Audi R8 LMS ultra assault on FIA GT Series

By Tarek Ramchani

A brand new GT series is being born in Europe, the FIA GT Series. “New” may not be the right word as the series is basically an evolution of the 2010-2012 FIA GT1 World Championship. As in 2012 the series will feature GT3 race cars and a two one-hour sprint race format each weekend.

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Audi: full speed ahead in motorsport too

Audi Press Release

•          Three hybrid race cars at the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours
•          Jamie Green joins DTM driver line-up
•          Activities extended in US motorsport

Ingolstadt, December 19, 2012 – With more than 1.34 million worldwide deliveries, Audi equaled last year’s sales record after only eleven months. And in motorsport, the brand with the four rings continues to charge full speed ahead too. The title defense in the FIA World Championship (WEC), the commitment in the DTM and extended activities in US racing are particularly in focus in the 2013 season. 

“Successful motorsport is part of our brand DNA,” stated Wolfgang Dürheimer, Member of the Management Board for Technical Development at AUDI AG, on Wednesday night at the “Audi Sport Finale” held at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt. “The victories on the world’s race tracks underscore our technical expertise in a particularly authentic way – and they strengthen our position on the most important world markets.”

Three hybrid race cars at Le Mans

In the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Audi is competing as the title defender in 2013. Audi Sport Team Joest will be fielding two updated Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, a third R18 e-tron quattro will be running at the Le Mans 24 Hours and the WEC race at Spa.

At Le Mans and in the WEC, Audi is thus exclusively banking on hybrid technology that was successfully introduced in 2012. The flywheel energy storage system is becoming even more powerful without any substantial increase in weight and size. Strictly in terms of its exterior, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro will hardly differ from this year’s winning car although numerous technical innovations are again assembled under the vehicle’s ultra-light carbon fiber skin. In a parallel project, Audi Sport is already intensively working on the successor car for the new LMP1 regulations that will come into effect as of 2014.

The Audi driver lineup for the WEC and Le Mans in 2013 consists of the current World Champions Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), André Lotterer (Germany) and Benoît Tréluyer (France) plus new signing Lucas di Grassi (Brazil), Loïc Duval (France), Marc Gené (Spain), Oliver Jarvis (Great Britain), Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Allan McNish (Scotland).

Jamie Green joins Audi DTM squad 

Contrary to the WEC, the technology in the DTM was frozen for the 2013 season by the regulations. Therefore, Audi Sport’s DTM squad is primarily concentrating on unlocking the Audi A5 DTM’s full potential by the time the season opens at the Hockenheimring on May 5. “We’re convinced that we were clearly beaten below our capabilities in 2012,” stresses Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “In the DTM it’s about a few tenths of a second – and we need to find these few tenths in 2013 with the A5 DTM.”

A strengthened driver lineup is to support this endeavor. In the Briton Jamie Green (30), Audi has signed one of the quickest present-day DTM drivers. “Together with our established drivers and stars we should be in an even better position than before,” adds Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. 

Remaining on board are the two-time DTM Champions, Mattias Ekström (Sweden) and Timo Scheider (Germany), Race of Champions winner Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal), the two-time season winner Edoardo Mortara (Italy), Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) and youngster Adrien Tambay (France), who by finishing the round at Valencia as the runner-up immediately clinched a podium position in his first DTM season. The decision about filling the eighth cockpit is still pending.

Strong line-up at Daytona 24 Hours

Factory drivers from the WEC and the DTM are playing a role in AUDI AG’s customer sport program as well. In the 24-hour race at Daytona (Florida) on January 26/27, Filipe Albuquerque, Oliver Jarvis and Edoardo Mortara will be driving an Audi R8 GRAND-AM of the Alex Job Racing team. The cockpits of two other R8 cars will be occupied by high-caliber racers as well. Marc Basseng, René Rast and Frank Stippler will be driving for APR Motorsport, Frank Biela, Christopher Haase and GT1 World Champion Markus Winkelhock for Rum Bum Racing. In addition, each squad will be joined by an American driver.

Intensified commitment in the United States GRAND-AM Series

With the 24-hour race at Daytona and an intensified commitment in the GRAND-AM Series, Audi is ringing in its return to US racing. In the United States, the brand with the four rings is recording stronger growth than the US market as a whole, particularly in the prestigious large-premium-car segment. The racing activities in the United States are intended to support this trend over the long run.

Therefore, an entry of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro in the 12-hour race at Sebring (Florida), which Audi has won on ten occasions, on March 16 is in planning as well. “It looks like this may be the last opportunity to compete with an LMP1 car at Sebring,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We’d really like to use this chance and say goodbye to the fans with a nice showing after our fantastic success story in recent years.”

This may not have to be a final farewell, though. In 2014, the GRAND-AM Series and the American Le Mans Series will merge to form a new North American Sports Car Championship that might be of interest to Audi. Furthermore, the US fans will have another opportunity in 2013 to watch the Audi R18 e-tron in action as the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will visit Austin (Texas) on September 22.

