Audi motorsports 2013: Chronology of a winning streak

Audi has been successfully involved in motorsport for over 30 years. The 2013 season will go down in the company’s history as one of the most successful ones – perhaps the most successful one ever, as Audi Sport managed to win a World Champion’s title, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the DTM in the same year. Added to this tally, are the victory in the GT class at the Daytona 24 Hours as well as many other successes. The chronology of an outstanding motorsport year for the brand with the four rings.

January 27: On taking a one-two victory in the GT class at the Daytona (USA) 24-hour race Audi manages a perfect start of the new season. It marks the first victory for the Audi R8 GRAND-AM plus the first one for Audi in this famous endurance race.

March 16: At the Sebring (USA) 12-hour race, Audi, with the R18 e-tron quattro, achieves another historic success. For the first time, a sports car with hybrid drive triumphs in the iconic U.S. endurance race. For Audi, it is the eleventh overall victory at Sebring in 14 runs.

April 14: At Silverstone (GB), title defender Audi starts the 2013 season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in World Champion’s style. The two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars of Audi Sport Team Joest dominate the 6-hour race and clinch a deserved one-two victory.

May 4: In the 6-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (B), Audi manages a perfect ‘dress rehearsal’ for Le Mans. On the challenging track in the Ardennes, Audi Sport Team Joest starts from the three top spots on the grid with its three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars and, after six hours of racing, is on the podium with all three driver teams.

May 5: On the new Audi RS 5 DTM’s race debut at Hockenheimring (D), Timo Scheider starts from the pole position.

May 19: At Brands Hatch (GB), Mike Rockenfeller delivers the first victory of the Audi RS 5 DTM. On achieving this triumph, ‘Rocky’ takes the overall lead in the DTM in his Championship-winning year.

June 16: At the Lausitzring (D), Mike Rockenfeller shines with a recovery from grid position six to second place. In doing so, the Audi driver recaptures the lead of the DTM standings, which he had relinquished at the Red Bull Ring two weeks earlier.

June 23: For the second time in succession, Audi wins the Le Mans (F) 24 Hours with a hybrid race car and quattro drive, thus continuing its unique success story in the world’s most important endurance race. The twelfth victory of the brand at Le Mans is clinched by Loïc Duval, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish.

July 14: For the first time since 2001, an Audi is the first car to cross the finish line in a DTM race at the Norisring in Nuremberg (D). Mattias Ekström is retroactively stripped of victory due to a violation of parc fermé rules – resulting in a race without a winner. But for most DTM fans, the Swede remains the true Norisring winner.

August 4: At the first DTM race in history held in Russia, Mike Rockenfeller and Mattias Ekström provide Audi with a one-two victory in front of an impressive crowd at Moscow Raceway – another historic success for the four rings.

August 18: Despite having to evade a rival in turn one and dropping to last place Mike Rockenfeller manages to extend his DTM lead to 35 points following a brilliant recovery at the Nürburgring (D) – a crucial step toward the title win.

September 1: With a commanding one-two success in the 6-hour race at São Paulo (BR) Audi continues its string of victories in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). For the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, this marks the fifth win in succession. At Portimão (P), the Novadriver Audi customer team with the Audi R8 LMS ultra defends its title in the Portuguese GT Championship.

September 8: One race before the end of the season, Jan Brunstedt in the Audi R8 LMS secures the title in the Swedish GT Championship.

September 15: In the DTM race at Oschersleben (D), Audi delivers a sensational team performance. All eight Audi drivers finish in the top ten and thus score points – ever since Audi has been battling against BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the DTM no other automobile manufacturer has achieved this feat.

September 22: In the first race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (USA), Audi achieves another milestone. The success of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro marks Audi’s 100th overall victory in total with the Le Mans prototypes (LMP).

September 29: A second place at Zandvoort (NL) is enough for Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller to secure the early title win in the DTM. For Audi, it is the ninth DTM title in total and the fifth one in seven years. At Hockenheim (D), the Audi customer team Prosperia C. Abt Racing with the Audi R8 LMS ultra wins the team classification in the ADAC GT Masters. At Navarra (E), the WRT customer team achieves an early decision of the drivers’ classification in the FIA GT Series in Audi’s favor.

October 12: The twins Dennis and Marc Busch surprisingly win round eight of the Endurance Championship on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife in their privately entered Audi R8 LMS ultra.

October 13: Thomas Schöffler in the Audi R8 LMS of the customer team MTM secures the Champion’s title in the GT Sprint International Series in the finale at Vallelunga (I). At Zolder (B), Anthony Kumpen, Bert Longin and Maarten Makelberge in the Audi R8 LMS of PK Carsport, after a thrilling last race, win the Belgian Racing Car Championship (BRCC).

October 20: At Fuji (J), Audi successfully defends the World Champion’s title in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) early. The title in the drivers’ classification can no longer be taken away from Audi in the two remaining races either. At Hockenheim (D), a few hours later, Audi Sport Team Phoenix manages to secure the drivers’ title in the DTM team classification as well. Two of the three possible DTM titles thus go to Audi.