Video: When the legend raced on New Year’s Eve

By Johan Laubscher

As we head into the final hours of 2012 it has been another great year for Audi in the world of Motorsport. Multiple successes stretching to all the corners of the globe. Fittingly we have included the embedded video from one of Audi's most notable New Year’s Eve successes which was uploaded onto YouTube a few years ago. At the end of 2000 the ALMS held its final round at Adelaide in Australia. It was the event where the now legendary Audi R8 in the “Crocodile livery” competed. It was a great race and was perfectly titled as the “Race of a Thousand Years.”

Enjoy watching this race which took place on New Year’s Eve twelve years ago.

We wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year for 2013.

Best regards,

The Audi Motorsport Blog Team

Note: Part one of eleven of the race footage is included above, the rest can be seen via this link HERE. 

All 2012 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS liveries

By Tarek Ramchani

Phoenix Racing has been loyal to the Audi brand for many seasons. They have raced for Audi Sport as a works backed team in both the DTM and long distance races. 2012 was a phenomenal year for the team and the Audi R8 LMS and the latest ultra version. A historical and magical triple was achieved with prestigious victories at the Bathurst 12 Hours, the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the Spa 24 Hours. The team also scored race wins in the VLN Endurance Series. Many races around Europe and beyond pushed the team to use many different paint schemes on their R16s. Here is a complete round up of the different and beautiful liveries of this Nürburgring based team on their Audi R8 LMS race cars during 2012.

"Kangaroo" Audi R8 LMS at Bathurst 12 Hours

"Spider" Audi R8 LMS at Bathurst 12 Hours

Audi ultra livery in VLN Endurance Series

Bilstein backed Audi R8 LMS ultra in VLN and the Nurburgring 24 Hours

PS Vita Audi R8 LMS ultra in VLN and the Nurburgring 24 Hours

Audi Sport performance cars at the Spa 24 Hours

Audi Sport performance cars at the Spa 24 Hours

"Your 2013 Drive" Audi R8 LMS ultra at the Nurburgring round of the Blancpain Endurance Series

Audi Sport performances cars in VLN Endurance Series

Pirelli World Challenge 2012 Audi season review

By Johan Laubscher and Tarek Ramchani

2012 saw the comeback of the Audi brand in the Pirelli World Challenge. The Audi R8 LMS was introduced for the first time in North American sportscar racing. It was in hands of series regulars, GMG Racing. Another Audi effort came from Don Istook with a fully privately built and run Audi TT RS in the lower GTS class. Both Audi teams had a positive 2012 season in the SCCA sanctioned series. Here is our full review of this year's competition.

GMG Racing and Don Istook did not race at the season opener held at St. Petersburg. GMG's R8 LMS and Istook's TT RS joined the series at round two on the streets of Long Beach as a support event to both the IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series.

Round 2: Long Beach, California
The Pirelli World Challenge at Long Beach saw the debut of two Audis during the second round of the series. The event witnessed the American debut of the Audi R8 LMS in GT3 specification, however modified to fit the SCCA regulations. The ex-Phoenix Racing car was entered by GMG Racing and driven by Anders Hainer to a respectable eleventh place finish. The other Audi making its debut was the Audi TT RS of Don Istook, a legendary Audi race car builder in America. The car was very new and had small problems all weekend and did very little running, but the white TT RS looked great and would be stronger at the next event.

Round 3: Miller Motorsport Park, Utah
The two Audis would again take part in the third round of the series held in Salt Lake City. The GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS continued to show progress as the team got to know the car. Anders Hainer in the R8 LMS finished in thirteenth place and the Don Istook Audi TT RS finished twenty-sixth overall.

Round 4: Laguna Seca, Monterey
The Pirelli World Challenge's fourth round saw the gird take part at the legendary Laguna Seca race circuit. Two Audi cars were entered for the event, the GMG Audi R8 LMS of Anders Hainer and the Audi TT RS of Don Istook. The GMG R8 LMS finished the race weekend in thirteenth place overall followed by the Istook TT RS in twenty-sixth overall. QuattroWorld.com was present at the event for coverage of the two Audis competing in World Challenge.

Round 5: Belle Island, Detroit
The SCCA Pirelli World Challenge held round five at a very wet Detroit circuit. Both Audis on the grid went well. The GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS claimed its first top ten finish with Anders Hainer claiming tenth spot in race one. The Don Istook Audi TT RS also showed well and scored the Hard charger award in the wet first race by passing multiple cars.

After round 5 the two regular Audi teams did not make the trip up north, skipping the sixth round at Mosport, Canada.

Round 7: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
The penultimate SCCA World Challenge round was at Mid Ohio. As per usual two Audi cars lined up on the grid, but both had something new in store. GMG Racing were debuting another new Audi R8 LMS at the event, driven by James Sofronas. He showed great pace during the entire weekend by qualifying sixth and scored the best R8 LMS finish to date with fifth in race one. The Don Istook Audi TT RS also did well and boasted a newly updated aerodynamic and exhaust set up.

