By Johan
Laubscher
1. The
Weekend
Focussing on
the weekend of 19 - 20 October 2013
2. The
Events
- DTM
- FIA WEC
- Italian GT
- STT
- Audi endurance experience
- RCN
- Dover Heroes of Speed
- Killarney Extreme Festival
- Historische Tourenwagen
- Austrian Hillclimb
Hockenheim was the scene for round ten of the
2013 DTM season, the season finale. Audi arrived at the finale as the leader in
all of the championship points standings. Mike Rockenfeller clinched the drivers’
title at the previous round, Audi was leading the manufacturers’ standings and
Phoenix Racing was ahead in the teams’ standings. The weekend got off to a good
start when five Audi RS 5 DTM cars made it into the top ten during the Saturday
morning free practice session. Qualifying turned out to be more difficult as none
of the Audis made it into the all-BMW top four shootout. Miguel Molina was the
highest placed Audi in fifth, leading four Audis within the top ten. The finale
got underway on Sunday afternoon in wet conditions. It was a very busy race
with a lot of on track action. The BMWs led from the front with the Audis
progressing through the middle of the top ten. Many of the Audi drivers
filtered in and out of the top ten during the race. Mattias Ekström quickly
became the leading Audi as he was hunting down the leaders, but he was hit from
behind and lost time. The order shuffled continuously during the closing
minutes with many late pitstops. When the race finally came to a close it was a
BMW victory, as two Audis finished within the top ten: Ekström in fourth and
Molina in fifth. The remaining five Audi RS 5 DTM cars finished together in positions
twelve though sixteen, as Green led Scheider, Tambay, Mortara and Rockenfeller.
Unfortunately Filipe Albuquerque retired during the opening stages. Audi Sport
Team Phoenix was crowned as the teams’ champions with a total of 161 points.
Audi just lost the manufacturers’ championship to BMW, finishing second by a
mere twenty-two points. This concluded the 2013 DTM season which saw Audi
taking the drivers’ title with Mike Rockenfeller and the teams’ title with
Phoenix Racing.
2.2. FIA WEC
Round six of the FIA World Endurance Championship
headed to Japan for the Six Hours of Fuji. Audi Sport Team Joest arrived with
their regular two-car Audi R18 e-tron quattro team. Audi was joined by Toyota
who added a second TS030 Hybrid to their line-up for the race in Japan. The
practice sessions proved to be very close. Toyota topped the first and third
sessions, however Toyota’s fastest time in the first session was omitted due to
a pitlane speeding violation, thus promoting the Audis to an official 1-2
classification in the first session, a result which was repeated outright in
the second session. It was not all plain sailing for Audi though, as the #2 car
suffered a crash during the first session, resulting in substantial damage to
the rear. The damaged gearbox was replaced as well as the engine as a
precautionary measure. The #2 car was repaired in time for the second session,
wherein the #2 crew set the fastest time. Qualifying yielded another Audi pole
position, as the #1 Audi of Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Treluyer
slotted into first place. The sister Audi #2 car of Tom Kristensen, Allan
McNish and Loïc Duval finished with the fourth best time, sandwiching the two
Toyotas in second and third. Very wet conditions
greeted the FIA WEC on Sunday and the race was started under safety car
proceedings. Audi #1 led the way behind the safety car, ahead of Toyota #7 and Audi
#2, as Toyota #8 missed the pitlane exit time to head onto the grid and was
required to start from the pitlane. The cars drove behind the safety car until
the red flag was called within the first thirty minutes, suspending the race
whilst they waited for better conditions. At 13:30 local time the race was
restarted with just over four hours remaining on the clock, again beginning
under safety car proceedings. The leading #1 Audi pitted during the early safety
car running and thus Toyota #7 led ahead of Audi #2. The #1 Audi pitted due to
reported throttle response issues and the pitstop was to check the air-intake
system, which revealed damage from debris. A few laps later the car was back in
the pits twice more in short succession for further work, but clever pit-work
by splitting the work across two pitstops ensured that they remained on the lead lap during the
safety car proceedings. The safety car train continued for a few more laps
until the race was red flagged once more and the clock stopped at just under
three hours and fifty minutes remaining. The LMP1 running order at the time of
the second red flag saw Toyota #7 as the leader, ahead of Audi #2 and the
Rebellion Lola in third. The #1 Audi was fourth in class, followed by the #8
Toyota, both being down in twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh overall
respectively. Eventually the race was not restarted and called off due to the
weather conditions and decreasing light. Only sixteen laps were completed
during the event, all of them under safety car proceedings during the two brief
periods of track running. Half points were rewarded to all of the teams based
on their positions at the time of the second and final stoppage. It thus
resulted in a Toyota victory with Audi #2 in second and Audi #1 fourth within
LMP1. The points collected were enough to crown Audi as the 2013 FIA WEC manufacturers’
champions. The #2 Audi crew of Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish
and Loïc Duval continue to lead the LMP1 drivers’ points standings, which is
still up for grabs.
