Points for ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport as Formula E makes African premiere
Formula E celebrated a successful African premiere to mark the second race of the season. On the 2.971 kilometer street circuit in Marrakesh on the fringes of the UN Climate Conference ‘COP22’, the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team scored a total of 18 points. Daniel Abt – who started the race from fifth place – crossed the finish line in sixth position after 33 laps. His team mate Lucas di Grassi finished fifth in the race and consolidated second place in the drivers’ standings. The Brazilian started the race from twelfth position after making a braking mistake in qualifying before shining with a spirited comeback drive as he has previously at the season opener in Hong Kong The action continues for di Grassi next weekend with the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC finale in Bahrain, which is simultaneously the end of the sportscar era at Audi after 18 years. The third Formula E race for the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport squad is held in mid-February in Buenos Aires/Argentina.
Phil Hanson and Nigel Moore take title in Great Britain
In the Dunlop Endurance Championship season finale at Brands Hatch (Great Britain), Phil Hanson and Nigel Moore finished second after starting from pole position in their Audi R8 LMS ultra. As a result, the duo from Audi customer team Tockwith Motorsports clinched the title by just one point.
Audi customer team wins in Japan
In the Super GT season finale at the Twin Ring Motegi (Japan), Richard Lyons and Tomonobu Fujii won race one in the Audi R8 LMS fielded by Audi customer team Hitotsuyama. In the second race they narrowly missed finishing on the podium with fourth place.
VLN with dedicated class for TCR touring cars
The fields for the new Audi RS 3 LMS are becoming increasingly diverse. Starting in the 2017 season, the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring is going to dedicate a class to TCR touring cars as well. In the VLN finale in October, the Audi RS 3 LMS celebrated its successful racing debut in a test run on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Audi Sport customer racing will start deliveries of the new touring car to customers before the end of the year.
Benoît Tréluyer ventures onto the ice
After the FIA WEC season concludes, Audi driver Benoît Tréluyer looks forward to a winter sports program under the banner of the four rings. The Frenchman will compete in the French ice racing series Trophée Andros with the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. The three-time Le Mans winner will share a four-wheel drive, all-wheel steering Audi A1 quattro with compatriot Nathanaël Berthon. The second Audi from Vincent Vosse’s team will be driven by Formula 1 race winner Olivier Panis and Frenchwoman Bérénice Demoustier. The 2016/2017 season of the Trophée Andros consists of six events in France and one in Andorra between December and January.
Ekström and Green to test at Portimão
This coming week the next tests for the 2017 DTM season will be held. From Monday to Thursday (November 14 to 17), Mattias Ekström and Jamie Green will be driving a prototype of the Audi RS 5 DTM on the Portuguese racetrack at Portimão. Only two weeks later, the DTM’s annual Young Driver Test giving young race drivers an opportunity to test the Audi RS 5 DTM will take place at Jerez (Spain).
Mattias Ekström attends “Golden Steering Wheel” Awards
The Audi Q2 and the Audi A5 Coupé were presented with the “Golden Steering Wheel” awarded by “Auto Bild” and “Bild am Sonntag” at Axel-Springer-Haus in Berlin on Tuesday night. The numerous prominent guests in attendance at the awards ceremony included FIA World Rallycross Champion and DTM campaigner Mattias Ekström. The Audi factory driver has been a member of the “Golden Steering Wheel” jury for many years.