Evolution version of the Audi R8 LMS ultra

But Audi is not neglecting the customer sport market in Europe and the rest of the world either. An evolution version of the Audi R8 LMS ultra GT3 sports car that mainly differs from the current model in the area of the rear section will start to be delivered to customers by quattro GmbH in February 2013.

Customer teams supported by Audi Sport customer racing will be competing in the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring (Germany) and at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) in 2013. The increasingly diverse customer sport program of AUDI AG will be complemented by the Audi R8 LMS Cup in China that was successfully launched in 2012.

“We’ve got a very attractive offering for our customers with the updated versions of the R8 GRAND-AM and the R8 LMS ultra plus the Cup in China,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “We’re expecting to deliver the 100th customer car during the course of 2013.”

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Video: WRT 2012 season review

By Johan Laubscher

In only three years the W Racing Team (WRT) have established themselves as one of the best European GT racing teams. During 2012 They competed on many fronts which included, most notably: The FIA GT1 World Championship, the Blancpain Endurance Championship and the Nürburgring 24 Hours. They achieved much success during the year with the highlight being their title defense in the Blancpain series.

The team have become well known for creating excellent event videos and their latest video is included below. It is a review of their 2012 season and includes their up and down roller-coaster ride throughout 2012, enjoy.  

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Video: 2012 FIA GT1 Season Highlights - WRT Audi R8 LMS ultra

By Johan Laubscher

2012 marked the first year where GT3 cars were allowed in the FIA GT1 World Championship. The series was set up to allow the manufacturers to be represented by one customer team each. For Audi it was the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT who represented the four rings. The year got off to a very strong start with two 1-2 finishes at Nagaro. After the opening race it was an up and down affair during the rest of the season. The team battled hard during the events and achieved a few more race wins. In the end the WRT team achieved third place in the team’s standings. The GT1 championship provided great and exciting racing this year. Here is the official season highlights film, enjoy:

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Audi R8 LMS Ultra - Pure Sound

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi R8 LMS ultra isn't only a victorious car but it also produces a beautiful exhaust note. One of the best to hear in the world of Grand Touring cars. The 5.2L V10 is nearly a production based one, and here in the R16 it sounds brilliant. Here is the proof from Circuit Zolder, which hosted the Belgian round of the FIA GT1 World Championship. Just watch and listen.

Audi R8 LMS on Facebook

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Belgian Audi Club Team WRT to target top 3 in final FIA GT1 round in the UK

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

The 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship is coming to an end this weekend with its final round rescheduled in the United Kingdom. It's the beautiful circuit of Donington Park, in the East Midlands, that will host this ninth round. For the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, the objective, after a season with some ups and downs, is to finish in the final top 3 in both the Teams and Drivers standings. At the moment, this is the case in the Teams rankings while the squad's best-placed duo is lying fourth in the Drivers hierarchy. This is the #32 pair composed of Laurens Vanthoor and Stéphane Ortelli. But, with no hopes for the title left and a clashing round of the French GT Tour, where WRT defends the colours of Audi France, the Monegasque has been ‘diverted' to France. His seat will be taken by experienced Northern Irish driver Adam Carroll. Donington will be, of course, the home race for Oliver Jarvis, who shares the #33 car with Frank Stippler, and the duo is determined to finish the season on a high.

"It's the last race of the season for the FIA GT1 and also for the championship in its current form", reflects Team Principal Vincent Vosse. "It has been a tough season, which started very well with the double win at Nogaro. In-between, there have been a number of ups and downs, and we are coming to the last event with no chances to fight for the titles. Still, the objective is to do as well as we can and finish on a high note. Most of all, we really would like to be on the championship's podium in both categories and that's what we'll go for."

As said, Adam Carroll will join the team at this occasion. Vosse explains: "The rescheduling of this last round has brought quite an unusual situation; there is the clash of dates with the French GT Tour and we decided to have Stéphane there, as he is cut off from the title battle in the FIA GT1. Unfortunately, there are many GT races this weekend around the world, and there were no Audi drivers available to sub for Ortelli. After having a look around, we have decided to give an opportunity to Adam. It's always interesting to try new drivers, and he impressed me in a Blancpain race earlier this year. He's also a very experienced driver and knows Donington well, so we decided to invite him to join the team for this final round.". The 29-year old Northern Irish has indeed a rich career under his belt, despite his young age. A British F3 vice-champion and a winner of the A1 GP series, he's also raced successfully in GP2, WSR, Indycar and AutoGP.

His team mate next weekend, Laurens Vanthoor, looks forward to meeting him: "I don't know him personally, but I have heard highly of him and talked to him over the phone yesterday. I am sure he'll do well. He can teach me Donington, where I have never raced, and I will teach him the R8!".

