Audi R8 LMS GT4
Victory for Rearden Racing: Team Rearden Racing scored its second victory this season in the GT4 America West racing series. After Jeff Burton/Vesko Kozarov in an Audi R8 LMS GT4 had previously been victorious in the opening event at Austin they were successful again at Sonoma. On the third race weekend, the driver duo won the first round with an advantage of 0.457 seconds. In round two, the two Americans crossed the finish line in third position of the GT4 America West.
Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup
Plenty of variety in the Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup: The second weekend of the one-make cup saw two new faces on the top step at the podium ceremony. The first race at Misano was dominated by Leonard Hoogenboom. The Dutchman in an Audi R8 LMS GT4 had started from pole position and went on to clinch a dominant victory with a 19-second advantage. Second place went to Robin Rogalski, third to Rudolf Rhyn. The second race belonged to Stefano Comini. After the Swiss had previously battled for the top spots in round one, but then had to sit a drive-through penalty, he perfectly converted his pole position in round two. He was leading the race and was briefly put under pressure by Hoogenboom, who, due to a driving mistake, though, slipped off the tarmac and thus had to give up his attack. At the finish, Rudolf Rhyn again followed Comini and Hoogenboom in third position. Robin Rogalski, with an eight-point advantage, remains leader of the standings after three of seven events.
Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)
Leader of the standings thanks to best performance this season: Antti Buri on the third race weekend of the ADAC TCR Germany in Austria achieved his personal best performance this season. The Finn from Team LMS Racing improved from seventh on the grid to third position in the first race. In the second race, he stormed to the top spot from fourth on the grid in an Audi RS 3 LMS. His third victory this season means that the 30-year-old privateer has now taken the lead of the standings as well. Buri currently ranks 13 points ahead of last year’s champion Harald Proczyk. René Kircher recorded his best result this season as well. The up-and-coming driver from Team Hella Pagid Racing One in an Audi RS 3 LMS scored third position on Sunday as his first podium finish this year. In the juniors’ classification, he is now in the third spot, just three points off the leader of the standings.
First victory this season in the TCR Europe: Gilles Magnus celebrated his first race victory in an Audi RS 3 LMS. The Belgian from Team Comtoyou Racing had entered race one from pole position in his home round at Spa. Following a nice battle with Santiago Urrutia in an Audi RS 3 LMS of Team WRT, Magnus claimed victory with a one-and-a-half-second advantage ahead of his fellow Audi driver from Uruguay. In the standings, Magnus is ranked as the runner-up with a 13-point deficit after three of seven events.
Guest entry in the FIA WTCR: Antti Buri will augment the field in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup at the Nürburgring. The Finn has been regularly contesting the ADAC TCR Germany with the LMS Racing customer team since 2016. Since 2017, he has been relying on the Audi RS 3 LMS in which he has won five races to date, three of them this season. He is currently the leader of the standings in the German racing series. Buri is intimately familiar with the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. He has contested the 24-hour race there twice, having won the TCR class last year. Further TCR class wins in 12- and 24-hour races complete his track record. The 30-year-old race driver from Turku is the first Finn in the FIA WTCR and continues a family tradition under the banner of the four rings: his father was active in rally racing with Audi as far back as in the eighties.
First podium in Australia: The Audi RS 3 LMS posted its first podium result in the TCR Australia on the second race weekend. Newcomer Hamish Ribarits in the field of 18 entrants finished round two at Phillip Island in third place for the Melbourne Performance Centre.
Coming up next week
14–15/06 Nürburgring (D), rounds 7 and 8, DMV GTC
14–15/06 Skellefteå (S), rounds 5 and 6, TCR Scandinavia
14–15/06 Skellefteå (S), rounds 5 and 6, GT4 Scandinavia
15/06 Tarumã (BR), round 3, Endurance Brasil
15–16/06 Jarama (E), rounds 3 and 4, GT4 South European Series
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