The FIA GT Series is about to live an exceptional closing to the 2013 season, as teams and drivers head to make history at the Baku World Challenge.
This will be the first-ever round of a FIA Championship to take place in Azerbaijan, one of the booming nations in the Caucasus, and the Azeri hosts are preparing a stellar event to be remembered. There is great excitement and anxiety among the FIA GT Series community to discover the urban track in the streets of the “City of Lights”, on the shore of the Caspian Sea. For the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, the event promises to be even more memorable, as this year’s Driver title can’t escape one of the Team WRT pilots and the squad is only 6 points away from mathematically securing the Teams’ crown. Needless to say, a street circuit unknown to everybody, and the presence of many additional participants of top level that will join for this special event, are key factors to be taken into consideration. To mark this special occasion, the team is entering and additional car, entrusted to Filipe Albuquerque and Grégoire Demoustier.
“We are all delighted and very excited to go to Baku”, reckons Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse, “To end the season with such a great new event is fantastic and can only bring a lot to the Championship. I have been following the preparations and I am confident that the organizers, which include a lot of Belgians thanks to Jean-François Chaumont and his team, will put together a great event. It will certainly be an atypical weekend, which means some extra pressure but also some extra pleasure, and we really would like to add such a prestigious race to our collection of wins. It won’t be easy because the Balance of Performance is what it is and there will be many additional good contenders. Although they will be ‘transparent’, in that they will not score nor block points, I hope they will not interfere negatively in the fight for the title. Given the nature of the track, we can certainly anticipate very tactical races, and an active role of the Safety-car! The first objective, for us, will be to secure the Teams’ title and have a nice family fight among our drivers for the Drivers’ crown. I have absolutely no preference: all our drivers have done a great job, they are all great guys, and whoever wins will make me happy!”
Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonné seems not worried about the many unusual variables of this race. “It’s a new track, unknown to everyone”, he admits, “but that is true for everybody. There are no data on the circuit, we have just seen the topography of it but all the rest will have to be discovered on site, especially the surface. But we do know our car, so I am confident that we will be able to find quickly the best set-ups. Regarding the fight for the Drivers’ title, we have decided to leave our drivers free to defend their chances and not have team orders whatsoever. The starting point being that they are all intelligent and grown-up boys, they will be free to fight, the only boundaries being not to hurt the team’s interest and to respect each other and the cars. I think being as clear as possible is always the best way to handle this kind of situations.”
The championship standings say that Laurens Vanthoor and Stéphane Ortelli lead with 101 points. The young Belgian driver seems quite cool at the eve of a weekend that could bring him a first international GT title. “I have spent the last few days in Germany with my girlfriend and fine-tuning my physical preparation with my trainer”, says Laurens, “I also have been devoting some time to my latest hobby, photography, something that has always fascinated me. I wanted to take some distance from motorsports and avoid thinking too much about this decisive race. I’m not worried about urban tracks, I like them and did well at Macau and Norisring in the past. I’ve seen the Baku circuit on a simulator but just to check the basics, it is clear that we won’t have any serious information until we are there. The last race wasn’t too good for us, so we are in a less comfortable position in the championship but still leading. I think Stéphane and I have a little advantage in terms of performance, therefore our strategy will be quite straight-forward: avoid mistakes and stay ahead of our team mates. At WRT we are used to always work together, sharing all data and information, it will be interesting to see how we do things in the context of a family title fight.”
Only five points behind are Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler, who closed the gap at the last race in Navarra. The German driver is certainly happy to go to Baku: “I really look forward to this new experience”, says Frank “and I think Baku can become the equivalent of Monaco or Macau in other championship. I simply hope that the additional contenders that are coming attracted by the event and the prize money will show respect for those fighting for a title and not do crazy things. To have a family fight for the title is good news when you are in a team like WRT: you know your team mates and you know the fight is going to be fair. Whatever the result, it is going to be very good for the team, after a successful season of hard work!”
The third in contention, and a ‘lone runner’, is Niki Mayr-Melnhof, who will have a tougher job, as he has a 26-point disadvantage, but “you never know, especially on a street circuit. Sometimes, the outsider is the lucky one”, as says with a relaxed tone the Austrian driver, who will be again associated with his usual partner, René Rast.
On the fourth car, Grégoire Demoustier, the young French who is already an established driver in the GT élite, will make his debut with Team WRT. He will be partnered by Portuguese star Filipe Albuquerque, a man well-known in the team and who has been driving with Yves Weerts one of the Team WRT’s Audis R8 LMS ultra at the International GT Open’s finale in Barcelona two weeks ago. “I’m always very happy to race with WRT”, says the Audi driver, “we know each other well and I really look forward to this opportunity. A new circuit means that everybody will be on the same foot, and an urban track means that the driver will make the difference. The driver’s feeling and confidence really are the key factors on a track like this. Grip will be an issue because the surface is new, but it will improve throughout the sessions, and it will be crucial to evolve along the track, going fast but keeping cool to avoid contact with the walls. I hope we can be able to fight for a podium position.”
The weekend will have a compact format, with free practice and qualifying on Saturday and the two races on Sunday. Given the time difference (Baku is three hours ahead with respect to Central Europe), races will be quite early for most European fans, with the Qualifying one starting at 6:15 and the Main one kicking off at 10:00.
The Audi teams performed very well again in day 2 of the official TUDOR United SportsCar Championship tests. The Audi R8 LMS cars were among the fastest cars within the GT Daytona class. Two test sessions were held yesterday with only GT cars on track from both GT Le Mans and GT Daytona classes. Following some tire issues and two major crashes for two Daytona Prototypes, IMSA (International Motor Sport Association) stopped all tests for the Prototype cars (DP, LMP2 and LMPC).
In the first session the best ranked Audi R8 LMS car finished second in a very demanding and close GTD class. The #45 entry from Flying Lizard Motorsports with a best time of 1:48.760 right behind the leading factory Ferrari 458 from Ferrari Corse Clienti. The #46 Audi R8 LMS from Fall-Line Motorsports was fifth. The #48 Audi R8 LMS from Paul Miller Racing was ninth. The works #24 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport customer racing was eleventh and the #35 car from Flying Lizard Motorsports was thirteenth.
Later in the second session the Audi teams again showed great pace with very close lap times between the different teams and brands. The factory run #24 car from Audi Sport customer racing was sixth in class with a best time of 1:49.687. The two cars from Flying Lizard Motorsports were respectively seventh with the #45 Audi car and eighth with the #35 R8 LMS. The #48 Audi from Paul Miller Racing was twelfth and the #46 entry from Fall-Line Motorsports was fourteenth.
The first session results can be seen here. The second session results can be seen here.
Yesterday's tests concluded the official TUDOR United SportsCar Championship pre-season tests in Florida. At both Sebring and Daytona, the Audi R8 LMS was clearly among the best cars in the field. And looking at each session lap times it is clear that the GT Daytona class next year in TUSC will be one of closest and most exciting to follow with various brands very well represented. Next stop for the Audi teams will be again at Daytona, the traditional Roar Before The Rolex 24 in January.
Flying Lizard Motorsports recently joined the Audi squad. The Californian team will field a pair of Audi R8 LMS cars for the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship within the GT Daytona (GTD) class. The team is at Daytona these days preparing for the upcoming Rolex 24 and the TUSC season with full grey liveries for their R8 LMS cars.
Waiting for the official design, here is a very nice fictional livery from our friends at Berzerkdesign. The Audi R8 LMS looks great carrying the famous Lizards red and grey colors.
The Macau Grand Prix was held over the past two weekends. Mr Macau Edoardo Mortara was victorious in the Audi R8 LMS Cup and Macau GT Cup events, behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS and R8 LMS ultra. Amongst all of the Macau Grand Prix happenings there was a brief glimpse of the next big Asian Audi R8 LMS event as well. The 2013 Race of Champions will be taking place at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok from 14-15 December. Audi R8 LMS cars will once again be part of the vehicle line-up.
Absolute Racing was responsible for the preparation and running of the cars at the 2012 Race of Champions and they will once again be fielding the cars alongside quattro GmbH.
As was the case in 2012, the Race of Champions R8 LMS vehicles come from the fleet of cars that take part in the Audi R8 LMS Cup. The finale of the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup season was held at Macau, taking place during the first weekend of the Macau Grand Prix, 9-10 November.
The second weekend of the Macau Grand Prix was the big weekend for the Audi teams taking part in the prestigious Macau GT Cup. During this time the three R8 LMS cars destined for the Race of Champions, from the Audi R8 LMS Cup fleet, were prepared and had their liveries applied.
Three cars will be heading to the Race of Champions. Three different coloured liveries have been chosen for the event: white, silver and red. It will certainly be very exciting to see the R8 LMS cars taking part in the 2013 Race of Champions, which will also see the participation of Audi factory drivers: Mattias Ekström and Tom Kristensen. We have included a selection of photos featuring the cars being wrapped in the Macau garage area. The photos are from Motorsport Playground's Facebook page, the company responsible for applying the liveries on the Absolute Racing and Audi R8 LMS Cup cars.
Following two test days at Sebring International Raceway, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship teams headed to the nearby Daytona International Speedway for further test days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Audi is very well represented with five R8 LMS race cars and already performed very well in day 1.
As was the case at Sebring, the Audi R8 LMS was very competitive. Five cars are taking part in this second wave of TUSC official tests from the privateer Paul Miller Racing, Flying Lizard Motorsports and Fall-Line Motorsports, the final entry is a factory car under the Audi Sport customer racing banner. Two sessions were held yesterday with strong performances again within the GT Daytona class.
Audi dominated the first session in a demanding and healthy GTD field on Tuesday. The works #24 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport customer racing lead the GTD field with a best time of 1:49.578. Fall-Line Motorsports who were impressive at Sebring again performed well ending fourth in class with their #46 Audi R8 LMS. The two Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS cars finished respectively in seventh and ninth places. The #48 Audi R8 LMS from Paul Miller Racing was eleventh.
In the second session the best ranked Audi R8 LMS was the #45 car from Flying Lizard Motorsports in third place with a best time of 1:49.217. The sister #35 Audi R8 LMS finished in seventh place. The #24 car from Audi Sport customer racing ended in ninth place. The #48 Audi from Paul Miller Racing was thirteenth in class and the #46 entry from Fall-Line Motorsports ended in sixteenth position.
The first session results can be seen here. The second session results can be seen here.
Overall that was a great day 1 for the Audi squad at Daytona. TUSC teams will be back on track today for two more sessions.
GMG Racing took part in testing with one of their Audi R8 LMS cars at Thunderhill Raceway this week.
GMG Racing has entered two Audi R8 LMS cars for the 2013 25 Hours of Thunderhill, which will take place from 7-8 December.
The #08 Audi R8 LMS of Alex Welch was wheeled out at Thunderhill Raceway for testing yesterday. GMG Racing will be entering their #8 and #14 Audi R8 LMS cars this year. The entry list currently lists the drivers for the #8 as: Alex Welch, James Sofronas, Alexandra Sabados, Drew Regitz and Michael McGrath. No drivers are currently listed for the #14 R8 LMS.
It is interesting to note that the #08 R8 LMS at the test was in the FIA GT3 specification aerodynamic package, which differs from the package required to be used on the Audis in the Pirelli World Challenge during 2012 and 2013. This FIA GT3 specification will be allowed in the Pirelli World Challenge from 2014 onward.
Three Audi race cars will be lining up on the 25 Hours of Thunderhill grid this year, based on the current entry list. GMG Racing’s pair of R8 LMS cars will be joined by the SP4T VLN Audi TT RS from Rotek Racing, with Robb Holland as the only listed driver so far.
Bryce Miller Joined By Audi Works Driver Benoît Tréluyer at Inaugural IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship Test: Daytona Bound Tuesday and Wednesday
SEBRING, Fla. (November 18, 2013) - Paul Miller Racing and Bryce Miller, joined by Audi LMP1 works driver Benoît Tréluyer, put the team's new Audi R8 LMS through its initial paces in testing this past weekend at Sebring International Raceway, the first organized on-track activity of 2014's debuting IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship.
The No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS will compete in the IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship's GT Daytona division (GTD) that promises to be one of the most competitive in the series.
"We have had fantastic support from Audi from the very onset of this racing program," Paul Miller said. "The mechanics and engineers are great, they are there full time with our guys working right alongside, and have got right into sync with the team. And to have a driver the caliber of Benoît Tréluyer sent to help us get started is incredibly helpful, and an indication of Audi's great support that we sincerely appreciate."
Having taken delivery of the new Audi at Paul Miller Racing's Atlanta-area race shop only a week earlier, the team quickly announced its plans and prepared and transported the R8 to Sebring to take advantage of not only the Sebring test but a similar session at Daytona International Speedway tomorrow and Wednesday.
"I am really excited to just get up to speed and learn the car as quickly as I can," Bryce Miller said. "We are just trying to soak up all of the technical support that we can that is being offered by Audi and Benoît to get our team to where it needs to be to kind of reset and go racing again. These test days are just a good opportunity to make some measured and precise changes and learn the car."
Part of Audi's World Championship-winning LMP1 team, Tréluyer was sent by the factory to assist the Paul Miller Racing squad in what amounted to a familiarization run at Sebring. A full-season co-driver for Bryce Miller will be announced in the coming weeks.
"I received a call two weeks ago with the offer to come here and test the R8," said Tréluyer, who was part of the overall winning Audi team at this past March in the 12 Hours of Sebring. "I have never tested the R8 before, and when I had the opportunity to come here with the Paul Miller Racing team, an American team, on this circuit Sebring, which I really like, I was really looking forward to testing the GT car here."
