Another Audi R8 LMS ultra debut and another victory - Japanese Super GT

By Johan Laubscher

The latest generation GT3 racer from Audi is quickly picking up where its predecessor left off. The original R8 LMS started winning races straight out of the box and the new R8 LMS ultra is doing exactly the same.

Less than a week after the R8 LMS ultra had its debut race and debut win in Malaysia the R8 LMS ultra lined up in the land of the rising sun. Two Audi R8 LMS ultras and two older R8 LMS cars were entered for the opening round of the 2012 Japanese Super GT series at Okayama. The Super GT is the top motorsport category in Japan and is well known for being a very competitive environment consisting of two race classes, GT500 and GT300. The 4 Audis all compete in the GT300 category.

The two new Audi R8 LMS ultras were fielded by GAINER and äpr racing while the two older cars, which will be upgraded to ultra spec later in the season, were fielded by Hitotsuyama Racing.

The first race of the Japanese GT season had a lot of Audi headlines. Firstly it would be the German marque’s long awaited debut in the Japanese series and also the debut of a certain star lady racer. The #21 R8 LMS from Hitotsuyama Racing would see Cyndie Allemann’s debut in the series alongside teammate Akihiro Tsuzuki. Cyndie’s arrival in the series has sparked a lot of media interest surrounding the Swiss race driver.

Qualifying was a bitter sweet affair with the #11 GAINER Audi in 3rd and the #21 Audi of Allemann and Tsuzuki in 12th. The other two Audis placed lower down the grid. 
  

GT300 race start

The 300km race would see some very exciting racing which became very physical towards the end of the race. The battles for the lead were very tight in both the GT500 and GT300 classes. The GAINER R8 LMS ultra was amongst the GT 300 front runners all race long and endured a fantastic battle for the lead with the #911 Porsche 911. As the race drew to a close all eyes were fixed on the GT500 lead battle which went straight down to the line. In the background the #11 GAINER Audi R8 LMS ultra crossed the line to a well dissevered GT300 race victory. A brilliant debut race for the new car. The other Audis also had a strong showing with 3 of the 4 cars finishing in the top ten.

Victory in the debut race has shown the potential of the car yet again, and the R8 LMS cars will be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season. The next race of the season is set for the 500km race at Fuji on the 4th of May 2012.   

Audi Results:

1st - #11 Audi R8 LMS ultra - GAINER - Tetsuya Tanaka and Katsuyuki Hiranaka

8th - #30 Audi R8 LMS ultra - äpr racing - Yuki Iwasaki and Yuya Sakamoto

9th - #21 Audi R8 LMS - Hitotsuyama Racing - Cyndie Allemann and Akihiro Tsuzuki

18th - #20 Audi R8 LMS - Hitotsuyama Racing - Michael Kim and Hideki Noda

 

Full Results HERE

 

More information:

Motorsport.com

Hitotsuyama Racing Website

Hitotsuyama Racing FB page

RacerBook FB page

DIXCEL JAPAN FB Page

GAINER Wesbite

äpr racing website

Photos by Eric Gilbert and hosted at Motorsport.com

Race highlights Video:

   

  #11 Audi R8 LMS ultra - GAINER - Tetsuya Tanaka and Katsuyuki Hiranaka

#30 Audi R8 LMS ultra - äpr racing - Yuki Iwasaki and Yuya Sakamoto

#21 Audi R8 LMS - Hitotsuyama Racing - Cyndie Allemann and Akihiro Tsuzuki

#20 Audi R8 LMS - Hitotsuyama Racing - Michael Kim and Hideki Noda

Audi R8 LMS Strong Qualifying at Okayama's Super GT

By Tarek Ramchani

Japan's Super GT has started, round 1 is at Okayama circuit. Four Audi R8 LMS race cars are there in the GT300 class.

First time out and already the R8 LMS showing a strong pace in the class. The #11 GAINER DIXCEL R8 LMS ultra of Tetsuya Tanaka and Katsuyuki Hiranaka got a stunning third in class behind the two leading Porsche 997 GT3 RS cars. Not bad for a debut in the extremely fought GT300 division. Next in a 12th spot is the #21 ZENT Audi R8 LMS of team Hitotsuyama Racing shared by Cyndie Allemann and Akihiro Tsuzuki. The car got a strong pace just missing the Q3 session for the top 10. The other two Audi R8 LMS cars struggled. The #30 IWASAKI MODA KUROCO äpr racing R8 is only 18th in class. The second car from Hitotsuyama Racing the #20 Racerbook Audi R8 LMS is last.

The Okayama race is a 300km race. Starting in third is a great debut for the Audi R8 LMS ultra in the top Japanese motorsport series. We are all hoping for strong performances from the four cars and why not the class win, fingers crossed for the race.