Donington Park, the fast and technical 4.023-km track that has hosted in the past F.1 and MotoGP Grand-Prix, is new to the WRT Team, who will rely on the knowledge of the track of its British drivers. Oliver Jarvis, clearly, knows the place well and he is eager to be there. "It's nice to have an unexpected home race to finish the FIA GT1 season!", he reckons. "Donington is one of the great British tracks and I'm sure everybody will enjoy it." The Brit and his German team mate, Frank Stippler, who has raced in Donington with classic cars, will be willing to clinch the win that has eluded them a number of times during the season.

The two one-hour races will follow the usual FIA GT1 format, with the first one kicking off at 14:45 (UK time) on Saturday and the second one at 12:45 on Sunday.

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Watch FIA GT1 LIVE from the Nürburgring

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA GT1 World Championship main race is about to start at the Nürburgring. The #32 Audi R8 LMS ultra of WRT Belgian Audi Club will start from a very strong second in the hands of Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor. The #33 Audi of Frank Stippler and Oliver Jarvis will start from seventh.

Live Timing is here.

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Video: WRT and Audi back to winning ways in FIA GT1 at Moscow

By Johan Laubscher

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT went to Moscow after a FIA GT1 season of ups and downs. Round one was a WRT white wash as they took first and second in both races. After the fairytale finish at Nagaro it was a difficult season that followed. However this came to an end at Moscow. WRT dominated the qualifying race and almost claimed another one two finish. The full race video is available below. The two WRT cars looked stunning as they circulated closely on track during their lead battle. Enjoy the race footage. 

More information:

FIA GT1 YouTube channel

FIA GT1 website

Note: This video may have geographical restrictions, it is uploaded at the official GT1World YouTube channel.

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FIA GT1 Live Stream from Russia - Belgian Audi Club WRT

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA GT1 World Championship is in Russia this weekend. The WRT Belgian Audi Club competing with their pair of regular Audi R8 LMS ultra cars: #32 with Stephane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoors and the #33 with Oliver Jarvis and Frank Stippler.

Live Stream for the event right here

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Belgian Audi Club Team WRT ready to explore new territories

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

The FIA GT1 World Championship is going to set history this weekend, as its next round will be the first FIA world event to take place on a circuit in Russia. The première reflects the growing interest of Russians for motorsports and the importance that this huge market is taking in the automotive world and motor racing. A brand new circuit means ‘unknown territory' for everyone and this may bring very interesting and open races. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT sees this situation as an opportunity to do well and return to the podium, something that was shortly missed at the last event at the Slovakiaring, despite the excellent work of Stéphane Ortelli-Laurens Vanthoor, Frank Stippler-Oliver Jarvis and the entire team. The Belgian Audis R8 are really eager to get back where they should be...

Located in Volokolamskiy, 70 km North-West from the Red Square, the Moscow Raceway was inaugurated only a few weeks ago, with an event of the World Series FR 3.5, and it is hoped that the unavoidable technical problems that arose in that first event have been solved. The track is 3,931 meters long and has been designed by international expert Herman Tilke. No surprise, then, that it is a mix of fast and slower sections, with corners of almost all typology. "We will have to see how it works with GT cars in terms of rhythm", says Laurens Vanthoor, "if the succession of braking and acceleration is not too harsh, it should suit the Audis." The young Belgian, as his team mates, has tried to learn as much as possible about this unknown track, using TV footage and simulations, but has the advantage of having received direct advice from former single-seater colleagues that raced there in the inaugural event.

"We expect to be faced with some difficulties and it can't be otherwise when you go to a brand new circuit, in a country where there is still little tradition of competition and event organization at this level", explains WRT Sports Director Pierre Dieudonné, "Logistics are not easy either. It has been a long journey for our trucks, which traveled on convoy and under escort with the trucks of the other teams from the Russian border to the circuit, but so far everything is under control." Weather conditions may also play a role, as predictions point to rainy and cold weather.

The objective, for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, is to do well and to aim at the podium. "We had a good pace in Slovakia two weeks ago and only external factors prevented to be on the podium", continues Dieudonné, "I hope we can capitalize on that. The small weight compensations announced by the FIA ahead of this round could help, although they do not solve the fundamental issues with the balance of performance. What is sure is that, contrarily to others, our fighting spirit is intact. We are not in the best position in the two championships, but as long as we can make it, we'll fight for them!"

The event will follow an unusual 2-day format schedule, with both the Qualifying Race and the Championship Race taking place on Sunday, at 9:15 and 13:15 respectively (in Central European time, which runs two hours behind Moscow's time. Also to be noted is that as from this race the FIA GT1 World and the FIA GT3 Europe are merging grids.

