BTCC: Strong sixth in Knockhill BTCC qualifying for Austin‏

Rob Austin Press Release

Rob Austin was an excellent sixth fastest outright in Dunlop British Touring Car qualifying at Fife’s Knockhill circuit this afternoon although team-mate Hunter Abbott was a frustrated 21st, albeit just seven tenths of a second away from the pole position time.

Rob was in the top ten throughout in his Exocet AlcoSense Audi A4. But with effectively his final lap of the session he produced a lap time of 51.979 seconds – his fastest ever around the twisting 1.2-mile circuit – to give himself a third row starting position on the grid for the first of tomorrow’s three races.

He said: “I’m very happy with that and I don’t believe it was the best lap I could have done either. We’ve opted to run the soft compound tyre in race one which could be very good for us if it stays dry as it’s a driver’s fastest lap in race one that decides their starting position for the race two grid.

“We’ve also found in the two earlier free practice sessions we’re able to turn in consistently fast laps so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Hunter, who is on stand-by to fly back home to Maidenhead in case expectant wife Susie goes into labour, added: “That was a frustrating session for me for a number of reasons and when I was perhaps on for my absolute best another car came out of the pit lane and delayed me.

“Also my best lap on the timesheets is 52.437s but we maybe need to look at some data as our best time was disallowed for exceeding track limits – just so we know for certain that the correct lap has been disallowed. Particularly because the times are so close – it could make the difference between P21 or P15. As for tomorrow we know we have excellent pace over a long distance with the tyres so we’ve got everything to fight for.”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing

Read More

PHOTOS: Audi BTCC teams at Snetterton

A selection of great photos taken by our friend Phil Laughton from last weekend's BTCC round of Snetterton. Three Audi NGTC races cars took part in the event, two Audi A4 from Rob Austin Racing and one Audi S3 from AmD Tuning.

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

NPCC: Audi S4 quattro racers in thick of Zwartkops action‏

Audi South Africa Press Release

As has become expected from the Audi S4 quattro competitors, they were right in the thick of the race day action at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday.

Round five of the National Production Car Championship (NPCC) proved another exciting part of the 2015 season and the Audi S4 quattro racers were the pace setters.

The four Audi S4 quattros were the top four qualifying NPCC competitors on Saturday morning, with Gennaro Bonafede (32 – Audi Sasolracing) the quickest followed by Simon Moss (38 – Engen Xtreme), Hennie Groenewald (8 – Audi Sasolracing) and Michael Stephen (12 – Engen Xtreme). This also meant the first two rows of the starting grid for race one were all Audi.

For Bonafede, starting on pole meant his first race win for the day, with teammate Groenewald in second place and Stephen in third. Moss brought his Audi S4 quattro home for fifth. With race two a reverse grid, the Audi S4 quattro racers were faced with having to fight their way through the field. By the chequered flag, Groenewald had worked his way up to second place with Stephen fourth and Bonafede fifth and Moss sixth.

For race three it was Bonafede again the lead Audi S4 quattro across the finish line, winning the last race of the day in the process with Stephen in fourth, Groenewald fifth and Moss ending the day in 15th place.

The NPCC entrants will contest their next round for 2015 at Dezzi's Raceway in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, August 29. This will be a first for the field with none of the Audi S4 quattros having competed at the circuit before.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za (Morne Condon)

Read More

BTCC: Improvements for Nicolas Hamilton at Snetterton with AmD Tuning Audi S3

By Tarek Ramchani

Nicolas Hamilton had a positive weekend at Snetterton in the demanding British Touring Car Championship. Behind the wheel of the Audi S3 Sedan from team AmD Tuning he performed well in his second appearance in the BTCC.

Nicolas Hamilton started the Snetteron weekend with good performances in the two practice sessions on Saturday. He was twenty-second in the first session and twenty-fifth in the second one. Later he qualified in twenty-sixth place overall.

On race day Nicolas Hamilton had a very unlucky opening race. He crashed with his Audi S3 and was forced to retire with 3 laps to go. A lot of work for the AmD Tuning squad who was able to repair the car in time for the second race of the day.

The Audi driver bounced back very well in race 2. Lewis Hamiton brother ended the 12-lap event in a very strong sixteenth place. His best result ever in the premier Britih motorsport series.

Nicolas Hamilton concluded the Snetterton weekend in twenty-second place in the third and final race of the day.

Credits to the driver who is batteling very well against the BTCC regulars and to the AmD Tuning crew who prepared a very competitve Audi S3.

Photo credit: BTCC

Read More

BTCC: Positive results for Rob Austin Racing in Snetterton touring car races

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

Rob Austin Racing exceeded expectations with strong points finishes in today’s Dunlop British Touring Car races at Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit – a venue at which it has previously struggled for results with its Audi A4s.

Rob Austin raced to ninth and eighth place finishes in his Exocet AlcoSense Audi in races two and three. There was also a points finish for team-mate Hunter Abbott with 12th in race two – and it could have been more had he not been spun out of contention in race three.

Rob’s results owed much to a strategic call in race one after problems in Saturday’s qualifying session – later traced to a broken suspension component – had left him back in 21st on the grid.

He commented: “We had nothing to lose from that far back so took the strategic decision to start from the pit lane, some time after the rest had gone – that gave us a clear track and I was able to concentrate on a fast lap which decides the race two grid. P13 was a good return…

“From P13 race two came to us with ninth although I have to admit we rode our luck a bit in the opening laps – some of the driving out there was crazy today. P9 on the grid for race three became P8 at the end and I’m really pleased with my driving in that race – we don’t have the fastest car here so I put everything into turning in precise, consistent lap times which payed off as those behind were getting close at the end.

“Snetterton has not been kind to us in the past but this shows how we have evolved as a team over the past 12 months and how we’ve progressed the cars. I’m really pleased with my day and of course Knockhill – one of our best circuits – is next up. I’m really looking forward to that one.”

Hunter is also leaving Snetterton on a high despite the results across the three races masking his true form.

He said: “It’s actually been a positive weekend when you drill down and take a look at it – I was quick straight away in first free practice on Saturday and to qualify 13th fastest outright, well within a second of pole, was very pleasing – that’s a gain of 14 places and more than two seconds compared to what I got out of the car here 12 months ago!

“Race one, hands up… I made an error with a quick spin and it dropped me out of the points. Race two we had a small problem with the turbo which took away some straight line speed but, still, 12th place was much more reflective of our pace this weekend. Race three I was running P11 and am confident a top ten was on only for Collard to misjudge things and spin me off the track. Up until that point we were mixing it with BMWs and Hondas…

“Snetterton is always a great barometer for teams to really gauge the progress they’ve made and it’s clear, by the significant increase in our pace this weekend on a circuit which has never been the best for us, that all the hard work is paying off.”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing

Read More

BTCC: Ups and downs for the Audi drivers in Snetterton qualifying

By Tarek Ramchani

A sunny Snetterton circuit played host to a thrilling British Touring Car Championship qualifying session this afternoon. Three Audi cars took part in the event with some ups and down.

Best ranked Audi driver was Hunter Abbot. Behind the wheel of the #54 Audi A4 from Rob Austin Racing he qualified in the first half of the table in a promising thirteenth place. He set a personal best time of 1:56.788, just 0.741 behind the fastest time overall in the session.

His team-mate Rob Austin had a harder qualifying session. Driving the #101 Audi A4, he was twenty-first overall with a personal best time of 1:57.973. The Rob Austin Racing team owner will be eager to bounce back on race day.

Nicolas Hamiton made some improvements with the #28 Audi S3 Sedan. The AmD Tuning driver qualified in a positive twenty-sixth place and set a personal best time of 1:59.623. This only Nicolas Hamiton's second appearance in the demanding BTCC.

Up ahead it was an all Volkswagen affair. Team BMR Volkswagen Passat CCs locked all three top places. Pole position went to the reining champion Coling Turkington ahead of his team-mates Aaron Smith in second and Jason Plato in third.

The three BTCC races are set for Sunday. We wish the best of luck to the two Audi teams and their drivers.

Photo credit: BTCC

Read More

NPCC: Audi S4 quattro racers in the hunt for points at Zwartkops‏

Audi South Africa Press Release

The Audi S4 quattro racers will return to competition in the National Production Car Championship (NPCC) at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, August 8, for round five of their championship season.

Hennie Groenewald (8 – Audi Sasolracing) enters this round of the series as the new leader, with a two-point advantage over his rival Michael Stephen (12 – Engen Xtreme). Two points, in a championship that sees qualifying times between the top runners measured in fractions of a second …

While Groenewald knows Stephen will be aiming to out-qualify him at Zwartkops – and will fill his rearview mirror at every possible opportunity – he will still enjoy the lead he has, knowing that he's in the driving seat as far as the championship goes.

From Stephen's perspective, second place in the championship provides a reasonable cushion, but without the pressures of maintaining the leading status. This is not to be confused with having no championship ambitions, rather that Stephen is willing to pace himself with an overall championship vision.

Two Audi S4 quattro racers, two very different race strategies and both with championship title ambitions. The combination is a recipe for absolute motorsport action for the rest of the National Production Car Championship (NPCC) season.

For Gennaro Bonafede (32 – Audi Sasolracing) the 2015 season will see him continue with his focus on a championship while consolidating his current third place and eroding the gap to second place – and then on to the overall championship lead.

Simon Moss (38 – Engen Xtreme) will be looking to his East London results – a podium finish in rather trying circumstances after a wheel broke, causing him to hit tyres and damage his race car. Going on to achieve a podium result at the high speeds demanded by the East London circuit puts him in good territory for the coming Zwartkops event.

Moss has had mixed results in the NPCC but this season has seen him making solid progress. The podium result in East London will boost his confidence and he will clearly be aiming for at least a repeat of that success at Zwartkops.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za (Morne Condon)

Read More

BTCC: Three Audi NGTC racers ready for Snetterton

By Tarek Ramchani

The long summer breaking in British Touring Car Championship is about to end. The premier auto racing series in the UK will be heading to the challenging Snetterton circuit this weekend. Three Audi NGTC race cars will enter the event coming from two different teams, Rob Austin Racing and AmD Tuning.

Rob Austin Racing will field their two Audis. Team owner Rob Austin will be behind the wheel of the #101 Audi A4. He will target strong performances and big points after some ups and downs in the first half of the season.

His team-mate Hunter Abbott will drive the #54 Audi A4. Same as Rob Austin, Hunter Abbott will be eager to shine at Snetterton. He performed well in many events but faced a lot of bad luck as well.

The third Audi entry is from the AmD Tuning squad. The #28 Audi S3 Sedan will be driven by Nicolas Hamilton who had a positive debut in the BTCC last time out at Croft. At Snetteron Nicolas Hamilton will try to improve and collect his first points in one of the most challenging touring car series worldwide.

The BTCC action at Snetterton will start on Saturday with two practice sessions and the qualifying one. The three 12-lap races will be held on Sunday.

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / AmD Tuning

Read More

BTCC: Rotek Racing Audi S3 Sedan on Forza Motorsport 6

By Tarek Ramchani

Great news for Forza Motorsport lovers. One the best looking cars in the British Touring Car Championship has been included into the game.

The car is the Audi S3 Sedan touring car. It was Rotek Racing who debuted the Audi NGTC machine last year in the demanding BTCC. The S3 Sedan racer is returining this year via AmD Tuning and driver Nicolas Hamilton.

Forza Motorsport 6 will available on Xbox One on September 15th in North America and September 17th in Europe.

Photo credit: Forza Motorsport

Read More

BTCC: The 2016 British Touring Car Championship calendar is out

BTCC Press Release

Series organiser TOCA has today (27 July) confirmed its calendar of events for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The highly successful consistency of its current format and order of ten events will continue for a fifth successive season, with Brands Hatch again bookending next year’s schedule.

The Indy Circuit layout will kick off proceedings in early April before Britain’s biggest series goes on to visit Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park and Croft. Action will recommence at Snetterton following the traditional summer break, which will be followed by the series’ annual pilgrimage to Knockhill in Scotland. A Northamptonshire double bill at Rockingham and Silverstone are next on the agenda, ahead of the season finale on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in early October.

The calendar will continue to comprise of 30 races across ten events, with three races of equal distance taking place on each scheduled weekend. The location and date for the annual Season Launch will be confirmed in the coming months.

The BTCC and its support series appears at all of the country’s major motor sport venues, providing a geographical spread which ensures that literally hundreds of thousands of fans can catch Britain’s biggest motor-racing package throughout the season.

Trackside and TV audiences for the BTCC have continued to grow year-on-year over the last decade with 2015 having already enjoyed huge attendances during the first half of the season. Each venue permits free admission for children – some for up to 16-year-olds – to its BTCC event, further broadening the championship’s appeal among family audiences and the next generation of fans.

ITV4 will continue to broadcast every race weekend live, free-to-air and in high definition in 2016, as well as live streaming via the ITV website. Regular highlights programmes will also be screened on both ITV and ITV4 following each event.

2016 BTCC Calendar:

1,2,3, Sat 2/Sun 3 April, Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent
4,5,6, Sat 16/Sun 17 April, Donington Park, Leicestershire
7,8,9, Sat 7/Sun 8 May, Thruxton, Hampshire
10,11,12, Sat 4/Sun 5 June, Oulton Park (Island), Cheshire
13,14,15, Sat 18/Sun 19 June, Croft, North Yorkshire
16,17,18, Sat 30/Sun 31 July, Snetterton, Norfolk
19,20,21, Sat 13/Sun 14 August, Knockhill, Fife
22,23,24, Sat 27/Sun 28 August, Rockingham, Northamptonshire
25,26,27, Sat 17/Sun 18 September, Silverstone, Northamptonshire
28,29,30, Sat 1/Sun 2 October, Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent

Photo credit: BTCC

Read More

HSCC Super Touring: Frank Wrathall with Audi 80 wins Silverstone Classic Super Touring race 1

By Tarek Ramchani

It's Silverstone Classic weekend at the "Home of British Motorsport". The event is featuring the HSCC Super Touring Car Championship. Great and legendary Super Touring Car machines are on site including some Audis.

Race 1 held this afternoon was won by an Audi 80, an ex ROC Competition car from French Supertourisme. The winning car was driven by former British Touring Car Championship competitor Frank Wrathall. He started from eleventh place on the grid and managed to bounce back passing his rivals one by one.

It was a dominant win for Frank Wrathall with the Audi 80 with the fastest lap time of the race. He ended the 9-lap race ahead of a trio of Hondas.

Race 2 is set for Sunday.

Photo credit: HSCC Super Touring Car

Read More

NPCC: Flat-out action from Audi S4 quattro racers in East London

Audi South Africa Press Release

The National Production Car Championship (NPCC) has a new leader – Hennie Groenewald (8 – Audi Sasolracing). Groenewald completed round four of the season at East London in second place overall, moving into the championship lead by a single point.

“From a championship point of view I'm very pleased,” says Groenewald. “From a race perspective it could have been better though. I had to settle for second place today, but it also means a championship lead so while I'm perhaps a bit frustrated by what happened on the track, it was a fair result and now I look to Zwartkops and Dezzi's Raceway in August to consolidate that lead over the next two rounds.”

Michael Stephen (12 – Engen Xtreme) was dealt a hard blow in the first race on Saturday when he suffered engine damage. For Stephen this was an unexpected occurrence as he has had nothing but absolute reliability from his race car for five years.

“It wasn't a great weekend, but it was a good recovery this weekend,” says Stephen. “Qualifying wasn't great, but I dealt with it. In race one I was going strong until the engine went which was a surprise since I haven't have an engine problem in five years. The Engen Xtreme Team dealt with it though, getting the engine out and replaced in two hours.”

Simon Moss (38 – Engen Xtreme) shone in the qualifying session in East London and also achieved a podium result in the second race of the day. One piece of bad luck made a big impact on his overall results, which affected what could have been his very best showing in the NPCC racing thus far.

“Qualifying went very well, I had good pace,” says Moss. “Unfortunately in that first race my left rear rim broke and I rolled the car and hit the tyres. It looked pretty bad but the car wasn't too badly damaged and the team could fix it before the second race. I even finished on the podium in race two, getting third place.”

For Gennaro Bonafede (32 – Audi Sasolracing) the East London round was an event where things just wouldn't hook up to form a cohesive race day. It is an event he will be glad to have behind him, with a brighter outlook for the coming rounds.

“On Friday we battled a bit with setup and I was also losing a bit of time through Potters Pass,” says Bonafede. “It was all me through Potters, not really pushing the boundaries through there. In race one I started seventh and worked my way up to third which was good. In race two I was putting in lap after lap of good times but in the dying stages the clutch gave in and I went from second to sixth. There wasn't time to fix it for race three so I was unable to finish.”

Round five of the NPCC season will see the Audi S4 quattro racers head to Zwartkops Raceway for the first of two rounds in August. The first at Zwartkops on 8 August will be followed by a visit to Dezzi's Raceway in KZN on Saturday 22 August.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za (Morne Condon)

Read More

TCR: Winning debut for the new Volkswagen Golf with Pol Rosell in Red Bull Ring

Volkswagen Press Release

First appearance, first win: The new Volkswagen Golf for the racetrack made its debut in the Touringcar Racer International Series (TCR) and promptly claimed its first victory. The Golf run by cooperation partner Liqui Moly Team Engstler triumphed at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Spain’s Pol Rosell won race two, finishing ahead of his compatriots Pepe Oriola (Seat) and Jordi Gené (Seat). Starting from pole position, Rosell defended his lead until the chequered flag at the 4.318-kilometre Grand Prix circuit. Mikhail Grachev (RUS) came sixth in the second Golf.

Rosell finished ninth and Grachev seventh in race one. Victory went to Switzerland’s Stefano Comini (Seat). The racing version in action in Austria is the first such model based on the seventh generation of Volkswagen Golf. The production-based, 330-hp concept car is assembled in accordance with TCR Regulations and is intended to allow Volkswagen to evaluate a possible customer racing programme as of the 2016 season. In order to accelerate the development process, the new Golf will be tested under competitive conditions in the TCR between now and the end of the season. The next races will take place in Singapore from 19 to 20 September, when they will share the bill with the Formula One World Championship.

Photo credit: Volkswagen Motorsport

Read More

TCR: Volkswagen Motorsport unveiled the new Golf TCR racer

Volkswagen Press Release

A new powerhouse for the racetrack: Volkswagen Motorsport is developing its first racing car based on the seventh generation Golf. The production-based, 330-hp concept car is assembled in accordance with TCR regulations and is intended to help Volkswagen evaluate a potential customer racing programme from the 2016 season onwards. In order to accelerate the development of the car, the new Golf will be tested under competitive conditions between now and the end of the season: as cooperation partner, the Liqui Moly Team Engstler will run two cars at the eighth round of the Touringcar Racer International Series (TCR) at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.

“The newly created TCR category provides a promising platform for customer racing – on a national and international level. With exciting races, production-based technology and reasonable costs, it offers a new outlook for private racing teams,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “When developing the Golf-based concept car, we are able to fall back on the resources at Volkswagen. This reduces both development time and costs. We will also use the rest of the season to test the car under competitive conditions and evaluate a possible customer racing project from 2016.”

Dynamic appearance: new Golf epitomises racing genes

Visually, the racing genes are clear to see on the Golf developed by Volkswagen Motorsport: 18-inch racing rims, a chassis roughly 40 centimetres wider than that of the production Golf, and a striking rear wing give the Golf a “ready-to-race” look and first-class handling. An aerodynamically designed front splitter and carbon rear wing are also among the modifications for the racetrack. Among the components designed to protect the driver are a racing seat with head protectors, a racing safety cell, and a safety tank in accordance with FIA regulations.

A powerful four-cylinder engine, DSG gearbox with shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel, a consistently developed racing chassis – even under the bonnet, the new Golf has been meticulously prepared for its outings at the racetrack. Volkswagen Motorsport is developing the car in cooperation with the sport department at SEAT, meaning it can call on SEAT’s experience with the Leon Cup Racer. As with the Volkswagen Group’s production vehicles, the MQB platform also offers many synergies for racing cars and reduces the cost of assembling and running the touring car. The two-litre turbo engine with direct fuel injection comes from the top sporting model, the Golf R. The racing version of this engine generates 330 hp (243 kW) and 410 Nm of torque.

Photo credit: Volkswagen Motorsport

Read More