Audi Motorsport Newsletter 38/2015

Italy welcomes Audi drivers

At the annual historic car exhibition ‘Auto e Moto d’Epoca’ in Padua, visitors admired the great history of the Audi Sport Italia racing team on the Audi Sport Club Italia stand. Its owners Emilio Radaelli and Roberta Gremignani displayed exhibits from more than 30 years of racing and rallying history. Furthermore, motorsport legends were awarded special memberships and honors. Among the numerous guest were the 1984 Rally World Champion Stig Blomqvist, Walter Röhrl’s former co-driver Christian Geistdörfer, former touring car driver Tamara Vidali, Audi factory driver Filipe Albuquerque, Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi Sport and Lamborghini Motorsport Boss Giorgio Sanna.

Great honor for Audi Sport TT Cup runner-up

The season finale of the Audi Sport TT Cup had ended just two days earlier when the second-place finisher in the Audi one-make cup sat in a GT3 race car for an initial test. Audi Sport Team Phoenix provided Nicolaj Møller Madsen with an opportunity to get to know the racing version of the Audi R8. In the morning, the junior tested the proven Audi R8 LMS ultra and in the afternoon he was allowed to drive the brand new Audi R8 LMS which Phoenix had taken over the day before. “We were very pleased to give a young talent this opportunity,” said Team Manager Bernhard Demmer. “The changeable weather had no influence on our test schedule. In rain in the morning and in bright sunshine in the afternoon, Nicolaj was initially able to familiarize himself with the GT3 race car on used tires and to subsequently demonstrate his skills on new tires in qualifying and long-run simulations. He was proud to be one of the first drivers to be sitting in the new race car in the afternoon.” Møller Madsen completed 75 laps in total, in other words 450 kilometers, with Phoenix.

Rahel Frey at ‘Schaffhauser Herbstmesse’

Audi driver Rahel Frey visited the ‘Schaffhauser Herbstmesse.’ At the consumer show in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen, the 29-year-old professional race driver was a guest at the booth of Radio Munot. In an interview, she talked about her season in the Audi R8 LMS, victory in the ADAC GT Masters finale and the upcoming racing event at Shanghai. In fifth place of the standings, the Swiss will be contesting the two final rounds of the season in the Audi R8 LMS Cup in China on the last October weekend.

A word from … Jan Kisiel

Five race victories and by far the most consistent driver in the Audi Sport TT Cup: Jan Kisiel was a dominant force during the inaugural season of the Audi one-make cup and is a well deserving title-winner.

Jan Kisiel, how did you approach the 2015 season in the Audi Sport TT Cup?

I simply wanted to do my best. If someone had told me that I would finish amongst the best three of the Audi one-make cup, I would have been very happy with that.

Your first win was at round three in Spielberg and then the domination began.

Yes, I won my first race in Austria and then managed four wins in succession. I did my best at Oschersleben, which is my favorite track, and also at the Nürburgring. Halfway through the season, I took the lead from Nicolaj Møller Madsen and I was determined to keep it that way until the end.

How did you approach the Hockenheim finale?

I came to Hockenheim pretty relaxed. I knew that I had done a great job so far this year by taking as many points as possible, ensuring a strong points lead ahead of the final race weekend. I approached the first race with a clear aim: It was best to have a clever and calculated race, without taking any risks. I always had an eye on Nicolaj and I knew from the calculations that I was safe and could clinch the title with one race to spare.

Do you have any personal goals to further improve your performance?

I want to work on my punctuality. I was late for a number of drivers’ meetings and sessions this year. I became known as the one who will probably be late, so one of my goals in future is trying to be on time for appointments during the race weekends.

What are your plans for 2016 and your next steps in motorsport?

I am still finalizing my plans for 2016. It was a very nice experience to be part of the Audi Sport TT Cup in 2015. I would really love to stay in the Audi family. It is an organization with a very nice atmosphere and professional surroundings.

Coming up next week

26/10 René Rast turns 29 years of age
30/10–01/11 Barcelona (E), GT Open, races 13 and 14
31/10 Mike Rockenfeller turns 31 years of age
31/10. Nürburgring (D), VLN, round 10
31/10.–01.11. Shanghai (CN), Audi R8 LMS Cup, races 11 and 12
01/11. Shanghai (CN), WEC, round 7
01/11. Autopolis (J), Super GT, round 7

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