Friday, July 24, 2015

Spa 24 Hours: Pole position for the new Audi R8 LMS in the Belgian classic


By Tarek Ramchani

Audi took a great pole position for the 2015 Spa 24 Hours endurance race. The new Audi R8 LMS proved again to be one of the strongest GT3 cars in the field if not the best.

Pole position went to the #2 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team WRT. It was Audi factory driver Frank Stippler who set the fastest time in the Super Pole shootout with a stunning 2.18.130.

"Stippi" is sharing the car with fellow Audi factory drivers Stéphane Ortelli and DTM ace Nico Mueller.


Their team-mates at Audi Sport Team WRT were sixth fastest with the sister #1 Audi R8 LMS. The car is driven by Laurens Vanthoor who qualifoed the car, René Rast and Markus Winkelhock.

Audi Sport Team Phoenix narrowly missed the top-ten. The #6 Audi R8 LMS with drivers André Lotterer, Mike Rockenfeller and Marcel Fassler qualified in eleventh place overall.

The second entry from Audi Sport Team Phoenix was sixteenth fastest. The #5 Audi R8 LMS is shared by Christian Mamerow, Nicki Thiim and Christopher Mies.

The 24-hour endurance event, round 4 of the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series is set for Saturday.

UPDATE: Following some post Super Pole qualifying penalties. The #5 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team Phoenix will start the race from position twelve on the grid. The #6 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team Phoenix will start from the fourteenth place.

Photo credit: Audi Media