Audi of America Press Release
- First Pirelli World Challenge win of the season for an Audi R8 LMS ultra
- Andrew Palmer, GMG Racing, wins his first race in GT-class
- Weekend results keep Manufacturers Championship within reach
HERNDON, Va., April 27, 2014 – It was a successful weekend for Audi Sport customer-racing at the Barber Motorsports Park Pirelli World Challenge (PWC). Andrew Palmer, in his GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra, secured his first win during the second race at Barber Motorsports Park. The manufacturer championship remains well within reach.
For the first time in the US, an FIA GT3 homologated Audi R8 LMS ultra wins a Pirelli World Challenge race. The 2.38 mile 15 turn Barber Motorsports Park race track, located in the rolling hills of Birmingham, Alabama, challenged both man and machine and the final lap of the second race determined the race winner.
Andrew Palmer, GMG racing driver, qualified in the pole position based on setting the fastest lap time during a disappointing first race. He was able to pressure the lead Ferrari from the start of the race and showed great maturity as he waited until the final lap to overtake Lazzaro for the win in only his second race as a GT driver in PWC.
"You have to be patient and realize that being overaggressive in some parts of the race isn’t worth it,” said Palmer. “The race car was absolutely perfect today and we were able to pressure the Ferrari throughout the entire race. It was a great end to the race weekend.”
“It was a great day for Andrew Palmer who drove a flawless race”, said James Sofronas, GMG Racing owner. “Palmer showed he has talent, patience and experience. He did exactly what he needed to do, and that shows the mark of a veteran not someone in just his first full year of racing. He has a long career ahead of him and the entire GMG Racing team is proud of Andrew’s win in the Audi R8 LMS ultra.”
"Andrew got the well-deserved win in the second race and several of our teams finished just off of the podium showing great reliability and durability. It was a very successful and promising weekend with all Audi R8 LMS ultra race cars finishing both races without any major incidents.” said Marcus Haselgrove, Audi Sport customer racing.
The Audi R8 Ultra shares more than 50% of its parts with the Audi R8 street car including the naturally aspirated 5.2 Liter V10 engine, the Audi Space Frame and a variety of other components. Having won all of the major races around the world, owners of the Audi R8 street car can be confident in its race-tested performance and durability. Of great benefit to the race teams is the first service interval at 12,000 miles under race conditions which translates into lower operating costs.
The Audi Sport customer-racing teams will compete at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix only eight points out of the lead of the manufacturer’s championship.
Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix
Date: 5/30/2014 – 6/01/2014
Round: GT/GTS 5 and 6
Broadcast: NBC Sports, Sunday, June 15 at 2:30 PM
View live streaming on www.world-challengeTV.com day of races and continuously on demand after races. Also on www.world-challengeTV.com after initial broadcast.
ABOUT AUDI
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. The Audi Group delivered 1,575,500 vehicles to customers globally in 2013, and broke all-time company sales records for the 4th straight year in the U.S. Through 2018, AUDI AG will invest about $30 billion on new products, facilities and technologies. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.
Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport
