By Johan Laubscher
MTM Motorsport fielded an Audi R8 LMS in the 2013 Superstars GT Sprint Series. Thomas Schöffler was their regular driver and he was joined by multiple different co-drivers during the year. By the end of the season Thomas Schöffler was crowned as the GT Sprint drivers’ champion.
The season review has been compiled from the 2013 Audi Motorsport Blog
Weekend Round Up posts. Each round has been added as was seen in the individual
Weekend Round Up posts during 2013, which can be accessed via the links
throughout the review below:
Round 1: Monza
Monza also hosted the first GT Sprint round this weekend. One Audi R8
LMS was entered by MTM and driven by Oliver Mayer and Thomas Schöffler. They
had good pace all weekend and placed within the top eight for most of the
proceedings.
Round 2: Brno
The Superstars GT Sprint also took place at Brno this weekend,
alongside the Superstars Series. MTM entered their Audi R8 LMS for Johan
Kristoffersson and Thomas Schöffler. The car was seen with a new red and black
livery. The team showed good pace and qualified well within the top ten,
highlighted with a fourth for race one. Their highest finish was seventh in
race two.
Round 3: Slovakia Ring
The Superstars GT Sprint also held its third round alongside the
Superstars at the Slovakia Ring. The MTM Audi R8 LMS was present, fitted with
2012 spec R8 LMS ultra rear-wing mounts for the first time. The driving was
shared by Thomas Schöffler who was joined by Antti Buri this weekend. They
qualified third and fourth respectively for the two races. Race one saw a great
drive from the team as they won for the first time in the GT Sprint Series.
After the success of the first race the MTM R8 LMS unfortunately retired during
the second race.
Round 4: Zolder
The Superstars GT Sprint was also held alongside the Superstars at Zolder.
The MTM Audi R8 LMS was at the event, driven by Thomas Schöffler and Laurens
Vanthoor. They showed great pace and qualified on pole for race one and second
for race two. They finished second in both of the races.
Round 5: Portimão
The Superstars GT Sprint was also in Portugal this weekend, with some
Portuguese flavour being added to the Audi line-up. The MTM Audi R8 LMS team
has fielded an Audi all season long, driven by Thomas Schöffler. He has shared
the car with a number of drivers during the season, and this weekend he was
partnered by Portuguese Audi Sport factory driver, Filipe Albuquerque. They
qualified second and third for the two races. In the end they finished second
in both of the races.
Round 6: Donington
Donington hosted the Superstars GT
Sprint and Superstars Series this weekend. The MTM Audi R8 LMS with
championship points leader Thomas Schöffler was entered. Schöffler was joined
by factory Audi driver, Oliver Jarvis, as his co-driver. They qualified on pole
for race one and third for race two. The first race saw the pairing finish
third, followed by another third in race two.
Round 7: Imola
The Superstars GT Sprint Series headed to Imola for its penultimate
round of the season. MTM Motorsport continued their good form with the Audi R8
LMS. Thomas Schöffler, MTM’s lead driver, arrived at Imola as the GT Sprint
championship points leader. The team’s aim was to defend his championship lead
this weekend, ahead of the finale in October. He was joined by Johan
Kristoffersson this weekend, sharing the controls of the #45 Audi R8 LMS. This
was the second time that Kristoffersson had joined Schöffler and MTM this
season, as he had also raced with the team during round two at Brno in May.
They qualified on pole for race one, followed by second on the grid for race
two. The two races were held on Sunday, with the first race seeing the Audi MTM
pairing finishing in first place. They backed up that result with another
victory in race two. It has been another very good weekend for MTM and Thomas
Schöffler remains the championship points leader as the team heads to the
finale at Vallelunga in October.
Round 8: Vallelunga
The Superstars GT Sprint finale was at Vallelunga this weekend. MTM
Motorsport topped off a great season with a tremendous result with their Audi
R8 LMS in Italy. MTM’s lead driver, Thomas Schöffler, arrived at Vallelunga as
the driver’s championship points leader. He was again joined by Johan
Kristoffersson, after their double victory at Imola last time out. The MTM
pairing qualified third for race one and sixth for race two. Race one saw them
finishing in eighth place. This result was enough to ensure that Thomas
Schöffler was crowned as the 2013 GT Sprint champion, with one race to spare.
The second and final race of the day yielded a ninth place classification,
closing off the 2013 GT Sprint season. It has been a great season for MTM
Motorsport and their Audi R8 LMS with Thomas Schöffler as champion.
Photo credit: Superstars
