Audi Motorsport Newsletter 37/2015

Audi Sport Italia runner-up in the Championship

In the finale of the Italian GT Championship at Mugello, Audi Sport Italia in a fiercely competitive field made up of eight different marques secured the runner-up’s spot in the manufacturers’ classification. The foundation for this success was laid by the Italian driver duo Andrea Amici and Marco Mapelli in the Audi R8 LMS ultra with victory in race one. The #7 sports car started the second race from pole position. In the end, Amici/Mapelli notched up another podium success in second place. Dindo Capello (I) and Emanuele Zonzini (RSM) in the sister car rounded off the positive result, as the pairing achieved third place in race two.

VLN: New Audi R8 LMS in second place

Podium success for Twin Busch Motorsport in round nine of the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. For the first time, the Audi customer team had fielded a new Audi R8 LMS together with Audi Sport customer racing in order to prepare for the commitments planned for 2016. From position four on the grid, Dennis and Marc Busch together with Marc Basseng advanced to second place.

Drivers’ title in New Zealand

Audi Sport customer racing team International Motorsport clinched an overall drivers’ title during the season finale of the ASKO South Island Endurance Series at Timaru International Motor Raceway in New Zealand. Neil Foster piloted the team’s Audi R8 LMS ultra to fourth place in the one-hour race and won the overall ASKO One Hour Race Series drivers’ title.

Audi Management Board Members attend DTM finale

Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, and Dietmar Voggenreiter, the new Member of Audi’s Management Board for Sales and Marketing from November 1, attended the DTM finale at Hockenheim on Sunday. Also on the agenda was a meeting with their fellow management board members from BMW and Mercedes-Benz to set the future course for the DTM in important areas.

Prominent athletes visit Audi

The DTM finale at Hockenheim again enticed prominent athletes from other disciplines to visit the race track this year. Among those spotted at the Audi Lounge were Andreas Raelert, who just recently took second place in the 2015 Iron Man competition in Hawaii, soccer pro Martin Stranzl (Borussia Mönchengladbach), freestyle skier Daniel Bohnacker and Johannes Rydzek, the 2015 Nordic Combination World Champion. World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier and Formula One youngster Max Verstappen kept their fingers crossed for the Audi race drivers at Hockenheim as well.

TV host Julia Josten presents Audi drivers

Julia Josten, a renowned TV host, presented the Audi drivers from the DTM to fans at the Hockenheim paddock. On Saturday and Sunday, spectators had an opportunity to get hold of autographs from all eight Audi drivers in front of the Audi Team Media Hospitality. At the same time, the charming TV pro coaxed an intriguing statement here and there from the DTM stars.

Audi A5 DTM selection meets Audi RS 5 DTM

Fitting the DTM finale, Audi presented the Audi A5 DTM selection* special edition model that was showcased at the Hockenheim paddock in front of the Audi Team Media Hospitality alongside an Audi RS 5 DTM. Audi has limited the series of the A5 DTM selection to 50 vehicles. The coupé is the third DTM special edition model by the brand with the four rings.

Ceremonial handover of Audi Sport TT Cup trophy

The trophy for the title winner in the Audi Sport TT Cup was handed over to Heinz Hollerweger, Managing Director of quattro GmbH, in a ceremony held on the occasion of the season finale at Hockenheim. 60 apprentices of Audi in Neckarsulm had spent some 250 working hours on designing and making the trophy. The cup, which is 72 centimeters high and weighs 15 kilograms, was crafted from an aluminum block with a weight of about 30 kilograms. Following the final round on Sunday, the masterpiece changed hands on being presented to the first overall winner in the Audi one-make cup, Jan Kisiel.

Rally stars visit Audi Sport TT Cup

At the season finale of the Audi Sport TT Cup, one star from the rally scene followed right after the other. Michèle Mouton, the 1982 World Championship runner-up in the Audi quattro, in her role as President of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, visited the two female TT Cup drivers Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky and Gosia Rdest. In addition to the 1984 World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist, the three-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier swung by the Audi Sport TT Cup paddock. The brand-new Champion in VW’s employ was obviously impressed by the 310-hp Cup race cars and provided some of the guest drivers with valuable tips for their runs in the Audi one-make cup.

Belgian Audi Club visits Alexis van de Poele

A tour on the trail of the Audi R8*: A group from the Belgian Audi Club visited the engine department of the Audi plant in Neckarsulm last week. Other stops included the new Audi R8 factory at Böllinger Höfe in Heilbronn, the workshops of Audi Sport customer racing and the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm. The two races of the Audi Sport TT Cup at Hockenheim, where the guests from Belgium particularly kept their fingers crossed for their club member Alexis van de Poele, marked one of the highlights of the tour.

Motorsport flair on Family Day

Racing flair on the Family Day held at Audi’s plant in Brussels: In addition to information and adventure projects of the various departments, the more than 8,000 visitors got to see demonstrations by the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. The crew of the Audi customer team that won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2015 demonstrated a pit stop on the Audi R8 LMS ultra.

André Lotterer wins in Japan

A dominant race weekend by André Lotterer: The Audi factory driver won in the penultimate round of the Super Formula at Sugo in Japan, his adopted home. In the sixth of seven races of the season, the three-time Le Mans winner started from pole position. After 68 laps on the 3.704-kilometer Sportsland Sugo track, Lotterer recorded an advantage of more than 20 seconds. Following his victory in the opening race at Suzuka, this marked his second win in the fiercely competitive Japanese single-seater racing series this season.