Tréluyer, Bryce Miller and the team had specific goals for the Sebring test that were focused on running through a productive work schedule instead of bottom-line performance.
"We are here to do a shakedown, just test the car and help the team as much as I can," Tréluyer said. "I don't have so much experience in the real GT car, I am learning quite a lot too, and if I can give some of my experience and learn at the same time, it's good." This coming IMSA season will be the first time Paul Miller Racing has raced with Audi after decades with Porsche, but the team's parent organization, the Paul Miller Auto Group, has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, one of the largest Audi dealerships in the nation.
"We are just ecstatic to have this arrangement with Audi," Bryce Miller said. "To be able to work with them beyond motorsports, at the dealership level, it is beneficial to our program that we have relationships there, and that we have a history there of success. That's a good platform to build a motorsport program on and just makes it easier to stand it up and push it forward."
The two-day Daytona test will see Paul Miller Racing and the rest of the IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship field run from 9 am. to 5 p.m. both Tuesday and Wednesday, with a one-hour lunch break each day at Noon.
About Paul Miller Racing:
Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing. In 2014, the team will contest the full GT Daytona (GTD) season in the new IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship in a new partnership with Audi Sport customer racing. Bryce Miller will drive the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS with a to-be-named co-driver. The racing team is affiliated with the Paul Miller Auto Group, which has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, races in support of Full Circle Home, and competes with the support of TOTAL Lubricants, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.
Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more about the team at www.paulmillerracing.com.
About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS:
Audi began a new chapter in 2009 with the introduction of the Audi Sport customer racing program. For the first time it was possible for motorsport customers to acquire a race car designed for customer racing events. Since its inception, the success of the R8 LMS has been significant throughout the GT3 racing format worldwide, including victory in the GT class in the 2013 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Audi R8 LMS shares more than 50% of its parts with the Audi R8 street car including the naturally aspirated V10 5.2 Liter engine, the Audi Space Frame and a variety of other components.
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.
Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
The FIA GT Series will have the season finale in Azerbaijan this upcoming weekend. The event called Baku World Challenge will host no less than 28 GT3 cars from some of the best European teams around. Audi will be represented by six Audi R8 LMS ultra cars and will target strong performances and wins in the two 1-hour sprint races.
Leading the Audi squad this year in FIA GT Series is the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. The team managed by Vincent Vosse will have four cars at Baku. WRT competed this year with three cars in all previous rounds, the #11 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Stephane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor, the #12 Audi R8 LMS ultra of René Rastand Niki Mayr Melnhof and the #13 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Frank Stippler and Edward Sandström. The fourth car will be the #18 Audi R8 LMS ultra and will be shared by Audi factory driver Filipe Albuquerque and Grégoire Demoustier from France. At Baku battle will rage between the WRT Audi drivers for the title, Stephane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor leading overall but only 7 points ahead of their teammates Frank Stippler and Edward Sandström. In the previous rounds there were no team orders at team WRT and all three cars battled each other very hard on track for wins, positions and big points.
Phoenix Racing is back to FIA GT Series after missing the last two rounds of Slovakia Ring and Navarra. The German team will have a single Audi R8 LMS ultra at Baku for Enzo Ide and the fast Markus Winkelhock. The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra is listed within the upper Pro-Cup class and will try hard to achieve strong performances after some hard moments all season long in the SRO organized series.
The sixth Audi R8 LMS ultra is from Team Novadriver. Unlike WRT and Phoenix, the Novadriver entry is competing in the Pro-Am class with one of the strongest lineups within the class. The #14 car will be shared by team manager/driver Cesar Campaniço and Michael Ammermüller. The two drivers performed very well last time out at Navarra and will target class honors at Baku.
Baku World Challenge will be the last ever event for the short lived FIA GT Series. Next year the series will change the name into Blancpain GT Sprint.
As was the case on Saturday, the teams had two sessions yesterday, with very close lap times between the different brands and teams in the GT Daytona class. The sessions took place in sunny weather.
In the first session on Sunday, the # 46 Audi R8 LMS from Fall-Line Motorsports was the fastest within the Audi squad, with a best time of 2:05.983, finishing fifth in the GTD class. The #45 R8 LMS from Flying Lizard Motorsports was ninth. The #48 Audi R8 LMS from Paul Miller Racing was tenth and the #35 Audi R8 LMS from Flying Lizard Motorsport was eleventh.