Photos hosted at http://www.motorsport.com/

Two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars form spearhead at the Nürburgring 24 Hours

Audi Press Release

• Audi Sport Team Phoenix with two vehicles at Eifel marathon
• A total of five teams with seven Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the grid
• Audi R8 LMS has been best GT3 car three times in succession

Audi has selected a new strategy for the 2012 24-hour race at the Nürburgring (May 19/20). After three consecutive class victories the factory line-up this year is concentrated on Audi Sport Team Phoenix that will be putting two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars with seven seasoned endurance racers on the grid. In addition, four customer teams are relying on Audi’s updated GT3 sports car at Germany’s major endurance race.

Exclusive appearance at the home race: For the first time, Audi Sport Team Phoenix will be representing Audi’s colors at the 24-hour race in the Eifel as the only factory team. Ernst Moser’s squad based in Meuspath in the immediate vicinity of the Nürburgring is fielding two new Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. One of the vehicles will be driven by the Germans Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock. The second GT3 sports car will be shared by the Le Mans winner and Audi factory driver Marcel Fässler (CH), and the two Germans Christopher Mies and René Rast plus Frank Stippler, who has been nominated for both cars.

“2012 is marked by numerous conflicting events for Audi Sport,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “They include the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, which coincides with the DTM round at Brands Hatch in Great Britain. We were looking for the best way to simultaneously contest both events and believe that we’ve found it. Due to its successful history at this race and the fact that it’s at home at the Nürburgring Audi Sport Team Phoenix was a logical choice for us. In combination with the customer teams, Audi is again showing a strong presence at the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year.”

Beyond the factory commitment, the Audi R8 LMS ultra is proving its attractiveness as a customer sport race car in fierce competition yet again. Four teams are placing their trust in a total of five of the race cars from Audi Sport customer racing: Mamerow Racing, Raeder Motorsport, Team WRT and Audi race experience.

As long-standing Nordschleife experts, Mamerow Racing and Raeder Motorsport are bringing valuable experience to the track. Peter Mamerow’s team has clinched numerous class and overall victories at the Nürburgring endurance race. The successes achieved by the team of Martin and Nicolas Raeder last year included class victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and a VLN overall victory with the Audi TT RS. This year, both teams are relying on the powerful GT3 sports car with the four rings for the first time. The car’s final performance rating by the regulations is still pending. 

Team WRT is a newcomer to the Nürburgring, but the team of Vincent Vosse has been intimately familiar with the Audi R8 LMS for two years. Last year, it won the Spa 24 Hours and the Blancpain Endurance Series with it. In the Belgian team, Oliver Jarvis (GB) is sharing the cockpit with Andrea Piccini (I), Edward Sandström (S) and Allan Simonsen (DK).

Audi race experience is competing at the Nürburgring 24 Hours for the second time and fielding two R8 LMS ultra cars. For the first time, the team will be putting a separate line-up on the grid. One vehicle will be driven by the four international professional racers Warren Luff (AUS)/Alex Yoong (MAL)/Florian Gruber (D)/Luca Cappellari (I). In the second car, three customers of Audi race experience will be taking turns at the wheel with the three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner.

“With Audi Sport Team Phoenix as the spearheading squad and the four customer teams Audi should be very well set for the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring this year,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “I’m convinced that our customers, as well, will have perfect chances of being in contention for victory with the R8 LMS ultra. At Audi Customer Sport, we will do everything to provide optimum support to the customers.” 

The Audi teams at the 2012 24-hour race at the Nürburgring

Audi Sport Team Phoenix

Marc Basseng/Christopher Haase/Frank Stippler/Markus Winkelhock (all D)
Marcel Fässler (CH)/Christopher Mies (D)/René Rast (D)

Mamerow Racing

Michael Ammermüller/Christer Jöns/Armin Hahne/Christian Mamerow (all D)

Raeder Motorsport

Frank Biela/Christian Hohenadel/Luca Ludwig/Thomas Mutsch (all D)

WRT

Oliver Jarvis (GB)/Andrea Piccini (I)/Edward Sandström (S)/Allan Simonsen (DK)

Audi race experience

Warren Luff (AUS)/Alex Yoong (MAL)/Florian Gruber (D)/Luca Cappellari (I)
Marco Werner/Christian Bollrath/Pierre Ehret/Peter Venn (all D)

Oryx Racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM: Progress to Barber

Oryx Racing Press Release

Oryx Racing is gearing up for the second race of the 2012 Grand-AM Rolex Sports Car Series this weekend at the Barber Motorsports Park circuit in Birmingham, Alabama.

