TUSC: Compass360 Racing with an Audi R8 LMS in TUDOR United SportsCar Championship

By Tarek Ramchani

Exciting news coming from North America and team Compass360 Racing. The Canadian based team will enter the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with an Audi R8 LMS.

Compass360 Racing is already representing the Audi brand in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with an Audi S3 in the ST class.

The #76 Audi R8 LMS will compete in the GT Daytona class. Follwing today's annoucement, the Audi Sport customer racing squad in TUSC will be represented by three teams. Compass360 Racing joining series regulars Paul Miller Racing and part-time competitors Flying Lizard Motorsports.

More to come.

Photo credit: Compass360 Racing / Andy Blackmore

Read More

TUSC: Paul Miller Racing and Flying Lizard Motorsports Audis ready for Laguna Seca

By Tarek Ramchani

The beautiful Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will play host to the fourth race of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The California event will be the third round for the Audi teams as the GT Daytona class did not take part in the Long Beach race last time out.

The Audi Sport customer racing squad will be represented by two R8 LMS cars coming from two teams.

Paul Miller Racing will enter their #48 Audi R8 LMS. The car will be shared by full season competitors Dion von Moltke and Audi GT factory driver Christopher Haase. The two drivers are fourth in the GT Daytona overall standing with 54 points each. At Laguna Seca Paul Miller Racing will be eager to fight for class victory.

The second Audi entry is from Flying Lizard Motorsports. The California based team dominated last weekend's Pirelli World Challenge round at Barber Motorsport Park with their McLarens,.They will field an R8 LMS with a strong driver-line up. Guy Cosmo and Patrick Bryne will be behind the wheel of the #45 Audi.

At Laguna Seca the Audi entries will be challenged once again by strong rivals representing Aston Martin, BMW, Dodge, Ferrari and Porsche.

Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports / Paul Miller Racing  / Bob Chapman

Read More

NASA Utah: Victory for TW Racing Audi R8 LMS at Miller Motorsports Park season opener

By Johan Laubscher

The NASA Utah region of the National Auto Sport Association in North America hosted its opening event at Miller Motorsports Park this weekend.

TW Racing was out on track with its #08 Audi R8 LMS. The car was driven by Derek Wolthoff and Allen Turner. The TW Racing squad was entered in the GTSU class of the HPDE Time Trail and the two 30-minute Thunder category races.

Madison Snow was also at the event this weekend, coaching both of TW Racing's drivers in the Audi R8 LMS, Derek Wolthoff and Allen Turner.

Both Wolthoff and Turner were behind the wheel of the #08 Audi R8 LMS on Friday and they then split the driving duties for the rest of the weekend thereafter.

TW Racing finished with the second fastest time in the combined HPDE Time Trails results on Saturday and first on Sunday.

The driving duties for the Thunder races were split, with Allen Turner driving on Saturday and Derek Wolthoff on Sunday. Turner qualified the #08 Audi R8 LMS in fourth place overall and finished fifth in the race on Saturday. On Sunday Wolthoff qualified on pole position and finished off TW Racing's weekend with a race victory.

The weekend's results can be seen HERE.

Round 2 of the NASA Utah season will be taking place on the Miller Motorsports Park west course from 24-26 April.

Photo credit: TW Racing

Read More

VLN: First round red flagged after tragic accident - Audi R8 LMS race debut

By Johan Laubscher

The opening VLN Endurance Series round held on Saturday was red flagged following a tragic accident on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Jann Mardenborough in the #23 Nissan GTR NISMO GT3 was involved in an accident at Flugplatz. His car took flight and crashed over the catch fencing into a spectator area. The event was red flagged and subsequently cancelled to allow emergency personnel access to the track.

It has been announced that there was one fatality amongst the injured spectators. Our thoughts go out to all those involved in the incident, the injured spectators and their families and friends. RIP.


Race report for the Audi teams:

This weekend’s VLN event was the race debut of the brand new 2015 Audi R8 LMS. Two new cars joined the field, one entered by Audi Sport Team Phoenix and the other by Audi Sport Team WRT. The factory-supported Audi R8 LMS entries included the driver line-ups of Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Mike Rockenfeller and Frank Stippler (Phoenix #15), and Christer Jöns, Laurens Vanthoor, Edward Sandström and Nicki Thiim (WRT #37).

Phoenix Racing also entered one of its older Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (Audi #5) with Christian Mamerow, Markus Winkelhock, Christopher Zoechling and Frank Stippler. This older R8 LMS ultra was the highest placed Audi during qualifying, securing ninth place on the grid. The two new Audi R8 LMS cars were qualified in positions eleven and twelve, WRT ahead of Phoenix Racing.

At the time that the red flag was waved the field was split with different pit-stop intervals. The three SP9 class (GT3) Audi entries were running fifth (#15 Audi R8 LMS), seventeenth (#5 Audi R8 LMS ultra) and twenty-fourth (#37 Audi R8 LMS).

A total of twelve Audi race cars were entered this weekend. The SP9 GT3 machines were joined by Düchting Motorsport’s Audi R8 V10 in the SP8 class, a number of Audi TT RS and Audi TTS entries in SP3T and SP4T (Rotek Racing, LMS Engnieering, S.Pace Racing, race&event), an Audi A4 B7 from Tuning Akademie Ingolstadt and the Frikadelli Racing TT RS.

The #303 Audi TT RS from LMS Engineering was leading the SP3T class when the race was stopped.

Phoenix Racing also debuted its new Race-Taxi at the Green Hell this weekend. The #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra driven by Hans-Joachim Stuck has the “Crocodile” livery that was seen at the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour.

Round two of the VLN Endurance Series will be held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on 25 April.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Read More

Blancpain GT Series: Belgian Audi Club Team WRT announces its program and driver line-ups for 2015

By Johan Laubscher

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is gearing up for a very busy 2015 season and announced its 2015 plans and driver line-ups at its workshop on Thursday.

The WRT team is entering an army of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the Blancpain GT Series, four cars in the Sprint Series and three in the Endurance Series. The new 2015 factory-supported Audi R8 LMS program with WRT will also be adding one car at two selected rounds of the Blancpain Endurance Series (Monza and Paul Ricard) and at the opening VLN round, followed by a two-car entry at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the Spa 24 Hours. In addition to its European commitments, WRT is also supporting Hitotsuyama Racing
 in the Japanese Super GT this year.

The official Belgian Audi Club Team WRT press release can be seen HERE.

The line-ups for WRT's three-car Blancpain Endurance Series and four-car Blancpain Sprint Series entries have been announced and included below, joining the factory supported 2015 Audi R8 LMS WRT driver line-ups revealed by Audi Sport earlier this week.

W Racing Team (WRT) commitments and driver line-ups for 2015: 

2015 Blancpain GT Series:

   Blancpain Endurance Series

      BES full season entries (Excluding Monza, Paul Ricard and Spa 24 Hours)
      #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Laurens Vanthoor, Robin Frijns and Jean-Karl Vernay
      #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra* - Stéphane Ortelli, Stéphane Richelmi and Frank Stippler
      #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra* - Laurent Pasquali, Sacha Bottemanne and Max Koebolt

      BES round 1: Monza 
      Audi R8 LMS (2015) - Nico Müller, Stéphane Ortelli and Frank Stippler
      #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Laurens Vanthoor, Robin Frijns and Jean-Karl Vernay
      #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Stéphane Richelmi, Kelvin van der Linde and TBA
      #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Laurent Pasquali, Sacha Bottemanne and Max Koebolt

      BES round 3: Paul Ricard
      Audi R8 LMS (2015) - René Rast, Laurens Vanthoor and Markus Winkelhock
      #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Robin Frijns, Jean-Karl Vernay and TBA
      #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Stéphane Ortelli, Stéphane Richelmi and Frank Stippler
      #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Laurent Pasquali, Sacha Bottemanne and Max Koebolt

      BES round 4: Spa 24 Hours
      Audi R8 LMS (2015) - René Rast, Laurens Vanthoor and Markus Winkelhock
      Audi R8 LMS (2015) - Nico Müller, Stéphane Ortelli and Frank Stippler
      Audi R8 LMS ultra - Robin Frijns, Jean-Karl Vernay and Stéphane Richelmi
      Audi R8 LMS ultra - Laurent Pasquali, Sacha Bottemanne and Max Koebolt

   Blancpain Sprint Series
   #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Laurens Vanthoor and Robin Frijns
   #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Enzo Ide and Christopher Mies
   #3 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Stéphane Ortelli and Stéphane Richelmi
   #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Frank Stippler and James Nash

VLN round 1:
#37 Audi R8 LMS (2015) - Christer Jöns, Nico Müller, Edward Sandström and Nicki Thiim

Nürburgring 24 Hours:
Audi R8 LMS (2015) - Christopher Mies, Nico Müller, Edward Sandström and Laurens Vanthoor
Audi R8 LMS (2015) - Christer Jöns, Pierre Kaffer, Nicki Thiim and Laurens Vanthoor

Japanese Super GT (WRT supporting Hitotsuyama Racing):
#21 Audi R8 LMS ultra - Richard Lyons, Tomonobu Fujii and Stéphane Ortelli**

*BES WRT entries #1 and #2 will alternate driver combinations during the season with the addition of the one to two new 2015 Audi R8 LMS at certain rounds.

**Stéphane Ortelli is joining Hitotsuyama Racing has the third driver for the endurance events, rounds two and five, the Fuji 500 km and the Suzuka 1000 km.

Photo credit: 
GrafiWrap Grafityp
Audi Communications - Motorsport

Read More

Blancpain GT Series: A busy programme in 2015 for multiple title-defender Belgian Audi Club Team WRT

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Press Release

• Four Audi R8 LMSultra entered in the Blancpain Sprint Series and three in the BlancpainEndurance Series
• New Audi R8 LMS tojoin in selected enduro events
• Driver line-upscombine experience and youth, with Robin Frijns and Jean-Karl Vernay as mostrecent stellar additions
• Vanthoor-Winkelhock-Rastto defend their title at Total 24 Hours of Spa

The 2015 GT season is about to start and the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is ready to take up the challenge of doing as well,or possibly better, than in 2014! The Belgian squad closed 2014 with animpressive string of titles, which included double (Drivers’ and Teams’) titlesin the overall Blancpain GT Series, the Blancpain Endurance Series and in theSilver Cup of the Blancpain GT Series, where it also clinched the Teams’honours in the Pro Cup. Last but not least, it conquered a resounding win inthe Total 24 Hours of Spa, undisputedly the most prestigious GT race in theworld. Defending all these titles will be a challenging task but also a veryexciting one!

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is prepared for theendeavour, as shown today in its premises in Baudour, Belgium where the 2015racing programme was unveiled to the press. The entire team is proud to embarkin what is the sixth year of partnership between the Belgian Audi Club, TeamWRT and the Audi brand, and also the sixth consecutive season in SRO-promotedchampionships. With a renewed and strengthened driver line-up, the outfit ismore committed than ever to excellence and thrilled to have soon thepossibility of taking to the track the new generation of the Audi R8 LMS racer.

Team Principal Vincent Vosse today summed upthe mood of his troops: “We are anxiousto be on the track again after the winter break. We have been recently testingat the Paul Ricard and twice at Misano Adriatico, but we look forward to the adrenalinthat only real racing can give. We are ready and extremely motivated. I amproud of the work that everybody has done during this preparation phase and Iam also proud of the excellent line-ups we have put together. They represent, Ibelieve, a perfect combination of experience and youth. We are very happy tohave a family of drivers that have been many years with us, such as Ortelli,who is part of the team since the very beginning in 2010,
Stippler, Vanthoor,Ide, Mies or Sandström, and also to having been able to attract people of thelikes of Richelmi, Frijns and Vernay, just to make some names, who bringmuch-valued fresh blood. Both things mean a lot to us.“

Vosse goes on: “Clearly, 2015 will be an interesting season. On one hand, we have thevery exciting task to defend many titles after a very successful 2014 campaign;on the other, it will be a year of transition, as the new generation of theAudi R8 LMS comes gradually into the scene. I am sure it will represent asignificant step forward, in terms of performance and reliability, as the newcar is the fruit of everything Audi engineers have learnt in the past years,and it is a privilege for us to have the possibility to run the new car inselected events. It is also a key year for Team WRT, as we have expanded intonew arenas, successfully debuting in ice races at the Trophée Andros over thewinter, or assisting a Japanese team in preparing the R8 LMS ultra they boughtfrom us and that will race in the Japanese GT300 series.”

