One-two result for Ekström’s team in the World Rallycross Championship
Mattias Ekström and Toomas Heikkinen celebrated a one-two win in round two of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at the Hockenheimring. In their two 560-hp Audi S1 EKS RX quattro cars, the Swedish-Finnish duo dominated the event throughout the weekend. “Winning in front of so many DTM and rallycross fans is incredible. This is an experience you can only dream of,” said Ekström who contested a double program of rallycross and DTM racing at Hockenheim. With 48 points in the drivers’ standings Ekström now equals the score of overall leader Petter Solberg. In the teams’ classification, EKS with 93 points already has a 45-point advantage over the second-placed Volkswagen RX Sweden team.
Success for Mies and Ide in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup
Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup celebrated its second consecutive victory in the main race. In round two of the season at Brands Hatch in the UK, the German Christopher Mies and his Belgian teammate Enzo Ide triumphed in the Audi R8 LMS. After taking a podium place in the qualifying race, the duo started from third place on the grid and made up one position at an early stage. Following the pit stop, Christopher Mies took the lead and went on to defend it up to the finish. A success was recorded by Marlon Stockinger and Franck Perera as well. In an Audi R8 LMS of Audi customer team ISR, they took pole position and finished the qualifying race in second place.
Steven McLaughlan wins in Australia
In round three of the Australian GT Championship at Perth, Steven McLaughlan in an Audi R8 LMS of Audi customer team Jamec Pem Racing triumphed in race one. Halfway through the one-hour race the Australian took the lead, crossed the finish line with a near-five-second advantage and celebrated his first victory in the Australian GT Championship. In third place, James Koundouris and Marcus Marshall achieved a podium place in an Audi R8 LMS as well and will be traveling to round four at Phillip Island as the leaders of the standings.
Double dose of joy for Jamie Green
Before the DTM season opener at Hockenheim, Jamie Green had two reasons to celebrate. His wife, Ginny, gave birth to their daughter, Georgiana, on Monday. After their two sons, Zachary and William, this is the Green family’s third child. Also at the beginning of the week, the Audi driver was happy about the surprise championship title win by the English Premier League club Leicester City. Green is a great soccer fan and was born in Leicester.
Celebration for Mike Rockenfeller
Mike Rockenfeller was treated to a surprise celebration before Saturday’s DTM race at Hockenheim. The driver from Audi Sport Team Phoenix contested his 100th race in the series at the season opener and was presented with a cake on this special occasion. “I had completely forgotten about it, so I was particularly pleased about my team’s thoughtfulness,” said Rockenfeller who is contesting his tenth DTM season this year and won the title in 2013.
Benoît Tréluyer on skiing tour in the Alps
Audi driver Benoît Tréluyer undertook a demanding glacier skiing tour in his home country of France. Together with a good friend, rally driver Yoann Bonato, the endurance race driver climbed an Alpine summit south east of Grenoble in the week prior to the WEC race at Spa. The Col de la Muzelle, at an altitude of 2,600 meters, was the target of the two-day tour. “We’ve spent a night in a mountain hut at sub-zero temperatures,” reported Tréluyer. “But the stunning view and the ski descent were worth every drop of effort.”
WRT Karting Academy visits Audi at Spa
Four members of the WRT Karting Academy experienced a visit to Audi on the FIA WEC weekend at Spa. Team WRT – one of Audi’s most successful outfits in GT3 racing – has been promoting young drivers in kart racing since 2015. The young talents, Ugo de Wilde, Antoine Potty, Maxime Potty and Charles Weerts, traveled to Spa accompanied by Team Director Vincent Vosse, WRT Co-Managing Director Kathleen Schurmans and Team Coordinator Frédéric Colaux. The guests watched the third free practice session from the pits of Audi Sport Team Joest and Audi driver Benoît Tréluyer personally provided them with insight into the team’s work.