Audi drivers particularly busy at DTM test in Spain
From Tuesday to Thursday, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz prepared for the new DTM season in a joint test at Monteblanco (Spain). Audi Sport deployed two test versions of the Audi RS 5 DTM that were driven by Jamie Green and Mattias Ekström. Audi Sport’s test team reeled off about 3,200 kilometers on the three days in optimum external conditions. On Wednesday alone, the two Audi drivers combined did more than 400 laps: Ekström 206 and Green 200. On two of the three test days, Ekström set the day’s best time as well. From April 5 to 8, another pre-season test will be held at Hockenheim in which all eight Audi drivers are going to participate.
Ambitious GT racing program for Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
Longtime Audi Sport customer racing team Belgian Audi Club Team WRT announced its 2016 GT racing program at a press conference on Friday: With no less than five Audi R8 LMS cars, the team from Badour (Belgium) will compete in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup. Four of the new GT3 sports cars from Audi will be entered by the team in all of the Endurance Cup races. An additional fifth car supported by Audi will also be entered at the Spa 24 Hours. In total, 14 drivers are part of the full-season line-up of team manager Vincent Vosse, which includes: The reigning Blancpain GT Series champion Robin Frijns and Audi drivers Laurens Vanthoor, Christopher Mies, Filipe Albuquerque and Pierre Kaffer. In addition to the Blancpain GT Series commitments, Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will also be fielding two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the GT Sports Club.
Land Motorsport with several programs
The new Audi customer racing team Land Motorsport is planning two programs plus individual endurance races in its debut season. The team’s Audi R8 LMS debuted in the Dubai 24 Hours in January. In May, Wolfgang Land’s squad will be contesting the Nürburgring 24 Hours as well. In addition, Marc Basseng (D) and Connor De Phillippi (USA) will be on the grid for the outfit based in Niederdreisbach in the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. In the ADAC GT Masters, Land Motorsport is fielding two Audi R8 LMS cars. The driver pairings are Christopher Mies/Connor de Phillippi (D/USA) and Marc Basseng/Peter Hoevenaars (D/NL).
Audi Team Hitotsuyama with new Audi R8 LMS
Audi Team Hitotsuyama will be competing in the Japanese Super GT Championship with the new Audi R8 LMS for the first time. In its driver lineup, team owner Mikio Hitotsuyama’s squad has opted for continuity. As in the past two years, the Japanese Tomonobu Fujii and the Briton Richard Lyons are going to share the cockpit of the Audi in the GT300 class. The season encompasses eight events and will open at Okayama in the southwest of Japan on April 10.
Leena Gade at English Institute of Sport
Briton Leena Gade was a guest at the English Institute of Sport in her native country. The race engineer who has won the Le Mans 24 Hours for Audi three times to date spoke to an audience of invited guests as part of a workshop in Birmingham. Together with physicians, sports scientists, coaches from other sports and sports psychologists, she shared experiences from her work at Audi Sport on the topic of debriefing.
Dindo Capello at Audi Malta Motorsport Awards
Audi Sport legend Dindo Capello attended the Audi Malta Motorsport Awards on Friday. At the awards ceremony, the Malta Motorsport Federation (MMF) honored the best drivers and teams of its country. Three-time Le Mans winner Capello was in Valetta as a guest of honor and visited a dealers’ event hosted by the local Audi importer on Saturday.