While the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT hasfurther strengthened its staff, key top managers have not changed, with RenéVerbist overseeing all technical aspects and Pierre Dieudonné and ThierryTassin sharing sporting directorship duties. The squad is therefore perfectlyfit to embark on the racing programme outlined below.

Blancpain Sprint Series

The team will enter in the 7 rounds of theBlancpain Sprint Series four Audis R8 LMS ultra, all in the Pro category. Car#1 will be entrusted to Laurens Vanthoor and Robin Frijns, with the Belgo-Dutch23-year-old driver and former FR 3.5 Champion doing his debut in GT racing. Car#2 will be for Enzo Ide-Christopher Mies, with the two “Stéphanes of Monaco”,Ortelli and Richelmi, sharing car #3 and Frank Stippler-James Nash pairing incar #4.

Blancpain Endurance Series

Three cars will be also entered in theBlancpain Endurance Series. While the car entered in Pro-Am will be entrustedto French GT drivers Laurent Pasquali and Sacha Bottemanne and young DutchmanMax Koebolt, who all debut in the team, the two Pro cars will have somehowchanging line-ups, which will be announced ahead of every event. Still, the mostusual line-up configuration will see Laurens Vanthoor, Robin Frijns and anothernew addition, French GT star Jean-Karl Vernay share #1 and Stéphane Ortelli,Stéphane Richelmi and Frank Stippler driving car #2.

It is in this championship that, with thesupport of Audi Sport, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will have the opportunityto race the new Audi R8 LMS, recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Oneunit will be used at Monza (with Nico Müller joining Stippler and Ortelli atthe wheel) and another will be entered at the Ricard 1000 km race for LaurensVanthoor-Markus Winkelhock-René Rast.

Total 24 Hours of Spa

Although part of the Blancpain EnduranceSeries, the Total 24 Hours of Spa is a race completely apart, as we all know.For the Ardennes enduro, Vanthoor-Winkelhock-Rast will defend their title atthe wheel of the new Audi R8 LMS, a model that also Ortelli-Stippler-Müllerwill have, with Frijns-Richelmi-Vernay being entrusted an R8 LMS ultra.

ADAC 24 Hours of theNürburgring

This year too, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRTwill live the excitement of the “Green Hell” and be part of Audi’s offensive,with two new R8 LMS. The line-ups for the ‘Ring are Laurens Vanthoor-EdwardSandström-Nico Müller-Christopher Mies on one hand, and Laurens Vanthoor-PierreKaffer-Niki Thiim-Chister Jöns on the other.


The first 2015 outing is round the corner, asthe Blancpain Sprint Series kicks-off on Easter weekend (4-6) at the CircuitPaul Armagnac in Nogaro, Southwest France. As customary, the Coupes de Pâques races of 1 hour each takeplace on Easter Sunday (Qualifying Race at 14:15 CET) and Monday (Main Race at13:10). Follow all the action (including live timing and commented TVwebstreaming) on www.blancpain-gt-series.com

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Read More

Nürburgring 24 Hours: Audi Sport customer racing Asia announces N24 drivers with Audi race experience

By Johan Laubscher

Audi Sport customer racing Asia has announced the four-man driver line-up for its entry with one Audi R8 LMS ultra in the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year.

Audi race experience (TKL Motorsport) will be running the Audi R8 LMS ultra at the Nürburgring 24 Hours from 14-17 May.

At the Nürburgring the Audi R8 LMS ultra will be entrusted to four Audi R8 LMS Cup race drivers. The quartet includes the reigning Cup champion, Alex Yoong, who will be joined by the 2012 Cup champion, Marchy Lee, and also Franky Cheng Congfu and Shaun Thong. Thong is also taking part in the Audi Sport TT Cup in Germany this year.

