Video: Onboard the Daytona 24 Hours winning Audi

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 Daytona 24 Hours was an amazing race for Audi fans. The Audis ran near the front for the entire event. It was a very good showing from the Audi teams who were involved in a three way fight at the end of the race. You can watch the exciting final minutes of the race HERE. Below we have included a YouTube onboard video. 

The video features 20 minutes of footage onboard the Alex Job Racing #24 Audi R8 GRAND-AM. It includes the warm up lap and the race start. It allows a very nice glimpse of this important opening stint at the Daytona 24 Hours inside the car that went on to victory.

Photo by Audi Sport Media

Team Novadriver joins FIA GT Series with Audi

By Tarek Ramchani

Team Novadriver from Portugal unveiled their 2013 program  yesterday. They will again be racing with Audi and the R8 LMS ultra after a storming 2012 season in Portugal and Spain.

Racing for their fourth straight year with Audi, the Portuguese customer team will enter the brand new FIA GT Series. A new series that come after the collapse of the FIA GT1 World Championship. The paddock and atmosphere won't be new for the team team. Novadriver also raced in the defunct FIA GT3 European Championship last year. Both series in 2012 had almost the same set of rules and even shared many races in the second half of the year. For the FIA GT Series effort the team's regular driver César Campaniço will be joined by Carlos Vieira.

In addition to their FIA GT Series effort, Novadriver will race in the new Supercars International Series as well. A series that will have the 6 Hours of Rome as the finale, which will be the stellar event on the calendar.

Photo credit and more information:

Team Novadriver official Facebook

Dual Bathurst Champion to join Minda Audi R8 LMS for round one

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

Dual Bathurst Champion to join Minda for round one

PREVIEW: Minda Motorsport, Bathurst, NSW

Rnd#1, Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli - February 8-10

With a new car and the promise of an epic battle at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama for the opening round of the Australian GT [AGT] season, Minda Motorsport’s reigning GT Trophy champions Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes knew that if they were going to be competitive outright at the 12-Hour, that they’d need a little help.

“We’d been talking with former AGT regular Simon Middleton about joining us in the R8 for the race, but he’s an ‘old guy’ like us,” McInnes quipped. “When I looked down an early entry list to see who was entered, I realised we were one of few teams without an international ‘hired gun’, so I made a few calls.

“I couldn’t believe that two-time reigning champion Darryl O’Young was without a drive, and having purchased an Audi R8 very similar to that which took him to victory over the last two years, we jumped at the chance to have him on board..”

"I'm very excited to be back for the 12-Hours of Bathurst in the Audi R8 LMS,” O’Young said. “It’s one of my favorite races of the season as Mount Panorama is a spectacular circuit to drive on.  

“I have to thank the team at Minda Motorsport and Equity-One Mortgage Fund for giving me the opportunity to return to the race and try for a three-peat. It wouldn't have been fun watching the race from the sidelines.  

“I'm looking forward to working with my team mates Dean, Andrew, and Simon and my aim will be to help them get the best result they can to get their Australian GT season off to a good start."

Just two weeks out from the first round, in which the team will be contesting the opening event of the 2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli AND the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour, the Minda Motorsport team joined Australian Audi Sport customer racing team, Melbourne Motorsport Centre, to shake down their new ex-Rod Salmon R8 LMS.

“It’s very nice to drive,” Dean Koutsoumidis admitted. “It’s obviously a later generation than the LP520 Lamborghini we ran last year, so it’s tighter everywhere. Obviously the Audi is the benchmark at the moment in GT competition, and we wanted to step up this year from the Trophy Class to an outright Championship car, and when the opportunity came to take on Rod’s car, we jumped at it.

“The most obvious difference to me is the visibility, it’s a lot more improved on the Lambo, but aside from that it’s tighter, and you can really feel the aero.”

“It is different to the Lamborghini,” McInnes added, “no question, but it’s probably more manageable in the way that you drive it, because you don’t have to be as aggressive to get a time out of it, and across 12 hours, that will be a godsend.”

For the final member of the team, and arguably the most experienced GT driver in the #71 R8 at Mount Panorama - Simon Middleton - a chance to join the Minda regulars and two-time Bathurst winner O’Young was too good to pass up.

“I sat 2012 out to concentrate on business and family, but I was always hoping to get back into a competitive drive for the 12-Hour, because it’s such a fantastic event,” he admitted.

“The big key in the event is to stay on the lead lap, and be smart about the way you drive and the way you overtake other cars. Having Darryl onboard too, to impart his knowledge on the way the car should be set up will be a big help, so I’m hoping we can put in a strong showing and mix it with the lead group. I can’t wait!”

For the Minda team, Bathurst signals not just the 12-Hour, but the opening round of the 2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, where Dean and Andrew will again share driving duties as they make their debut in the outright Championship Class. "If we keep our noses clean and focus on finishing strongly, I can't see why we wouldn't be fighting for a position in the top five by the end of the season," McInnes admitted. "And if anything slows the progress of the proven front runners, who knows, consistency will be the key, we might just end the season as a threat for the championship..!"

Minda Motorsport is proudly supported by Equity-One Mortgage Fund and Middleton’s Heating and Cooling.

Darryl O’Young - Biography

Darryl is one of Asia’s most successful and versatile drivers, having raced in a variety of categories around the world, including DTM, WTCC, FIA GT, Porsche Supercup, Porsche World Cup, Nurburgring VLN, and in events such as the Le Mans 24-Hours, 24-Hours of Daytona, 24-Hours of Dubai, 24-Hours of Spa to name just a few, he has also chalked up an impressive array of results, including;

• 3x Macau Grand Prix GT winner (2005, 2006, 2008)
• 2x WTCC Independent Class Macau Grand Prix winner
• 2x Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Champion (2006, 2008)

• 2x Bathurst 12-Hour winner (Audi R8 2010, 2011)

• Outright winner 12-Hours of Sepang (Porsche 2008)

2013 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli - calendar

Rnd#1, 8-10 February - Bathurst 12-Hour, NSW
Rnd#2, 28 Feb - 3 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA

Rnd#3, 24-26 May - Phillip Island, Victoria

Rnd#4, 12-14 July - Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW

Rnd#5, 2-4 August - Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD

Rnd#6, 8-10 November - Highland Motorsport Park, NZ

For more information, please contact Minda Motorsport on 03 5995 3943.

www.mindamotorsport.com

Video: The amazing 2013 Daytona 24 finish

By Johan Laubscher

The 51st Daytona 24 Hours was held over the weekend with a dramatic finish. In the end the #24 Alex Job Racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM came trough to win ahead of the #52 APR Audi, completing an Audi 1-2. It was a brilliant result but the 1-2 does not tell the whole story. In the closing minutes it was a crazy dash to the flag with multiple cars standing a chance of victory. A video featuring the last few minutes of the race has appeared on YouTube, we have embedded that below. Spoiler alert: If you have not seen the Daytona 24 finish yet, first watch the video before reading the two paragraphs below.  

Let us set the scene. There is less than ten minutes to go. The #24 AJR Audi is out in the lead but needs to pit, it is assumed that they will loose the lead. The #13 Rum Bum Audi is chasing in second, but it is unclear if they have enough fuel whist they are closely chased by a trio of cars which do not need to pit. This trio consisted of the #44 Porsche closely followed by the #52 APR Audi and the #69 Ferrari. At this stage any one of these five cars stood a chance at victory, and no one knew what was going to happen. 

Rene Rast was in the #52 had he was a man on a mission and stormed pasted the Ferrari and Porsche. Whilst this was happening the #24 AJR Audi had to come in for its pitstop but reemerged just in front of the chasing GT group. By this time the #52 Audi was up to third and we had an Audi 1-2-3, with AJR leading Rum Bum and APR, as they went into the final two laps. Rast was still flying and passed Rum Bum on the outside during the last lap and began chasing down the leading AJR car. Tragedy struck as Rum Bum ran out of fuel on the last lap, as their fuel gamble did not pay off. The leading two Audis came home for an Audi 1-2. It was a tremendous finish, one with huge suspense as you had no idea of what was going to happen. You can relive these crucial final moments in the video below.

Photos by Audi Sport Media

von Moltke and Audi stars take Rolex 24 GT victory at Daytona

Dion von Moltke Press Release

Daytona, FL (Sunday, January 27, 2013): GRAND-AM Rolex Series young star Dion von Moltke teamed with a trio of Audi factory drivers today to take the German manufacturer to its first victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

von Moltke; Brit, Oliver Jarvis; Italian, Edoardo Mortara and Portugal's, Filipe Albuquerque drove the No.24 Alex Job Racing R8 to victory in the GT class, greeting the checkered flag 1.476 seconds ahead of the No.52 car of Rene Rast to make it a 1-2 finish for Audi.

After starting fifth, the Alex Job Audi stayed in contention for the entire 24 hour journey before disaster struck with two and half hour remaining when the car was assessed a penalty for avoidable contact with the No.61 Ferrari.

Despite assertions from the Ferrari team that they hadn't been hit, Mortara was forced to head to pit lane to serve a one minute penalty.

