Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release
- Team Tiger Absolute Racing wins ahead of Team BRT in Audi R8 LMS
- Team J-fly Absolute Racing finishes 7th overall in Audi R8 LMS ultra
- Audi China driver Alex Yoong with three wins in three days
Sepang, September 1, 2013 – Audi capped a strong three days in Sepang, Malaysia with a one-two finish in the GTC class of the Malaysian Merdeka Endurance Race (MMER). First across the finish line was Team Tiger Absolute Racing, with drivers Alex Young, Jacky Yeung and Asharff Dewal. After winning both races of the Audi R8 LMS Cup, Malaysian Yoong finished the three days of racing with his third win, to the delight of his home fans. Second in the GTC class was Chinese Team BRT with a consistent drive throughout the 12-hour race.
In the GT3 class, Team J-fly Absolute Racing, with drivers Jeffrey Lee, Marchy Lee and Adderly Fong, was battling high up the field in third position, and cutting into the lead of the car in front, before an issue with the brake cylinder meant a longer pit-stop than normal. After rejoining, the team found themselves further down the field to finally finish 7th overall. The performance was still impressive considering current regulations for the Audi R8 LMS ultra.
"It was a really exciting weekend, especially as we achieved a one-two win in the GTC class. The Audi R8 LMS ultra was lacking some speed in the GT3, based on the current balance of performance. However our strategy had worked out perfectly, till we had to pit stop longer than expected. All the drivers and teams did a very impressive job and the outcome was the best we could achieve during this weekend. I am especially happy that our driver Alex Yoong was able to make it a triple win in front of his home fans", says Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia.
Altogether four Audi teams competed in the MMER. One Audi R8 LMS ultra from an Audi supported team of the GT Asia series and three Audi R8 LMS Cup entries, of which one had to retire from the race with a mechanical issue. The Audi R8 LMS Cup is the first brand cup of Audi worldwide. Round 7 and 8 of the competition took place in Sepang on Friday and Saturday, with both races won by Alex Yoong.
Alex Yoong (Tiger Absolute Racing):
"The race went perfect. The car ran faultlessly. It was great but very tiring. I could not have asked for more over the three days of racing. I am also pleased that I could give my fans something to cheer about."
Jacky Yeung (Tiger Absolute Racing):
"It was a very good result considering this is the first year we entered and we won. So, of course, I am very happy."
Asharff Dewal (Tiger Absolute Racing):
"The first time I drove the car was only three days ago. But my team mates Jacky and Alex were great and gave me a lot of very good advice. The race went fantastically. It was very tiring getting out of the car to then have an engineer come up to you and say you are going back in within 45 minutes."
Ren Wei (Brothers Racing Team):
"I would have never thought we would achieve this amazing result in our first race in Malaysia and our first endurance race. It was challenging but I hope to improve in the future when I get more races under my belt."
Ingo Matter, Director, Absolute Racing:
"Congratulations to all the teams for a great performance. The cars were running absolutely perfectly until the issue with the brake cylinder. This is the nature of endurance races, things seem perfect one moment and then something unexpected happens the next."
Audi entries, Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race (MMER)
Car 777 (Audi R8 LMS Ultra – GT3) - J-Fly Absolute Racing
Jeffrey LEE / Marchy LEE / Adderly FONG
Car 66 (Audi R8 LMS Cup car – GTC) - Tiger Absolute Racing
Jacky YUENG / Alex YOONG / Ashraff DEWAL
Car 5 (Audi R8 LMS Cup car – GTC) BRT Team
REN Wei / SUN Bo / YANG Xi / WU Zhou / HE Yi
Car 15 (Audi R8 LMS Cup car – GTC) BRT Team
SUN Zheng / ZHANG Zhi Qiang / CHENG Cong Fu
Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website: www.audir8lmscup.com
Audi R8 LMS Cup,
2013, Upcoming Races
25–27 October, Shanghai International Circuit,
China
09–10 November, Guia International Circuit, Macau
Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup
