Interview: Nico Müller "I am happy with my second place at the Spa 24 Hours"

By Jean-Baptiste Lassaux

Audi factory driver Nico Müller took a very strong second place overall at the Spa 24 Hours. The young Swiss talented driver shared the Audi Sport Team WRT run #2 Audi R8 LMS with Stéphane Ortelli and Frank Stippler.

We interviewed Nico Müller right after the end of the Belgian classic. An interesting Q/A about the stellar event of the Blancpain Endurance Series, the new Audi R8 LMS, the next DTM round and more.

Read our Spa 24 Hours race report: Double podium for the new Audi R8 LMS in the Belgian classic

What are your thoughts after such a demanding Spa 24 Hours race?

On the dry we were not as fast as BMW, even in the tests they were quicker than us. By the night and earlier in the morning with the fresh cool air we were better. I had a triple stint where I performed very well. Unfortunatelly with the temperature rising we were not able to match the Z4 GT3's pace.

The target was to not make mistakes and we were focused on keeping our second place overall. To finish the event with this brand new Audi R8 LMS in second and third places is really great.

Was your last stint the hardest?

No it was not the case. It was even easier as we did not have the pressure of the #99 Mercedes-Benz (ROWE Racing) any more. I would say my hardest stint was the first one. The racing line was dry but the track was really wet especially into the night.

What was your target before the race? Another victory following the Nürburgring 24 Hours one?

I have to say that would have been great to achieve a double victory. But my target was to battle for a podium and we did it and I am happy about that.

Winner at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and second at the Spa 24 Hours, a successful 2015 season so far.

Would say yes. I really wanted to compete in GT endurance races with Audi and battle for the top spots. Team WRT is a great team and so is the new Audi R8 LMS, such a competitive car. We worked hard and we achieved some great results.

The next stop for the DTM is Spielberg, are you going there to win?

To clinch a podium, that would be a great result. We will see on Saturday now, it's hard to say something, wait and see so.

The next events in the DTM calendar should be better with tracks you really like.

Exactly. There are two or three circuits that I really like. I really appreciate the Moscow Raceway despite it's not popular among the DTM drivers, it's very challenging and technical. There are also the Nürburgring and the Hockenheimring, two beautiful tracks and I hope to perform well there.

Read the interview with Nico Müller in French at Sport-Auto.ch

Photo credit: Audi Media

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Spa 24 Hours: Romolo Liebchen head of Audi Sport customer racing delighted with Spa 24 results

Audi Press Release

The Head of Audi Sport customer racing about the podium success in the Spa 24 Hours.

Your teams have clinched two podium places at Spa, plus Audi has won the ‘Coupe du Roi’ manufacturers’ title. A reason to rejoice?

We definitely have reason to rejoice on this race Sunday. Obviously, we competed to win. But in the battle with many strong rivals we don’t have to be sad about positions two and three either. The ‘Coupe du Roi’ trophy underscores the performance of the Audi brand in a field of eleven manufacturers and 57 race cars. The customers who watched our performance at the venue confirmed to us how attractive the new Audi R8 LMS is as well. Its performance capability is beyond debate. All four new cars finished the race, with two of them on podium.

You have completed an important stage in the development of the second-generation Audi R8 LMS with your team. What are the next steps?

Our new race car has clinched a victory, a second and a third place in endurance racing in the space of ten weeks now – split between the two toughest 24-hour races for GT3 models in Europe. This has set an important milestone. Following an in-depth analysis of the race cars from Spa, we’re going to establish the final specification for sprint and endurance races. In September, the production of the new Audi R8 LMS for our customers will be launched, followed by marketing the car.

In sporting terms, the Spa 24 Hours were challenging. Your teams and drivers delivered a tremendous performance. Your assessment of this year’s running of the race?

It was a competition of the type you wish for. A large and high-caliber field on a legendary track, plus the team performance by Audi Sport Team WRT and Audi Sport Team Phoenix as well as the showing by our customers – that was high-class racing. Sincere congratulations also to Team Parker Racing, which as a customer team clinched victory in the Am category on its own power. We’ve experienced a good weekend.

Photo credit: Audi Media

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Spa 24 Hours: Double podium for the new Audi R8 LMS in the Belgian classic

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi achieved a great double podium at the demanding and prestigious Spa 24 Hours with the two factory supported teams, Audi Sport Team WRT and Audi Sport Team Phoenix. The new Audi R8 LMS cars and the old Audi R8 LMS ultra cars performed very well in the Belgian classic but had different endings and results. At the end of thrilling, hard and fought endurance race, three new Audi R8 LMS cars were inside the Top 5.

Stéphane Ortelli, Frank Stippler and Nico Müller who started the Spa 24 Hours from pole position ended the demanding endurance event in second behind the winning #46 BMW Z4 GT3 from BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS.

The three factory Audi drivers shared the #2 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team WRT. The car took the race lead earlier this morning following the retirement of the #45 BMW Z4 GT3 but not for long. The #46 BMW Z4 GT3 was able to catch the Audi and took the lead.

Stéphane Ortelli, Frank Stippler and Nico Müller never gave up and kept pushing in all their stints. Unfortunatelly they were not able to challenge the Belgian run BMW again. In the end a very strong second in the stellar event of the Blancpain Endurance Series for the brand new Audi GT challenger following the stunning victory at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Audi Sport Team Phoenix two Audi R8 LMS cars had a very unlucky start on Saturday. Both cars lost many placeds but were able to recover and bounced back very well.

The #5 Audi R8 LMS of Nicki Thiim, Christopher Mies and Christian Mamerrow took the final spot on the podium. A special mention to Nicki Thiim who had some amazing stints with very fast lap times on Sunday morning. A great result for the Ernst Moser managed squad following all the bad luck this season in both Blancpain Endurance Series and Blancpain Sprint Series.

The sister #6 car of André Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Mike Rockenfeller took a honorable fifth place overall.

The second Audi Sport Team WRT entry, the #1 Audi R8 LMS had a very hard race and ended in twenty-first place. The car driven by Laurens Vanthoor, René Rast and Markus Winkelhock. The car lead for several hours on Saturday but lost many laps following an off from Laurens Vanthoor. The car was able to recover but lost again many laps in the final hour of the race following additional technical issues.

A senstational Spa 24 Hours race for privateer Team Parker Racing. The British squad took the Am-Cup class victory with their #24 Audi R8 LMS ultra and ended the 24-hour enduro in an amazing fourteenth place overall.

The car was driven by Benny Simonsen, Ian Loggie, Julian Westwood and Callum Macleod. The four drivers had a phenomenal race and simply dominated the Am-Cup field without making any mistake on track or pitlane.

More to come.

Photo credit: Audi Media

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Spa 24 Hours: Watch the Spa 24 Hours LIVE

Watch the 2015 Spa 24 Hours LIVE. This is round four and stellar event of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Read our qualifying report: Pole position for the new Audi R8 LMS in the Belgian classic



Photo credit: Audi Media

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Spa 24 Hours: Marcel Fässler wants victory at the Spa 24 Hours

By Jean-Baptiste Lassaux

Marcel Fässler is competing this weekend in the Spa 24 Hours behind the wheel of a brand new Audi R8 LMS. The three times Le Mans 24 Hours winner is sharing the Audi Sport Team Phoenix run car with André Lotterer and Mike Rockenfeller.

We had a quick chat today with Marcel Fässler about the demanding Belgian endurance classic.

"We are in a better position that we expected before the start of the racing weekend. I have very good feelings with this new Audi R8 LMS even though we are not using the same tires as in the Nürburgring 24 Hours"

"The car is very good in the wet and for me personally it doesn't matter if it will be a dry or a wet race. We are here to try to win and I really want to take the victory"

Photo credit: Audi Media

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Spa 24 Hours: Frank Stippler delighted with Spa 24 Hours pole position

By Tarek Ramchani

Frank Stippler took a sensational pole position in the Super Pole shootout at Spa-Francorchamps. The German Audi ace was the quickest behind the wheel of the brand new Audi R8 LMS against world class competitors.

Read our qualifying report: Pole position for the new Audi R8 LMS in the Belgian classic

"Stippi" was flying on Friday with the Audi Sport Team WRT run #2 Audi R8 LMS, he set the fastest time in the session with 2.18.130. He is sharing the car with Stéphane Ortelli and Nico Müller.

Frank Stippler was delighted with his performances and is looking forward to a strong and fought Spa 24 Hours.

“It’s great to be first. Achieving this result was difficult. In qualifying on Thursday, we were struggling with the balance of our car for a long time. At the last minute, we made the right decisions.” 

“This was the set-up we entered the top-20 qualifying session today with as well. On fresh tires, the new Audi R8 LMS was the best car I’ve ever had. The good balance on a single lap was the step in the right direction of being fast over the long run in the race too.”

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series / Audi Media

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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

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Spa 24 Hours: Perfect 1-2 Audi in the night qualifying session

By Tarek Ramchani

Perfect results for the Audi brand in the Spa 24 Hours night qualifying sessions. A 1-2 for the new Audi R8 LMS cars against world class rivals. A total of four Audi cars will compete in the special Super Pole session on Friday afternoon.

The #2 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team WRT was the fastest car overall. Frank Stippler, Nico Müller and Stephane Ortelli set the best time in the session, a 2:18.608.

Second place went to the #6 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team Phoenix. The car is driven by Marcel Fässler, Andre Lotterer and Mike Rockenfeller. They set a best time of 2:18.89 and were only 0.286 behind #2 WRT's time.

Best of the "old" Audi R8 LMS ultras was the #3 car from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. The car in the hands of Stephane Richelmi, Jean-Karl Vernay and Robin Frijns was twelfth fastest.

