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

GT Tour: Fourth place for Sainteloc Racing Audi in race 1 at Le Mans

By Tarek Ramchani

Le Mans is hosting the first round of the French GT Tour this weekend. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars have entered the event, from Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car. Race 1 was held today with a fourth place finish as the best result for the Audi squad.

The #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Sainteloc Racing shared by Gregory Guilvert and David Hallyday finished in a strong fourth place. After very close battles in the 1-hour sprint race at the Bugatti track, the two Audi drivers were less than three seconds behind the race winning McLaren MP4-12C from Sebatien Loeb Racing. All three the other R8 LMS ultra cars had a very hard event, they finished respectively in the 21st, 22nd and 26th places. Race 1 results are here.

Race 2 is set for tomorrow. Again another 1-hour sprint race,  we hope that both Guilvert and Hallyday will be able to fight for the victory.

Photo credit: Endurance-Info

BES: Fourth place for Belgian Audi Club Team WRT at Monza

By Tarek Ramchani

The season opener of the Blancpain Endurance Series was held today. A great field of 60 GT3 cars hit the track at the "Temple of Speed" Monza. The Audi squad did quite well on a very penalizing track for the R8 LMS ultra. Three cars finished within the top 10.

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT entered three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, all of them in the top Pro-Cup class. The #13 car shared by Edward Sandström, Frank Stippler and Christopher Mies finished in a very strong fourth overall. Sandström had a very heroic stint resisting, with an "inferior" car, multiple charges from a much faster McLaren MP4-12C. Unfortunately he lost the podium place at the finish line, by a mere 0.028 seconds. The other cars from the team had a much harder race. #1 car of Stéphane Oretlli, Laurens Vanthoor and René Rast was out of race winning contention after a very early puncture, and were classified in twelfth. The third car had to race through the field starting from back of the pack, Rahel Frey, Matt Halliday and Mayr Melnhof finished in seventeenth.

The Phoenix Racing cars had very positive performances. #16 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Enzo Ide, Anthony Kumpen and Markus Winckhock was sixth. The sister #6 car of Oliver Jarvis, Christopher Haase and Harold Primat ended in ninth. It was a much harder race for Sainteloc Racing, their cars were classified in 44th with car #42, 51st with car #41 and 60th with car #40.

The next round of the Blancpain Endurance Series will be at Silverstone.

Photo credit: Blancpain Endurance Series

BES: Eight Audi R8 LMS ultra for round 1 at Monza

By Tarek Ramchani

The 2013 Blanpcain Endurance Series will kick off at Monza this weekend. The Audi squad will be represented by eight R8 LMS ultra cars from three different teams. No less than six cars will fight in the top Pro-Cup class, in what is now the largest and best GT series in Europe.

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT are the 2011 and 2012 series champions. The Belgian team will field three cars this year, all of them in the Pro-Cup class, and with very strong driver lineups. The team is welcoming Rahel Frey, the Swiss Audi factory drivers who spent the last two years in the DTM.

#1 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Pro-Cup): Stéphane Ortelli - Laurens Vanthoor- RenéRast
#2 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Pro-Cup): Edward Sandström - Frank Stippler - Christopher Mies
#13 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Pro-Cup): Rahel Frey- Niki Mayr Melnhof - Matt Halliday

Phoenix Racing

Phoenix Racing will debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series as full season competitors. Last year the German team won the stellar event of the series, the Spa 24 Hours with an Audi R8 LMS ultra, as well entering the Nurburgring round. Two cars will be entered in the Pro Cup class.

#6 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Pro-Cup): Oliver Jarvis - Christopher Haase - Harold Primat
#16 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Pro-Cup): Enzo Ide- Anthony Kumpen - Markus Winkelhock

Sainteloc Racing

The French privateer Audi team is returning to the series. Sainteloc will field three cars, one in each of the three classes: Pro-Cup, Pro-Am Cup and the Gentlemen Trophy

#40 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Pro-Cup): Grégory Guilvert -
#41 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Gentlemen Trophy): Pierre Hirschi- Marc Sourd - Claude-Yves Gosselin
#42 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Pro-Am Cup): Ronnie Latinne Latinne - David Hallyday - Romain Monti

The three hour race is set for Sunday afternoon, a live stream for the event will be available on the official Blancpain Endurance Series website.