In the second session Fall-Line Motorsports was again the best Audi team. Their blue liveried #46 Audi R8 LMS was second fastest within the GTD class, with a best time of 2:05.099. The #45 Audi R8 LMS from Flying Lizard Motorsports improved compared to the first session and got a fine third. The #48 Audi R8 LMS from Paul Miller Racing finished eighth and the #35 Audi R8 LMS from Flying Lizard Motorsports ended in twelfth place.
The first session results can be seen here. The second session results can be seen here.
After two test days at Sebring, the Audi R8 LMS proved to be a competitive car and as fast as the rivals from other brands within GTD. The Audi teams will now be heading to Daytona for a second wave of TUSC official tests on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The Audi R8 cars won last time out at the famous oval with a 1-2 win at the Rolex 24 in January.
Edoardo Mortara wins third Macau GT Cup in a row for Audi
Team R8 LMS ultra clinch GT Asia team championship
Marchy Lee with excellent fourth place
Macau, November 17, 2013 – Edoardo Mortara won his third Macau GT Cup in a row in dramatic fashion today. Starting second on the grid, Mortara dropped to fourth after the first two corners, before eventually passing through the top of the field in the final three laps of the race. Marchy Lee produced a superb drive to secure fourth position after starting 11th on the grid. An excellent weekend for Audi was completed as Team R8 LMS ultra, with drivers Philip Ma, Francis Hideki Onda and Jeffrey Lee sealed the GT Asia team championship.
“The one person who can make this possible is Edo. Yesterday he said he could not do miracles – then today when he overtook one of his competitors in the narrow hills of Macau he said over the radio ‘see, I can do miracles’. To collect his 6th win in Macau at the 60th anniversary of the Macau GP and against this year’s very strong competition is outstanding. Marchy Lee was excellent for 4th place. It shows how strong Asian drivers can compete on an international level,” said Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. He continued: “Additionally we won the team championship of the GT Asia season today. This is the icing on the cake. In only two years, we have established our Audi Sport customer racing activities in Asia as the benchmark of motorsport in the Asian region.”
Mortara’s race got off to a disappointing start when he dropped from second to fourth. And there were little opportunities to regain positions, as the safety car was out for the majority of the opening six laps because of two crashes. The first one involved a handful of cars after New Zealand driver Earl Bamber hit the wall and spun. The second incident saw Australian Ro Charlz lose control of his vehicle. The standing car was eventually hit by the Audi R8 LMS ultra of team IMS driver Shim Ching, who had to retire from the race.
The race came alive on lap 7, with Maro Engel leading the field before he was forced to retire in lap 9. Three enthralling final three laps followed. On lap 10 Mortara was able to move into second place by overtaking Renger Zande’s Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 on a very tight corner of the snake-like hill area of the circuit. He now had a clear run at race leader Alexandre Imperatori.
And with just two laps to go, Mortara took the lead with another spectacular move. Danny Watts in the McLaren MP4-12C climbed from fourth to second in the shadow of the Audi driver. Mortara kept his cool and opened up a safe gap between him and his rival to take the chequered flag. 2012 Audi LMS cup champion, Marchy Lee, drove excellently to cut through the field from 11th on the grid to 4th.
For Mortara it was the sixth victory in Macau and the second in just as many weekends. Last Sunday he had already won the final race of the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup season on Macau’s Guia Circuit.
Jeffrey Lee finished third in the GT Asia category. His Team R8 LMS ultra secured the overall GT Asia team championship for Audi in Macau. They finished the series on top of the standings on 236 points ahead of Clearwater Racing on 206 and Craft Racing on 188.
Edoardo Mortara:
“The car was unbelievable, especially in the hill part. I never give up and always give everything. Congrats to Marchy [Lee] for fourth place and thanks to all the people that made this weekend possible. I have never seen such a competitive field in the GT Cup, and to have first and fourth is fantastic. We were losing 7 to 8 tenths on the straights, so we had to make that up in the mountains where we were quicker. Many people say you can’t overtake in the mountain area. But it was the only chance, so I had to do it.”
Marchy Lee:
“I started the race very patient and waited for my opportunities. Edo [Mortara] has been fantastic all weekend and I have learnt a lot from the Audi Quattro team and from Edo’s driving style. This will help me going into 2014. I hope I can come back to Macau next year. ”
Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing:
“I am not sure if my nerves can take this every year. After the start of the race I didn’t think victory was possible. But Edo [Mortara] again did an outstanding job. He was fantastic. He made history today!!” Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website: www.audir8lmscup.com Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup
The 2013 Macau GT Cup was held as part of the annual Macau Grand Prix this weekend. The Macau GT Cup was held alongside the GT Asia season finale, running together on track this weekend. A number of GT Asia entrants were in the field. Four of the six Audi entries were also entered for the GT Asia finale.