Photo credit: SRO / FIA GT1 World Championship

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Belgium Audi Club leaves Slovakia with top five finishes

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

Three top 5 finishes and some regrets in second visit to Slovakia

The revision of the calendar of the second half of the season of the FIA GT1 World has meant a shorter holiday break for everyone and a second visit to the Slovakiaring this weekend. In very warm conditions, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has brought home three finishes in the top 5, but those results were again source of some frustration, as without a puncture on car #33 on Saturday and a drive-through inflicted on car #32 on Sunday, the podium and maybe even victory was within reach of the Audis R8 LMS ultra, which appeared to suffer less of the balance of performance. “We feel frustrated”, concluded Team Principal Vincent Vosse, “as we had a good card to play, although I believe we are still far from the BMWs. It is true also that our pit stops were difficult, but this will be the case as long as we are not allowed to use the same equipment as the other teams, as we can do in the Blancpain Endurance Series.”

The weekend had started with some promising performance in qualifying, with Stéphane Ortelli achieving the fastest time in Session 1 and declaring: “I took a lot of pleasure pushing the car, it feels much better than on free practice.” Eventually Ortelli-Vanthoor qualified fourth on the grid, right ahead of Stippler-Jarvis.

On Saturday, the Race 1, the Qualifying race, started under very warm weather, with Vanthoor somehow missing his kick-off and losing four positions, while Jarvis gained one to take fourth in the initial lap. The fight is intense among the top five, but in lap 6, Jarvis suffers a puncture in the first corner and his race ends there, as he cannot complete one entire lap without damage and losing too much time. Vanthoor, with an impressive drive, is back to fourth place, but the car drops to five during the pit stop, made difficult by a broken wheel nut. Despite that, Ortelli performs a great stint and reduces his gap, to secure fifth only 1” from the third. 

It’s again very warm on Sunday for the Championship race, which sees Ortelli and Stippler keeping their positions in the opening lap (5th and 12th, respectively) and then climbing progressively through the field. When the driver change window opens, they are third and seventh respectively, but the two Audis delay the pit stop to the maximum. When they come out again, they are fourth and sixth, and the fastest cars on the track at that moment. Jarvis will eventually take fourth after a great stint, with Vanthoor finishing fifth after having lost one position for a drive-through inflicted for an alleged infringement during the pit stop, which was not very clear to anyone in the team.

Laurens Vanthoor was quite disappointed about this sanction: “When I heard that on the radio, I couldn’t believe it. After that, it was difficult to stay focused on the drive. It is so frustrating, we really had the pace this time to compete with the top cars and the Mercedes, we were aiming to the podium…”

The young Belgian was echoed by Oliver Jarvis, who could nurture some regrets at the end of the weekend. “It was really a pity to suffer this puncture in the initial part of Race 1”, commented the Englishman, “as a podium finish was on sight. Unfortunately, the incident not only deprived us of a podium on Saturday, but it impacted on the entire weekend, as it put us on a poor grid position for Sunday. Our pace in Race 2, though, proved that we are competitive and making progress, and that is the positive of the weekend”.

Photo credit: SRO / FIA GT1 World Championship

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Watch FIA GT1 LIVE from Slovakia Ring

By Johan Laubscher

The FIA GT1 World Championship is at the Slovakia Ring this weekend. Two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from Belgian Audi club Team WRT are on the grid and battling for top places. Here is the official Live broadcast of the event, provided by the series organisers on YouTube. Enjoy the racing!

More information:
FIA GT1 website
FIA GT1 YouTube channel 

Cover photo by Jean-Baptiste Lassaux from www.autorennsport.ch

Please note this stream is not available in the USA.

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The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT back to the podium in the FIA GT1

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT achieved to visit the podium again in a FIA GT1 event, thanks to the third position conquered by Frank Stippler and Oliver Jarvis in Race 1 of the Portimão round. This is the first podium since the successful two double wins in the opening round at Nogaro, and the main take-away of the long journey to the Algarve, which also brought one other points finish for Laurens Vanthoor and Stéphane Ortelli, who took 10th and 6th, respectively, in the two Portuguese races. While the team is happy of the work done on the track and in the pits, the speed handicap resulting from the current balance of performance remains unchanged.

The weekend in Portugal started with the awareness that the Audis R8 LMS ultra of the Belgian squad still had to struggle with lower top speed with respect to the competition. Notwithstanding this, Stippler qualified in 7th and Vanthoor in 10th.

In Race 1, Jarvis and Vanthoor had a somehow difficult start of the race, but a safety-car period would prompt an earlier first pit stop. The Audi #32 was among the first ones to stop, with Ortelli rejoining the race in P12, while car #33 waited until the very end of the window to come in. That, and an excellent pit stop, revealed to be the good strategic move, as Stippler rejoined the race in second position. The German would have to fight against the BMW of Buurman to retain P2, but had to concede it in the final laps. “The BMW was simply faster”, said the German driver, “I was struggling to keep it behind in all the fast sections, especially in the long and fast last corner before the straight.” Still, the third position and the podium were an excellent reward for the team, while Ortelli brought the other car to tenth position.

