|
Two fascinating premieres: for the
first time the Audi race experience realizes a dream for
customers to contest the endurance race of the year at the
Nürburgring in the R8 LMS. The 200,000 fans expected to attend
will also see the R8 LMS sports car’s ‘smaller brother’ – the TT
RS – for the first time in a 24-hour race. Raeder Motorsport
fields two of the coupés. The TT RS is tested by Audi Sport with
a view to the possible expansion of its customer racing program.
“I’m delighted about the level of
enthusiasm that our race cars generate among the customers,”
says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Customer Racing activities at
quattro GmbH. “We provide the Audi race experience and team
Raeder Motorsport, as we also do all other customers, with
models thoroughly developed on a global scale to operate
successfully in motorsport. As a result, the teams have a great
chance of successfully withstanding an endurance test like the
24 hours Nürburgring.”
Audi race experience with six
customers and two professionals
After the Audi race experience
contested VLN endurance championship races since 2010, it now
tackles the 24 hours Nürburgring for the first time. No less
than six private customers have accepted the challenge. The Audi
R8 LMS with start number “28” is shared by Christian Bollrath
from Löhne, Managing Director of the US subsidiary of a German
light manufacturer, John Barker, journalist for a British car
magazine and Rudi Speich from Linz, engineering firm owner and
President of a motorsport club. They are supported by Rösrath
based professional race driver Frank Schmickler who won the 24
hours Nürburgring in 1990.
The sister car with start number
“29” is driven by former Audi employee Chris Vogler from
Heilbronn who is now co-owner of a software company, Wolfgang
Dess from Schweig, who raced last year with the Audi race
experience and owns an engineering firm, and real-estate
salesman Emin Akata from Friedrichshafen. Supporting them is
young talent Florian Gruber from Aham. He is also an Audi race
experience instructor like Frank Schmickler.
“Our program is attractive and has
proved very popular,” says a happy Manfred Jantke who is Team
Manager for the Audi race experience since the start of this
year. “A dream will come true for customers. With the near 387
kW (527 hp) powerful Audi R8 LMS they have a formidable and
proven car for the difficult track. At the same they have the
chance of working together with our professionals and in doing
so experience a wonderful and successful motorsport weekend.”
Audi TT RS aims to show its
performance
Raeder Motorsport faces a
completely different task. The team around Managing Directors
Martin and Nicolas Raeder tests the Audi TT RS developed in
co-operation with quattro GmbH in racing conditions with
professional drivers. While the Audi R8 LMS fights in one of the
leading classes in the race (SP 9), for the Audi TT RS on its
24-hour debut it is all about the win in the SP 4T class for
modified production cars and about proving its reliability. In
the VLN races held prior to the 24 hours Nürburgring the TT RS
proved as David that it is capable of challenging several
Goliaths in the race: the near 280 kW (380 hp) powerful, front
wheel driven race car finished among the top 15 several times in
the fiercely contested field.
In the same way as the Audi R8 LMS,
Audi Sport customer racing has successfully tested the smaller
coupé in endurance runs and used synergies within the group in
the process – such as joint testing opportunities. Like all Audi
R8 LMS sports cars the TT RS is also equipped with Michelin
tires and its “bigger brother’s” new safety seat system. The two
cockpits are shared by experienced professionals. Five-time Le
Mans winner Frank Biela from Neuss races car number “125” with
Audi factory driver and DTM championship leader Martin Tomczyk
(Rosenheim) as well as the ADAC GT Masters drivers Jens
Klingmann (Leimen) and Michael Ammermüller (Pocking). The Audi
TT RS with number “126” is driven by the Swede Jimmy Johansson
and Audi factory driver Miguel Molina from Spain. They share the
task with Christian Hohenadel from Quierschied and the Italian
Andrea Piccini who both currently hold third place in the FIA
GT1 World Championship. Furthermore, Piccini was nominated as
reserve driver for Audi Sport Team Phoenix.
The Audi customer teams at the 24
hours Nürburgring
Audi R8 LMS #28 (Audi race
experience) Frank Schmickler (D)/Christian Bollrath (D)/John
Barker (GB)/Rudi Speich (D)
Audi R8 LMS #29 (Audi race
experience) Florian Gruber (D)/Chris Vogler (D)/Wolfgang Dess
(D)/Emin Akata (D)
The Audi development teams at the
24 hours Nürburgring
Audi TT RS #125 (Raeder
Motorsport) Michael Ammermüller (D)/Frank Biela (D)/Jens
Klingmann (D)/Martin Tomczyk (D)
Audi TT RS #126 (Raeder
Motorsport) Christian Hohenadel (D)/Jimmy Johansson (S)/Miguel
Molina (E)/Andrea Piccini (I)
Photos: Audi
(2011-06-22)
|