2.3. Italian GT
Monza played host to the seventh and final
round of the 2013 Italian GT Championship season this weekend. It was a
victorious end to the season for Audi Sport Italia and their Audi R8 LMS ultra
cars. Audi Sport Italia was entered with their regular two-car Audi R8 LMS
ultra team. The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra was driven by Alex Frassineti and Johan
Kristoffersson, along with their sister #4 Audi driven by Dindo Capello and
Andrea Sonvico. Qualifying saw the Audis within the top ten, as they qualified
fourth and ninth for race one, followed by third and eighth for race two. The
first race began with both of the Audis moving up into the top five. Ultimately
the #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Alex Frassineti and Johan Kristoffersson finished
in fifth, whilst their teammates, Dindo Capello and Andrea Sonvico, suffered a
puncture in Audi #4 and finished in tenth, a lap down. The second and final
race on Sunday, saw Audi Sport Italia bouncing back to take victory in the
final race of the season. Frassineti and Kristoffersson converted their third
position on the grid into a well deserved race victory. They were followed home
by their teammates in fourth, who were later promoted to third after a penalty
for one of their competitors. A great result for Audi Sport Italia to conclude
their 2013 season, which saw race wins with the R8 LMS ultra in the Italian GT
Championship and the Superstars championship title with Gianni Morbidelli and
the RS 5 quattro.
2.4. STT
The finale of the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (STT)
was held at the Nürburgring this weekend. A very large grid took part,
including six Audi race cars. The list of private Audi entrants included one
Audi R8 LMS ultra. The R8 LMS ultra was the car of Berthold Gruhn, who debuted
his #29 Audi R8 LMS ultra at the previous round. The car is run by Rotary
Motorsport IG. The original entry list included two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.
Gruhn’s R8 LMS ultra was alongside a single entry from Prosperia C.ABT Racing,
as the #49 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Slobodan Cvetkovic, who had taken part in some
of the STT rounds during 2013, was also listed, however they did not take part
this weekend. The Audi R8 LMS ultra was entered in the “Klasse 2” class. This
class also included the #46 Audi S4 B5 driven by Ulf Ehninger and Jochen
Ayasse. The classes are split between divisions one and two. Division 1
includes “Klasse 2” as well as the “Klasse 11 STT Spezial,” which included one
of the front runners and regular STT competitor, Edy Kamm, in his 2004 Audi A4
DTM R11. Three more Audis were included in two of the other classes within
Division 2. “Klasse 7” saw the entry of Marc Roth in his #65 Audi A4 quattro
STW. The final two entrants were in “Klasse 4,” the #33 Audi A3 of René
Freisberg and the #12 ex-ROC French Supertourisme Audi 80 of Joachim Duscher. Two
STT races were held at the Nürburgring during the weekend. Qualifying for the
first race saw Berthold Gruhn as the highest Division 1 qualifier, placing his
Audi R8 LMS ultra in ninth place. All three of the Audis within the Division 2
ranks placed within their overall class top ten, with René Freisberg taking
pole in his Audi A3, ahead of Roth in eighth and Duscher in ninth. The grid for
race two saw Edy Kamm back on the front row, as he put his A4 DTM in second
position overall and within Division 1. A trio of Audis placed within the top
four in Division 2. René Freisberg took second on the grid, ahead of Joachim
Duscher in third, followed by Marc Roth in fourth. Race one was the scene for a
double victory by the Audi teams. Edy Kamm took the overall, Division 1 and
Klasse 11 victory with his Audi A4 DTM. Berthold Gruhn and his R8 LMS ultra
placed fifteenth within Division 1 and took third place within Klasse 2. The
#46 Audi S4 unfortunately retired. René Freisberg was victorious with his A3 in
Division 2 and Klasse 4. Joachim Duscher placed third within Division 2, also
taking third within Klasse 4. Marc Roth finished fifth within Division 2 and
took victory in Klasse 7. Edy Kamm made it two from two by winning the final
race in his A4 DTM. Berthold Gruhn finished twenty-first in Division 1 and
third again within Klasse 2. The #46 Audi S4 was fourth in class. René
Freisberg finished second within Division 2 and in Klasse 4, followed by
Joachim Duscher in third. Marc Roth won Klasse 7 again and finished fourth
within Division 2. This weekend concluded the 2013 Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy
season, a year which again saw multiple private Audi race cars taking part.