In Race 2, bad luck was waiting for the R8 best placed in the grid, as Stippler got hit by the Ferrari of Vilander at the first corner, following a contact between the Finn and the Ford. The Audi was forced back to the pits with tire and suspension damage, and although the pit crew did whatever possible to repair and send back to the track the R8, the German was forced to call it a day: “The car had been damaged and going on would have been useless and dangerous.”

On his side, Ortelli was in a stable P8 during his stint, and the car gained one position thanks to an excellent pit stop. The second half of the race saw a superb fight from Vanthoor, who managed to conquer P5 before being passed by Kox and then sent into a spin by Mayr-Meinhof. The young Belgian was bound to finish eighth, but could gain two positions in the final lap when the Porsche ahead of him stopped and Mayr-Meinhof received a drive-through penalty. “I had a quite lively afternoon”, said Laurens after the race, “but there was little more we could aim at.”

The weekend left Vincent Vosse with a somehow sweet-and-sour taste: “To be back on the podium after four rounds is certainly great news”, commented Team WRT’s Principal, “and we could have repeated that in Race 2 without the race incidents suffered. I think we can be proud of that and of the excellent work accomplished once again by the drivers and the entire team. We had the fastest pit stop on Saturday and the second-fastest on Sunday, this is quite telling. But, on the other side, we are still penalized in top speed and acceleration by the balance of performance. It is quite frustrating not to be where we could be and to be barred from fighting with the top contenders.”

The FIA GT1 World Championship now comes to a still, and the attention of the GT community is now focusing on the Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, ‘the’ race of the year, which will take place the last weekend of July. Endurance will be the main parameter there and the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is well determined to retain the crown conquered last year…

Photo credit: SRO

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Fine third for WRT Audi in FIA GT1 qualifying race at Portimao

By Tarek Ramchani

Portimao is hosting round 5 of the FIA GT1 World Championship this weekend. The WRT team did very well in the qualifying race.

A very sunny and hot qualifying race saw the #33 Audi R8 LMS ultra shared by factory drivers Oliver Jarvis and Frank Stippler ending in a fine third place finish. The car started from position seven, but later with Jarvis moving into the race he was able to fight for top spots. A perfect pit stop from the Belgian Audi Club crew sent them back on track in second right behind the leading Mercedes-Bens SLS AMG GT3. Stippler later battled hard with a BMW Z4 GT3 for second, in the end the German driver landed in a very promising third place.

The sister #32 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Laurens Vanthoor and Stephane Ortelli had a very hard race. The car started from position twelve and wasn't able to fight for top positions. In the end Stephane Ortelli could only bring the car home in tenth overall. For tomorrow's main "Championship Race" both cars will start as they finished today. Oretlli and Vanthoor are the best ranked Audi driver in the overall championship standings. They will have to fight hard to improve and score vital points. The car today proved to be one of the strongest in the Portuguese weekend. We wish the best of luck for the WRT team to have strong results tomorrow.

Photo credit: Patrick Hecq / Belgian Audi Club

More information:
Belgian Audi Club official website
WRT official website
FIA GT1 World Championship official website

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Belgian Audi Club Team WRT back to the FIA GT1 with renewed ambitions

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, but with no time to sunbath! The 2012 race calendar of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is such that events follow one another with almost no interruption. After winning Round 3 of the Blancpain Endurance Series last Sunday at Paul Ricard, the Belgian squad is heading to the most South-Western track in Europe, the Autódromo do Algarve in Portimão. The beautiful circuit overlooking the Portuguese holiday resort is hosting the fifth round of the FIA GT1 World Championship. The Audis R8 LMS ultra of Laurens Vanthoor-Stéphane Ortelli and Frank Stippler-Oliver Jarvis will seek to re-launch themselves to the top, provided the balance of performance allows it!

Following the recent success in the Blancpain, a part of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has stayed in France for a 3-day physical/mental campus in the Alps. Unsurprisingly in this period, where the Tour de France dominates the sports scene, cycling is a big part of the training sessions. Between one session and the other, Laurens Vanthoor, told: "We will definitely be fit for the Portimão race! This training is quite useful, the weather is excellent and we are having a good time. Of course, everybody is trying to beat each other, and the boss [Vincent Vosse] thinks he is the fastest. That may be true only when we go downhill..."

The atmosphere in the team, in any case, is excellent, and the young Belgian looks forward to his first visit to the Portuguese track. "I have never been there", he explains, "but from what I have seen in footage and at the simulator, it is a very exciting track and one that should suit our cars. I just hope we will not be too penalized by the balance of performance. We will be arriving early in Portimão in order to have time to discover the track."

The young Belgian is echoed by his team mate on the other car Frank Stippler, who will also be a rookie in Portimão. "It is always a challenge when you go to a new circuit, especially when it's a difficult and exciting one such as Portimão", reckons the German, "but I am told it is a natural track on the hills, similar to Spa or the Nürburgring, and I like those! For the rest, we'll see where we will be with respect to the competition, but the objective is to be again with the front-runners. For sure, WRT is a very professional and determined team and I feel happy to be part of it."