This Nürburgring 24 Hours project from Audi Sport customer racing Asia began with an outing for Marchy Lee, Franky Cheng Congfu and Shaun Thong at round nine of the 2014 VLN Endurance Series. They were behind the wheel of an Audi race experience (TKL Motorsport) Audi R8 LMS ultra (pictured below).

Editor's note (Johan Laubscher): Audi race experience will be running this Audi R8 LMS ultra entry at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. It will not be run by Phoenix Racing, as was previously stated by myself on the Audi Motorsport Blog. I thank Phoenix Racing's media team for pointing out the mistake and I apologise for the oversight.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

Read More

Audi before race debut of the Audi R8 LMS and first 24-hour races of the GT season

Audi Press Release

• First fielding of GT3 race car in VLN opener
• Phoenix Racing and Belgian Audi Club Team WRT are race teams
• Strong driver line-up for the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and at Spa

Ingolstadt, March 23, 2015 – On March 28, the new Audi R8 LMS will be facing its baptism of fire in the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. Seven weeks later, one of Germany’s major races will follow, with four new R8 LMS cars battling for success in the Nürburgring 24 Hours on May 16 and 17. On July 25 and 26, the world’s major GT3 race, the Spa 24 Hours, will be held. On board: four driver squads with Le Mans winners, an FIA WEC World Champion and Audi Champions from DTM and GT racing. 

The Audi R8 LMS was in the spotlight at the Geneva Motor Show just recently, at the beginning of the month, and about three weeks later it has to prove itself for the first time in the ‘Green Hell’ of the Nürburgring. The Audi R8 LMS will be competing there on the last weekend in March. In the opening race of the VLN Endurance Championship, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and Team Phoenix Racing will each be fielding one of the brand new GT3 race cars. Both teams have excellent references. The Belgian team of Vincent Vosse decided the Spa 24 Hours in its favor last year, while Ernst Moser’s Phoenix squad based in the Eifel won the endurance race on its doorstep.

“Our new Audi R8 LMS is ready for a rigorous testing program in racing conditions,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “We selected the two toughest 24-hour races in Europe that GT3 cars are permitted to compete in. In Phoenix Racing and the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT we’ve got two teams that have been spoiled by success at our side. Towards the end of the year we’re going to deliver a powerful new race car to our customers.”

Successful Audi race drivers from various motorsport series are going to take turns at the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS in the events at the Nürburgring and at Spa. The former DTM Champion Mike Rockenfeller and his fellow Audi driver Nico Müller, the Le Mans winners Marcel Fässler and Stéphane Ortelli, WEC driver René Rast, last year’s winners at the Nürburgring and at Spa, plus many other top-caliber GT drivers are completing the line-up of both teams.

In addition, the new Audi R8 LMS will be competing in selected other races in the 2015 season, such as the second VLN race on April 25 and individual rounds of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

The driver line-ups of Audi Sport customer racing


March 28, 2015, VLN 1

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
Christer Jöns/Nico Müller/Edward Sandström/Nicki Thiim (D/CH/S/DK)

Phoenix Racing
Marc Basseng/Christopher Haase/Mike Rockenfeller/Frank Stippler (D/D/D/D)


May 16–17, 2015, Nürburgring 24 Hours

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
Christopher Mies/Nico Müller/Edward Sandström/Laurens Vanthoor (D/CH/S/B)
Christer Jöns/Pierre Kaffer/Nicki Thiim/Laurens Vanthoor (D/D/DK/B)

Phoenix Racing
Christopher Haase/Christian Mamerow/René Rast/Markus Winkelhock (D/D/D/D)
Marc Basseng/Marcel Fässler/Mike Rockenfeller/Frank Stippler (D/CH/D/D)


July 25–26, 2015, Spa 24 Hours

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
René Rast/Laurens Vanthoor/Markus Winkelhock (D/B/D)
Nico Müller/Stéphane Ortelli/Frank Stippler (CH/MC/D)

Phoenix Racing
Marcel Fässler/Christian Mamerow/Mike Rockenfeller (CH/D/D)
Christopher Haase/Christopher Mies/Nicki Thiim (D/D/DK)

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Read More

V de V: Class victory for AB Sport Auto Audi R8 LMS in Spain

By Johan Laubscher

AB Sport Auto and its two Audi R8 LMS cars took part and performed very well in the opening round of the French V de V Endurance Series in Spain this weekend. It was the annual 4-hour season opening endurance race at Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya.

