Two new Audi R8 LMS for kfzteile24 APR Motorsport
Audi Sport customer racing team kfzteile24 APR Motorsport is entering two Audi R8 LMS in the ADAC GT Masters. This marks the fourth consecutive season that the team from Waldshut-Tiengen in the Black Forest region relies on the GT3 sports car from Audi. As in 2015, the duo of Swede Edward Sandström and Daniel Dobitsch team up again. Sandström won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring last year. He shared the race winning Audi R8 LMS in the Eifel with Laurens Vanthoor. The Belgian is new to the team this year and will drive together with Florian Stoll, who was the best-placed Audi driver in the ADAC GT Masters last year.
Audi drivers and race car in Geneva
Four Audi drivers visited the Geneva Motor Show. DTM driver Nico Müller was present at Audi’s booth with the R8 LMS in which he won the Nürburgring 24 Hours. From the WEC, Loïc Duval and Marcel Fässler traveled to the event. Rahel Frey, who is active in GT3 racing with Audi, was a guest at gasmobil’s booth, where she promoted the alternative fuel with a natural gas powered Audi A3 Sportback g-tron*.
Oliver Jarvis at half marathon in Cambridge
Audi driver Oliver Jarvis contested a half marathon in the British university city of Cambridge in February. The race driver from the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) ran the 21-kilometer distance in 1h 24m48s, achieving 75th place in his class in a field of 975 entrants. “It was a fantastic event with an incredible atmosphere,” said the 32-year-old Briton. “Parts of beautiful downtown Cambridge were closed to traffic for our run. Together with a few good friends I really enjoyed the day.”
A word from … Hans-Jürgen Abt
The team boss of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline about the 2016 season.
The DTM test at Monteblanco started the countdown to the season opener at Hockenheim. How great is the thrill of anticipating the new DTM season?
Really great – and that not only goes for me, but for all the mechanics, engineers and, obviously, the drivers. Even though this largely escapes the fans’ attention, we worked hard over the winter months to be even better prepared than before. Working with our new driver Nico Müller has already been a lot of fun as well.
What are the aims of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline for the 2016 season?
The same as in the past 16 years that we’ve been contesting the DTM: We want to win races and battle for the title. We know that the competition may even be fiercer than before, but that’s exactly the kind of challenge we love. Last year, two of our drivers, Mattias Ekström and Edoardo Mortara, still had chances of winning the title on the final weekend. We’d like to travel to the finale again this year with such a starting base.
In 2016, the company, ABT, is 120 years old. How are you celebrating your anniversary?
2016 is really a special year for us. Running a family-owned business across several generations can’t be taken for granted. That’s why I’m really proud of my family and, obviously, our employees. In the middle of February, we spent two nights celebrating with nearly 900 guests in Kempten. I was very happy to see so many friends and partners accept our invitation. It was an event loaded with fun and partying but, above all, a lot of fond memories.
What role has Audi been playing in the history of ABT Sportsline?
The main role. This year – which, by the way, is another small anniversary – we’ve been involved in touring car racing with Audi for 20 years and celebrated many successes together. In our daily business as a tuning company, we’ve always been exclusively working together with the Volkswagen Group. And we’re already planning our next joint projects – on the racetrack and on the road.
Coming up next week
12/03 Marco Bonanomi, 31st birthday
11-13/03 St. Petersburg (USA), rounds 3 and 4, Pirelli World Challenge
Fuel consumption of the models named above:
Audi A3 Sportback g-tron:
CNG consumption in kg/100km: 3.6 – 3.3;
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 5.5 – 5.1;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km (CNG): 98 – 89;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km (fuel): 128 – 117
Audi R8:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 12.3 – 11.4;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 287 – 272
Audi A4 Sedan:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 6.3 – 3.7;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 144 – 95
Audi SQ7 TDI:
This car is not yet on sale. It does not yet have type approval and is therefore not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC. The aforementioned fuel consumption and emission values are provisional.
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