Round 8: Sears Point, Sonoma
The final round of the American SCCA World Challenge took place at Sears Point. Three Audis were entered for the event. The Don Istook Audi TT RS was entered along with, for the first time, two Audi R8 LMS cars from GMG Racing. Ultimately only one R8 took part in the race, the #40 car of Anders Hainer who finished in the top ten. The Istook TT RS finished eleventh in class.

Editors note: A very special thanks to both GMG Racing and Don Istook for their great support with our Audi coverage of the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge this year.

Photo credit and more information:
Pirelli World Challenge official website

2013 Audi Sport Calendar

By Johan Laubscher

As 2012 draws to a close Audi Sport is already very busy gearing up for the 2013 motorsport season. Last year Audi Sport revealed a beautiful Calendar for 2012. During this year they hinted at another calendar being released for 2013 which would again portray the motorsport highlights from the previous season. Today, just four days from the end of 2012, Audi Sport has officially revealed their 2013 calendar, and it is another masterpiece. It is produced with twelve beautiful pictures each featuring different scenes from Audi’s Le Mans, DTM and customer racing programs.

We have included the twelve images and the cover below. You can download them directly from the Official Audi Sport Facebook page via this link HERE. 

Photos hosted at the Official Audi Sport Facebook page

2012 Audi winning motorsport season in 12 photos

By Tarek Ramchani

2012 has been a great season for the Audi brand in the world of motorsport. Championship titles and prestigious race victories were achieved all around the world. The highlight was of course the historical and unprecedented four 24 hour race victories at the Nürburgring, Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps and Zolder. No other brand has done this before. Audi dominated the FIA WEC by winning the drivers, teams and constructors titles. Included in the FIA WEC triumph was an eleventh outright Le Mans 24 Hours victory with a 1-2-3 for the R18 e-tron quattro cars and the first ever Hybrid win at La Sarthe. Championship titles also came from the demanding Blancpain Endurance Series with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. Edoardo Mortara again proved to be Mr. Macau, by winning in the Asian Macau GT Cup race with the R8 LMS ultra. Privateer Audi teams also achieved great results this year. Audi Sport Italia built and dominated with the RS 5 quattro in the Superstars Series, with Johan Kristoffersson the driver champion. In South Africa the Audi teams and the S4 quattro gave the Four Rings a back-to-back title with Michael Stephen. These successes listed above are just a brief glimpse into the successful 2012 season for Audi as many other titles and race wins came from across the globe. The end of the season was marked by the Audi Sport 2012 Finale at Ingolstadt and the emotional farewell of Dindo Capello. The Italian champion raced at Le Mans 2012 for the last time with the factory squad.

Here is a selection of the best from this Audi racing season portrayed in twelve photos from around the world.

Phoenix Racing won the Bathurst 12 Hour race with the #1 Audi R8 LMS.

Audi Sport Team Joest dominated the 12 Hours of Sebring, FIA WEC season opener.

Audi Sport Team Phoenix won the Nurburgring 24 Hours, first time for Audi.

Audi Sport Team Joest 1-2-3 victory at Le Mans, first ever overall Hybrid win with the R18 e-tron quattro.

Audi dominated the Spa 24 Hours, Phoenix Racing just ahead of WRT for a Audi 1-2.

Belgian Audi WRT won the Zolder 24 Hours with their R8 LMS ultra.

Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Macel Fassler are the 2012 FIA World Endurance Champions with Audi.

Johan Kristoffersson and the Audi RS 5 quattro ruled the International Superstars Series in their debut season.

Title defended in South Africa, Michael Stephen and the S4 quattro are again champions in Bridgestone Production Cars

Belgian Audi Club WRT are the Blancpain Endurance Series champions.

Four in a raw for Mr. Macau, Edoardo Mortara who won the Grand Prix of Macau GT Cup race with the R8 LMS ultra.

Emotional goodbye for Dindo Capello after great years with Audi.

VLN Endurance Series 2012 Audi season review

By Johan Laubscher and Tarek Ramchani

The 2012 was a great year for the Audi brand in the VLN Endurance Series. No less than three overall victories with the R8 LMS ultra and many other big performances whilst fighting the arch rivals from Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz for races wins each time. Phoenix Racing and Raeder Motorsport were the top Audi representatives in the competition this year. Both teams were able score race victories. The SP4T class was an all Audi affair. The TT RS teams faught each other for class honours as well as for the overall standings and beating cars from upper classes. Here is our complete 2012 season review of the ten rounds.

Round 1: 59. ADAC Westfalenfahrt
The season opener of the 2012 VLN was a very hard one for Audi teams. Three Audi R8 LMS entered the event from Phoenix Racing and the new comers from Raeder Motorsport. The race turned out to be a disastrous one for all three cars. All of them crashed in very difficult weather conditions. The race was later red flagged for the extreme fog. Things were a lot better for the TT RS teams. Raeder Motorsport were unlucky with their Audi R8 LMS ultra but they achieved a 1-2 victory in the SP4T class. The victorious #272 TT RS finished as the best Audi car in an amazing 8th overall, ahead of many top GT3 cars.

Round 2: 37. DMV 4-Stunden-Rennen
At round two it was victory for the FH Köln Motorsport TT RS in the SP4T class with Anja Wassertheurer, Daniela Schmid and Adam Osieka behind the wheel. Three Audis were present in the top class for GT3 machinery. Two Audi R8 LMS cars from Phoenix Racing and Raeder Motorsport. The #15 Phoenix R8 LMS finished 5th and the #44 Raeder R8 LMS finished 15th. Mamerow Racing entered their #14 R8 LMS ultra but unfortunately did not start the race after an accident on Friday. There was a total of eleven Audis in the race, three R8s, three of the SP4T TT RS cars and then also a combination of other TT RS, TTS, TT, A4 and A3 cars.

Round 3: 54. ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup
The third round of the VLN series is traditionally the warm up event for the Nurburgring 24 Hours. As such the grid was packed and there was no shortage of Audi cars. Seven Audi R8 LMS cars were entered from Audi Sport Team Phoenix, W Racing Team (WRT), Audi race experience (TKL Motorsport), Raeder Motorsport and Mamerow Racing. In the end the #5 Audi Sport Team Phoenix R8 LMS ultra of Christopher Mies and Markus Winkelhock finished second overall and the #15 Phoenix car in fourth. The #272 Raeder Motorsport Audi TT RS won the SP4T class. There were seventeen Audis in the race.

Round 4: 43. Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy
The first VLN round after the 2012 Nürburgring 24 Hours had a familiar winner. The Bilstein Phoenix Audi R8 LMS ultra of Marc Basseng and Frank Stippler dominated the weekend. The winners of the Nürburgring 24 Hours won the race followed by their Phoenix teammates in third. The Audi TT RS cars took a 1-2-3-4 sweep in the SP4T class. A total of twelve Audis were in the race.

Round 5: 52. ADAC Reinoldus-Langstreckenrennen
At round five three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were at the event. Unfortunately the two Phoenix Racing cars retired from the race but there was success for the third car from Raeder Motorsport. The Raeder car put aside its recent bad luck to claim third place during the race. The Raeder team also took victory in the SP4T class with the Audi TT RS. In total eleven Audi cars took part in the event.

Round 6: 35. RCM DMV Grenzlandrennen
The sixth VLN round saw the Phoenix Racing pairing of Marc Basseng and Frank Stippler do it again in their Audi R8 LMS ultra. The pair who together won the fourth round of the series again stepped onto the top of the podium after an amazing comeback drive. The SP4T class was once again won by the Raeder Motorsport Audi TT RS. A total of nine Audi race cars took part in the event.

Round 7: 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen
The six hour Pokal VLN event played host to round seven of the series. Five Audi R8 LMS ultra cars lined up for the race and they did not disappoint. The Raeder Motorsport team continued their good showing by placing second overall ahead of the Audi Sport Team Phoenix cars in third and sixth. There was also Audi success in the SP4T class, but not by one of the usual TT RS cars. It was a debut win for the Brandl Motorsport team and their privately built Audi TT RS which survived the six hours to take the class victory.

Round 8: 44. ADAC Barbarossapreis
The eighth round of the VLN series proved to be very successful for the Audi brand. An overall 1-2 finish with the Audi R8 LMS ultra teams and another SP4T class victory for the TT RS. Raeder Motorsport were in top form this weekend. The team has had a resurgence during the last few rounds as they put their start of season bad luck behind them. Raeder stormed through the race and lead the #15 Phoenix Racing Audi over the line for victory, completing the 1-2 Audi finish. FH Köln Motorsport achieved the victory in the SP4T class in their red and white TT RS. In total thirteen Audis took part in the race. This weekend also marked the debut of another Audi R8 LMS Team, Twin Busch Motorsport who debuted their car at the green hell.

Round 9: ROWE 250-Meilen-Rennen
It was a very busy weekend for the Audi R8 LMS ultra drivers across Europe with the FIA GT1, ADAC GT Masters and French GT. As a result there were many driver shuffles, especially in the VLN were Phoenix Racing’s line-up looked very different with Frank Biela joining the squad this weekend. The VLN event was round nine of the series, the ROWE 250-Meilen Race. It was a hard race for the R8 LMS ultra teams as the highest finisher was the #5 Phoenix car in tenth place. The Raeder Motorsport TT RS #272 did very well as they finished in eighth overall and first in the SP4T class.

Round 10: 37. DMV Münsterlandpokal
The finale of the VLN turned into a very cold and snowy weekend. The event was eventually cancelled for safety seasons due to the very dangerous conditions. A variety of Audi cars were entered for this weekend, including a large number of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. That event marked the final round of the 2012 VLN season.





Editors note: A very special thanks to our friend Norbert Kratz for the great photos all season long.