For many drivers, the race track at Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most beautiful in the world. It runs for exactly 7.004 kilometers through the Ardennes. The combination of the differences in elevation, the extremely fast sections and a few slow corners is as fascinating for fans as it is for drivers. Audi has already won there in 2011, 2012 and 2014, whilst in the last three years, the brand with the four rings has achieved the prestigious “Coupe du Roi.” This prize, first handed over in 1913, is one of the oldest awards in motorsport and it is given to the most successful brand in the field – i.e. the one that prevails in different classes.
Audi Sport Team WRT from Belgium will compete in its home race with two factory-supported race cars, whilst Audi Sport Team I.S.R. from the Czech Republic and Audi Sport Team Saintéloc from France will each compete with one. On top of this, three more teams will enter a total of six privateer Audi R8 LMS cars as well. “We are well prepared for the racing competition of a total of eleven automotive brands,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Many of our drivers have already won titles or endurance races with the Audi R8 LMS, the last of which being the 24 hours on the Nürburgring. Our teams and drivers will again this year pull out all the stops for victory in Spa.”
Kelvin van der Linde, Christopher Mies, Connor De Phillippi and Markus Winkelhock were the victors in the Eifel two months ago. The professional drivers Antonio García, Jules Gounon, Christopher Haase, Pierre Kaffer, Nico Müller, René Rast, Frank Stippler and Frédéric Vervisch complete the driver line-up in the factory-supported race cars. The cockpits of the privateer Audi R8 LMS cars will be shared by amateur and professional drivers, including DTM campaigner Jamie Green and the three-time Le Mans winners Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and André Lotterer, who has returned to Audi for this event.