Photo credit: Blanpcain Endurance Series / Berzerkdesign.de

BES: Sainteloc Racing back to the series with three Audi R8 LMS

By Tarek Ramchani

Sainteloc Racing have confirmed their plans for the 2013 Blanpcain Endurance Series. The French Audi Sport customer racing team will field no less than three Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars.

The Saint-Etienne based team will have a single car in each of the three series classes. One in the top Pro-Cup class, one in the Pro-Am class and the final entry will run in the Gentlemen Trophy, open for amateurs. Last year Sainteloc Racing won the teams title in the Gentlemen Trophy and the drivers title with Pierre Hirschi and Robert Hissom.

For the moment only the Pro-Am Cup Audi R8 LMS ultra driver line-up has been unveiled  The car will be shared by Frenchmen David Hallyday and Romain Monti, the third driver is Ronnie Latinne from Belgium. The star of the car will no doubt be David Hallyday. The popular French singer is no stranger to the Audi R8 LMS ultra, as he raced with Audi France in the French GT series for many years.

In addition to the Blancpain Endurance Series, Sainteloc Racing will also be back in French GT tour with multiple Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.

Photo credit: Blancpain Endurance Series

Audi teams at the Blancpain Endurance Series test days

By Johan Laubscher 

In its third season the Blancpain Endurance Championship continues to grow and is now the largest GT3 championship in Europe. Three Audi teams will be competing in the series with no less than seven 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. Three cars from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and two each from Phoenix Racing and Saintéloc Racing. 

The official BES test days were held this week. Paul Ricard hosted the first two days of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday. A huge field of GT3 cars took part at the test, with over sixty cars on site. Among the cars present were all seven of the Audis. Following the Paul Ricard test many of the teams travelled to Monza for two further days of testing on Thursday and Friday. The Monza test days were comprised of Blancpain and WTCC competitors. WRT and Phoenix Racing also took part in the testing held at Monza. 

The teams will now head home to continue preparations for the opening round of the season. The season opener is set for April 15 at Monza. It will be another great year for Audi fans in the BES with seven cars to support, not to mention the fact that WRT will be aiming for their third successive BES championship title. 

Photo credit: Mr Monza - Stefano Ciabattoni

Six Audi R8 LMS ultra at Blancpain Endurance Series Paul Ricard test

By Tarek Ramchani

The Blancpain Endurance Series is one of the fastest growing sportscar series in Europe. In 2013 the SRO managed series will be entering its third year of competition. Audi has already won the 2011 and 2012 editions with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, winning both the team and driver titles each time.

The 2013 season will start at Monza, but before that two test days are planned at Paul Ricard next week. An impressive field of 60 GT3 cars will show up at the HTTT track in southern France. Audi Sport customer racing is very well represented with no less than six R8 LMS ultra and front running teams.

Three teams will be on site with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, Phoenix Racing and Sainteloc Racing from France. Each team will field two cars. The first of the two Phoenix cars will be shared by Anthony Kumpen, Enzo Ide and Markus Winkelhock. The other five Audi R8 LMS ultra driver line-ups are yet to be announced.

Photo credit: SRO/Blancpain Endurace Series

BR-Racing with an Audi R8 LMS ultra in French GT Tour

By Tarek Ramchani

JWS Racing returns to the French GT Tour with Audi and some major changes. The Audi Sport customer racing team has recently changed its name and now becomes BR-Racing.

The team will field a single Audi R8 LMS ultra in the main "Championnat de France GT". The car will be a 2013 spec R16. The BR-Racing machine will be in the hands of drivers Mathieu Jaminet and Jean-Marc Quintois. As in 2012, the GT Tour effort will have technical support from Sainteloc Racing, who are now the leading Audi squad in French GT.