The team with just one race behind them in the all new, Audi R8 Grand-AM, will come up against some of America’s most renowned and competitive sports car teams. Commenting on the upcoming race, Al Masaood said, “The first race at Daytona was all about gathering as much performance data as possible which gave us a good knowledge base to develop the car throughout the season.  We hope to be more competitive at Barber, but as always our goal is always to run without mistakes at a consistent pace and work with the Audi engineers to further develop the car.”

The 2.4 mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit is considered, one of North America’s finest road courses.  “I’ve never raced at the Barber Motorsports Park.” said Al Masaood. “I have friends who live in the lovely state of Alabama and I know how much they love their racing, it should be a thrill to race the challenging circuit in front of an enthusiastic and well informed crowd”

"I can't wait to get back in the car" Steven Kane commented, "we learned a lot about the car at Daytona and had stong lap times but we were hampered by the clutch problems.  I am confident we can run near the pace of the quickest GT cars at Barber and I am looking forward to mixing it with the front running teams."  

Oryx Racing fans can now follow the team direct from the pit box via the twitter feed below or by following the team @OryxRacing

More Information:

Oryx Racing official website

Oryx Racing official Facebook

SA Bridgestone Production Cars and the Audi teams returning to Durban streets

2007 Durban Race

By Johan Laubscher

The South African Bridgestone Production Cars championship has provided many action packed race days for the South African fans. With some of the best drivers and teams in the country battling it out on track. The series will have a street race in Durban this year. The event will be part of the Top Gear Festival which will be held on a constructed street circuit in Durban during June 2012. The closing weekend of the festival will see a round of the Wesbank Super Series, of which the Bridgestone Productions Cars is a part of. Seeing the grid of Audis, BMWs, Subarus and the lower classes racing round a tight street circuit will be spectacular.

2012 Top Gear Festival Durban street track

This will not be the first time the series has graced the streets of Durban. In 2007, as part of the A1GP event in Durban on a street circuit, some of the national championships were invited as support events. The Bridgestone Production Cars was one of these series, and the racing it provided was spectacular. The cars battling and sliding around the twisty track made for a great spectacle which can be seen in the videos bellow.

The date for the race weekend is set for June 16. It remains to be seen how similar the 2012 race will  be to the 2007 A1GP race, but one thing is guaranteed, the racing will be close and fast.


A total of five Audis are entered for the event, which includes four Audi S4 B8 race cars and one Audi A4 B7 3.2.

Photos hosted at Motorpics.co.za and TopGearFestival.co.za

More information:
MotorPics

Audi South Africa

Audi Motorsport in South Africa FB page

Unofficial Audi Sport FB page

Bridgestone Production Cars Website

Bridgestone Production Cars FB page

Top Gear Festival

Footage from the 2007 Durban races:

2007 Bridgestone Production Cars at Durban Race 1

2007 Bridgestone Production Cars at Durban Race 2

2007 Durban Race - Shaun Watson Smith - Terry Moss Racing Audi A4

2007 Durban Race - Melvil Priest - VMP Motorsport Audi A4

2007 Durban Race - Johan Fourie - Johan Fourie Racing Audi A4

Best of DavCrea about Audi Race Cars

Our friends at DavCrea have done great art works about Audi races cars. Here is the best of.

More Informations:
DavCrea official Facebook page

Phoenix Racing back to "Green Hell" and VLN Endurance Series

By Tarek Ramchani

Phoenix Racing has announced its full season commitment in the German Endurance Series. Also known as the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring or simply VLN, exclusively run on the big Nordschleife.

The Nürburgring based team is no stranger to the Nordschleife and the VLN Series. While racing mainly in ADAC GT Masters in 2011, the team did selected VLN events and even won the season finale overall with their Audi R8 LMS. For the 2012 opener, team Phoenix will field two Audi R8 LMS race cars with a strong and competitive driver line-up. The #5 Audi R8 LMS will have Audi works driver Oliver Jarvis and young German Rene Rast. Both aren't new to the team, Jarvis drove for Phoenix in the DTM series in 2008 and 2009. Rene Rast was a Phoenix driver last year in ADAC GT Masters. The sister #15 car has got a strong squad. Markus Winkelhock, long time Audi factory driver in the DTM will be joined by two Phoenix regulars, Frank Stippler and Christopher Haase, who both have a lot of experience with the Audi R8 LMS.

The two Audi R8 LMS cars will race in the top SP9 class which is open for FIA GT3 spec cars. Phoenix Racing will without a shadow of doubt be among the strong teams targeting for the outright win. The opposition will come from another Audi team (Raeder Motorsport), but mainly from AMG Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche teams with most of them being factory backed teams.

The VLN Endurance Series will have a ten round calendar. The first race of the season is this weekend with the 59 ADAC Westfalenfahrt, a 4 hour event.

More Information:

Phoenix Racing official website

Phoenix Racing official Facebook

VLN official website