APR Motorsport Press Release
December 19, 2012 (Opelika, Ala.) – APR Motorsport, the team that introduced the Audi R8 to the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, has raised the bar for this year’s race as it will bring two of Audi’s famous GT racers to January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Piloting the no. 52 APR Audi R8 will be the German lineup of Marc Basseng, Rene Rast, and Frank Stippler. Basseng and Stippler return to APR after driving the no. 52 APR Audi R8 at last season’s Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen, where Stippler piloted the Audi to second in qualifying.
Basseng, from Neusalza, Germany, won the 2007 Rolex 24 at Daytona in the GT class. He has spent the past four seasons competing in the GT1 World Championship, but has class wins in the 12 Hours of Bathurst and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in an Audi R8 LMS.
Rast, from Minden, Germany, made an impression on the Rolex Series paddock in 2012, taking the winning GT class car to the checkered flag in his first attempt at the race. Three times a Porsche Supercup champion, Rast also has a victory at the 2012 24 Hours of Spa – while driving an Audi R8 LMS – with Stippler. Stippler, from Bad Munstereifel, Germany has been a development driver of the Audi R8 LMS since 2008.
Longtime APR driver Ian Baas, from Indianapolis, Indiana, will be a part of APR’s driver lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Baas, who will be doing double-duty as he drives with Michael Taylor in the CTSCC, has a GT class win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona on his resume.
A driver announcement for the no. 51 APR Audi R8 will be made in the coming weeks.
APR will also unveil a brand new livery at the Rolex 24 at Daytona that it will use throughout the 2013 season. Both of the Audi R8’s will use an interim testing livery at the Roar Before the 24.
“Last year, when we competed in the Rolex Series for the first time in the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona, it was a great moment for our organization after several seasons of racing and being competitive in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge,” said Stephen Hooks, owner of APR. “On a personal level, I was extremely proud to watch an APR Audi take the green flag – and the checkered flag – at the Rolex 24. Adding the second car with a lineup of factory drivers for Daytona will be another great moment for the team.”
APR Motorsport will have both of its Audi R8s at the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 4-6, 2013. The 51st Rolex 24 at Daytona will go green on January 26, 2013 at 3:30 PM ET.
About APR Motorsport
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).