Team Principal Vincent Vosse looks forward to this next FIA GT1 round: Portimão brought us well last year, as we won there our first European GT3 race. It's a track that should suit us well, as it has no long straights and has some fast corners. This said, it all depends, once again, on the balance of performance, and I must say that at the Ricard I saw some of our competitors going really fast. It didn't have such a dramatic impact in the Blancpain, as the races are longer and driver line-ups very diverse, but it is an issue in the FIA GT1. Our objective will be the same as always: to stay very focused on what we have to do and do it well, avoiding any mistake. We have the best driver line-up and a team that works hard and well, let's make a good use of that. It is essential, at this stage of the championship that we come back to the top of the standings."

The event will respect the traditional schedule of the FIA GT1, with the Qualifying Race taking place on Saturday at 13:15 (local time) and the Championship Race (both of 60 minutes) on Sunday at 14:15.

Photo credit: Markus Berns / SRO

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Handful of good points for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in Slovakia

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

As anticipated, the Slovak round of the FIA GT1 World Championship proved challenging for the Audis R8 LMS ultra of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, but the drivers of the Belgian squad managed to salvage some useful points from the struggle. In a track not favorable to the R8s, further penalized by the current balance of performance, Oliver Jarvis-Frank Stippler took a 6th and a 5th in the two races, while StéphaneOrtelli-Laurens Vanthoor were 6th in Race 2, despite being handicapped by a poor top speed. The feeling among team members on Sunday afternoon was that little more could be done, under the circumstances...

"It's exactly that", confirms Sports Director Pierre Dieudonné, "we did the best we could, and although there is a little sense of frustration, we are satisfied to bring home good points and have the impression that we have done the maximum we could. It was a solid race from our drivers, who have the merit to never give up, and of the entire team, but when you are penalized in top speed, there is little more that you can do. It's something that handicaps you at the start, in every re-acceleration at the exit of corners, in the straights, everywhere. It is very difficult to win duels and overtake in these conditions, so the only thing you can do is to defend, and that's what we did."

The first qualifying sessions had been quite positive for the Audis; eventually, Frank Stippler put the #33 in P4 on the grid, while the #32 was eighth, after StéphaneOrtelli went off at high speed but with little damage in his first flying lap.

At the start of Race 1, under warm and humid weather, Vanthoor lost several positions, finishing his stint in 11th, while Jarvis retained an interesting P4. The second stint sawOrtelli battling with the Lambos and Bartels, stabilizing in P10 before the rain started to fall. An off-track definitely killed the points hopes of the #32, which was then called to the pits to put wet tires. It eventually finished 11th. On the #33, Stippler couldn't contain the assaults of three rivals with faster cars in the re-acceleration sectors, but thanks to two retirements, the German kept a good 6th position, despite a slight off-track on the slippery surface in the last lap.

Race 2 was a little bit more comforting, as both cars managed to finish in the top 6. It was a difficult start for car #33, with Stippler englued among quicker cars and lying in 13th position in the initial laps. On the contrary, Ortelli, on the #32, managed to pass a couple of rivals to stabilize in 6th position. The Monegasque then had two fierce duels with Parisy first and Ide later, coming into the pits for the driver change, at the very end of the window, in P8. Stippler had been among the first ones to come in, and thanks to a timely and perfect pit stop, the car gained a few positions, starting the second stint in P6. Jarvis gained one more position to finish 5th, and the same did Laurens Vanthoor right behind him. The young Belgian gave life to a very lively duel with the second Vita4One BMW, whom he eventually passed.

The race calendar of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT now foresees a two-week break before the next race, which will be the third round of the Blancpain Endurance Series, at the end of the month, at the Circuit Paul Ricard, in France.

Photo credits: Markus Berns / SRO

More information:

Belgian Audi Club official website
WRT official website
FIA GT1 World Championship official website

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Video: Ortelli saves WRT Audi R8 LMS ultra from disaster

By Johan Laubscher

Round 4 of the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship is being held at the Slovakia Ring. A track infamous for the flying back straight where cars can get there front wheels lifting off the ground. 

For Audi fans there was a big scare during qualifying this morning. Stéphane Ortelli in the #32 WRT Audi R8 LMS was pushing like crazy to extract every last bit of performance from the Audi R8 LMS ultra when he had a massive high speed off. Ortelli displayed huge amounts of car control has he managed to miss the wall not once but twice. This off was a massive scare for Audi fans as the possible contact with the wall would probably have ended the #32 car crew’s weekend, or at least ended that specific chassis’s participation.

Some are blaming offs like this on BoP (Balance of performance) which is resulting in drivers having to drive above the limit because of performance disadvantages due to the vagrancies of the rules. The effects of BoP are clearly visibly amongst the teams on the FIA GT1 grid, some for better and others for worse. BoP is a very difficult and equally sensitive topic in racing, hopefully it will be improved for FIA GT1 very soon, it would be a shame if the class of FIA GT1 becomes tainted due to something like BoP. 

Stéphane Ortelli saves the #32 WRT Audi R8 LMS ultra

More information:
FIA GT1 website
FIA GT1 YouTube channel

The images are from the official FIA GT1 Youtube channel qualifying highlights video

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Belgian Audi Club Team WRT prepares to take up the challenge in Slovakia

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

After a successful weekend in the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone, which saw both Belgian Audi Club Team WRT cars finishing on the podium, the Belgian Audis are off again to the FIA GT1 World Championship. The fourth round of the world's top GT series takes place this weekend at the Slovakiaring, the recently-built track in the outskirts of Bratislava. While Silverstone has been reassuring on the potential of the entire package, the team knows this Slovak round of the FIA GT1 World is going to be challenging. On one side, the Slovak track - where Team WRT has raced last year in the European FIA GT3 - is not, on paper, the most fitting for the R8 LMS ultras, and on the other side, the current balance of performance is not very favorable either. However, the entire squad and the two driver line-ups composed of Stéphane Ortelli-Laurens Vanthoor and Frank Stippler-Oliver Jarvis are determined to do their utmost.

Despite the anticipated difficulties, spirits are high in the Belgian camp, as pointed out by team principal Vincent Vosse: "We want to stay on the trend reinitiated at Silverstone, although we know it is going to be a challenging task in Slovakia. The governing bodies of the series have decided not to change the balance of performance, so we will be in the same configuration as in Navarra. It's the principle of balance of performance and there is little we can do to change that. Hence, we will have to fight with the weapons we have, and we are determined to do well and bring back heavy points, which start to be crucial at this stage of the championship. The Audis struggled a bit last year on this track, we will have to see if we can improve from one year to the other, and I rely a lot on our drivers, as we definitely have the best line-ups in the series."

Since 2011, the circuit has undergone some modifications, with the addition of a chicane ahead of the uphill section, in order to avoid cars jumping. This is not necessarily good news for the Audis, as it will add another braking and re-acceleration zone. The team is in no way deterred from its objectives and, as part of its ongoing working programme, will be on Thursday in Spa-Francorchamps for a testing session, aimed principally, but not exclusively, at the forthcoming 24 Hours race.

In Slovakia, the four drivers of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be confronted to an additional inconvenience: none of them have raced at the Slovakiaring before. Having to discover the track, nevertheless, doesn't pose a major challenge to nowadays' professional drivers, as Laurens Vanthoor explains. "What I usually do when I have to go to a new circuit is try to have as much information before-hand", says the young Belgian, "This includes watching TV footage, talking to colleagues that have experience on that track, study whatever data available from previous races and exercising at the simulator. Of course, reality is always different from what you can see or hear before, but at least you have some pretty good idea of the place. Once on spot, the first thing is to explore the circuit, by foot, to see all the details about the tarmac, the kerbs, etc. and corroborate what you already know." Vanthoor hasn't yet a firm opinion on what weekend could be like: "Difficult to say, we will have some first answers after free practice, but from what I can tell, the circuit looks interesting, with a good mix of slow and fast corners."

The event will respect the traditional schedule of the FIA GT1, with the Qualifying Race taking place on Saturday at 13:45 and the Championship Race (both of 60 minutes) on Sunday at 14:45.

Photo credit: Markus Berns / SRO

More information:
Belgian Audi Club official website
WRT official website
FIA GT1 World Championship official website

Audi R8 LMS ultra - WRT Belgian Audi Club

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WRT Belgian Audi Club hard weekend in FIA GT1 at Navarra

By Tarek Ramchani 

Navarra hosted the third round of the FIA GT1 World Championship this weekend. The WRT Belgian Audi Club had dominated the season opener at Nogaro but struggled during round 2 at Zolder, their home track last time out. The Belgians arrived in Spain as the series points leaders and had a very mixed weekend at Circuito de Navarra.

Qualifying Race: 

WRT Belgian Audi Club - Audi R8 LMS ultra

After a disappointing qualifying session, the two Belgian Audi Club R8s started from lower positions. Sixth was the #32 Audi of Laurens Vanthoor and Stephane Ortelli. The sister #33 with Frank Stippler and Oliver Jarvis was further back in position ten. Both Vanthoor and Stippler were the starting drivers. It was reasonably obvious after all of the free practice and qualifying sessions that the team won't be able to challenge for the top spots. Both cars were running together for the first part of the 60 minute sprint race fighting in the middle of the pack. After the mandatory pit stops, a really fierce battle started for positions seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth. The two R8 LMS ultra now in hands of Stephane Ortelli (car #32) and Oliver Jarvis (car #33) battled with a 458 GT3, a 997 GT3 R and a Z4 GT3. Hard fights on track with the five cars switching places for that seventh place finish. Both Ortelli and Jarvis pushed too hard and they almost collided. Thankfully this time no touch as last time at Zolder and the two cars kept fighting. In the end the two cars finished grouped in positions eighth and ninth. Oliver Jarvis with the #33 Audi just ahead of Stepahne Ortelli and the #32 R8. Race victory went to Hexis Racing and their McLaren MP4-12C cars. The French team scoring a 1-2 win. 

