PHOTOS: AmD Tuning Audi S3 in BTCC media day at Donington Park

Fresh new photos from AmD Tuning featuring their Audi S3 Sedan in British Touring Car Championship. The car was on display at Donington Park weeks ago ahead of the 2015 BTCC season.

The car will be driven by Nicolas Hamilton in the second part of the 2015 season. The S3 looks gorgeous with its all black Monster Engery livery.

Photo credit: AmD Tuning

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BTCC: Strong start and nearly a win for Rob Austin Racing at Brands Hatch

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

Worcestershire team Rob Austin Racing enjoyed its most competitive start to a British Touring Car Championship season yet with drivers Rob Austin (Evesham) and Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead) achieving five out of a possible six points-scoring results at Brands Hatch and Rob also coming close to converting pole position into a race victory…

Thirteenth and 16th in qualifying for Rob and Hunter became 14th and 18th in race one of three when a gamble to run the softer Dunlop race tyre on their Exocet AlcoSense Audi A4s didn’t work out. But in race two, on the harder compound tyre, performance was improved and Rob was able to finish 10th and Hunter 11th.

Rob had been 12th starting the last lap but when Hunter and another driver were delayed in a tangle just in front of him he was able to pass both to take 10th – which became pole position for race three when he picked the number 10 ball in the reversed grid draw.

Live on ITV4, Rob led race three from pole until lap 20 of 27 when he was passed by the manufacturer-backed Honda and MG of Matt Neal and Jack Goff. A botched move by MG driver Andrew Jordan to pass him later around the lap then forced Rob back to an eventual fifth place finish.

Hunter had been looking good for a best-ever eighth only for his car’s power steering to fail in the closing laps and he fell to 10th.

Rob leaves Brands Hatch equal 11th out of 28 drivers in the BTCC’s points table with Hunter 14th. Exocet AlcoSense is sixth in the HiQ Teams Championship. Rob and Hunter are fifth and seventh in the Independent Drivers Championship and Exocet AlcoSense third in the Independent Teams standings.

Rob said: “I’m slightly frustrated without how things have worked out today. The decision to run the soft tyre in race one really wrecked our day but I still managed points in all three races. In that third one of course I wanted the win but a podium would still have been nice – fair play to Neal and Goff; they got me fair and square and if I’m honest I was surprised by how well the Honda looked after its soft tyres. The incident with Jordan… he’s not a dirty driver so I think he just misjudged it and it’s cost us both.

“But this is the best start we’ve had to a BTCC season. We’ve been up there hustling and fighting for good results with both cars and our restructured team behind the scenes has worked together better than ever before. Hunter has been right in the mix which is terrific for him and we’re leaving with two cars very much in tact and raring to go at Donington in two weeks.”

Hunter added: “Once we’d got the soft tyre out of the way in race one we could go on the attack a bit more, but I think Rob was a jammy sod to get that tenth in race two and then end up on pole – it could have been mine!

“Race three… I had the battery warning light come on mid-race and from there started shutting various systems down to try to save it. Three laps to go I felt the power steering start to stiffen a lot and on the last lap it was nearly impossible to keep going. Into the last bend I was still in eighth which would have been my best result, but then it basically seized all together and I’ve no idea how I got it round to the line. It’s built my biceps up nicely. Still I’ve equalled my best result of tenth twice today and I’m not sure if the results have actually reflected just how strong we can be yet.”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing

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BTCC: 'Traffic' thwarts Austin & Abbott in Brands Hatch BTCC qualifying‏

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

Rob Austin Racing duo Rob Austin (Evesham) and Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead) both say traffic cost them their chance of qualifying inside the top ten on the grid for the opening race of the new Dunlop British Touring Car season at Brands Hatch tomorrow (Easter Sunday).

Both Exocet AlcoSense Audis – the most striking looking cars on the grid – had shown well in the two earlier practice sessions but Rob and Hunter then found themselves repeatedly held up by slower cars in qualifying and they had to settle for the 13th and 16th fastest times respectively.

