Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release
Audi R8 LMS Cup
lead GT Asia Series title charge
· Official Audi R8
LMS Cup entry leads championship by one point
· Two podium
finishes for drivers Jeffrey Lee and Marchy Lee
· Pole position
point gives Marchy championship edge
Kuala Lumpur, May
27, 2012 – Two dramatic
races for the Audi R8 LMS Cup entry in the opening rounds of the GT Asia Series
saw drivers Jeffrey Lee of Chinese Taipei and Marchy Lee of Hong Kong finish
twice on the podium, with Marchy leading the drivers classification after
earning an extra point for fastest lap in the first qualifying session. Jeffrey
is one point behind and tied for second place.
Driving the new Audi R8 LMS ultra in the Pro/Am category, the impressive pairing of the quick and talented non-professional racer and one of Asia’s most experienced drivers proved a force to be reckoned with. The Audi R8 LMS ultra is the latest 2012 specification of the highly-successful GT3 racing car.
Marchy set the
fastest time in the first qualifying session – giving him what would ultimately
be the crucial extra point – while Jeffrey’s fifth-fastest time in second
qualifying session meant that the team would start on the third row for Sunday’s
second race.
Saturday’s
season-opening round saw Marchy take the wheel for the first stint. Though
starting from pole, he lost several positions off the start, before another car
made contact to push the team back to ninth at the end
of the opening
lap. However, Marchy quickly worked his way back up through the field, recording
the race’s fastest lap, to go second.
After 10 laps,
the Audi R8 LMS ultra pulled into the pits and Jeffrey took over driving duties.
On Lap 12, the team dropped to third and, although Jeffrey pushed hard to move
back up, he had to settle for the final podium place.
Round 2 took
place on Sunday, with the team starting from fifth on the grid and Jeffrey first
behind the wheel. Due to finishing third in Round 1, a 20 kg success ballast was
added to the car. After being pushed down to eighth on the opening lap, Jeffrey
fought back up into sixth before the driver change.
Following the
driver change, Marchy quickly got to work, but faced with heavy traffic, the
Hong Kong ace had a tough job getting through the field and up into
third.
A yellow flag
period gave Marchy the opportunity to close up the gap. Two laps later, the
Safety Car came back in and Marchy grabbed the chance to fight for second.
Each GT Asia race
will be 40 to 60 minutes in duration with a rolling start. While driver changes
are permitted, each driver scores his own points for the championship title.
Next up for the
official Audi R8 LMS Cup entry is Rounds 3&4 of the GT Asia Series from June
9-10 at the Sepang International Circuit. The series then moves to Japan for
races at Fuji, Suzuka and Autopolis, before concluding the season as part of the
Macau GT Cup at the 59th Macau Grand Prix.
Jeffrey
Lee:
“The start was
average and we lost some places on the straight, although we managed to catch up
and get some of the positions back. It was the best we could do. I struggled a
little bit with the car with some under steer, but overall I think we had a good
weekend.”
Marchy
Lee:
“I managed to
overtake the second-place car, but then he came back so we had a bit of a good,
but fair, fight. The race was pretty tough today. The Audi R8 LMS ultra did a
very good job, but after taking second I needed a couple more laps to fight for
the lead. We’ll be working on the car to find more speed for the next
race.”
Audi
R8 LMS Cup Official Website at: www.audir8lmscup.com
GT Asia Series
2012
Provisional
Calendar
Date
|
Event
|
Circuit
|
Rounds
|
May
26-27
|
Malaysian Super
Series
|
Sepang
International Circuit, Malaysia
|
1 &
2
|
June
9-10
|
Super GT
Series
|
Sepang
International Circuit, Malaysia
|
3 &
4
|
July
14-15
|
Formula
Nippon
|
Fuji International
Speedway, Japan
|
5 &
6
|
August
18-19
|
Super GT
Series
|
Suzuka Circuit,
Japan
|
7 &
8
|
September
29-30
|
Super GT
Series
|
Autopolis
International Circuit, Japan
|
9 &
10
|
November
16-18
|
59th
Macau Grand Prix (Macau GT Cup)
|
Guia Circuit,
Macau, China
|
11
|
More information:
