Interview with Chris Reinke: “Much interest for the second generation”

Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing, on the second generation of the Audi RS 3 LMS.

In its debut season, the Audi RS 3 LMS gen II already attracted attention with good results. How do you assess the debut year?

We had set ourselves an ambitious task: To finish developing the new race car, to manage the production build-up in parallel and to fight for success in the toughest TCR racing series worldwide. We mastered all the tasks and even scored race wins, one title and four runner-up finishes in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup.

So you sent out strong signals to your customers. How has the demand developed?

We’ve received a lot of interest for the second generation. Although we didn’t start deliveries until the fourth quarter of 2021, more than 20 race cars had been built by the end of the year. The high level of interest confirms several of our objectives at once: We believe in the future of the TCR category and have therefore decided to offer a second-generation model. We also see our development direction confirmed, because the car is very customer-friendly on the one hand and absolutely competitive on the other, as our good WTCR results have shown. In addition to existing customers who are purchasing the second generation, we have also won over numerous new teams.

Where does the Audi RS 3 LMS gen II fit into the Audi Sport customer racing model range?

Even though TCR racing series and race cars have become more professional over the years, we associate this category and the technology of our race car with a clear claim: This is the entry into our broadly diversified model range. This class is aimed at privateers outside of the FIA WTCR. The needs, demands and means of our customers define the cornerstones. At the same time, the Audi RS 3 LMS offers a perfect starting point for dealers and distributors. Whether regionally or nationally, dealers and importers have already been involved in the past. They can continue to do so in the TCR class with moderate budgets. With the Audi RS 3 LMS, they have the ideal product.