The French Audi Sport customer racing team has added a second Audi R8 LMS to its arsenal for the GTV 2 class this year. The #45 Audi R8 LMS was entered under the banner of AB Sport Auto and driven by the familiar trio of Franck Thybaud, Maxime Jousse and Thierry Proust. The second Audi R8 LMS was the #11 entry running under the banner of V de V. This #11 Audi was driven by Eric van de Vyver, Tiziano Carugati and Michel Wegelin.

Qualifying saw AB Sport Auto with positions two and four in class, positions six and nine overall. It was the #45 Audi R8 LMS ahead of the #11 Audi R8 LMS.

The 4-hour endurance race held on Sunday saw AB Sport Auto's two Audi R8 LMS cars running at the front of the GTV 2 class. By the end of the race the #11 Audi R8 LMS was piloted to a well deserved GTV 2 class victory, fourth place overall. The #45 Audi R8 LMS finished fourth in class, seventh overall.

The next round of the V de V Endurance Series will be another 4-hour endurance race hosted at Mugello in Italy, from 24-26 April.

Photo credit: AB Sport Auto - Fan page

Read More

Audi R8 LMS Cup: Successful debut standing start before Round 2 halted

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

Zhuhai, March 22, 2015 - After a thrilling debut standing start for Round 2 of the Audi R8 LMS Cup, the race was subsequently halted by officials on Lap 4. Large quantities of sawdust had been put down after oil was left on track during earlier sessions. As Round 2 got underway, the sawdust was sucked into the cooling ducts, blocking the cooling systems and causing the engines to overheat. In the interests of safety, the race was red flagged.

All cars were recalled to the pits. After it became clear that the extensive cleaning required by the large quantities of sawdust could not be completed in time, it was not possible to restart the race.

Said Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia: “The standing start went extremely well today and, with the new launch control technology, every car started with good pace.  I’m delighted that the first ever Audi R8 LMS Cup standing start was such a success.

“We fully support the decision to halt the race taken by the Audi R8 LMS Cup Race Director as safety is paramount. Stopping the race was the right decision. We will endeavour to add a 13th round to the Audi R8 LMS Cup 2015.”

Per series Regulations, the halted race counts as Round 2 with more than two laps completed before the red flag. Because less than 50% of race distance had been completed, no points were awarded.

Prior to the stoppage, Round 1 winner and pole-sitter Alex Yoong of Audi TEDA Racing Team made a superb getaway in his first standing start in six years. A new innovation this season, the crowds heard the field roar off the grid in the Cup’s first-ever standing start. With new launch control technology, all 20 Audi R8 LMS Cup cars got away cleanly.

Behind Yoong, Marchy Lee of Audi Hong Kong Team, second on the grid, dropped back after a coming together at Turn 1 with Cup newcomer Thomas Fjordbach of FM Racing. The Dane, who started from the third row, made up two positions at the start before braking too late into the first turn. Female driver Rahel Frey of Castrol Racing Team started from third on the grid, but lost out to India’s Aditya Patel of Team Audi R8 LMS Cup at the start, before dropping further down the order after Turn 1.

With the standing start bringing the field even closer, by the end of Lap 1 it was Yoong who led Patel, Fjordback, Kimi Qin of SCC Sportscar Club and Frey, who rounded out the top five.

The official finishing positions for Round 2 are taken from the order at the end of Lap 2, per series’ Regulations.  In the Amateur Cup, Hong Kong’s Daniel Bilski of B-Quik Racing finished ahead of CTVS Racing Team driver Alex Au.

The Audi R8 LMS Cup 2015 season continues with Rounds 3 and 4 from May 15-17 at the Korea International Circuit in South Korea. With Yoong and Lee joining Shaun Thong and Franky Cheng as the first all-Asian Audi race experience team line-up for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the four will be absent from Korea. This will give their rivals an ideal opportunity to amass valuable championship points.