Rob (13th) commented: “I’d gone into the session thinking P10 would have been a bad day. OK, we were never going to challenge for pole but I am still really frustrated – both of us could and should have been in the top 10. The traffic early on in particular was really bad and one driver in particular… really special.

“I’d definitely say with a clear lap I’d have been two to three tenths of a second faster which would have put me around P7 or P8. The big positive is the pace of the car over a long run on the same set of tyres – it just keeps getting better and better which bodes very well for our race pace.

“Each driver will also have to be conscious of the fact that it will be your fastest lap time in race one – not the finishing result – that will decide the grid order for race two. Last year here I was one of the top three on race pace so hopefully we can have more of that tomorrow.”

Hunter, just 0.069s adrift of Rob in 16th, added: “The top 10 was definitely on and it was just the traffic that held me back. My best lap was set with traffic and also I had a big sideways moment going left through the Surtees-McLaren section which cost me as well.

“But Rob is right. We’ve seen in practice and even qualifying how strong the Audi is when it comes to using its tyres over a long run. We need to exploit that tomorrow but we both really need the cards to fall for us in the opening laps to enable us to do that.”

All three of tomorrow’s British Touring Car races will be shown live on ITV4 which is on air from Brands Hatch 10.30am-6.30pm.

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing

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BTCC: Audi teams and drivers at Donington Park media day

By Tarek Ramchani

Donington Park hosted the traditional British Touring Car Championship media day. It was an exciting day for the Audi fans in BTCC with some big annoucements and new liveries.

The big news came from AmD Tuning. The team that bought the ex Rotek Racing Audi S3 Sedan will field Nicolas Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton's brother will join only in the second part of the 2015 BTCC season.

The other news came from Rob Austin Racing. The Rob Austin managed squad unveiled the liveries of their Audi A4 NGTC cars. It is interesting to note that both of the RAR Audis are now facelifted. Rob Austin and Hunter Abbott will continue as team-mates for a second straight season. The two entries will be under Exocet AlcoSense banner.

BTCC media day isn't just about news and announcements, there were tests on tracks as well. The fastest Audi driver was Hunter Abbott, he took position seven behind the wheel of the #54 Audi A4 and with a personal best time of 1:10.794. Rob Austin was fourteenth fastest with the #101 Audi A4 setting a personal best time of 1:11.260. Nicolas Hamilton and the AmD Tuning Audi S3 Sedan didn't take part in the test.

BTCC media day results are here.

The 2015 British Touring Car Championship will kick off at Brands Hatch (Indy) on April the 5th.

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography

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TCR: Liqui Moly Team Engstler ready for Sepang season opener with Audi TT

By Tarek Ramchani

A new era in Touring Car racing is about to start at Sepang this upcoming weekend. The Malaysian circuit will be hosting the first ever round of the newly formed TCR International Series. The event is supporting the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix

The Audi brand was not expected to join this year with no car eligible for TCR rules. However the fans of the Four Rings will be able to see the debut of the new Audi TT this weekend.

The Audi TT has been granted authorisation by WSC Ltd and TCR to compete in selected events. So don't expect to see the Audi TT to do the full TCR season. Liqui Moly Team Engstler, the team entering the cars, will switch to Volkswagen Golf GTIs very soon.

Liqui Moly Team Engstler from Germany will field two Audi TT cars at Sepang. Team owner and driver, Franz Engstler, will be behind the wheel of the #6 Audi TT. Mikhail Grachev from Russia will drive the #8 machine. The team will field a third car, a SEAT Leon Cup Racer for Lorenzo Veglia.

The opening TCR International Series round will see 17 cars battling for the outright victory. The Audi drivers will be challenged by SEAT Leon Cup Racer, Ford Focus RS, Opel Astra OPC and Honda Civic cars.