Championship Race:

WRT Belgian Audi Club - Audi R8 LMS ultra

Sunday’s main "Championship Race" was almost the same as the "Qualifying" race. Both Audis were only able to fight in the middle of the pack. Stephane Ortelli with the #32 R8 LMS and Oliver Jarvis in the #33 car did fight again for track positions. Ortelli was the last driver to pit almost seconds before the pit window was closed. That wasn't enough and the car again dropped back. In the closing stages Laurens Vanthoor was able to fight back with a clearly "inferior" Audi R8 LMS ultra. The young Belgian did a great job battling with and passing some cars.  Vanthoor almost lost his R8 in a battle with a Porsche GT3 R and a Ferrari 458 GT3. In the end Oliver Jarvis and Frank Stippler finished in eighth with Stephane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor in tenth. Race win went again to the French Hexis Racing and their McLaren MP4-12C ahead of two Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 from All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport.

Overall it was a very disappointing weekend for the Belgian Audi Club WRT in Spain. The Audi R8 LMS ultra is without any doubts one of the strongest GT3 racers around. However in the FIA GT1 World Championship at Navarra it was clear that the car has been strongly penalized by the Balance of Performance. In the championship points standings Laurens Vanthoor and Stephane Ortelli have lost their series lead, now being in third overall. We hope things will be better for the Belgian Audi squad at the next round which will be held at the Slovakia Ring

Photo credit: Markus Berns / SRO

More information:
Belgian Audi Club official website
WRT official website
FIA GT1 World Championship official website

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Belgian Audi Club Team WRT to defend leadership at Navarra

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

Following the first 24-Hour race of the year performed by the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT last weekend at the Nürburgring, the FIA GT1 World Championship is back on the focus of the Belgian squad, with the third round taking place this coming weekend at Navarra, in Spain. For the team, the objective is simple: maintain, and possibly, extend the leadership it currently enjoys in both the Drivers' and Teams' overall standings. The two Audis R8 LMS ultra of Stéphane Ortelli-Laurens Vanthoor and Oliver Jarvis-Frank Stippler are ready to take up the challenge on a circuit where Team WRT has some very good memories.

Last year, indeed, the Belgian Audi Club cars won the European FIA GT3 event in Northern Spain and took pole and second in the Blancpain Endurance Series. "Clearly, this doesn't mean much ahead of this weekend's event", clarifies Team WRT Sports Director Pierre Dieudonné, "It only shows that the R8s like this track. It's also a circuit where we have been testing last winter, so we certainly have a good amount of information and data. As we all know, it is a natural track, with a very interesting design, and one that can be tough on brakes, especially in case of high temperatures, which is something that we can expect at this period of the year."

For Team Principal Vincent Vosse, the objective is clear: "We had an excellent start of the season, with the double win at Nogaro, and then a difficult second round at Zolder. The objective in Spain is to be closer to what we achieved in France! Realistically, we go there to get some heavy points and to be in the top three, in order to keep a very good position towards the championships." Vosse reckons that "Navarra is a circuit that we know well and where we have done well last year, but every event is a different story. The Balance of Performance has slightly changed once again before this race, and not in our favor, but this is something that will always keep changing and we have to live with it."

From a driver perspective, Navarra is certainly one of the most appreciated rounds in the calendar, as Stéphane Ortelli, who shares the wheel of championship leading R8, confirms: "It is a fantastic track, very technical, the kind of track that every driver likes. It goes up and down through the hills, and in a number of corners the surface has some inclination, positive or negative. The turns are mostly medium-slow, which generally is not the most interesting configuration, but here they are really technical, and Turn 1 is a nice fast curve. On top, it is a nice venue, very well managed and, despite being only a couple of years old, this is a circuit that is becoming a reference in motorsports."

One of the drivers of the other Belgian R8, Frank Stippler, is of course a very happy man these days, as he still savors his success in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring: "Audi made it, it was the objective for this year and it comes as a nice reward to many years of hard work", explains one of the key players in the development of the Audi R8 LMS, "I feel very happy also because the competition this year was really of a high level, with 30 top cars driven by professional drivers and able to win". Together with his team mate, Oliver Jarvis, the German is anxious "to be at Navarra on Friday and see where we stand, although this is a circuit where our cars should do well."

Photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Lassaux / Autorennsport

More information:
Belgian Audi Club official website
WRT official website
FIA GT1 World Championship official website

WRT Belgian Audi Club - Audi R8 LMS ultra

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