This put the car one lap adrift of the leaders and back in seventh place. However, clever pit strategy from the Alex Job Racing team over the remaining 150 minutes of the race not only put the No.24 car back on the lead lap, Albuquerque was able to drive into the lead.

The Audi squad faced a nervous final stint, uncertain as to whether they would need to make one final pit stop for a splash of fuel. Albuquerque's late race pace actually enabled the team to call him in for fuel with a mere five minutes remaining and return to the race with a slim lead.

Despite late race pressure, Albuquerque was able to hold on to take the victory.

“I’m completely speechless. With more than two and half hours to go we got a penalty for avoidable contact and went a lap down,” von Moltke said.

“We thought we were down and out but we kept fighting, we kept digging, we kept trying to find any way, and Filipe (Albuquerque) probably put in the best drive I've ever seen a race car driver do in my life, and that's what it really takes to win this race, and to pull it off is really special.

“It was going to close on fuel and when we had to come in for a splash we thought “oh no” but we came back out in the lead and the whole team just erupted. I’ve never seen an atmosphere like that."

The victory is the second major sportscar endurance victory for the PR Newswire-supported driver von Moltke and Alex Job Racing in less than twelve months. The combination was also victorious in the GTC class in the American Le Mans Series in last year's 12 Hours of Sebring.

Today was the second victory for Alex Job Racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona - the previous one coming in 1999.

“To win a Rolex watch at Daytona is incredible. This was only my fifth time doing this race and it is the first attempt for Olly (Jarvis), Edo (Mortara) and Filipe. Until this year I’d never even led a lap here. I managed to do that in my stint and now to come away with a victory is just amazing," von Moltke said.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Audi and I’m thrilled to be a part of their first win here at the Daytona International Speedway. To get to drive with these three guys was a great experience they have already become some of my best friends in two weeks. They really are some of the best drivers I've ever got the honor to work with.

“I've always really enjoyed and loved driving for Alex (Job). Everyone on the team really gets along, and I've always said chemistry is the most important part of winning any race, especially Sebring or Daytona or Petit or any of those races.

"To be standing here on the podium as a winner at the Rolex 24 at Daytona is quite surreal. I have to say a big thanks to everyone who has helped my career including everyone at PR Newswire. Their backing and support has played a key role in my career so far.

“Of course everyone at Alex's team and everyone at Audi. We all had one goal this weekend and we all worked together towards that goal.”

Photo credit: Audi Media

Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (26-27/01/2013)

By Johan Laubscher

1. The Weekend

Focussing this week on the weekend of 26 - 27 January 2013

2. The Events

•           Daytona 24 Hours GT
•           Daytona 24 Hours DP 

2.1. Daytona 24 Hours GT class

The 2013 Grand-Am season got under way this weekend with the Daytona 24 Hours. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were entered by three teams, APR Motorsport, Alex Job Racing and Rum Bum Racing. The teams showed good pace at the Daytona tests days and continued that form during the practice and qualifying sessions. The top Audi qualifier was the #24 AJR entry which originally qualified in sixth and was then upped to fifth place after another competitor was disqualified. The teams were ready for the race which started at 15:30 local time. The race got under way with the Audi teams maintaining their front running pace. All three teams ran at the front end during the afternoon and during the night. Audi held a 1-2-3 during the early evening until various problems, including penalties, dropped them back slightly, but all three remained in the top ten. As the race pasted half way the AJR Audi remained the highest placed Audi followed by the Rum Bum entry. The #52 APR suffered a crippling time penalty during the night. As the sun rose over Daytona both the AJR and Rum Bum cars were penalized and they dropped back. The #52 completed a tremendous comeback and was running in the leading group as the race headed into the afternoon followed by both the AJR and Rum Bum cars who were also completing great recovery drives. The race developed into a huge fight in the last thirty minutes as multiple cars stood a chance of winning. AJR managed to hold the lead after a splash and dash and lead a Audi 1-2-3 on the final lap. Tragedy struck as the Rum Bum car ran out of fuel on the last lap leaving the other two Audis to complete an Audi 1-2 with the #24 AJR winning ahead of the #52 APR. More details regarding the race can be read HERE.

Official Audi Sport FB page

Results

2.2. Daytona 24 Hours DP class with Audi drivers

Two Audi Sport works drivers took part at the Daytona 24 Hours competing in the Daytona Prototype class, however they were driving non-Audi vehicles. Both Allan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller, as they have done in the past, were allowed by Audi Sport to compete with other teams. McNish was running again with the Starworks team sharing a Ford Riley with Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Dalziel and Alex Poppw. Rocky was driving the #9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP with Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Burt Frisselle. Both cars ran at the front of the field for many hours. 

Starworks Motorsport on twitter

Results

2.3. Other Audi News

Audi Sport has official announced that they will compete at the Sebring 12 Hours and will do so with no less than two Audi R18 e-tron cars. They will be fielding one 2012 car and one 2013 car driven by Marcel Fässler/Oliver Jarvis/Benoît Tréluyer and Lucas di Grassi/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish.

Official Audi Sport FB page

At the end of 2012 United Autosports started a livery design competition. Fans were allowed to enter designs for the team’s Audi R8 LMS ultra. The winning design would then be used on the car during 2013. The winning entry was announced this week.

United Autosports FB page

The first DTM group test was held this week. Two cars from each manufacturer took part. For Audi Jamie Green and Mattias Ekström were on hand to drive the Audi A5 DTM cars.

Official Audi Sport FB page

Melbourne Peformance Centre were at Winton this week to test their Audi R8 LMS ultra cars ahead of the Bathurst 12 Hour. The race liveries of the cars were revealed at the test along with a sensational lap time done by Warren Luff.

Melbourne Performance Centre FB page

The updated Bathurst 12 Hour entry list has been released and includes the driver line-ups. The seven Audi cars will be driven by a stellar set of drivers which includes many international additions to the Australian drivers. Notable additions to the list this week includes Darryl O’Young and Rob Huff joining the Audi teams. The full entry list can be seen HERE.

Liqui-Moly Australia FB page

LMS Engineering have already announced that they will enter two Audis in the VLN this year, a R8 LMS ultra and a TT RS. The team took delivery of their TT RS this week.

LMS Engineering FB page

During 2012 the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Teamannounced that they were considering an Audi S3 for the German Rallycross Championship. The team have officially begun work on building their S3 for the 2013 season.

all-inkl.com münnich motorsport FB page

It has been announced by kfzteile24 that MS Racing will be entering with an Audi car/s (number of cars unconfirmed) in the 2013 ADAC GT Master series in Germany.

kfzteile24 FB page

3. Next Weekend’s events (2-3/02/2013)

•           TBA 

All photos are hosted at their respective website which are listed within the Weekend Round Up

Audi wins the Rolex 24 in Daytona GT class

By Tarek Ramchani and Johan Laubscher

Audi has just won the demanding GT class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The #24 Alex Job Racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM driven by Dion von Moltke, Filipe Albuquerque, Oliver Jarvis and Edoardo Mortara crossed the finish line victorious after a titanic GT battle all race long. The AJR Audi lead home the APR #52 Audi for a 1-2 finish. A great result for Audi as a brand and the whole Audi Sport customer racing program. The GT3 spec Audi R8 LMS has won almost everything in Europe and beyond, and it was great to see the "American" R16 doing the same in America's premier 24 hour endurance event this weekend.

It was a very hard and long race with a great field consisting of 34 GT cars. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were entered in the event with massive support from Audi Sport customer racing/quattro GmbH and Audi of America. The three teams worked together and most of the race they were among the top 10. Bad luck hit APR Motorsport after very strong performances from the #52 R8 of Frank Stippler, Marc Basseng, Rene Rast and Ian Baas. After a brilliant showing and leading the race in the early evening the very strong APR driver squad was forced to catch up from behind due to a crippling 3 minute time penalty, a shame for one of the big favourites for GT victory. This meant that the remaining other two Audis, AJR and Rum Bum, were the ones left fighting for class honors. Rum Bum Racing and Alex Job Racing challenged world class rivals from Porsche and Ferrari teams, both also with factory support.

As the sun rose over Daytona the AJR and Rum Bum Audis remained in the hunt and battled with the leaders. Bad luck with penalties was to plague the Audi teams again during the morning. First to fall victim was the Rum Bum entry which also received a crippling 3 minute time penalty which dropped them far back. This left the AJR car as the lone Audi in front, but after a titanic battle for the lead Mortara was involved in a high speed spin nearly collecting a Ferrari. This spin prompted a penalty of over 1 minute for "avoidable contact," despite no contact taking place and the Ferrari team saying that there was no contact. This ill deserved penalty almost effectively ruined the AJR Audi's race and completed a full set of penalties for the Audi entries.