Action will start on Friday with two practice sessions. Qualifying and Race 1 will be held on Saturday. Race 2 will conclude the TCR weekend on Sunday.

Photo credit: Audi Media

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NPCC: Audi S4 quattro racers rake in honours at first round

Audi South Africa Press Release

The Audi S4 quattro racers had a successful outing at the first round of the National Production Car Championship at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday. Between the four Audi S4 quattros, the racers claimed the fastest qualifying, were first on the starting grid in each race and claimed six podium position finishes in the three races – and first overall for the day.

Of the three races and six podium finishes, two of them were race wins for the Audi S4 quattros. These results were produced at the start of a transition season for the series which sees the Audi S4 quattros heavily handicapped to allow competition with the rest of the field.

“It has been a great start to the year, starting with qualifying in pole position,” says Michael Stephen (12 – Engen Xtreme). “I finished second in race one and used race two to ensure a good grid position for the third race which paid off with a race victory and overall first place for the day.”

Gennaro Bonafede (32 – Audi Sasolracing) crossed the line in third place overall for the day, appearing on the race podium twice at the event.

“We had an up-and-down day, qualifying third but had a frustrating second race because I simply couldn't find a way to get a good grid position for the third race,” says Bonafede. “In race three I started seventh and finished second, that race went well and I found my way through the field. Third overall for the first event of the year is something we can build on during the season, it is a strong start to the year.”

In fourth overall was Hennie Groenwald (8 – Audi Sasolracing) who won race two and finished third in the third race at Zwartkops.

“After qualifying I thought I just didn't have the pace and that was a concern,” says Groenwald. “We made some changes which made a definite difference but overtaking is very difficult this season. I'll be focusing on qualifying more from the next round but am confident we'll be right back on pace – and it was a good team result for us this weekend.”

For Simon Moss (38 – Engen Xtreme) a consistent race weekend saw him running in fourth and fifth during qualifying and racing and on track for a good result. A risky move in the last race of the day didn't pay off and pushed him down to a sixth place finish overall for the day.

“I had good pace this weekend,” says Moss. “During the final lap of race three I decided on a risk to stay out of the clutches of Gary Formato. I went round the outside but ran too wide and this cost me both time and position and I finished sixth in the final race.”

The Audi S4 quattro competitors will head to Killarney for round two of the Extreme Festival which takes place on Saturday, April 11. Here the challenge will be to keep their pace in the corners as they wrestle with their power restrictions which compromise straight-line speed.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za (Morne Condon)

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BTCC: Hunter Abbott re-signs with Rob Austin Racing for 2015 BTCC

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

• Continued support from Exocet, AlcoSense & DUO
• Exciting behind-the-scenes changes also announced

Worcestershire team Rob Austin Racing will continue with its 2014 driver line-up of Rob Austin (Evesham, Worcs) and Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead, Berks) in 2015’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Furthermore Britain’s best fuel additives and home breathalyser companies FAST Exocet and AlcoSense will again title-sponsor both the Worcestershire team’s BTCC Audi A4s along with continued support from major international aggregates expert DUO Plc.

The BTCC is Britain’s biggest motor racing championship with live ITV4 coverage and huge trackside crowds. Its 2015 season gets under way at the world-famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on the weekend of Sat 4/Sun 5 April with the first three races of a gruelling 30-race calendar.

Prior to that is the BTCC’s high-profile season launch Media Day event at Donington Park, Leics on Tues 24 March where the RAR team will unveil its 2015-spec Audis before hundreds of media.

Before Media Day the RAR team is setting its sights on a thorough pre-season testing programme of both Audis as Austin and Abbott seek to improve considerably on 2014’s results.

Abbott, whose AlcoSense company produces the UK’s leading ‘morning after’ breathalysers for motorists, commented: “2014 was my first season in the BTCC and a learning year. The BTCC is like nothing else – the depth of competition and driving skill is among the highest of any motor racing championship in the world and you have to race harder and more ruthlessly than any other championship I’ve been in. Give an inch and someone will have a nose in there in a nano-second.

