Mattias Ekström Blog: Back to Work

By Mattias Ekström

With the 2012 season about to get under way, the DTM teams are in Hockenheim putting the final touches to their new cars. Here's Mattias Ekström with his first blog of 2012 to tell you how it's going…

Hi everybody,

Long time, no blog. Racing drivers don’t exactly hibernate in the off-season but there really hasn't been that much to talk about. I’ve trained, I’ve tested the new car, I’ve been at home a lot and enjoyed family life… It’s been good, but work is calling now.

This week we’ve been at Hockenheim, taking part in the final pre-season test. I did a whole day of media on Monday, followed by driving on Tuesday and Thursday. I think the car is a good one but it’s just a feeling – we won’t know until qualifying begins for the first race here at Hockenheim in a couple of weeks. I’ve been around far too long to be impressed by times in testing. Everybody’s sandbagging like crazy, so you don’t read too much into it. 

The final test isn’t so much about R&D – we’ve done that already. It's about about fine-tuning our set up for the first race. Or, as we’re back-to-back at Hockenheim and then Lausitz, fine-tuning for the first two races. You have to prepare now if you want to have straightforward race weekends. When everything is new, you can’t take it for granted that you’ll just slip back into the groove. We think strategically, act calmly and focus on what we need to do.

It’s going to be a little bit different this year with BMW coming into DTM. It’s nice when you stand in the pitlane and see the Audi, Mercedes and BWM brands on display. The championship got a big boost from BMW coming in: it’s a big event and it’s nice to be part of it.

But with that comes a change in the competition dynamic. From what I’ve seen and felt during testing, things will be different this year. I think everyone’s taken things a little more seriously during the winter. We always were serious but I think you can feel more tension in the air ahead of this season.

My feeling is that it will be the drivers rather than the cars that make the difference this year. You always need the best combination of both because you're not going to win the championship without the best car. But equally you're not going to win without the best driver.

This year I get the feeling that the new cars will be pretty evenly matched, so the guy behind the wheel will make a big difference and the champion will be the driver who is most consistent. I might be wrong, though. We might have all the Audi A5DTMs at the front – and as an Audi driver I’d love that because it would mean we’ve done a really good job. But I really don’t think one brand will dominate in that way.

We’ll find out in a couple of weeks.

Cheerio,

Mattias

More about Mattias Ekström:

Mattias Ekström official website

Mattias Ekström official Facebook

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Belgian Audi Club WRT 1-2 victory at Nogaro's FIA GT1 main race

By Tarek Ramchani

The Belgian Audi Club WRT dominated today's main race at Nogaro, round 1 of the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship. Another perfect 1-2 victory for the brand new Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Great sunny weather for the championship race with the two Belgian run Audi cars starting from position one and two as they finished in yesterday's qualifying race. Right from the start, the two Audis faced strong competition from the #3 AF Corse Ferrari with Toni Vliander driving. The Finnish driver was able to pass the #33 Audi of Frank Stippler and put great pressure on the leading #32 R8 of Stephane Ortelli. The three leading cars pulled away for the rest of the pack with a great gap over the chasing group. Minutes later and a drive through penalty hit the Ferrari, Toni Vilander had jumped the start. This made it a lot easier for the Audi squad leading and waiting for the pit window to complete the mandatory pit stops. The #32 pitted first with Stephane Ortelli out handing the car to Laurens Vanthoor. A lap later it was the turn of the sister #33 with Frank Stippler letting in Oliver Jarvis. The #33 car was able to rejoin the track right in front of the #32. No team orders at Belgian Audi Club WRT and a great battle for the lead started between Jarvis and Vanthoor. The young Belgian did pass the British Audi works driver at the hairpin but Jarvis succeeded to retake the lead. A few laps later and Vanthoor again made it to the lead, while behind Markus Winkelhoc with his All-Inkl AMG SLS started hunting the two Audis. The Mercedes was clearly faster in the closing stages of the race, but that was too late, the Audis crossed the finishing line victorious. The same #32 of Stepahne Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor made it a double after yesterday's win. Yet again their team mates Oliver Jarvis and Frank Stippler finished in the second spot.

The 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship season has started really well for Belgian Audi Club WRT. Double victories in both races at Nogaro and the championship points lead in both the teams and drivers’ standings. The next round will be at Circuit Zolder in Belgium, the home round for team WRT.

