingmann (BMW #20) 8m 21.036s
9 Andreas Simonsen (Mercedes #10) 8m 21.373s
10 Edward Sandström (Audi R8 LMS ultra #29) 8m 22.055s
18 Frank Biela (Audi R8 LMS ultra #3) 8m 23.975s
24 Marco Werner (Audi R8 LMS ultra #14) 8m 27.257s
27 Dennis Busch (Audi R8 LMS ultra #16) 8m 31.788s
29 Alexander Yoong (Audi R8 LMS ultra #15) 8m 35.327s

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT ready for the “Green Hell” challenge

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT heads to the Nürburgring this coming weekend for its first 24-hour race of the season. The journey may be a short one for the Belgian squad, but the challenge is definitely one of its kind: the 24 hours of the Nürburgring, held on the legendary Nordschleife, the historic 22-km long track in the Eifel, also known as the “Green Hell”, and arguably the toughest motor racing race in the world. This is only the second time that Team WRT takes part to the iconic race, which will again attract around 200 entries. Last year, for its debut, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT managed to finish the race, learning a lot about this unique competition. This year, it will contribute to Audi’s efforts to retain the title conquered in 2012 with one Audi R8 LMS ultra, entrusted to Laurens Vanthoor-Christopher Mies-Christopher Haase-Edward Sandström.

“Anything we can say about the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring falls short from reality”, admits Team Principal Vincent Vosse. “I have done it a number of times as a driver, and I am now discovering it in a different capacity. It’s really a special event and a very difficult one, because it is almost impossible to master all parameters.”

The track itself, in the first place, is unique: a fast, narrow and dangerous string of asphalt with over 170 corners up and down the Eifel hills, where weather conditions may change from one point to the other. In the 24 Hours race, endurance, weather conditions, darkness, traffic and the disparity of performance level among cars and drivers, which range from top professionals to perfect amateurs, are added issues.

Vosse looks at this 41st edition of the race with all the necessary humility: “We came here for the first time as Team WRT last year and we learnt a lot, but we are conscious that you can never have everything under control in such a race. Last year, we were among the top contenders, then a contact with another car put us in a final position (32nd) that did not reflect our potential. We’ll see how things go this time, but I fully trust the reliability of the R8 LMS ultra and of our drivers, and I think the Balance of Performance is correct. The first objective is to help Audi winning again.”

The driver line-up of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is among the strongest and is a perfect combination of experience and performance. Christopher Haase, Christopher Mies and Edward Sandström are all familiar with the 24 Hours, while Laurens Vanthoor will take part to the race for the first time.

As a matter of fact, one of the WRT boys has already tasted the sweetness of victory in this legendary race: Christopher Haase was part of the quartet that gave Audi its first win twelve months ago. “Winning here, especially for a German, really means something. It is the biggest GT race in the world and a real challenge. For me, it was a dream come true and certainly one of the major achievements of my career. Still, after winning it once, what you really want is to win it twice!” The 24-year-old Bavarian, though, knows that nothing is granted: “It is not necessarily the fastest car that wins here. What you need is a fantastic endurance car, like the Audi R8, a great team, like WRT, and excellent co-drivers, like my team mates. The most crucial thing is to avoid mistakes, stay focused, go through the night, and then adopt the right strategy for the final hours. You can never anticipate anything, but one thing is sure: it’s good to be driving an Audi!”

