APR Motorsport Press Release
The howl from the Audi R8 Grand-Am will be heard at the Chevrolet Grand-Am Detroit 200
(Opelika, Ala.) – Standing out from the crowd of GT cars in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series’ Chevrolet Grand-Am Detroit 200 will be the distinctive no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am. The eyes – and ears – won’t confuse the Audi, competing in its first season of Grand-Am competition with drivers Dion von Moltke and Dr. Jim Norman with anything else.
As the only team racing the Audi R8 in the entire 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series, APR Motorsport – working closely with Audi Sport Customer Racing – has been tasked with most of the development work on the new car. This weekend’s Chevrolet Grand-Am Detroit 200 represents a new challenge for the program, as the race on Detroit’s Belle Isle will be the first for the car on a temporary street circuit.
Von Moltke, who has become acquainted with the Belle Isle circuit with on-board videos from previous Belle Isle races, appreciates the unique challenge of racing on a street circuit.
“Street courses are much more mentally taxing than a purpose-built road course,” said von Moltke. “There is absolutely no room for error and you have to be on your game 100% of the time – completely focused on the corner in front of you and nothing else. So in preparation I have been working on mental toughness during workouts and training drills that I have learnt from the Performance Prime and Formula Fitness programs. I have watched all of the races at Belle Isle from 2008 – putting every inch of my study skills to the test. My focus has been on the technical aspects of the track – the corners, the surfaces, the bumps and kerbs, the places to attack and defend, and how the track changes throughout a race. We continue to develop our APR Audi R8 Grand-am with each race and are extremely hungry for a good result!”
Norman, who will also be making his first appearance at the Belle Isle circuit, is anxious to race on the circuit in the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am.
“Competing on a street circuit is a new challenge, but one that I am really looking forward to,” said Norman. “The penalty for making mistakes is extremely high, and when you add in the faster Daytona Prototype cars, it will make for a very exciting race. I can’t wait to get back into our Audi, I know the guys at APR Motorsport and Audi Sport Customer Racing have worked hard to improve the car.”
Fans of APR Motorsport can speak with team owner Stephen Hooks during the Chevrolet Grand-Am Detroit 200 on its Live Blog, which can be accessed at www.goapr.com. Fans can ask questions throughout the race to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes.
The two-hour Chevrolet Grand-Am Detroit 200, the fifth round of the 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series, will go green on Saturday, June 2nd at 5:00 PM ET. The race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel.
Photo credit: Arin Ahnell / APR Motorsport
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