Watch the full champiosnhip race here:

Photo Credits: Markus Berns and SRO www.gt1world.com

Belgian Audi Club WRT domination at Nogaro FIA GT1 Qualifying Race

By Tarek Ramchani

The Belgian Audi Club WRT had the perfect start to its 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship campaign. A great 1-2 victory in the Qualifying Race at Nogaro.

The two Belgian run privateer Audi R8 LMS ultra cars started from positions two and three, after a strong qualifying session yesterday. A rainy race and right from the start the two Audi cars battled with the pole sitting Ferrari 458 GT3. The #32 car with Laurens Vanthoor faced strong attacks from the chasing cars but he resisted well, being either in second or third during his stint. Right behind Vanthoor the sister #33 R8 suffered a little bit in hands of Oliver Jarvis, but was always in the lead pack. Later a real threat appeared in the form of the Reiter Engineering run Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 with GT ace Tomas Enge driving. The Czech was able to pass the entire leading pack and pull away far ahead. The Audi cars were in second and fourth before the mandatory pit stops. The pit window opened and the seventeen cars jumped in for drivers and tire changes. The WRT crew did an amazing job with very fast pit stops which was enough so send both cars to third and fourth. Shortly after the pit stops the two cars overtook the Hexis McLaren and started chasing the leading Lamborghini. Ortelli was able to put in very fast lap times to pass the Reiter car, and quickly afterward Frank Stippler passed as well. The two Audis held their position of 1 and 2 until the end of the race. A perfect debut for the Belgian team in world class GT racing.

The Qualifying Race is setting the starting grid from tomorrow's main Championship Race. Audi has locked out the front row of the grid and with the very fast pace in both the qualifying sessions and qualifying race, Team WRT and their Audi R8 LMS ultra will be the big favorites for race victory tomorrow.

Race results:

1 - #32 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra

2 - #33 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra

3 - #24 Reiter Engineering - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600

4 - #2 Hexis Racing - McLaren MP4-12C GT3

5 - #3 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 GT3

Watch the full qualifying race here:

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

Belgian Audi Club WRT strong qualifying at Nogaro's FIA GT1

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA GT1 World Championship qualifying session for tomorrow's Qualifying Race was really fought. Belgian Audi Club did very well taking second and third with their Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.

Seventeen cars were entered the qualifying session. Right from the start the Belgian Audi Club was among the very fastest competitors in the first two segments. The two cars made it to the final Q3 session. Both #32 Audi of Stephane Ortelli and the sister #33 car of Frank Stippler battled hard with the #3 Ferrari from AF Corse. In the end it was the 458 GT3 that took pole position for tomorrow's round in hands of Ferrari works driver Toni Vilander. The two Audis are just after the Ferrari showing great pace. All good for the 60 minutes sprint race which will determine the starting grid of the "Main" Championship Race on Monday.

The Qualifying Race set for tomorrow will be really fought on track. No doubts the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be among the teams fighting for the win.

Qualifying Result:
1- #3 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 GT3
2- #32 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra
3- #33 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra
4- #38 All-Inkl.com - Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 AMG
5- #37 All-Inkl.com - Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 AMG
6- #24 Reiter Engineering - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600

Watch here the full qualifying session:

Photos hosted at FIA GT1 World Championship Facebook page

The Audi A5 DTM: a high-tech jigsaw puzzle consisting of over 4,000 parts

Audi Press Release

• Three more weeks to go before the new DTM season starts
• Assembly of race cars nearly completed
• Around two weeks of build time for each DTM vehicle

Suspense is building – among the fans and at the team of Audi Sport. In just three weeks from now the 2012 DTM will start at the Hockenheimring, which marks the beginning of a new era for the popular racing series.

V8, TT, A4 – each of the three model ranges with which Audi has previously competed in the DTM ultimately won at least one title. After eight successful years with the A4, the brand with the four rings is banking on a two-door coupe for its factory commitment in the most popular international touring car racing series for the first time: the A5.

The three long-standing Audi Sport teams, Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg, are fielding a total of eight new Audi A5 DTM cars – which means that Audi Sport will be setting an internal record even before the first race, as such a large number of new vehicles has never before been built for a new DTM season. In 2004, on Audi’s return to the DTM with a factory commitment, there were six vehicles. Afterwards, a maximum of four new race cars were built per year.  

In 2012, there will only be new cars in the field – for the first time ever since the DTM’s re-launch in 2000. “Developing a new race car for a new set of Technical Regulations and then duplicating it eight times and assuring the supply of spare parts in the process is a very difficult logistical challenge. This feat could only be achieved by a major effort of the whole Audi squad,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “I’m convinced though that this will pay off, as we’ve got the chance to turn the DTM into the world’s best touring car series this year.”

