Interview with Chris Reinke: “Fascination galore”

The Head of Audi Sport customer racing talks about the new Audi R8 LMS GT2 for a new racing class.

You have unveiled the third derivative of the Audi R8 for racing. What is so fascinating about this new class?

The new GT2 class has the potential to fill a gap. Eleven years ago, we entered GT3 racing, which has evolved into a highly professional category. The expense incurred by drivers and teams is high, and racing there is not easy for amateurs and gentlemen. We also offer an attractive and globally successful product for the GT4 class, the Audi R8 LMS GT4. It marks the entry level of GT racing. A gap certainly still exists between these two classes: the new generation of GT2 race cars achieves even higher top speeds than a GT3 model and nearly identical lap times. This is ideal for gentlemen drivers: its longitudinal dynamics stands for a new experience with Audi and lateral dynamics does not put excessive demands even on amateurs. Plus, the new Audi R8 LMS GT2 visually and acoustically exudes fascination galore.

When and where are we going to see the new Audi R8 LMS GT2 in action?

At this juncture, there are no championships yet, but international series are being planned at least in Europe and in North America. Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) has established itself as a worldwide architect of GT racing over the past quarter of a century and created many attractive platforms in America, Europe and Asia, plus even a global racing series in the form of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. I’m sure that SRO will make the GT2 class a success as well.

Who are your customers?

In our view, the customer spectrum of the new GT2 class differs from the GT3 or GT4 categories. Besides pure racing, it opens up new fields: Track Days provide an elegant escape from everyday life for many high-performance sports car enthusiasts without requiring them to immediately tackle the sporting and scheduling challenges of an entire racing season. Such Track Days now exist on many legendary circuits. In the form of the Race Resorts in Europe and in America, the next exciting trend has evolved. Owners of super sports cars and race cars can regularly drive on their favorite tracks and even create events of their own. We also have many other ideas in the back of our mind to make the Audi R8 LMS GT2 a desirable sports car.