The big news this weekend was the return of the reigning two-time Macau GT Cup champion, Edoardo Mortara, in his his #1 Audi R8 LMS Cup backed Audi R8 LMS ultra. He was joined by his teammate, Marchy Lee, in the #38 Audi Hong Kong Audi R8 LMS ultra, neither were entered as GT Asia competitors. Absolute Racing was also present with their regular three-car GT Asia team, along with another private Audi entry from IMS, all four entered in GT Asia. Absolute Racing, who competed with the team name of "Team R8 LMS Ultra," arrived as the leaders in the GT Asia teams' championship points standings and they were aiming to clinch the title this weekend.
Edoardo Mortara dominated practice on Friday by over two and a half seconds and he continued that form during the first qualifying session with a lap record setting provisional pole position, over half a second clear of the field.
The final qualifying grid was determined by the fastest times from the two qualifying sessions. The second session was dominated by Maro Engel in the Erebus Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3. Mortara was the highest Audi runner and qualified in second position on the grid. His teammate Marchy Lee qualified in eleventh, followed by Jeffrey Lee in seventeenth, Philip Ma in eighteenth, Francis Hideki Onda in twenty-sixth and Shim Ching in thirty-second.
The race itself got underway at 9:20 on Sunday morning and saw Maro Engel in the #36 Mercedes-Benz leading the way as Mortara dropped from second to fourth, being passed by Alexandre Imperatori in the #99 Porsche and Renger van der Zande in the #63 Mercedes-Benz. A massive crash collecting a number of competitors occurred on the first lap, thus prompting the first safety car. The race restarted a few laps later and the top four remained stagnant with another crash bringing out the safety car on the restart lap.
Marchy Lee had a good start to the race and had moved up to sixth by the second safety car. The pair of Absolute Racing Audis of Jeffrey Lee and Philip Ma had progressed well up to tenth and eleventh, well poised for the teams' championship title.
The race restarted for a second time and went green to the flag with racing. The top four remained stagnant until the fourth last lap when race leader, Maro Engel, slowed on track. This promoted Mortara up to third. He then managed a brilliant overtaking manoeuvre to take second away from van der Zande in the infield section of the track. Mr Macau then had two laps to try and pass Alexandre Imperatori in the Porsche for the lead.
Traffic came into play coming out of the hairpin on the penultimate lap and Mortara was able to grab the lead as chaos broke out behind him. Mortara continued to lead as Imperatori collected van der Zande going into Lisboa. Mr Macau continued to lead and brought his #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra home for his third consecutive Macau GT Cup victory, finishing ahead of Watts' McLaren and Imperatori's Porsche. Mortara also set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, a 2:19.550, the only driver to drop into the 2 minute 19 second bracket during the race.
Mr Macau had it all do and he was able to recover from fourth to first for victory. Marchy Lee rounded out the top four in fourth, ensuring that two Audis finished within the top four. Jeffrey Lee and Philip Ma rounded out the top ten in ninth and tenth respectively. Francis Hideki Onda finished seventeenth and Shim Ching unfortunately retired.
It was another terrific Macau Grand Prix weekend for the Audi entrants. This win for Mortara also marked his sixth straight victory at Macau, as he had won the previous five races that he had been entered for: the 2009 and 2010 Macau Formula 3 races, the 2011 and 2012 Macau GT Cup and the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup round at Macau. Edoardo Mortara continues to deserve his title of “Mr Macau”.
The 2013 GT Asia Series concluded with the finale at Macau this weekend. The GT Asia season finale was held alongside the Macau GT Cup, running together on track. A number of GT Asia entrants were in the field. Four of the six Audi entries were also entered for the GT Asia finale, which included: Jeffery Lee (#7), Shim Ching (#78), Francis Hideki Onda (#86) and Philip Ma (#98).
The big news this weekend was the return of the reigning two-time Macau GT Cup champion, Edoardo Mortara, in his his #1 Audi R8 LMS Cup backed Audi R8 LMS ultra. He was joined by his teammate, Marchy Lee, in the #38 Audi Hong Kong Audi R8 LMS ultra, neither were entered as GT Asia competitors. Absolute Racing was also present with their regular three-car GT Asia team, along with another private Audi entry from IMS, all four entered in GT Asia. Absolute Racing, who competed with the team name of "Team R8 LMS Ultra," arrived as the leaders in the GT Asia teams' championship points standings and they were aiming to clinch the title this weekend. They were leading the standings ahead of Clearwater Racing and Craft Racing.