In addition to the GT Tour program, the BR-Racing team is also set to compete at the Spa 24 Hours this July. This will mark their first attempt at the Belgian endurance classic and stellar event of the Blancpain Endurance Series. The French R8 is expected to be in the Pro-Am Cup class.

Photo credit:
GT Tour
BR-Racing official Facebook

Sainteloc Racing back to French GT Tour with Audi

By Tarek Ramchani

Team Sainteloc Racing, a French privateer Audi team, is set to come back to the French GT Tour series. They will be racing for their fourth straight year with the Audi brand and the R8 LMS in GT3 racing. The Saint-Etienne based team is expected to field multiple R8 LMS cars this year. During 2012 Sainteloc Racing fielded three cars and also supported the JWS Racing Audi entry.

The first driver to be confirmed is Grégory Guilvert, who scored two wins in GT Tour with the team last year. With the official Team Audi France shutting down their racing program with the R8 LMS, Sainteloc Racing will now be the top Audi team in the series and among the teams fighting for the title.

In addition to a full season in the GT Tour series, Sainteloc Racing is expected to return to the Blancpain Endurance Series as well.

Photo credit: GT Tour

Team Audi France won GT Tour season finale

By Tarek Ramchani

The Paul Ricard track in southern France hosted the finale of the FFSA GT Tour Series. No less than seven Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars were there, and they did really well this weekend.

Team Audi France, the official national dealer team had a mixed 2012 season in the French series. They were always fast with their #32 Audi R8 LMS ultra shared by Stéphane Ortelli and David Hallyday, yet they had a lot of bad luck in many rounds. At Paul Ricard the team added a second car, the #31 for Audi DTM works driver, Adrien Tambay and rookie Karim Doguet. The team achieved a storming pole position for Race 1, but was only able to finish in fifth place after a chaotic start and a long period behind the safety car.

Things turned out to be a lot better during Race 2 on Sunday. Both Ortelli and Hallyday fought very hard on track, including a fair battle against the sister WRT car of the Belgian Audi Club driven by Laurens Vanthoor. After the mandatory pit stops the #32 Audi was able to improve and pass some of its rivals. In the closing stages the two leading Ferraris made mistakes at the same time, thus allowing Hallyday to take race lead and he later crossed the finish line victorious. The other Audis finished in sixth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth.

2012 was a hard year for Audi in the French GT series, however the finale was a very positive weekend. Team Audi France ended the year off very well after chasing race wins all season long. Credits also go to both Sainteloc Racing and JWS Racing, two privateer efforts who did well this year.

Photo credit: Patrick Hecq / W Racing Team

Video: Audi R8 LMS ultra Gearing Up

By Tarek Ramchani

A nice video coming from Spain. The French GT Tour had a meeting at Navarra a few weeks ago, in northern Spain. Here the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from team Sainteloc Racing are gearing up in their garage and ready to race. Amazing sound from the V10 5.2 engines.

Audi R8 LMS on Facebook

Audi teams seeking strong results at Magny-Cours

By Tarek Ramchani

The French GT Tour is heading to Magny-Cours this weekend for the fourth round of the season. The three regular Audi teams will be there aiming for strong performances and results.

Team Audi France, the official dealer team improved a lot last time out. At Val de Vienne the #32 WRT run Audi R8 LMS ultra got its first podium of the season. The car shared by Stephane Ortelli and David Hallyday will be among the big favorites at Magny-Cours, a track where the Audi R8 LMS has been always strong in the past three years. In the championship points standing both drivers are sixth with 48 points. WRT is doing really well in both the Blancpain Endurance Series and FIA GT1 World Championship, the Belgian squad wants to now win with Audi France in GT Tour.

