Permanent entrants: International field in the 2016 Audi Sport TT Cup

The permanent entries for the 2016 Audi Sport TT Cup were awarded last January. A high-caliber panel of judges in January 2016 selected 15 young international male and one female driver following a multi-stage selection process.

Three continents, eleven nations: the field of the 2016 Audi Sport TT Cup features diversity. Germany, with three drivers, has the largest representation. In addition, drivers from eight other European countries, the United States and South Africa will be on the grid. Some of the international talents from last year have registered again – they are going to meet with promising new entrants.

The organizational team of quattro GmbH headed by Project Leader Philipp Mondelaers put together a high-quality and international driver squad with an average age of 20 again this year. With the driver line-up being even younger than last year’s, Audi underscores its ambitions of making it possible for talented young international drivers to enter the company’s motorsport world in the one-make cup.

Five of this year’s drivers previously proved their prowess in the Audi Sport TT Cup in 2015. They include the German Dennis Marschall, who finished last season in third place overall, and Joonas Lappalainen. The Fin in 2015 was the youngest driver in the Audi Sport TT Cup field and won the two classification races in the season’s finale at Hockenheim.

One of the new drivers is Nicklas Nielsen. The Dane has a track record of numerous successes in national and international kart racing and has defeated today’s Formula One driver Max Verstappen several times in his career. Another rookie is Sheldon van der Linde. The South African in 2015 won the Volkswagen Polo Cup in his country and would like to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Kelvin, who has started a promising career in Audi’s GT3 program. Max Hofer is the youngest driver in the 2016 line-up. The Austrian is only 16 years old and thus nine years younger than the oldest entrant, Kevin Strohschänk. In addition to the overall classification, the nine newcomers are classified in a separate rookie category.

There are two choices the drivers have already made before the start of the season: the number and the color of their race car. This year they were able to choose between Blue, Yellow, Gray, Green and Orange.

2016 Audi Sport TT Cup field with car numbers and car colors**

#2 Strohschänk, Kevin (D, *May 24, 1989), Rookie – Green

#3 Rdest, Gosia (PL, *January 14, 1993) – Blue

#4 Lappalainen, Joonas (FIN, *March 1, 1998) – Gray

#5 Nielsen, Nicklas (DK, *February 6, 1997), Rookie – Yellow

#6 Lefterov, Pavel, (BG, *November 12, 1997), Rookie – Orange

#7 Hofbauer, Christoph (D, *July 15, 1991) – Green

#11 Hofer, Max (A, *May 23, 1999), Rookie – Gray

#12 Larsson, Simon (S, *May 13, 1997), Rookie – Gray

#14 Caygill, Josh (GB, *June 22, 1989) – Yellow

#23 Ellis, Philip (GB, *October 9, 1992), Rookie – Gray

#27 Marschall, Dennis (D, *August 15, 1996) – Yellow

#31 van der Linde, Sheldon (ZA, *May 13, 1999), Rookie – Blue

#33 Lindholm, Emil (FIN, *July 19, 1996) – Blue

#42 Egsgaard, Patrick (DK, *December 15, 1994), Rookie – Orange

#76 Holton, Paul (USA, *October 11, 1996), Rookie – Orange

#91 Meyer, Yves (CH, *June 12, 1991), Rookie – Green

** Subject to change