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Tag Archive | "Audi R8"
AUDI ENDURANCE DOMINANCE CONTINUES AT SPA
Audi have backed up their 2011 Le Mans victory with a win in the most important endurance race for GT cars, the Spa 24 hours. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 of DTM stars Mattias Ekström (Sweden) Timo Scheider (Germany) and Belgian endurance specialist Greg Franchi led home teams from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Experts agreed before the race started that the endurance classic, held since 1924, had never fielded so many potential winners as this year. A total of 62 cars representing 13 different manufacturers joined the grid, including no less than 57 cars of the booming GT3 category. The opening stages of the endurance classic fulfilled all expectations. Spectators lining the 7.004 kilometre track and in front of television screens enjoyed tough battles for position, countless overtaking manoeuvres, retirements and small and big dramas which are typical for a 24-hour race. The Audi R8 LMS was the fastest car in the field from the very beginning. After just a few hours it was clear that the V10 powered R8 sports cars where the favourites for victory. The race of the victorious #33 R8 LMS fielded by Audi Sport Team WRT was particularly impressive. The car driven by Mattias Ekström, Greg Franchi and Timo Scheider ran like clockwork for 24 hours, while many other GT3 cars were no match for the stresses and strains of the hard fought endurance race. The brake discs and pads were changed twice as scheduled. Apart from this, the R8 LMS only entered pit lane to refuel, change tires and to swap drivers. At the start of the tenth hour Ekström/Franchi/Scheider took the lead which they duly held all the way to the checkered flag. At the finish the trio had a two-lap lead over the closest rival.
Continue reading...AUDI CONFIRM BATHURST ENTRY: Lowndes joins the squad
Monday, December 20, 2010
Audi have confirmed their entry in next year's Bathurst 12 hour race wit two R8 LMS cars from the Team Joest stable. As reported first by In Pit Lane last month, former Australian GT champion and regular Audi driver Mark Eddy will drive one of the cars and will be joined by Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes and fellow V8 supercar driver Warren Luff. Also confirmed is an all International line up headed by Hong Kong-based World Touring Car Championship driver Darryl O’Young, German sportscar driver Marc Basseng, and 21-year-old 2009 FIA GT3 European Champion Christopher Heis. The Audi will however find itself hamstrung by ridiculous "parity" penalties designed to appease local GT competitors in older 2009 spec cars. Under the rules the Audi and any other current spec GT3 cars will be forced to pit a minimum of 12 times compared with just nine for AGT regulars. A 50 kg weight penalty will also apply.
Continue reading...AUDI HEADING TO BATHURST ?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Audi may be heading for Bathurst with plans underway to bring two current GT3 R8 LMS cars to contest the Bathurst 12 hour race in February. Speaking after his Phillip Island enduro victory Mark Eddy told In Pit Lane that discussions are well advanced to see the two cars at the Mountain along with an international driving squad. "We're talking with Audi Europe (who) look like they're bringing two cars out. At the moment we're just working out a driver line up and it looks like a German, an Asian and an Australian driver will be in."
Continue reading...HUGE FIELD SET FOR PHILLIP ISLAND SPORTSCAR CLASSIC
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Philip Island's CUE one hour Sportscar Enduro next weekend is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best Sportscar races ever seen in Melbourne. A highlight of PIARC's 20th anniversary Island Magic, the one hour race has attracted a quality field of cars and drivers from all over Australia. Former Australian GT Champion Mark Eddy leads the entries in his spectacular Audi R8. The R8 is just made for this type of event and reliability is unlikely to be a problem give Audi's reputation for longevity. Lamborghini will be represented by the Gallardo's of Victorian State Champion Ted Huglin and Mark Seamons. Huglin's car is the current model racing in the European GT3 championships and as such is not eligible for the Australian titles. The fight between Huglin and Eddy will be a highlight. The race will also feature the return to racing of veteran competitor Murray Carter. At an age when most people have long since retired the 79 year old will debut his new Corvette Z06. The car features plenty of ideas from the GT1 & 2 cars of the ALMS and Carter certainly knows his way around the Island track. Fans of the classic Ford GT40 will be thrilled to see the return to Melbourne of NSW State Sportscar star Iain Pretty in his Roaring 40's replica.
Continue reading...AUDI DOMINATE NURBURGRING 24 QUALIFYING
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Audi R8 LMS looks to be the car to beat in the 38th running of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring with the first four grid positions filled by the German Sports Car. The two Audi customer teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing had the correct strategy in qualifying: After it had rained during first qualifying on Thursday and the Nordschleife was still very dirty and slippery at the start of Friday’s second qualifying session, the two teams only went gunning for lap times shortly before the end of the final two-hour qualifying session. Lucas Luhr (ABT Sportsline/8m 27.967s) and Mike Rockenfeller (Phoenix Racing/8m 25.782s) initially used the now considerably superior conditions to set new fastest laps before they were beaten by Marco Werner (ABT Sportsline) with 8m 24.753s. Rockenfeller was still able to improve to 8m 25.568s on his last lap, but remained in second position. Pierre Kaffer (Phoenix Racing) completed the Audi quartet at the head of the field after posting a 8m 29.250s lap. As a result, an Audi starts from pole position for the first time in the history of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. "That four of our customer cars occupy the first four grid positions underlines the qualities of the Audi R8 LMS on the world’s longest and most demanding race track and is fantastic advertising for our new customer car, which we have developed over the last two-and-a-half years," explained Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, who follows the Audi customer teams’ preparations himself on location, and in doing so demonstrates how important the new customer sport programmed with the Audi R8 LMS is for Audi Sport.
Continue reading...FIA GT3: THE STARS COME OUT AT NIGHT IN ITALY
Saturday, May 9, 2009
After two thrilling races at Silverstone, the teams and drivers competing in the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship head to Italy for the first visit by the series to the Adria International Raceway near Venice. The 2.7km circuit is one of the most technically demanding on the 2009 calendar and, in another first for the FIA GT3 European Championship, will also feature a night race on Saturday evening. Last week at Silverstone, the opening round of the 2009 championship saw 37 cars line up to take the start behind the AutoGT Racing Morgan of Dimitri Enjalbert, who claimed Morgan’s first ever GT3 pole position. Enjalbert lost the lead to the Hexis Racing Aston Martin of Thomas Accary on the run into the first corner but fought back at Maggotts to emerge onto Hanger Straight back in front. Accary had to fend off the attentions of the two Audi’s of Christopher Mies (Team Rosberg) and Nicolas Armindo (Team Rosberg). After the pitstops Johan-Boris Scheier in the leading Morgan was caught and passed by Christopher Haase in the Team Rosberg Audi. However the young German was denied a debut win by a transmission failure six laps from home and victory went to the Morgan, the manufacturer’s first international win since 1962 at Le Mans and a first for AutoGT Racing.
Continue reading...AUDI TO JOIN GT3, COULD WE SEE IT DOWN UNDER?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The move by the Australian GT Championship to align themselves with FIA GT specs could pay off in the appearance of one of the world's newest and most spectacular sportcars the new Audi R8 GT3.For the first time, Audi Sport will offer a racing sports car specifically developed for customer use in the form of the powerful 500 hp plus GT3 version of the Audi R8 which will be available from late 2009. The logistics and factory space required for the AUDI AG customer programme will be created over the next few months in Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm and Györ.
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