Sainteloc Racing performed well too, their #35 Audi R8 LMS ultra was fifteenth fastest with drivers Gregory Guilvert, Edward Sandström and Marc Basseng. While the #75 Audi R8 LMS ultra from ISR Racing was seventeenth with Filip Salaquarda, Marco Bonanomi and Frederic Vervisch.

Unlucky night qualifying session for the two remaining new Audi R8 LMS cars. The #5 from Audi Sport Team Phoenix was twenty-third with drivers Christian Mamerow, Christopher Mies and Nicki Thiim. The #1 car from Audi Sport Team WRT driven by 2014 winners Rene Rast, Laurens Vanthoor and Markus Winkelhock was twenty-eighth.

The #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Belgian Audi Club Team WRT) was fourty-sixth. The #24 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Team Parker Racing) was fourty-eighth. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Sainteloc Racing) was fifty-seventh.

The fastest 20 cars overall will be back on track tomorrow for the special Super Pole qualifying session. All of the four new Audi R8 LMS cars will take part in the session but unfortunately not a single Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Lassaux

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Spa 24 Hours: All four new Audi R8 LMS inside the top 10 in qualifying 1

By Tarek Ramchani

As was the case in the free practice session the Audi Sport customer racing squad performed very well again the opening qualifying session. All of the four new Audi R8 LMS cars made it inside the top-ten overall.

Audi Sport Team WRT ended the session in a very strong second place. The #1 Audi R8 LMS driven by Laurens Vanthoor, René Rast and Markus Winkelhock were right behind the leading BMW Z4 GT3 from BMW Sports Tropht Team Marc VDS. The gap between the BMW and the Audi was just 0.009.

The #5 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team Phoenix was fourth fastest. The car is driven by Christian Mamerow, Christopher Mies and Nicki Thiim. The car was damaged after an off with Christopher Mies behind the wheel.

André Lotter, Marcel Fassler and Mike Rockenfeller were sixth fastest driving the #6 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team Phoenix.

The second new Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team WRT was seventh. The car is driven by Frank Stippler, Nico Müller and Stéphane Ortelli.

The #3 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Belgian Audi Club Team WRT) was twentieth. The #35 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Sainteloc Racing) was twenty-fifth. The #75 Audi R8 LMS ultra (ISR Racing) was twenty-eighth. The #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Belgian Audi Club Team WRT) was thirty-third. The #24 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Team Parker Racing) was fourty-fourth. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Sainteloc Racing) was fifty-sixth.

The second qualifying session will follow next.

Photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Lassaux

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PHOTOS: Spa 24 Hours Thursday gallery

By Jean-Baptiste Lassaux

A selection of photos from Thursday's Spa 24 Hours action featuring the Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars.

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Spa 24 Hours: The Audi teams performed well in the pre-qualifying session

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi Sport customer racing squad performed very well in the pre-qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps. A total of the three Audi R8 LMS cars was inside the top-ten

Best of the four new Audi R8 LMS cars was the #1 from Audi Sport Team WRT in a very strong second overall. The car is driven by defending champions René Rast, Laurens Vanthoor and Markus Winkelhock. The three drivers set a best time of 2:19.528 and were right behind the leading #47 Ferrari 458 Italia from AF Corse.

The #6 car from Audi Sport Team Phoenix was sixth fastest. André Lotter, Marcel Fassler and Mike Rockenfeller shared the Audi R8 LMS.

The #3 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT was seventh overall. The car is driven by Stéphane Richelmi, Jean-Karl Vernay and Robin Frijns.

The second Audi Sport Team Phoenix entry was twelfth fastest with drivers Christian Mamerow, hristopher Mies and Nicki Thiim.

The #2 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team WRT was twentieth with drivers Frank Stippler, Nico Müller and Stéphane Ortelli.

The first qualifying session will follow next.

Photo credit: Endurance-Info

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Interview: Laurens Vanthoor talks about Audi's chances at the Spa 24 Hours

By Jean-Baptiste Lassaux

Laurens Vanthoor will take part in the Spa 24 Hours behind the wheel of the #1 Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team WRT. The Belgian star will target a second straight outright victory at his home event and the stellar round of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

We had a quick chat today with Laurens Vanthoor about Audi's chances in the twice around the clock Belgian classic.

"Last year we won the Spa 24 Hours and that was a highlight of a great season and my personal racing career. That said what happened in 2014 doesn't count anymore and we have to focus on the 2015 edition now."

"Right now It's too early to predict anything about the race. The new car is strong, it is already a race winning machine, and no doubts it has a lot of potential. I don't like talking about the Balance of Performance but I have to say we are a little bit worried to not be competitive enough against our rivals."

"Anyway we will have to wait and see the first practice sessions to have an idea about our chances for the race. But that doesn't mean we can't target the outright victory or at least clinch a podium finish".

"For the weather I prefer to have a dry racing weekend but Audi and the R8 LMS always been very strong in the wet. I won't have any problem with running in the wet unless it becomes too hard with true thunderstorms."

Photo credit: Audi Media / Sport-Auto.ch

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