All three factory teams were involved in the development and track tests of the new Audi A5 DTM right from the beginning and will thus start into the new DTM era with equal opportunities. From the first track tests at the Lausitzring on September 12, 2011 through to the homologation of the A5 DTM on March 1, 2012, they formed a test team together with Audi Sport that reeled off around 30,000 test kilometers. 

Assembly of the race cars at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt

Assembly of the race cars was begun afterwards at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt – performed by the mechanics of the teams. “This way, they’re able to familiarize themselves with even the minutest details of the new cars and are acquiring a certain routine even before the first race,” says Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Engineering at Audi Sport. An Audi A5 DTM consists of around 4,000 single parts. It takes five people to assemble one vehicle in a little less than two weeks. In the background, the specialists from Audi Sport take care of the required quality assurance, logistics and pre-assembly of various component units. 

Up to four DTM vehicles can be simultaneously assembled at Audi Sport, in other words one each per two-car team. The assembly process starts with the installation of the monocoque, one of currently 59 components which are identical for all DTM vehicles of the three manufacturers. Then the front end with the engine, the front crash structure and the rear end including the clutch, transmission and the rear crash structure are “married” with the chassis. “This requires extreme care,” stresses Stefan Aicher, Head of Vehicle Design at Audi Sport. The smallest inaccuracy that occurs while putting together the pieces of this high-tech jigsaw puzzle can jeopardize the “title defense” project.  

The finished assembly of the total of eight race cars does not mean that the preparations for the season have been completed though. The spare parts have to be produced and, to some extent, pre-assembled into component units as well. “The logistical effort that is behind the DTM’s re-launch is huge,” says Stephan Köster, Project Manager DTM. When all the cars are on the grid at Hockenheim at 2 p.m. on April 29 (live on “Das Erste”) Audi Sport will already have won the first race – the one before the first race.

WRT team manager Vincent Vosse speaks to Endurance-Info: "Proud to represent Audi in World GT1"

By Endurance-Info

With two successful seasons in GT, the Belgian Audi Club will again be present on several fronts this year, with the GT1 World Championship, the Blancpain Endurance Series, the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and a new campaign under the GT Tour banner Audi Team France for the tandem Ortelli / Hallyday. The team of René Verbist, Yves and Vincent Vosse Weerts are to be counted among the favorites in World GT1, the two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars being driven by Ortelli / Vanthoor and Stippler / Jarvis. Before the kick off this season which promises to once again be well-stocked, Vincent Vosse’s winter period was very busy: "Every year the winter was rather long. We had to make choices and find the necessary funds to mount the different programs. We always say that we must be very careful about the third season because it has a lot of dangers. The first two seasons we have contributed so much that we could quickly be disappointed. The team continues to grow. This is our pride to represent Audi in GT1 World Championship. I think we were not the only team to compete for this championship application. I am very pleased with both crews. "

The weekends will once again be fully charged: "This year we organized it a little differently, especially for the GT Tour. The whole team will not make as many meetings as last year and we know there is still work. To prepare ourselves better, we have implemented a team-building to strengthen cohesion. In most teams, only the drivers are present, while we brought the whole team. We lived together for three days with varied activities. We had set goals and always improved. "

In less than a week, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be hard at work in Monza for the opening of the Blancpain Endurance Series where the goal is to keep the title: "The championship promises to be even more extraordinary than last year. This is the major GT endurance series. I have known Stephane Ratel since 1996 and the time at OPI. To make something work, it takes passion. If Stephane returned home quietly every night at 18 o'clock, it would be pointless. There is all the passion and desire behind his work. He listens and moves to take care of his work. He and his dedication is the success of the championship, which will highlight once again the 24 Hours of Spa. The 2012 edition promises to be magical. It was unthinkable that the GT3 class cannot be fully expressed at Spa. "Like last year where the team of Vincent Vosse had won the race in the hands of Greg Franchi, Mathias Ekström and Timo Scheider, the entity will be the team Audi Sport Team WRT in the Belgian Ardennes. Whether it is Blancpain Endurance series or GT1 World series, Audi's support is the same, with two engineers present within the team. The customer service competition from Audi takes on each track with a mobile workshop where teams, including Belgian Audi Club Team WRT can stock up on spare parts.

More informations:
WRT official website
WRT official Facebook
Endurance-Info

Vincent Vosse team manager of Belgian Audi Club Team WRT