Audi Press Release
The Head of Audi Sport customer racing about the podium success in the Spa 24 Hours.
Your teams have clinched two podium places at Spa, plus Audi has won the ‘Coupe du Roi’ manufacturers’ title. A reason to rejoice?
We definitely have reason to rejoice on this race Sunday. Obviously, we competed to win. But in the battle with many strong rivals we don’t have to be sad about positions two and three either. The ‘Coupe du Roi’ trophy underscores the performance of the Audi brand in a field of eleven manufacturers and 57 race cars. The customers who watched our performance at the venue confirmed to us how attractive the new Audi R8 LMS is as well. Its performance capability is beyond debate. All four new cars finished the race, with two of them on podium.
You have completed an important stage in the development of the second-generation Audi R8 LMS with your team. What are the next steps?
Our new race car has clinched a victory, a second and a third place in endurance racing in the space of ten weeks now – split between the two toughest 24-hour races for GT3 models in Europe. This has set an important milestone. Following an in-depth analysis of the race cars from Spa, we’re going to establish the final specification for sprint and endurance races. In September, the production of the new Audi R8 LMS for our customers will be launched, followed by marketing the car.
In sporting terms, the Spa 24 Hours were challenging. Your teams and drivers delivered a tremendous performance. Your assessment of this year’s running of the race?
It was a competition of the type you wish for. A large and high-caliber field on a legendary track, plus the team performance by Audi Sport Team WRT and Audi Sport Team Phoenix as well as the showing by our customers – that was high-class racing. Sincere congratulations also to Team Parker Racing, which as a customer team clinched victory in the Am category on its own power. We’ve experienced a good weekend.
Photo credit: Audi Media
