The Audi R8 and RS3 continues to dominate across various forms of motorsports this year.
It has been a rather good time for Audi Sport recently, as the four-ringed automaker has of late managed to see its cars achieving multiple victories across the motorsport spectrum internationally.
Starting first with the most powerful model in the Audi Sport customer racing lineup, the 640 hp R8 LMS GT2 managed to snag two more victories in the new GT2 European Series. Continuing their winning streak at the Hockenheimring four weeks after its first two victories over at the Monza season opener.
Winning both races in the changeable conditions of the German track was the #33 Audi R8 LMS GT2 of High Class Racing, who started from fourth in the first race but ended up on the top step of the podium by 55.7 seconds. Piloted by Mark Patterson and Anders Fjordbach, the second win there secured the duo’s third victory in four races and extended their lead in the Pro-Am standing to 23 points.
Continuing in the races that happened in Germany, the #29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Team Montaplast by Land-Motorsport came home third at the ADAC GT Masters season opener at Oschersleben. Christopher Mies and Ricardo Feller started at that position and managed to defend it throughout the wet weather race, which also saw the new pink-liveried BWT R8 safety car make its first official on-track debut.
As for the GT4 motorsports series meanwhile, the Audi R8 LMS GT4 driven by Marius Jackson managed to win its class in both races of the second round of the South African Extreme Supercars race series at Phakisa, Marius Jackson. Finishing ninth in the first and tenth in the second sprint, this also leads to a top 10 overall result in both races.
Moving away from the R8 and towards the RS3 LMS, LV Racing managed to secure a win, a second and third place finish at the first race of the Baltic Touring Car Championship (BaTCC) this year. With Valters Zviedris behind the wheel on all three occasions, the 20-year-old Latvian drove to second place in the first sprint race, won the second 14-lap heat by a marginal 0.897 seconds, and came home third in the TCR class alongside teammates Ivars Vallers and Konstantin Calko in the 6-hour endurance final race.
Audi Team Mars driver Masanobu Kato had also managed to snag a third place finish with his RS3 LMS in the second round of the TCR Japan at Autopolis too. Successfully stepping on the third step of the podium on Saturday’s race after 10 tumultuous laps of racing due to the adverse weather conditions.
PRESS RELEASE: Four weeks after its two victories at the season opener in Monza, the Audi R8 LMS GT2 continued its winning streak in the new GT2 European Series at the second round at Hockenheim.
Audi R8 LMS GT2
Two victories at Hockenheim: The Audi R8 LMS GT2, the most powerful model in the Audi Sport customer racing line-up with 470 kW (640 hp), continued its winning streak in the new GT2 European Series with two more victories. In changeable conditions at the Hockenheimring, the good strategy of the High Class Racing team proved to be a decisive factor: Mark Patterson, who had started the race from fourth position in the #33 Audi R8 LMS GT2, defended his position until the pit stop. After changing to slicks, teammate Anders Fjordbach made up ground on the competition, moving from third to first within one lap, and won by 55.7 seconds. In the second race, the High Class Racing duo scored their third win in four races and extended their lead in the Pro-Am standings to 23 points. Two more Audi customer teams celebrated podium finishes with the Audi R8 LMS GT2 at Hockenheim: In the first race, Peter Guelinckx and Bert Longin from the PK Carsport team finished third, while in the second round, Stéphane Ratel and Luca Pirri took second place in LP Racing’s R8 LMS GT2.
Audi R8 LMS GT3
Podium in the ADAC GT Masters: Christopher Mies and Ricardo Feller started the new ADAC GT Masters season with a podium finish. At the season opener at Oschersleben, the duo started Saturday’s race in the Audi R8 LMS #29 of Team Montaplast by Land-Motorsport from third on the grid and defended this position all the way to the finish in changeable weather. After the first race weekend, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport occupies third place in the team standings.
Safety Cars in a new design: The Official Cars of Audi Sport in the ADAC GT Masters were presented in the pink look of the series partner BWT for the first time at the season opener in Oschersleben. Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing, handed over the new safety cars, the leading car and vehicles for the race management. Audi Sport has already been a partner of the ADAC GT Masters for the tenth year.
Audi R8 LMS GT4
Two class wins in South Africa: At the second round of the South African Extreme Supercars race series at Phakisa, Marius Jackson in an Audi R8 LMS GT4, being the only competitor, won Class C in both races, finishing ninth in the first and tenth in the second sprint to achieve a top ten overall result in each race.
Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)
Victory and podium finishes in Latvia: Audi customer team LV Racing scored one victory and one second place with the Audi RS 3 LMS in the Baltic Touring Car Championship (BaTCC). At the season opener at Riga, Valters Zviedris drove to second place in the TCR category in the first sprint race. In the second heat, the 20-year-old Latvian crossed the finish line as the winner after 14 laps with a wafer-thin lead of 0.897 seconds. In the six-hour endurance race, Valters Zviedris finished third in the TCR class together with his teammates Ivars Vallers and Konstantin Calko in the team’s Audi RS 3 LMS.
Third place in Japan: In the second round of the TCR Japan at Autopolis, Japan’s Masanobu Kato in the Audi RS 3 LMS of Audi Team Mars kept a cool head in a turbulent race action with many spins and off-track excursions. Kato crossed the finish line in third place after ten laps in Saturday’s race. Due to the extremely adverse weather conditions, Sunday’s race was cancelled.
Coming up next week
21–23/05 Pergusa (I), round 1, Campionato Italiano GT Endurance
21–23/05 Mosport (CDN), round 3, GT4 America SprintX
21–23/05 Fuji (J), round 3, Super Taikyu Series
22–23/05 Goianá (BR), round 1, TCR South America
22–23/05 Hockenheim (D), round 4, 24H Series
22–23/05 Hockenheim (D), round 2, Belcar Endurance Championship
22–23/05 Brands Hatch (GB), round 1, British GT