As the disappointment of the two penalties during the morning began to sink in another Audi made the recovery drive of the race. After receiving their own three minute penalty during the night and loosing two laps, the #52 APR squad had raced their way back onto the lead lap. They continued their forward progress and with less than three hours to go the #52 went back into the lead and another titanic GT battle ensued with Audi versus Porsche and Ferrari. The Rum Bum and AJR entries worked hard and got themselves back onto the lead lap as well. As the race headed into the final stages the Rum Bum car completed an equally impressive recovery to place themselves in third, right in the mix.

The stage was set for the final 90 minute dash to the flag. APR and Rum Bum were in the leading group with AJR on the lead lap. The GT racing was intense as the teams battled for the lead, whilst track position was becoming ever more important. At one stage the leading trio, including the #52 APR and Rum Bum, went three wide into the bus stop where Rum Bum went from 3rd to 1st, only to spin on the next lap. During these proceedings the AJR car was back into the leading group as well. Now all three Audi cars were within 20 seconds of the lead, after countless penalties the race was still alive for all three Audi teams.

Coming off another caution period the top four had three Audis with the #52 APR car leading the way. Rene Rast had a tremendous battle with the #69 Ferrari with the Rum Bum and AJR cars in the top five as well. The final 30 minutes became a pitstop battle of who needed to stop and who didn't need to. AJR lead 1-2 (Audi ahead of Porsche) but appeared to need a stop whereas Rast was charging and didn't need to stop again. A grand stand finish was awaiting the fans with five cars standing a chance of winning.

The moment of truth arrived as the #24 AJR Audi had to pit leaving the AJR Porsche in the lead until they pitted as well. The #52 Audi was involved in a huge fight with the #44 Porsche. As it all settled down it was an Audi 1-2-3 with AJR leading Rum Bum and APR. On the last lap the Rum Bum car ran out of fuel as APR tired to catch AJR. The #24 AJR came through to win after running long enough to make the gap and win with the final splash and dash.

Audi victory at Daytona is somewhat a bit of revenge after all the bad luck and some penalizing rules that hit the R8 GRAND-AM during the 2012 season. Right now only APR Motorsport is committed to the full Rolex Series season with Audi. We hope that the Daytona result will continue all year long in Grand-Am. Next stop for the series will be at the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Texas.

Photo credit: Audi Media

Interview with Fabryce Kutyba part 2: 2013 season with Audi and more

By Tarek Ramchani

GMG Racing is the only Audi team fielding the Audi R8 LMS in the Pirelli World Challenge series in North America. The team have been loyal to Audi and Porsche for a very long time. We were pleased to have an interview with Fabryce Kutyba, vice president of GMG Racing. A very interesting Q/A about the history of the team, the team's plans for the upcoming Pirelli World Challenge season, the future of North American sportscar racing and more. Here is part two, you can read part one of the interview right here.

GMG debuted the R8 LMS in the World Challenge, what are your thoughts on the 2012 season?

For GMG 2012 was simply a test year we wanted to evaluate the cars performance potential in competition. I feel that 2012 taught us a lot about the car especially its weak points as well as its strong points. We were able to show the car was within the performance envelope that it needed to be in, in order to be a front running car. The team worked very hard in analyzing the performance potential of the car. I have been involved in pro racing in one way or another for over a decade now and the dedication and countless hours the team put in during the 2012 season was amazing I would say they are the some of the hardest working most dedicated guys out there today and with their global racing experience some of the best in the business as well. Early test and even an evaluation in a competition showed that the R8 was very capable. I am pleased to say that GMG was the first team to score a overall win with a R8 LMS in North America in 2012 when we decided to evaluate the cars potential at a race in late spring at Thunderhill Raceway in Northern Ca. The team entered the car in a 4 hour enduro and won by over 3.5 laps.

How did the GMG Audi R8 LMS story / project in the World Challenge begin and then grow to a total of now four cars at GMG?

See my notes above in my answer in part 1. There is an explanation of how the cars came to GMG. The R8 proved to be a competitive car, it was also an opportunity for GMG to race a very special car.

We have a very strong relationship with Porsche Motorsport in North America and Porsche has an amazing customer supported racing program. In fact it is my opinion that they set the bar globally when it comes to this type of racing.. Audi really didn’t have any presence racing in North America in many years. It was an opportunity to bring our level of experience to the Audi brand and it was a great opportunity to work with the factory to develop this program. I have to admit it’s very gratifying to see this program develop from infancy. I have always been the Audi die hard at GMG so it’s almost like seeing your child grow up.. It’s very exciting for me to be part of this program and working with Audi Sport Customer Racing. People love the R8 LMS every time we take it to a public event or a car meet people can’t get enough of it.

The GT3 specification R8 LMS has been described as differing significantly from the World Challenge specification R8 LMS. What are the most notable difference between these two versions?