Qualifying was split over two days, with the first session on Friday and the second on Saturday. The first session concluded with Jeffrey Lee topping the times as the fastest GT Asia entrant in fourteenth overall. The final qualifying grid was determined by the fastest times from the two qualifying sessions. The GT Asia 'pole position' went to Mok Weng Sun in his McLaren MP4-12C, who qualified fourteenth overall. Jeffrey Lee was the highest GT Asia Audi qualifier and he lined up in fourth place, seventeenth overall. Philip Ma qualified in fifth, eighteenth overall. Francis Hideki Onda qualified in twelfth, twenty-sixth overall and Shim Ching lined up seventeenth, thirty-second overall.
The race itself got underway at 9:20 on Sunday morning and up front there was a battle between the front running Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Audi cars. Further back the GT Asia competitors were looking for passing opportunities and to stay clear of incidents. A large crash during the opening few corners unfortunately took out a number of the GT Asia runners. Fortunately the three Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra cars made it through the carnage and survived the opening laps. Their main challengers for the teams' title, Clearwater Racing, were unfortunately collected in the incidents that brought out the first two safety cars.
Jeffrey Lee and Philip Ma were running together and moved up into the top ten overall. They maintained their positions to the flag, with Lee finishing ninth ahead of Ma in tenth. This translated into third within the GT Asia runners for Marchy Lee and fourth for Ma. The GT Asia ranks was lead by Li Zhi Cong in the #2 Porsche ahead of Frank Yu in the #30 Craft Racing Aston Martin. Francis Hideki Onda finished seventeenth overall, taking tenth within GT Asia, ensuring that all three of the Absolute Racing Audis finished within the GT Asia top ten, vital for the teams' championship points standings. Shim Ching unfortunately retired from the race.
These results were enough to crown Absolute Racing with the 2013 GT Asia teams’ championship title. Well done to the entire team, who competed as “Team R8 LMS ultra” during 2013.
The first official TUDOR United SportsCar Championship test days were held at Sebring this weekend. A total of four Audi R8 LMS cars were entered by three different teams. Flying Lizard Motorsports entered two cars and Fall-Line Motorsports and Paul Miller Racing both entered one car each. These Audi R8 LMS cars were entered in the GT Daytona class (GTD).
The Flying Lizard Motorsports cars included Seth Neiman, Spencer Pumpelly, Dion von Moltke, Nelson Canache, Oliver Jarvis and Marco Bonanomi as the drivers. The team team’s two cars carried the numbers #35 and #45.
The Fall-Line Motorsports #46 Audi R8 LMS was driven by Christopher Mies, Charles Putman, Charles Espenlaub, Bryan Sellers and Al Carter. The Paul Miller Racing #48 R8 LMS had Bryce Miller and Benoît Treluyer behind the wheel.
All four cars showed good pace within the GTD class during the test sessionsat Sebring.
The Historic Sportscar Racing series (HSR) held the annual Daytona Historic Races this weekend. One Audi was entered at this event. Travis Engen and his Audi R8 (chassis #606) were entered. His car is prepared and run by GMT Racing.
The Australian Kerrick Sports Sedan Series held its fifth and final round at Sandown Raceway this weekend. The Audi A4 Silhouette of Darren Hossack did well by qualifying second on the grid for both of the races. He finished second in the opening two races and unfortunately did not finish race three.
It was a very busy week leading up to the first TUDOR United SportsCar Championship pre-season test at Sebring. Two big announcements were made regarding new Audi Sport customer racing teams. The first announcement came on Monday, when it was revealed that long time Porsche entrants, Flying Lizard Motorsports, are going to be switching to a pair of Audi R8 LMS cars for 2014. They will be fielding the cars in the GT Daytona class (GTD). They had tested an Audi R8 LMS earlier before taking delivery of their two cars last week. The team debuted their cars at the Sebring test days this weekend. Their 2014 driver line-up is yet to be announced. The team’s press release can be seen HERE.
The second big announcement regarding new Audi Sport customer racing teams came on Wednesday, when Paul Miller Racing were confirmed as another new Audi entrant. Also switching from Porsche, Paul Miller Racing will be fielding one Audi R8 LMS in the GTD category of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship next year. They debuted the car at the Sebring test days. So far Bryce Miller is their only confirmed driver for the 2014 season. The team’s press release can be seen HERE.
The Sebring TUSC pre-season test days included four Audi R8 LMS cars, two from Flying Lizard Motorsports and one each from Paul Miller Racing and Fall-Line Motorsports. The second and final official TUSC test will be taking place at Daytona on this upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday, 19-20 December. The four cars from Sebring will be joined by another Audi entry at the Daytona test. Audi Sport customer racing will be fielding one Audi R8 LMS driven by Christopher Haase, thus upping the Audi count to five cars at Daytona.