“I was happy to have finished in the points at my first ever BTCC event last year and the highlights for me were Rockingham and Croft where I overtook 17 cars in one race. With a year’s experience under my belt and the changes that Rob has made to both the team and the cars during the winter break I am really excited about returning for 2015. I’m going after consistently strong results across all 30 races and believe that podiums are a realistic target as well.”

Austin, also Team Principal, added: “The whole team is delighted to have Hunter back on board. He is a great driver, a great guy, a great friend and everyone in the team loves him. He almost won the Jack Sears Trophy and overtook more drivers than any other rookie in 2014. There were some very strong results – I am confident he can become one of the stand-out names in touring car in 2015.

“Certainly we have been working damned hard behind the scenes to give Hunter a car that can enable him to fight for big results on a much more consistent basis – things will become clearer on that front in the coming weeks and certainly on Media Day when we unveil the Audis in full 2015-specification.

“Hunter’s determination is also helping me raise my own game. I felt I dropped the ball a few times in 2014 and do not intend doing that again this year – I’ve already lost 10kgs since November as part of a fitness regime I’m on!

“Finally we just wouldn’t be here without our loyal sponsors Exocet, AlcoSense and DUO. They’ve given us the stability to really press ahead with developments to the cars for the new season – a luxury we didn’t have going into 2014. We’ve also entered a new and very exciting partnership with Coventry University and their excellent technical facilities – again resources we’ve not previously had at our disposal.

“I’m not making any predictions about the season ahead. All I will say is I sense that we have a great opportunity and it’s up to us to maximise that.”

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography

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PHOTOS: Best of Rotek Racing Audi S3 in 2014 British Touring Car Championship

A selection of great photos featuring the Rotek Racing Audi team in the 2014 British Touring Car Championship.

The American squad debuted in the BTCC with a brand new Audi S3 Sedan. Robb Holland was behind the wheel of the S3 NGTC racer.

Photo credit: British Touring Car Championship

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Rob Austin Racing Audi A4 NGTC voted as best privateer Audi race car in 2014

Last month we invited the Audi fans to choose their best privateer Audi built race car in 2014. We have included five different cars and in the end it was an all British Touring Car Championship affair.

Rob Austin Racing Audi A4 NGTC was voted as the best car with 707 votes. The Rob Austin managed team performed very well in the 2014 BTCC including an emotional race win at Rockingham.

Second place went to another BTCC racer, the Audi S3 Sedan from Rotek Racing. The car debuted last year in British Touring Car with some ups and downs.

The EKSRX Audi S1 quattro competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship was third.

The poll results:

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography

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HSCC Super Touring Car: A four-round calendar for the 2015 season

By Tarek Ramchani

Following a very successful launch in 2014, the HSCC Super Touring Car Championship will be back next year. The British based series is welcoming different cars from the glorious Super Touring era.

The HSCC Super Touring Car Championship will have four rounds in 2015 at four different tracks. The season will kick off at Donington Park before moving to Brands Hatch for round 2. The third round will be part of the popular Silverstone classic. The season finale at Roclkingham will share the weekend with the British Touring Car Championship.

In 2014 two Audi A4 STW cars took part in the  HSCC Super Touring Car Championship. The two Audis competed in the upper ST1 class, open to Super Touring Cars from 1996 to 2000.

More about the HSCC Super Touring Car Championship at the series official website right here.

HSCC Super Touring Car Championship 2015 calendar:

Round 1: Donington Historic Festival, May 2nd/3rd/4th
Round 2: Brands Hatch Masters Historic Festival, May 24th/25th
Round 3: Silverstone Classic, July 24th/25th/26th
Round 4: Rockingham British Touring Car Championship, September 5th/6th

Photo credit: HSCC Super Touring Car

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