The base car is the R8 LMS GT3 R16 for World Challenge however there are some considerable changes to the cars aerodynamics. Visually you can see the WC spec car to not have the aerodynamic aids of the GT3 spec car. Additionally our cars performance is also restricted by engine restrictors to bring down the power the engine produces. Additionally the R8 LMS was developed for smooth high speed European tracks where it can take advantage of its aerodynamics our tracks in North America are much bumpier, we have a different climate we race in and different conditions even the racing surface is different. This poses many challenges for our engineers and mechanics in developing the cars suspension and handling characteristics not to mention its limited aero as set forth by the rules. There was no data for any of this so we had to start from scratch in developing and evolving the R8 LMS to be competitive in North America. The R8 is very complex car that requires a lot of attention to get the most out of it from the mechanics, engineers but also from the drivers. It is very sensitive to changes but when driven properly it can prove be a very fast and a very capable car. The World Challenge R8 LMS will be known internally as the GMG -R8 LMS WC R16.

World Challenge rules are now welcoming more FIA GT3 spec cars for 2013, how is GMG Racing looking forward to this?

This is very exciting for us.. GMG has been pushing to adopt GT3 rules in World Challenge racing for a few years now. There is no doubt it’s a formula that makes sense. 12 manufactures that are building spec cars that you can buy from the factory ready to race. It makes sense financially to run these cars because the cars are not one off’ s the parts can be purchased from the factories, there is manufactures support in one way or another. No one has to try and build one off cars and it’s also easier to manage the performance of the cars by the series official so no one shows up with an over dog car and runs away with the series. I think this is the future for sports car racing and I am excited to see it finally evolving in North America.

The cars look very aggressive with the wider body designs but there is a direct correlation to their road car counter parts which they are based off of. And with a car like the Audi the engine is a stock engine which helps manage the costs of the cars and running them.


Will the introduction of more FIA GT3 cars benefit GMG Racing from a rules / rules lobbying standpoint in the series?

I don’t know if it will necessarily benefit us form a lobbying perspective but what it will do is allow our performance to be properly gauged against the competition because there is a baseline set by the manufactures. It will help teams run these cars at their maximum potential without having to spend a fortune in developing one off WC specific cars, which has been the case over the years in the series.

GMG Racing have been ALMS regulars in GTC and also in some Rolex Series races. What is your team’s view of the new unified ALMS and Grand-Am series for 2014?

I think it’s pretty exciting that this new series is being formed from what was GA and ALMS. There is no doubt that sports car racing has always been somewhat of a challenge in North America particularly with the different series running different specification cars whether its sprint racing in a series like WC or the endurance format found in GA and ALMS.

Sports car racing has never had the success of NASCAR or even Indy Car racing despite being the # 1 market place for many of the top manufactures in the world. Hopefully with the financial strength of NASCAR and its support, sport cars racing can rise to a level close to what NASCAR is.. You can’t argue the marketing, fan support and overall exposure of what NASCAR has become whether you like that form of racing or not.

What this means for teams like GMG? I think it will allow us to focus on a series and have some long term certainty with our plans as a racing team and a business. I know that both GA and ALMS are working closely to structure a series that is equitable for teams to run in this new series and I know they want to attract teams from Europe to race here as well. It won’t be perfect, it will take some time to iron out the detail so it’s fair for everyone. But, I am confident it will work itself out and sports car racing will flourish in North America. This new structure will also be very good for World Challenge because of its sprint race format and GA/ALMS endurance format there will be 2 premier series in North America for fans to follow and teams to participate in.

What do you think about the "American" R16, the Audi R8 GRAND-AM? Are there any plans to have a GMG entered R8 GRAND-AM as well?

The GT3 R16 WC spec is different in many ways than the Grand Am spec cars. We considered running GA in 2013 but felt that it would be in the best interests of our partners and Audi to focus on the World Challenge championship in 2013.

Depending on how the rules play out in the new series I would not count GMG out of potentially fielding a Audi program with a few R8's for the 2014 season.
We certainly have the experience (several GTC podium finishes) and team to run a front running program.

At the moment GMG has four of the older spec R8 LMS cars, are there any possibilities / possible gains within the series rules, to upgrade these cars into the newer specification "Audi R8 LMS ultra"?

GMG is in a unique position because we are the team working with the series ( World Challenge) and Audi Sport in developing the homologation of the R8LMS in WC.
There will be specific parts that we are developing in conjunction with Audi Sport for WC competition. The Ultra is a bit out of spec for WC competition as the rules stand today.
However with the series adopting the GT3 rules over the course of the next few years anything is possible, time will only tell.

Many Audi fans are in love with "Sophie," your S4 Competition, tell us more about the car.

Thank you… that’s very humbling to hear for such an old car to have such a loyal following.
Sophie is a very unique car, it was literally a rolling chassis that had been neglected and sitting storage when I purchased it over 4 years ago.

Sophie is Audi Sport North America Chassis #005 and it’s taken a long time to get the car to its current specification which in some ways is more developed than the S4 Competition EVO.
(GMG actually owned this car at one point S4 Competition EVO) Sophie was born out of many of the spare parts that were left over when the S4 Comp Evo was sold to a collector.. With a ton of parts sitting in the shop and the opportunity to purchase the chassis it made sense… It did take 6 months to acquire the chassis from the former owners . I wanted to build a special car that would capture the essence of what the s4 competition was originally intended to be all while improving certain parts of the car which would not be limited by series rule when the original cars were built.

Are there any possibilities that Sophie could be entered into any race events during the 2013 season?

The plan is to race Sophie in a few amateur series in 2013. Sophie is a little too old for World Challenge competition at this point but she may be at some west coast races on display. Nonetheless we will plan to race her and I will certainly share any video's, pictures of those events.

What are GMG Racing’s goals for the 2013 season?

Our goals are pretty simple.. As the lead Audi team in World Challenge we want to put a GMG Audi R8 LMS on the podium for every World Challenge race in 2013 and capture the Manufactures Championship for Audi as well.

It will be a very tough season for us there are a lot of great teams which are factory backed such as Cadillac and Volvo and with the addition of a few FIA GT3 cars the competition will be intense, this year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and competitive in World Challenge history.

We are confident that we have the team and the best partner Audi working with us to reach our goals.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all Audi fans to follow and be part of GMG Racing www.gmgracing.com throughout the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge season and if they are at an event to please stop by the paddock say Hi and I will personally give them a tour of the team transporter and show them the cars.

Were excited to grow the GMG family and share this exciting chapter with Audi fans around the world. You can also follow the Pirelli World Challenge series at www.world-challenge.com

Editor's note: A very special thanks to Mr Fabryce Kutyba and all GMG Racing team members for their great support.

Video: Bathurst 12 Hour trailer

By Johan Laubscher

For the past two years the Bathurst 12 Hour has belonged to Audi teams. Ahead of the 2013 event another very impressive field will compete for the race win, including no less than seven Audi entries. Here is the 2013 Bathurst 12 Hour video trailer, adding to the excitement ahead of the event which takes place in February.

Photo from Liqui-Moly Australia video

2012 WTCC champion Rob Huff joins Audi squad for Bathurst 12 Hour

By Tarek Ramchani

The 12 Hours of Bathurst is the next big endurance event of the 2013 season. The Audi squad will be very well represented with no less of the seven Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars at the challenging Mount Panorama event.

Seven Audi cars with some great names from around the world. The latest addition is the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) champion, Rob Huff from the UK. The British touring car ace is set to drive for Peter Conroy Motorsport #14 Audi R8 LMS. Huff won the demanding WTCC world title with a factory Chevrolet Cruze, beating teammate and arch rival Yvan Muller. At Bathurst he will be joined by team owner Peter Conroy and James Winslow in the Melbourne Performance Center supported R16.

Rob Huff joins other touring car aces at Audi for Bathurst, which includes V8 Supercars legend Craig Lowndes and the 2012 STCC and Superstars Series champion, Johan Kristoffersson from Sweden.

Photo credit: Liquy Moly Australia/FIA

DTM: Successful test for Audi at Valencia

Audi Press Release

Audi Sport successfully completed its first step in preparation for the new DTM season. In action during the test at Valencia were two Audi A5 DTM cars as well as the Audi factory drivers Mattias Ekström and Jamie Green.

The test ran according to plan and the entire program was worked through without problems. “The high level of motivation to do everything possible for a successful season is noticeable in every member of the team member,” concluded Mattias Ekström positively.

Newcomer Jamie Green was in action on track for the first time for Audi. “For me it was mainly a question of familiarizing myself with the car and team. After these two days I can honestly say that I already feel extremely comfortable at Audi.”

Photo credit: Audi Media

Audi R8 LMS for SimBin's RaceRoom Racing Experience

Tarek Ramchani

The very talented people from Simbin, who are behind the popular and successful GTR series, just added the all conquering Audi R8 LMS ultra to their "RaceRoom Racing Experience". Looking at the screenshots from the game, the R16 GT3 racer looks very nice.

