VLN: Phoenix Racing at the opener with two Audis and strong driver line-up

Phoenix Racing Press Release

Phoenix Racing eagerly awaits the season opener in the ‘Green Hell’. When the racing
season on the legendary Nordschleife opens on Saturday, 28 March, with the first
round of the VLN endurance championship, Ernst Moser’s team joins the grid again.
Phoenix Racing plans to compete in all ten races, the first two four-hour races are of
particular importance as they act as preparation for the 24 hour race (14-17 May).

An unusual aspect is that the team based in the industrial park Nürburgring in
Meuspath will compete in the VLN opener with two different cars: with the current
Audi R8 LMS ultra and with its successor the Audi R8 LMS, which was only recently
unveiled to the public at the Geneva Motor Show.

Last year’s 24h winner Christopher Haase and Mike Rockenfeller, DTM Champion in
2013, as well as Frank Stippler and Marc Basseng will drive the new car, with which
Stippler and Markus Winkelhock completed the first tests around the Nordschleife
just two weeks ago. For the R8 LMS, the next generation GT3 sportscar from Audi,
appearing in the VLN opener means a test under race conditions, which should
supply valuable data and experience with a view to the 24-hour race.

One of the drivers sharing the current Audi R8 LMS ultra is Christian Mamerow, who
is a member of Phoenix Racing’s fixed line-up for the popular VLN series. Frank
Stippler will also compete in the VLN as regular Phoenix driver when his schedule
allows.

Both the opening race on March 28 and the second VLN race four weeks later on
April 25 are part of the preparations for the legendary 24-hour race around the
Nürburgring, which Phoenix Racing will contest once again with two cars. Phoenix
won the 24h classic last year with Christopher Haase, Markus Winkelhock, Christian
Mamerow and René Rast. It was the second Audi victory in the Nürburgring
marathon since 2012 and the fourth for Phoenix. In the opening VLN race last year,
Ernst Moser and his team took overall victory with the driver line-up Basseng,
Stippler and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor.

After various test sessions on Friday (March 27), qualifying follows on Saturday
(March 28) between 08:30 and 10:00, before the huge field of GT3 sportscars and
touring cars starts the four-hour race at 12:00.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

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VLN: S.Pace Racing steps up to SP3T with two Audi TT RS cars

By Johan Laubscher

S.Pace Racing has upped its campaign for the 2015 VLN Endurance Series by adding two new vehicles to its arsenal. The German team has acquired two of the special VLN Audi TT RS cars built by Audi Sport customer racing and Raeder Motorsport.

Both of the Audi TT RS cars are fitted with 2.0 four cylinder turbocharged engines and will be competing in the SP3T class of the VLN. The driver combinations are Matthias and Thomas Wasel joined by Markus Löhnert and Elmar Deegener. The cars were tested for the first time at Hockenheim towards the end of February.

The team will be running a total of four cars. Its two new Audi TT RS cars will be joined by the team's older Audi TTS and an Opel Astra Cup.

All four of the cars took part in the recent VLN test day at the Nürburgring. The new Audi TT RS cars were in silver (TT RS #21) and black (TT RS #20) liveries, along with their older TTS (#19).

The VLN Endurance Series will be getting underway with round one at the Nürburgring on 28 March.

Photo credit: Andreas Aul

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PHOTOS: Audi race cars at the VLN Nürburgring test day - 2015 Audi R8 LMS Green Hell debut

By Johan Laubscher

The VLN Endurance Series held its annual test day at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on Saturday this weekend. Many of the VLN teams took part including a number of Audi teams.

It was the first public test of the brand new 2015 Audi R8 LMS at the Nürburgring. The Audi sport customer racing-run Audi R8 LMS was joined on track by the two Audi race experience Audi R8 LMS ultra cars and a number of Audi TT RS entries.

We have included a selection of photos featuring the Audi race cars that took part at the Nürburgring on Saturday, with specific focus given to the new Audi R8 LMS. Special thanks to Andreas Aul for the photos from the Nürburgring.

#1 Audi R8 LMS

#29 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Audi race experience (TKL Motorsport) 

#30 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Audi race experience (TKL Motorsport) 

#13 Audi TT RS (SP4T)

#19 Audi TTS - S.Pace Racing

#20 Audi TT RS (SP3T) - S.Pace Racing

#21 Audi TT RS (SP3T) - S.Pace Racing

#23 Audi TT RS

#67 Audi TT RS (SP3T) - Møller Bil Motorsport

Photo credit: Andreas Aul

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VLN: Magenta Racing testing Audi TT RS at Ascari

By Johan Laubscher 

Magenta Racing from Finland was out testing a new Audi TT RS at Ascari in Spain this weekend. The team is busy preparing for the 2015 VLN Endurance Series, where it will be running the TT RS in the SP3T class.

Raeder Motorsport built this new Audi TT RS chassis towards the end of 2014 and the Nardo grey vehicle had its first roll-out test with Raeder during mid-December. It is similar to Raeder’s other VLN Audi TT RS cars fitted with a 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder engine.

It was a long wait for Magenta Racing’s first test session with the car, but it looked great circulating around a sunny Ascari circuit in Spain this weekend.

Photos from the testing at Ascari can be seen HERE.

The 2015 VLN Endurance Series will get underway at the Nürburgring on 28 March.

Photo credit: Magenta Racing

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VLN: Møller Bil Motorsport Audi TT RS set to return to the VLN in 2015

By Johan Laubscher

Møller Bil Motorsport has announced that they will be returning to the VLN Endurance Series in 2015. They will be contesting six rounds of the German series hosted at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

The team will again be fielding their Audi TT RS in the SP3T class with the same crew and driver line-up as was seen in 2014. The team’s three drivers are Håkon Schjærin, Atle Gulbrandsen and Kenneth Østvold.

Møller Bil Motorsport will also be continuing their technical partnership with Raeder Motorsport.

It is very exciting news that the Møller Bil Motorsport TT RS will be competing in VLN 2015. The team enjoyed a very successful 2014 season and they are aiming for more success next year.

Photo credit: Møller Bil Motorsport

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VLN: Audi TT RS domination in SP3T class at season finale

By Johan Laubscher

The VLN Endurance Series hosted its tenth and final round of the 2014 season at the Nürburgring Nordschleife this weekend. A total of eleven Audis took part in the finale.

Twin Busch Motorsport was the only Audi R8 LMS ultra entrant this weekend with their #44 entry. The Busch brothers, Marc and Dennis, unfortunately did not take part in the race today following accident damage in qualifying.

Rotek Racing was out in force with two cars. They entered an Audi RS 4 (B7) and also ran the G-Drive Racing entry. Roman Rusinov piloted the #259 Audi TT RS, run by Rotek Racing on behalf of G-Drive Racing, to sixty-ninth overall and first in the SP4T class (only one SP4T entry this weekend)

The SP3T class saw the participation of five Audi Sport customer racing 2.0 litre TT RS cars. LMS Engineering entered two of these entries and three were fielded by Raeder Motorsport, one for Raeder Motorsport and two for their customers Møller Bil Motorsport and race&event. 

SP3T saw an Audi 1-2-3-4-5-6, as the Audi TT RS teams filled up the first five positions. LMS Engineering took the class victory with their #303 TT RS. They finished ahead of the #331 Raeder Motorsport TT RS, the #334 Møller Bil Motorsport TT RS, their LMS Engineering teammates in the #302 TT RS and the #317 race&event TT RS. The #333 TTS took sixth place in class.

Various other Audi races cars, including Audi TT, TTS and TT RS cars, were also fielded by privateer teams.

Photo credit: JS Photography

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