Fall-Line Motorsports announced their driver line-up for the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on the morning of the first test day at Sebring on Saturday. Their #46 Audi R8 LMS will be entered in the GT Daytona class (GTD) and driven by Charlie Putman and Charles Espenlaub.
Audi debuted a customer race vehicle for the Grand Am Rolex Series in 2012. This vehicle was an Audi R8 LMS race car modified to meet the Grand Am GT class rules. These cars were called the “Audi R8 GRAND-AM” and competed in the series in 2012 and 2013, highlighted by a 1-2 GT class finish at the 2013 Daytona 24 Hours. Since then the ALMS and Grand Am have merged to form the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship for 2014. This new championship includes a class called GT Daytona (GTD), which allows Grand Am GT cars to compete. The Audis are once again able to compete in this championship class, but they will no longer be called the “Audi R8 GRAND-AM,” as they will now officially be called “Audi R8 LMS” cars, which still currently have the same aerodynamic specification as the cars at the end of the 2013 Grand Am season, including the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra rear diffuser.
The new home of Audi Sport celebrated its roof-raising ceremony this week. The new Motorsport Competence Center had its ceremony on Wednesday. The new center is located in Neuburg and is part of the Audi Driving Experience Center, which occupies forty-seven acres and includes a permanent circuit. The bulk of Audi Sports’s development and testing will be conducted at the new complex in future, but the engine’s will still come from their facilities in Neckarsulm. Audi Sport will be moving from Ingolstadt to the new complex in Neuburg during the summer of 2014 and they will be joined by Audi Sport customer racing in 2015. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich and guests were at the ceremony, along with an Audi R18 e-tron quattro and an Audi R8 LMS, which were on display.
The new FIA Formula E Championship will be debuting in September 2014. On Friday an exciting announcement was made by ABT Sportsline. They have become the seventh team to be announced for the new championship. ABT Sportsline will be fielding two cars in the championship, competing under the team name/banner of “Audi Sport ABT Formula-E Team”.
Former Audi factory driver and a current Audi brand ambassador, Emanuelle Pirro, took part in the Scirocco R China Masters Challenge at Macau this weekend. He was driving the #17 Volkswagen Scirocco R. He placed seventh in practice and qualified fifth. He unfortunately retired from the race following an incident involving Alain Menu, both drivers retired due to the damage to their cars.
Last week it was announced that Münnich Motorsport are going to be focussing on their new Audi A3/S3 Supercar for the new 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship. More details regarding the project emerged this week. Münnich Motorsport will be competing in the new FIA World Rallycross Championship during 2014 and they will be fielding one Audi A3/S3 during their development year. The Audi Supercar will be driven by Rene Münnich. The car has been built and prepared completely in-house by Münnich Motorsport and it will be fielded in the Supercar category of the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The team will be fielding one of the new Audi vehicles during the first season in order to focus on the car’s development, but the possibility exists for more cars in the future. The car pictured, and which has been seen in testing, is the team's first design prototype, which they will be using for initial testing and development. They are currently busy building a second Audi rallycross car and this is the vehicle that will be used in the championship during 2014. It is said that this new vehicle will differ visually from the current test car, as the current car’s striking bodywork is not completely suited for rallycross competition. This project from Münnich Motorsport is certainly very exciting and it will be great to see an Audi rallycross vehicle entered in the new 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship.
Mattias Ekström will be returning to the 2013 Race of Champions. Ekström, who is a three-time winner of the event, will be joining fellow factory Audi driver, Tom Kristensen, at the event. The two Audi stars will also be partnered for the ROC Nations Cup, as part of Team Scandinavia. The 2013 Race of Champions will be taking place at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok from 14-15 December.
On Tuesday Audi Sport Italia announced that they would not be competing in the Six Hours of Rome at Vallelunga this weekend. The 2012 edition of the race saw both Audi Sport Italia and WRT competing in the event, but no Audi entries took part this year.
Andre Lotterer took part in the 2013 1000 Millas Sport event in Argentina this week and weekend. He was behind the wheel of his red Audi Sport quattro. It was the twenty-fifth edition of the event and Audi Argentina was the main sponsor.
PK Carsport took part in the general test sessions held at Zolder on Thursday. It was a very wet and rainy day for the teams at Zolder. PK Carsport fielded their 2013 BRCC championship winning #7 Audi R8 LMS at the test. Anthony Kumpen, Frank Beliën, Tom Boonen and Stienes Longin were behind the wheel for the testing. The car was also present at the Belgian Audi and VW Club track day at Zolder during the weekend.