Sainteloc Racing had an unlucky weekend at Val de Vienne, the cars were fast yet the team was really unlucky in both races. At Magny-Cours Sainteloc Racing will have two Audi R8 LMS ultra in the main "Championnat de France". The #4 car will be in hands of Gregory Guilvert and Paul Lamic, both are seventh in the points standings. The sister #5 car will be driven by Bruno Hernandez and Renaud Derlot who replaces a busy Dino Lunardi who is busy with the ADAC GT Masters in Germany.

JWS Racing will have a single R8 LMS, the #38 of William David and Jean Marc Quintois. The team is introducing a special livery this weekend celebrating July 14th, the French national day.

Sainteloc Racing is fielding a third Audi R8 LMS in the amateurs based "Coupe de France", a gentlemen trophy open for old GT3 spec cars. The #42 car will have Marc Sourd and Patrice Madelaine as drivers, both are second in the series points standing in their category.

Magny-Cours is a very challenging track, the Audi teams will have to fight hard against the dominant Porsche 997 GT3 R, mainly those from Pro GT the defending champions. As per usual the weekend will consist of two 1 hour sprint races which are scheduled on Saturday and on Sunday. We wish the best of luck for all the Audi teams and drivers.

Photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Lasseaux / IG Autorennsport

Third place for Team Audi France in race 1 at Val de Vienne

By Tarek Ramchani

Round 3 of the French GT Tour is at Val de Vienne this weekend. Team Audi France got a fine third place finish in race 1 today. The official French dealer team had an amazing three-way battle for almost the whole race.

David Hallyday had a great start, moving from third to second with this #32 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Very bad luck hit the #5 Audi of Sainteloc Racing who were immediately out of the race. Hallyday put great pressure on the leading Mercedes-Benz SLS, and for many occasions almost took the race lead. Right behind Hallyday the third placed Porsche was catching fast. Later the three leading cars stopped for the mandatory pit stops. The Audi now in hands of Stephane Ortelli was back on track in second behind the Mercedes. Meanwhile the #38 Audi R8 LMS from JWS Racing stopped and had to retire, the car was running in the Gentlemen's Trophy. Still running in second, Ortelli tried to move to first without success. Minutes later the Porsche who run in third was able to pass the two leading cars and took the race lead. Behind the #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Gregaroy Guilvert was flying as the fastest on track. Maybe pushing too far, as the Sainteloc Racing driver had an excursion. However he was able to bring the car home in seventh. The race win went to the #2 Porsche GT3 R, seconds ahead of the #17 SLS AMG and the #32 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Stephane Ortelli and David Hallyday got their first podium finish this season, after frustrating races at Ledenon and Dijon. The #42 Audi R8 LMS from Sainteloc Racing finished in twelfth overall, second in the Gentlemen's Trophy.

Overall it was a good race 1 for Audi. Both Team Audi France and Sainteloc Racing have shown strong pace during race 1. All good for race 2 tomorrow as we are hoping for an Audi victory.

Val de Vienne full race 1 results

Photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Lassaux / www.autorennsport.ch

More information:
GT Tour official website

Audi teams aiming high for GT Tour round 3 at Val de Vienne

By Tarek Ramchani

The French GT Tour series is heading to Val de Vienne this weekend for round three. The regular Audi teams will be there aiming to do well after a disappointing weekend at Dijon last time out.

Team Audi France the official dealer team has had an unlucky start to the season so far. Two very frustrating rounds at Ledenon and Dijon. The #32 Audi R8 LMS ultra shared by Stephane Ortelli and David Hallyday has always been fast on track, but has never been able to bring strong results. At Val de Vienne the WRT run car will aim for revenge in the French series. Elsewhere the same team racing as Belgian Audi Club WRT is doing really well in both FIA GT1 World Championship and Blancpain Endurance Series. At Dijon Team Audi France finished in a very disappointing tenth in race 1, while in race 2 they got a fourth place finish. In the overall standing Oretlli and Hallyday are only seventh.