2.5. Audi endurance experience
The Audi endurance experience held its annual
season finale this weekend. It was a 24 hour race held at Paul Ricard. This is
an Audi one-make championship run by Audi France, featuring a full grid of Audi
A1 race cars.
2.6. RCN
The ninth
and final RCN round was held on the Nürburgring short track this weekend. A
total of eight private Audi cars took part, which included a variety of Audi
models.
2.7. Dover Heroes of Speed
Dover
Raceway in Jamaica hosted the Heroes of Speed race weekend. This event was held
over the long public holiday Heroes Day weekend and featured the final round of
the Jamaica Drivers Club 2013 Circuit Racing Championship. It was the scene for
the return of Doug Gore and the ATL Automotive ABT-Audi TT-R. The team had
competed in the Jamaican and Caribbean series earlier this year, before they
withdrew from other Dover events due to a protest made by the team. The protest
was regarding tyre allocation regulations. Despite the absence at the previous
event, the ATL team were back and aimed to continue their unbeaten run in 2013.
2.8. Killarney Extreme Festival
The Killarney race circuit hosted their
Extreme Festival in Cape Town this weekend. The weekend featured a number of
local drivers, as well as a number of drivers from other provinces. Audi race
cars were seen in some of the classes, including an Mk1 Audi TT in the GT race
and two Audis in the classic car categories.
2.9. Historische Tourenwagen
Fa. Nothelle entered their Audi 80 at the Nürburgring
this weekend. They took part in the Historische Tourenwagen & GT-Trophy.
Fa. Nothelle FB page
Fa. Nothelle FB page
2.10. Austrian Hillclimb
The Bergrallye Koglhof was held in Austria this weekend. Various Audi cars took part, including an Audi S2 and Andreas Marko’s Audi A4 STW.
2.11. Other Audi News
News has emerged that Rotek Racing is
planning to prepare and run two Audi A3 sedan race cars in the 2014 British
Touring Car Championship season. The news broke on TouringCarTimes on Tuesday
morning, mentioning Rotek Racing’s 2014 BTCC intentions. Rotek Racing and Rob
Holland have been involved on a number of fronts recently, including in the
VLN, where the team has been fielding an Audi TT RS in the SP4T class. They had
originally planned to run Ford Focus cars in the 2014 WTCC season, but due to
various factors they have now switched to their BTCC plans for 2014. They will
be developing the pair of Audi A3 sedans, working together with Tony Gilham’s
team. The cars will be built to the NGTC - Next Generation Touring Car
regulations. The Audi A3s will feature front wheel drive configuration. Rob
Holland will be behind the wheel of one of the two cars, with the second driver
yet to be announced.
Exciting news came from all-inkl.com münnich
motorsport on Tuesday. The team has completed the first rollout of their new
Audi rallycross race car. During 2012 Münnich Motorsport had announced their
intentions to build an Audi A3/S3 rallycross vehicle for the German/European
Rallycross Championship, where the team has been fielding Skodas for a number
of seasons. The team uploaded various build photos onto their Facebook page during
January 2013, which depicted the development of the car known as their “S3
SuperCar”. Nine months later and Münnich Motorsport has released the first
photo of the car, following their rollout. The car looks fantastic with a
menacing and aggressive appearance. Visually the bodywork is similar to that of
the Audi RS 3. More information and photos of the car is expected to be seen in
the weeks to come.
Dragonspeed was seen at the Circuit of the
Americas this week. The team conducted post-season testing with their Audi R8
LMS ultra, as they prepare for the 2014 motorsport season.
Audi is launching a special addition package
for Audi A5 coupe models, as a form of celebration for Mike Rockenfeller’s 2013
DTM championship title. The package will cost 1900 euros and will be limited to
300 units. The package includes a number of unique styling changes, such as DTM
branding, a fixed rear wing etc. This new package is available with a number of
engine options and colours. These vehicles will receive the name “A5 DTM
Champion”.
The 2014 DTM Calendar was released this week.
The calendar again includes ten rounds, with the addition of two new rounds.
The Hungaroring has been added as round three in June and an event in China,
yet to be announced where, to be held as round nine in September. The two
additions also mean that two tracks were omitted from the 2013 calendar, namely
Brands Hatch and Zandvoort.
2014 DTM calendar:
4th May Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg
(D)
18th May etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (D)
1st June Hungaroring Budapest (UNG) **
29th June Norisring (D)
13th July Moscow Raceway (RUS)
3rd August Red Bull Ring Spielberg (A)
10th August Nürburgring (D) ***
14th September Lausitzring (D) **
28th September China (CHN) – TBA
19th October Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)
* Subject to approval by FIA
** Subject to promoter agreements
*** Date to be confirmed
18th May etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (D)
1st June Hungaroring Budapest (UNG) **
29th June Norisring (D)
13th July Moscow Raceway (RUS)
3rd August Red Bull Ring Spielberg (A)
10th August Nürburgring (D) ***
14th September Lausitzring (D) **
28th September China (CHN) – TBA
19th October Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)
* Subject to approval by FIA
** Subject to promoter agreements
*** Date to be confirmed
The revised 2014 FIA World Endurance
Championship calendar was announced on Friday morning. Revisions were made to
accommodate the recent changes to the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship
calendar, to avoid any clashes. The changes affect the rounds at Spa, Fuji and
the Circuit of The Americas.
2014 FIA WEC calendar:
Official Test Le Castellet - FRA - 28-29
March
Silverstone - GBR - 18-20 April
Spa-Francorchamps - BEL - 03-04May
24 Heures du Mans Test - FRA - 01 June
24 Heures du Mans - FRA - 14/15 June
Sao Paulo* - BRA - 29-31 August (TBC)
Circuit of the Americas - USA - 18-20
September
Fuji - JPN - 03-05 October
Shanghai - CHN - 31 Oct - 1 November
Bahrain - BHN - 13-15 November
The 30 Jahre Audi Sport quattro display
continued at the Audi museum mobile this week. The display included a large
number of Audi Sport quattro related vehicles, including three rally cars: the
1987 Pikes Peak winning Audi Sport quattro S1 E2, a HB Audi Sport quattro S1 E2
and an Audi Sport quattro rally car.
Five Audis have been confirmed for the FIA GT
Series finale at the Baku World Challenge in Azerbaijan. Phoenix Racing was the
first announcement this week. They will be making their return to the series at
the finale. Their Audi R8 LMS ultra will be driven by Enzo Ide and Markus
Winkelhock. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT announced a four-car entry on Thursday.
Their regular three-car team will be joined by the forth car with Filipe
Albuquerque and Grégoire Demoustier behind the wheel.
World acclaimed race simulation game
developers, Simbin, are going to be releasing a race sim based on the DTM. The
new PC racing game will be called the “DTM Experience”. The new PC game will be
released during the winter and will feature the full 2013 DTM season: all the
cars, teams, drivers and tracks. It will be an officially licensed DTM product.
The official demo for the new game was released on Friday, with which one can
sample the newest creation from Simbin. The demo includes: All three of the
2013 DTM cars from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz ; The Hockenheim race circuit ;
Three difficulty levels ; track test feature. The official demo is available
for free legal download and has a download size of approximately one gigabyte.
The official launch of the game was held at Hockenheim on the Friday morning of
the finale weekend. Mike Rockenfeller (Audi), Martin Tomczyk (BMW) and
Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz) all took part in the launch. The Official
DTM Experience demo can be downloaded at the DTM Experience website HERE.
Rahel Frey, who had competed in the first two
Audi R8 LMS meetings of 2013, will be returning to the series. She had already
been confirmed for the final round of the Audi R8 LMS Cup in Macau, based on
the entry list, and she has now been confirmed for the penultimate round of the
series in Shanghai as well. She will be back behind the wheel of the #66
Castrol Audi R8 LMS.
Legendary Audi factory driver and five time
Le Mans winner, Emanuele Pirro, was a guest of honour at the opening of the
Johannesburg International Motor Show in South Africa this week. He was seen at
the Audi stand during the press days before departing for the FIA WEC round at Fuji
in Japan.
3. Next Weekend’s events (26-27/10/2013)
- GT Tour
- HSR
- V de V
- Audi R8 LMS Cup
- VSCRC
- VLN
All photos
are hosted at their respective websites, which are listed within the Weekend
Round Up
