By Johan Laubscher
Ebrahim Motors enjoyed a successful 2013 season with their Audi R8 LMS ultra in South America. The Brazilian GT Championship became the South American GT Championship for 2013 and the single Audi team competed very well.
The season review has been compiled from the 2013 Audi Motorsport Blog Weekend Round Up posts. Each round has been added as was seen in the individual Weekend Round Up posts during 2013, which can be accessed via the links throughout the review below:
Round 1: Sao Paulo
The streets of Sao Paulo hosted the first round of the Brazilian GT
Championship. Ebrahim Motors have continued to enter their Audi R8 LMS ultra.
This year they will receive support from Audi Brazil, competing in a red/silver
Audi Top Service livery. The team were very fast during all of the sessions and
qualified very well, consistently within the top four. During the two races
they were very competitive and finished second in both races, collecting
valuable points.
Round 2: Curitiba
Round two of the Brazilian GT was held at Curitiba. The Ebrahim Motors
Audi R8 LMS ultra (2012 spec) was sporting a new red/silver/white Audi driving
experience livery. They were very fast this weekend and finished second during
the first race. The Ebrahim pairing improved even further during race two when
they claimed their first race victory of the season.
Round 3: Velopark
The Brazilian GT Championship was at Velopark for round three. The
Ebrahim Motors Audi R8 LMS ultra was at the event and they qualified on the
front row for both races. Race one saw the Ebrahim pairing battling well and
maintaining their position, bringing the R8 LMS ultra home for yet another
second place finish and good points. The second race saw the Ebrahim Audi
gaining the lead, but they were soon passed by the race winning Lamborghini.
Ultimately the Ebrahim brothers brought their R8 LMS ultra across the line for
another strong second place finish, despite a deflating tire.
Round 4: Interlagos
The Brazilian GT Championship headed to Interlagos for round four of
the 2013 season. It proved to be another successful weekend for the Ebrahim
Motors Audi R8 LMS ultra. The Brazilian Audi squad got the weekend off to a
good start by topping the first free practice session and finishing second
during session two. They continued this impressive pace during qualifying as
they netted third on the grid for race one and highlighted the day with pole
position for race two. Race one saw the Ebrahim pair competing well as they
improved from their starting position to finish second overall, yet another
podium finish. The #20 Audi R8 LMS ultra lead from the pole during race two,
and successfully defended the lead until the pitstops. Shortly after the stops
the Audi unfortunately dropped to third. These positions remained constant
until the dying moments of the race. An issue for the Ebrahim Audi saw them
loosing time towards the end of the race, and they lost third to an Aston
Martin GT4 just before the end, finishing fourth overall. The fourth overall
was enough to still clinch third within the GT3 class and the Ebrahim brothers
stood on the podium for the second time in the weekend.
Round 5: Curitiba
The Brazilian GT Championship was at Curitiba this weekend, round five
of the season. Ebrahim Motors has had a very consistent season so far this
year. The #20 Ebrahim Motors Audi R8 LMS ultra is driven by Wagner Ebrahim and
Fábio Ebrahim. During qualifying Wagner Ebrahim took position two on the grid
for race one, followed by Fábio Ebrahim taking pole position for race two. The
first race on Saturday saw the Ebrahim brothers unfortunately retiring from the
event, but they were back for race two. Starting from pole they were were
involved in the leading group. By the end of the race the Ebrahim Audi crossed
the finish line in fourth place.
Round 6: Velopark
Velopark in Porto Alegre played host to the sixth Brazilian GT
Championship round this weekend. It was a bittersweet event for Ebrahim Motors
and their Audi R8 LMS ultra. Ebrahim Motors have been fielding one Audi R8 LMS
ultra in the Brazilian GT Championship this year, the #20 Audi driven by
Ebrahim brothers: Wagner and Fábio Ebrahim. They again showed good pace this
weekend. The first qualifying session yielded fourth on the grid, followed by
pole position for race two. The first race took place on Saturday, which saw
the Ebrahim pairing starting and finishing in fourth place. Race two got
underway on Sunday with the Audi R8 LMS ultra leading from the front, closely
followed by the #16 Blau Lamborghini Gallardo. A fierce battle for the lead
ensued until the Ebrahim Motors Audi began to slow on track. The Audi entered
the pits for a retirement from the second race.
Round 7: Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez
The Brazilian GT Championship (South American GT Championship) was in
Argentina this weekend. The seventh round of the series was held at Autódromo
Juan y Oscar Gálvez. Ebrahim Motors entered their Audi R8 LMS ultra with great
results at this event. Ebrahim Motors have been full season competitors with
their R8 LMS ultra, which is driven by the Ebrahim brothers: Fabio and Wagner
Ebrahim. Their driver line-up was however different for the event in Argentina.
The #20 Audi R8 LMS ultra was driven by Wagner Ebrahim and Felipe Tozzo. They
showed good pace during practice and again proved to be very fast in qualifying.
Wagner Ebrahim was able to claim second on the grid for the first race set for
Saturday. His teammate, Felipe Tozzo, was able to go one better, as he claimed
pole position for race two on Sunday. The first race got underway late on
Saturday afternoon. Ebrahim and Tozzo finished the first race by placing
second, finishing nineteen seconds behind the pole sitting and eventual race
winning Blau Lamborghini Gallardo. Race two was held on Sunday and the Audi R8
LMS ultra lined up in pole position. They led the race from the drop of the
flag and maintained the lead after the pitstop phase. The championship’s visit
to Argentina concluded with a well deserved victory for Wagner Ebrahim and
Felipe Tozzo in the second race. It was a dominant victory for the team.
Photo credit: Pablo Vaz | Photography / Ebrahim Motors