Sainteloc Racing has done better, winning the first race of the season at Ledenon. The privateer Audi team has had a quite positive season so far in the FIA GT3 European Championship. The team has two Audi R8 LMS ultras with strong drivers squad. The #4 car with Grégory Guilvert and Paul Lamic were victorious at Ledenon, both drivers are sixth in the points standings. The sister #5 Audi will have Dino Lunardi and Bruno Hernandez, Lunardi is very fast with the R8 LMS and last year he was the ADAC GT Masters champion.

The three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will have to fight hard against the dominant Porsche 997 GT3 Rs and also the Ferrari 458s. Porsche cars won three races out of four. Audi will try to challenge the sister German brand for race victories and to take vital points for the overall championship standings.

In addition to the three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, two additional old spec R8 LMS will run the "Coupe de France". The Gentlemen’s trophy which is exclusively open for amateurs drivers and older generation GT3 race cars. Both Sainteloc Racing and JWS Racing will field a single car each.

The Val de Vienne weekend will have two sprint races of one hour each. Race 1 is set for Saturday afternoon, and race 2 for Sunday. The official GT Tour will provide Live Streaming coverage on the internet. We wish the best of luck to all the Audi teams and drivers.

  
Photo credit: GT Tour

More information:
GT Tour official 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

A weekend to forget for Audi at Zolder

By Tarek Ramchani

Circuit Zolder hosted the second round of both the FIA GT1 World Championship and the FIA GT3 European Championship last weekend. Audi teams are competing in both series, in the end it was some bad luck and disappointing results from a very rainy weekend.

FIA GT1 World Championship:

After dominating the opening round at Nogaro with double victories, the Belgian Audi Club WRT aimed high for their home race at Zolder. All started well on Satruday, with very strong qualifying sessions. The #33 of Oliver Jarvis and Frank Stippler was second, the sister #32 car of Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor, the double winners in France, were fifth.

Right before the qualifying race, the pole sitting Porsche GT3 R of Exim Bank Team China was penalized and that gave the #33 Audi the pole position. It was a wet start to the race and the second placed Lamobrghini Gallardo jumped the start, passing Oliver Jarvis. The track began to dry and the pit window opened for the mandatory pit stop. Jarvis had had placed the #33 in the lead before the pit stops. Most of the front runners opted for dry slick tires but the WRT team chose wet tires. It was later revealed that a communication problem had prevented the team from hearing the drivers ask for slicks on the clearly drying track. This resulted in both Audi struggling and dropping way behind. The #18 BMW Z4 GT3 of Vita4One Racing won the race. The R8 LMS ultra cars finished together but only eleventh and twelfth.

The main Championship Race, was a kind of revered deja vu. Tire choice was a gamble at the start of the race with possible rain. Many cars opted for wets while WRT chose slicks this time round. WRT got the gamble wrong and struggled for pace when it started raining shortly after the race start. The WRT team pushed the cars to their limits and as the track began to dry they began making up places. WRT was the last team to do their mandatory pit stops. This had allowed them to make up a lot of ground but when they rejoined the track their cold slicks were no match for the other cars that had pitted earlier and now had warm slicks. Both Audis dropped back in the field but were still running together. Stéphane Ortelli and Oliver Jarvis battled hard for positions on track, and collided, with the #33 Audi R8 LMS ultra spinning. In the end the #32 Audi of Ortelli and Vanthoor finished in sixth. The sister #33 with Jarvis and Stippler landed in tenth. 

The Belgian weekend wasn't lucky for the WRT boys, however the team was able to keep the overall championship lead. Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor are the outright series leaders. Next time is at Portimao in Portugal. Last year WRT did very well there in the FIA GT3 European Championship by winning a race with their Audi R8 LMS. 

FIA GT3 European Championship:

Things weren't different in the FIA GT3 European Championship. The same as in the World GT1 event, the Audis did very well in both qualifying sessions with great double pole positions but the races did not go as planned.