Photo credit and more information:
RaceRoom Racing Experience

von Moltke teamed with Audi factory stars for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Dion von Moltke Press Release

GRAND-AM Rolex Series hot shoe Dion von Moltke is ready to team up with a trio of Audi factory stars for an assault on this weekend's 51st running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

von Moltke will drive the No. 24 WeatherTech Audi R8 GRAND-AM with PR Newswire alongside Italian, Edoardo Mortara; Brit, Oliver Jarvis and Portuguese driver Filipe Albuquerque. The quartet were consistently fast at the recent "Roar before the 24" pre-season test in early January - kicking off the event by being third fastest in the opening session and repeating the effort in the final run of the weekend with a time of 1 minute, 49.887 seconds. The 22-year-old von Moltke has a unique opportunity at the Rolex to be teamed with three of Audi's top young stars. The 25-year-old Mortara finished fifth in last year's DTM championship with two wins.

Former A1GP race winner Albuquerque (aged 27) also enjoyed a strong season in 2012 finishing just outside the top 10 in 11th - beating the likes of David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher in the standings. After four seasons of DTM competition, the 29-year-old Jarvis switched to the FIA GT1 World Championship with Audi last season and also drove their P1 class R18 prototype at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished third with Marco Bonanomi and Mike Rockenfeller. von Moltke is looking forward to sharing seat time with three of the hottest stars for the famous German marquee.

"For any driver, the eventual goal is to become a factory driver and for me to be able to work not only with any factory drivers, but some of the best, from an organization like Audi, is an amazing experience," von Moltke said. "Edoardo Mortara, Oliver Jarvis, Filipe Albuquerque... they've been very successful in the DTM, one is driving the R18 prototype and they just had a dominant year. They're also very young and very hungry. They haven't had a long, extensive career with five or six Le Mans wins. This isn't just another race to them. They're coming here and are extremely determined, as is Audi. The energy that they bring with them and the confidence as well really rubs off on the team and on me as well. So it's been really nice being able to work with them and see what they do differently. You can take little points from each driver - you never stop learning from guys you are working with. Each of us have different driving styles and through the data, we're able to pick apart what I do better, what they do better and combine it all together. We not only have an open environment within Alex Job Racing but also within all the Audis here for the Rolex 24. Where we're all working together with data and setups. It's really great to see the teamwork and camaraderie all pushing each other to get faster, and hopefully get an edge on the competition. You not only have to have a quick car, but also be very confident in what you have under you is going to be reliable, in order to push. Not only is Audi and Alex Job Racing really focused on making the car fast, they're also committed to making it reliable."

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the toughest endurance races on the global calendar. With 59 entries, the number of cars is similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the pack is squeezed into a 3.81 miles road course compared to 8.46 miles in France. By racing early in the year during the winter, the Rolex 24 also has considerable more running at night compared to Le Mans - up to 13 hours of the race is contested in the dark.

"As a driver, you used to be able to baby the car around and you'd start pushing only for the last six hours or so. But in reality nowadays, it's really 24 one-hour stints," von Moltke said. "I remember at the start of the race last year, already 30 minutes into the race, people were blocking and fighting for positions and being very aggressive. You never used to see that, but the dynamic of this race has changed. Everyone's flat-out and you need to be flat-out as well and trust that your car will be reliable. Luckily when you work with a manufacturer like Audi and you have a really good team like Alex Job Racing, you have a lot of confidence in that aspect of the race. Going into it, we know we have as good of a chance as anyone else, team-wise and car-wise to make it through the race reliably. The competition is going to be really strong. I think this might be the strongest competition in GT, or even in DP, that we've ever seen for this race."

Despite the strong performance of the Alex Job Racing at the pre-season test, von Moltke is under no illusions as to the big task ahead he and his Audi factory teammates face.

"While we were quick at the test, you unfortunately never really know how you stack up until race day. I think the Porsches are going to be strong, as well as the Ferraris. BMW has a really good lineup and the Stevenson Chevrolet did well last year. There are a lot of cars that might not be ultra-quick around Daytona, but they know how to make it strategy wise. To be able to get a top-5 or even a top-10, you have to be perfect. The drivers cannot make any mistakes and the team cannot make any mistakes. The whole mindset going into this race is that you have to look after your own responsibilities and that's not always easy to do, especially in a big team when there is a lot of pressure. But you have to focus on what your job is and on the task at hand. If everyone does their own jobs to the best of their ability, I think we have as good of a chance as anyone else to go out and win this race. It will really be down to everyone bringing their 'A' game."

Photo credit: Endurance-Info