APR Motorsport Press Release
After Setbacks at the Six-Hour, Team Is Looking For a Better Result
August 10, 2012 (Opelika, Ala.) – Watkins Glen was not very kind to APR Motorsport the last time the team from Opelika, Ala., was there.
Competing with two cars in the Rolex Series for the first time, both the no. 51 and no. 52 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am’s ran within the top-10 during the opening hour of the race before being slowed by similar suspension problems that sent both cars behind the pit wall for repairs. After the high of seeing the no. 52 car qualify on the front row, and having both cars run in the top-10 during the first hour, both the APR Audi R8’s encountered suspension problems and finished well down the order in the Rolex Series GT class.
With those memories, drivers Dr. Jim Norman and Dion von Moltke are looking to put things right this weekend. Having had a strong run at the Brickyard Grand Prix curtailed by an incident with a GT-class Mazda, both drivers are hoping for a breakthrough performance on the short course at Watkins Glen.
“So far every race this season at every track we have been to it has been the first time our APR Audi R8 Grand-Am has ever been on that track, and with limited testing this presented a steep challenge for us,” said von Moltke. “This weekend we are returning to Watkins Glen, although we are racing on the short course, it will be the first time this season that we have some information on a track we are going to. We are really looking forward to having a little more knowledge on how our Parathyroid.com / South African Airways / PR Newswire APR Audi R8 feels around a track. The last race for us at Watkins Glen did not go to plan, and while a track never owes you anything we are definitely looking to get our season back on track this weekend! “
Although the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am was several laps down by the time Norman got behind the wheel during the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen, he threw down several fast laps towards the end of his stint as the checkered came near. Putting an exclamation point on his drive, he would set his fastest lap of the race on his final lap as he took the checkered flag.
“Watkins Glen is one of my favorite tracks,” said Norman. “I’ve got a few class wins at the Glen over the past few years, and threw down some of our best laps of the weekend towards the end of the six hour race there last month.”
The Continental Tire 200 Presented by Dunn Tire will be broadcast live on Saturday, August 11, at 6:00 PM ET on SPEED Channel.
About APR:
APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance campus in Opelika, Ala. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence and Innovation. APR’s sole mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly engineered aftermarket performance parts available for Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda vehicles. Learn more at www.goapr.com, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/APRMotorsport, and on twitter (@GoAPR).