For Race 1, the new comers to the series Team Nova Driver were able to take their first pole position. The other two Audis from Sainteloc Racing were further back. Before the start the #14 Portuguese Audi was penalized and dropped to third. The race was very wet with the #14 involved in a titanic battle for the lead. The track began to dry and it came down to tire choice at the pit stops. The Audi team again opted for slick anticipating more imminent rain. The rain did not arrive and the three Audi cars weren't able to match the Ferrari and AMG SLS pace. The cars finished in lower positions, sixth was the #14 Audi of Team Novadriver, the Sainteloc cars were grouped in tenth and eleventh.

Race 2 was almost the same as Race 1. Sainteloc Racing's R8 LMS ultra had locked out the front row after a great 1-2 in the qualifying session. Again wrong tire choices combined with various spins resulted in the cars dropping back and they finished almost a lap behind the winning AF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3. 

Overall it was a very difficult weekend for the Audi teams at Zolder. Next time both championships will head to Portugal and the challenging Portimao track. Belgian Audi Club WRT is leading in FIA World GT1 Championship and Sainteloc Racing is chasing the leaders in the FIA GT3 European Championship. We are hoping for better performances at the Algarve track, the Audi R8 LMS ultra is clearly among the best GT3 racers around, if not the best.

Photos hosted at Endurance-Info.com

Audi storming Zolder's FIA GT3 qualifying with double pole positions

By Tarek Ramchani

Circuit Zolder in Belgium is hosting the second round of the FIA GT3 European Championship. Three Audi R8 LMS ultra race cars are there, and they did really well right from the start, taking both pole positions.

For Saturday afternoon Race 1 the pole position went the Portuguese team Nova Driver. The #14 Audi R8 LMS car shared by Cesar Campaniço and Ni Amorim set the fastest time and will start in front of the field. The two Sainteloc Racing Audis struggled in this first qualifying session, the #16 set the ninth time in hands of Marc Sourd and Gregory Guilvert. The sister # 15 machine landed in tenth with Dino Lunardi and Jerome Demay.

Race 2 qualifying again saw Audi domination. The Sainteloc Racing team locked out an all Audi R8 LMS front row. A great battle between the team's stars Gregory Guilvert and Dino Lunardi for pole position. In the end it was the #15 of Lunardi setting the fastest time in front of the sister #16. Novadriver Audi will start from position eight on the grid.

The Audi R8 LMS did dominate the qualifying session, but will have to fight with strong rivals from Ferrari, AMG Mercedes-Benz and Lamborghini. The entry list isn't big, only eleven cars are entered in the Belgian round, but still we are expecting great battles on track as at Nogaro last time out. Hoping for strong performances from both Audi customer team.

Photo Credits: Markus Berns / SRO FIA GT3 European Championship

Pole position for Audi at FIA GT3 Nogaro qualifying

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA GT3 European Championship 2012 season has started at Nogaro. Three Audi R8 LMS race cars are there, from Sainteloc Racing for cars #15 and #16 and the third one #14 from the Portuguese team Nova Driver. The three cars immediately did well in the South of France. 

A very strong performance from Sainteloc Racing with a nice 1-2 in the qualifying session for Race 2. Gregory Gulivert driving the #16 Audi R8 LMS is ahead of his team mate Bruno Lunardi in the #15 car. Both drivers set the respective fastest times in the second session, giving Audi an all R8 LMS front row for tomorrow's first Race. The #14 Audi car of Team Novadriver landed in seventh. Not bad for a debut from the Portuguese team in FIA GT3. Earlier in Race 1 qualifying the #16 Sainteloc Racing R8 LMS finished second behind the pole sitter #1 Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 AMG. The #15 Sainteloc Audi landed in fifth, while the #14 Nova Driver R8 LMS is ninth.

The Audis were the fastest cars setting a great pace in the second session, however the Ferrari 458 GT3 cars were very close finishing in third and fourth. We are expecting great actions on track in both races despite the small grid of only twelve cars.

#15 Audi R8 LMS - Sainteloc Racing

#14 Audi R8 LMS - Team Nova Driver

Photos hosted at FIA GT3 European Championship Facebook page