At the other end of the spectrum is Laurens Vanthoor. The young Belgian will be making his debut in the 24 Hours and, as any rookie, had to pass a sort of aptitude test. Any driver wishing to race the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, regardless of his status or CV, first has to enter two events of the VLN, the special championship that takes place exclusively on the Nordschleife. In his case, he could only do one race, a few weeks ago, as the other race he was scheduled to enter was cancelled. “This is why I had to come back for a test last week and I will have to pass a sort of theoretical exam as soon as I get to the ‘Ring’ later this week”, he explains. The young Belgian is taking all these duties with great diligence. “I think I couldn’t have prepared better for this race. I can say I start to feel comfortable about the track, but I approach the Nordschleife with great respect. This is really the kind of circuit and race you can never say you know everything about! The track, of course, is exciting, although a little bit dangerous. I like it a lot, it is so special, so different from anything else. But I still have to experience driving at night, on the wet or with so many cars around me. I’ll try to do my best and avoid mistakes…”

Such a special race justifies a special livery. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT car will sport a full black livery and a very … topical sponsor: Battlefield-4! The race itself runs this year on a special format. While free practice will take place on Friday, the Top-40 Qualifying that will determine the pole position on Saturday, the start of the race will be on Sunday at 17:00 hours, with the chequered flag falling at 17:00 hours on Whit Monday, which is a festive day in most European countries.

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club / Christopher Mies

N24: Preview of the Audi Competitors at the Nürburgring 24 Hours

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 Nürburgring 24 Hours is taking place this weekend. The race itself will be running from Sunday until Monday, over the Whitsun long-weekend in Germany. Phoenix Racing returns as the reigning champions with the Audi R8 LMS ultra. 2012 was the first Audi victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and no less than eight Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are entered this year from, five different teams.

A total of seventeen Audi cars have been entered, including a number of Audi Sport customer racing cars (Audi R8 LMS ultra & Audi TT RS), as well as a variety of privately developed Audi race cars. The Nürburgring 24 Hours always provides a tremendous spectacle and this year, with the projected difficult weather conditions, should provide another great race. Good luck to all of the Audi teams, and we cross our fingers for a repeat of the success achieved in 2012.

1. Preview of the Audi Competitors:

1.1. Audi Sport customer racing teams:

1.1.1. Audi R8 LMS ultra Teams:

G-Drive Racing by Phoenix

#1 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Mike Rockenfeller

Marcel Fässler

Frank Stippler

Markus Winkelhock

G-Drive Racing by Phoenix

#3 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Frank Biela

Christer Jöns

Luca Ludwig

Roman Rusinov

Phoenix Racing

#4 Audi R8 LMS ultra
Michael Ammermüller

Frank Stippler

Ferdinand Stuck

Johannes Stuck

Prosperia C.ABT Team Mamerow

#2 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Christian Mamerow

Thomas Mutsch

René Rast

Marc Basseng

Audi race experience (TKL Motorsport)

#14 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Marco Werner

Christian Bollrath

Pierre Ehret

Ronnie Saurenmann

Audi race experience (TKL Motorsport)

#15 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Rahel Frey

Dominique Bastien

Peter Venn

Alexander Yoong

Twin Busch Motorsport

#16 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Marc Busch

Dennis Busch

Manuel Lauck

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT

#29 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Laurens Vanthoor

Edward Sandström

Christopher Mies

Christopher Haase

1.1.2. Audi TT RS Teams:

Besaplast Racing Team

#105 TT RS – SP4T

Franjo Kovac

Martin Tschornia

Frederik Lestrup

Raeder Motorsport

#111 TT RS – SP3T

Elmar Deegener

Jürgen Wohlfahrt

1.2. Privately built/developed Audi teams:

Dupré Motorsport

#74 Audi RS 5

Christoph Dupré

Gunther Ofenmacher

Claus Dupré

Hömberg Motorsport

#101 Audi TTS
Bernd Hömberg

Alexander Streit

Torsten Platz

Bernhard Henzel

Brandl Motorsport

#106 Audi TT RS

Christian Kranenberg

Stefan Michels

Benjamin Weidner

Jochen Hudelmaier

pro Handicap e.V.

#112 Audi TTS
Wolfgang Müller

Oliver Rudolph

Partel Aditya

MSC Sinzig e.V. im ADAC

#118 Audi TT
Professor Jörg Wellnitz

Manfred Krammer Junior

Steffen Höber

#119 Audi TT

Prof. Jörg Wellnitz,

Manfred Krammer