Quotes after Round 2

Alex Yoong (Audi TEDA Racing Team)

“I nailed the start. The launch control worked perfectly and the car was great. I was really happy with my fist lap. Although the conditions were very tricky, I just guessed right and pulled a gap. Then I noticed my rivals were dropping further back and I wasn’t really pushing, so I knew something was up. Unfortunately there was the overheating problem from the sawdust for everyone. I didn’t have any problems as I was at the front. It’s a big shame though as I knew I could have got some more points over my rivals for the championship today.

The standing start was great fun. I was thinking, ‘wow, this is exciting!’ I’d forgotten how exciting a standing start was and I’d never done one in a GT3 car. I’m happy with that.”

Aditya Patel (Team Audi R8 LMS Cup)

“It was interesting. I hadn’t done a standing start in a GT car before, and I think most of the field hadn’t either. I thought I had a good start as I had Marchy and Rahel for reference, but as I went down the straight I saw Thomas coming alongside, so I knew it wasn’t such a good start.

Everybody got off OK. When we revved up on the grid, I could hear it in the car so I can imagine what it was like outside. I think everybody loved it!”

Thomas Fjordbach (Team FM Racing)

“My start was very good. I like standing starts and I think I’m good at them, although this was my first time doing it with a rear-wheel drive. I’ve done standing starts in touring cars, but not GT cars, but most importantly it was new for everyone. Yesterday,  I made a mistake in the rolling start because I forgot to use Push-to-Pass at the start as it was my first Audi R8 LMS Cup race. Today I used it and managed to overtake two positions, but then I braked too late and hit Marchy.”

Audi R8 LMS Cup website: www.audir8lmscup.com

Round 2 results

1. 1/Alex YOONG/MAL/Audi TEDA Racing/3:20.997
2. 8/Aditya PATEL/IND/4R/Team Audi R8 LMS Cup/+2.481
3. 54/Thomas FJORDBACH/DEN/Team FM Racing/+4.794
4. 6/Kimi QIN/CHN/SCC Sportscar Club/+5.754
5. 66/Rahel FREY/SUI/Castrol Racing Team/+6.251
6. 88/Marchy LEE/HKG/4R/Audi Hong Kong Team/+10.645
7. 59/Daniel BILSKI/HKG/Am/B-Quik Racing/+13.076
8. 12/Alex AU/HKG/Am/CTVS Racing Team/+13.565
9. 11/Kyong-Ouk YOU/KOR/4R/Audi Korea/+13.965
10. 26/Shaun THONG/CHN/Michelin Racing Team/+14.202
11. 69/Ashraff DEWAL/MAL/Am/Team Asiasport/+14.961
12. 51/Johnson HUANG/TPE/Am/BC Racing/+16.292
13. 39/Stefano MONTESI/HKG/4R/Team Betterlife/17.826
14. 56/Samson CHANG/HKG/Am/Z Racing/+18.650
15. 7/Jeffrey LEE/TPE/4R/Team Audi Volkswagen Taiwan/+19.519
16. 3/Hugues RIPERT/HKG/Am/4R/Team Chengdu New Elements/+19.814
17. 99/Franky CHENG/CHN/4R/FAW-VW Audi Racing Team/+20.527
18. 33/Tommy WONG/HKG/Am/Starspeed Racing/+21.520
19. 77/Jacky YEUNG/HKG/Am/Tiger Racing Team/+22.485
20. 36/Sam LOK/HKG/Am/Starspeed Racing/+1 Lap

2015 Audi R8 LMS Cup
Overall Classification after Round 2 – Top 10

1. Alex YOONG – 25
2. Rahel FREY – 19
3. Aditya PATEL – 15
4. Marchy LEE – 12
5. Franky CHENG – 10
6. Thomas FJORDBACH – 8
7. Kimi QIN – 6
8. Shaun THONG – 4
9. Kyong-Ouk YOU – 2
10. Samson CHAN – 1

Am Cup Classification after Round 2 – Top 5

1. Samson CHAN – 25
2. Hugues RIPERT – 18
3. Ashraff DEWAL – 15
4. Johnson HUANG – 12
5. Sam LOK – 10

Team Cup Classification after Round 2 – Top 5

1. Audi TEDA Racing Team – 25
2. Castrol Racing Team – 19
3. Team Audi R8 LMS Cup/4R – 15
4. Audi Hong Kong Team/4R – 12
5. FAW-VW Audi Racing Team/4R – 10

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

Read More

Circuit Hero: Class podiums for D2 Racing Sport Audi R8 LMS at Zhuhai

By Johan Laubscher

The opening round of the Pan Delta Super Racing Festival took place at Zhuhai this weekend. The Audi R8 LMS Cup was also one of the series featured at the event, along with the Circuit Hero categories.

D2 Racing Sport from Taiwan entered two GT3 specification race cars in the Circuit Hero One category races, both in the Open B class. The team entered its Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and the #75 Audi R8 LMS. C.J. Huang was behind the wheel of his Audi R8 LMS which he debuted with D2 Racing Sport in Taiwan last year.

Qualifying saw Huang claiming an overall front row starting position, taking second on the grid behind his teammate in the Mercedes-Benz.

Race one on Saturday concluded with the Audi R8 LMS crossing the line in second place in class after fifteen laps of racing, finishing fourth overall. The final race was over ten laps held on Sunday and C.J. Huang finished third in the Open B class, also taking third overall. D2 Racing Sport won both races with the #31 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

Photo credit: 台灣GT賽車手-黃晞展（c.j Huang)

Read More

TUSC: Another Top-Five Finish for Paul Miller Racing in the 12 Hours of Sebring

Paul Miller Racing Press Release

Christopher Haase, Dion von Moltke and Bryce Miller Finish "36 Hours of Florida" With Two Fifth-Place Results in No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS

SEBRING, Fla. (March 21, 2015) - Paul Miller Racing, and team drivers Christopher Haase, Dion von Moltke and Bryce Miller, drove the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS to their second 2015 fifth-place finish in a row Saturday in the 12 Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

The top-five Sebring run followed a fifth-place finish in January's season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and moves the Paul Miller Racing team and its drivers off to a solid points start in the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) standings.

"We can't be too unhappy," said Paul Miller Racing Team Owner, Paul Miller. "We beat some really good teams that didn't do as well as we did today. When you take the long view, we had really hoped to be on the podium here, but we had a couple of issues that hampered us a little bit. All in all, I am very proud of the guys, proud of the preparation of the car and the way the car was driven tonight. I am very pleased overall with this race."

All three drivers spent the majority of the grueling 12-hour race in the GTD top five, with Haase running as high as third and von Moltke a race-high second in two different driving shifts.

At the halfway point, the team appeared ready to make a move for the victory the way it did in last October's 10-hour Petit Le Mans race but the nighttime pace never emerged.

"We didn't have the temperature drop quite as low for us like it did at Petit Le Mans," Bryce Miller said. "Cold, dense conditions really help to push air through the really large restrictor that is on the car. I just don't think the temperature ever dropped the way we had hoped going into the night."

A two-hour highlight show recapping the 12 Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida airs tomorrow, Sunday, March 22, at 8 a.m. EDT on FOX Sports 1.

About Paul Miller Racing:
Paul Miller Racing was the top Audi Sport customer racing team in the inaugural season of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014 in which Bryce Miller and Christopher Haase co-drove the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS. The racing team is affiliated with the Paul Miller Auto Group, which has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, races in support of Full Circle Home, and competes with the support of Castrol EDGE, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.

Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer, @ChHaase and @Dionvmracing and on Facebook fan pages available at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing, Facebook.com/brycemiller.net, www.facebook.com/Dionvm, and www.paulmillerracing.com, www.brycemiller.net, www.christopher-haase.de and www.dionvm.com.

About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS: Audi began a new chapter in 2009 with the introduction of the Audi Sport customer racing program. For the first time it was possible for motorsport customers to acquire a race car designed for customer racing events. Since its inception, the success of the R8 LMS has been significant throughout the GT3 racing format worldwide, including victory in the GT class in the 2013 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Audi R8 LMS shares more than 50% of its parts with the Audi R8 street car including the naturally aspirated V10 5.2 Liter engine, the Audi Space Frame and a variety of other components.

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.

Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing / Bob Chapman

Read More