24 Hours of Nürburgring: Audi Sport customer racing quotes

News
06/23/2019
Nürburg
24h Nürburgring 2019
Pierre Kaffer, Dries Vanthoor, Frédéric Vervisch, Frank Stippler, Chris Reinke

Quotes from Audi Sport customer racing following the fifth victory in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

Pierre Kaffer (Audi R8 LMS #4): “I’ve stood on the podium of the 24-hour race several times before, but never on the top step. I’m incredibly proud – of my co-drivers, of Phoenix Racing and of Audi Sport customer racing. It was great to see how closely everyone worked together. Ultimately, Lady Luck was on our side, but we also worked hard for it. Plus, we knew that we’d be able to rely one hundred percent on the Audi R8 LMS. I can hardly find words for now winning the 24-hour race here after the 1,000-kilometer race in 2004. Winning the 24 Hours here one day has been a childhood dream of mine – and this dream has come true today.” 

Frank Stippler (Audi R8 LMS #4): “We fought extremely hard and that was rewarded in the end. My first victory here in 2012 was a dream, but I’d say this success is at least on a similar level. I had a lot of misfortune here in recent years, so I’m very happy about this victory. The atmosphere was again unique this year. It’s incredible how many spectators cheer for you on in the final laps – including fans of other brands and from other countries.” 

Dries Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS #4): “Winning the 24-hour race on this unique track is really special, and even more so since this was only my second participation. The race wasn’t easy for us. We weren’t the fastest, but made no mistakes – and that was an important prerequisite for our success. It was also a special honor for me to be allowed to drive the final stint. It’s great that Audi and Phoenix Racing placed so much trust in me.”

Frédéric Vervisch (Audi R8 LMS #4): “I still can’t believe that we won here. We gave 200 percent throughout the whole race. My teammates did a truly brilliant job. We remained without any mistakes and the Audi ran perfectly. That was the key to success. For me, the weekend with the two second places in the FIA WTCR and the victory in the 24-hour race was truly unique. I don’t know if I’ll ever experience anything like this again.”