Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release
Audi R8 LMS Cup
Entry Returns to GT Asia Podium
· Official Audi R8
LMS Cup entry earns third place in Round 6
· Championship back
on track after challenging Round 5
· Pro/Am pairing of
Marchy Lee and Jeffrey Lee third in the points
Fuji, July
15, 2012 –
The official Audi
R8 LMS Cup entry of Chinese Taipei driver Jeffrey Lee and Hong Kong’s Marchy Lee
returned to podium form with a third-place finish in Round 6 of the GT Asia
Series at the Fuji International Speedway.
Following a
challenging start to both Jeffrey and Marchy’s Fuji debuts in Round 5, the
Pro/Am pair made sure to use their Audi R8 LMS ultra to the max in Round 6 as
they recovered from a spin on Lap 2 to take the final podium position.
With six rounds
of the 11-race series complete, the entry – which showcases the Audi R8 LMS Cup,
the brand’s first one-makes series – is now just shy of second place in the
standings, with Marchy in third place and Jeffrey, two points behind in fourth.
Saturday’s Round
5 proved a challenge for the pairing, with Jeffery racing the first stint,
starting from ninth on the grid. After nine laps, Jeffrey handed over driving
duties to Marchy. The pair’s efforts to reach the podium were further
complicated with a drive-through penalty for driving too fast through pit lane.
Still, Marchy continued to push, showing the speed of the Audi R8 LMS ultra with
the fastest lap of the race, to finish ninth overall.
Determined to end
the weekend on a high note, Marchy started a wet Round 6 from third on the grid,
having qualified third quickest in the Saturday’s second qualifying session. Off
the start, Marchy quickly moved up to second on Turn 1 and by the end of the
first lap was leading the field.
However on Lap 2,
as Marchy pushed to increase his lead, he spun and fell back to fourth position.
From there, he steadily chipped away at the lead, demonstrating the capabilities
of the Audi lightweight technology. On Lap 11, Marchy grabbed an opportunity to
overtake for third place.
Following the
driver change, Jeffrey maintained the position, working hard to keep the pace,
bring the car home and return the pair to the podium.
Said
Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing China: “We are delighted
to return the podium this weekend and get our championship goal back on track in
Fuji. It has been a pleasure to introduce the Audi R8 LMS Cup entry to Japan and
we look forward to racing at Suzuka next month.”
The Audi R8 LMS
Cup entry will be back in action next month in Suzuka for Rounds 7&8 of the
GT Asia Series from August 18-19,2012.
Jeffrey
Lee:
“It’s great to
stand on the podium again! We had a couple of errors, but I’m happy that we were
able to achieve a strong result today. This weekend has been a good experience
for us. It’s my first time driving the Audi R8 LMS ultra in the rain and it’s
good to know what we can achieve in the wet.”
Marchy
Lee:
“The spin on Lap
2 was a big mistake but this is a competitive championship and you need to push.
After the mistake I tried my best to recover and the car did a great job. The
Audi R8 LMS ultra is very balanced and showed great pace in this weather. This
is my first weekend at Fuji and if I come back next time, I know I will be
stronger.”
Photo
Captions:
Audi Le Mans
Winner Meets Audi R8 LMS Cup Drivers
(left to right)
Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing China and Audi R8 LMS Cup
drivers Marchy Lee and Jeffrey Lee with Audi 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andre
Lotterer, who won Formula Nippon this weekend at the Fuji International
Speedway.
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:
