​Audi Motorsport Newsletter 34/2015

Audi R8 LMS ultra wins in Italy

Successful round for Team Audi Sport Italia on the penultimate race weekend of the Italian GT Championship at Misano: the Italians Marco Mapelli and Andrea Amici in the Audi R8 LMS ultra claimed a lights-to-flag victory in race two. The day before, their teammates Dindo Capello and Emanuele Zonzini had clinched a podium result. The duo, which had started the race from position four on the grid, finished Saturday’s race as the runners-up following a strong recovery.

Podium in France

The Audi customer team Sébastien Loeb Racing celebrated a podium finish in the round of the French GT Championship at Navarra in the north of Spain. Christophe Hamon, Lonni Martins and Christian Bottemanne drove their number ‘5’ Audi R8 LMS ultra to third place overall in race one and finished the second race in fifth place. 

Two victories in Utah

Audi Sport customer racing teams DXDT Racing and TW Racing each celebrated an overall victory during the seventh race weekend of the National Auto Sport Association Utah region (NASA Utah) at Miller Motorsports Park. David Askew enjoyed his first victory at the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS ultra from DXDT Racing in the first race of the weekend. The second race saw a 1-2 result as TW Racing took the win with Derek Wolthoff in the Audi R8 LMS, finishing ahead of DXDT Racing. This result was enough to ensure that TW Racing clinched the GTSU title in NASA Utah for the 2015 season.

Jerry Wang on podium in GT Asia

Another podium result clinched by Jerry Wang in GT Asia: The Hong Kong Chinese took second place in the GTM class in round nine of the season at Shanghai in the Audi R8 LMS of Team Absolute Racing.

Top race drivers meet with top soccer players

Tom Kristensen and Markus Winkelhock provided the players of FC Bayern with high-speed insights into racing. The players and coaches of FC Bayern München received their new official vehicles at Audi in Neuburg. On this occasion, the four soccer players were familiarized with the racing line of the track during the Audi driving experience. The nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen did some fast laps with Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski in the race car of the Audi Sport TT Cup. The two-time 24-hour Nürburgring winner Markus Winkelhock went to the limits with Mario Götze and David Alaba.

Riesch and Hasenhüttl visit Audi

Audi’s DTM squad welcomed prominent visitors from other sporting disciplines at the Nürburgring: ex-ski star Maria Höfl-Riesch and Ralf Hasenhüttl, coach of FC Ingolstadt 04 that recently won promotion to the Bundesliga, met with the two Audi DTM drivers Jamie Green and Timo Scheider. Hasenhüttl additionally enjoyed a ride in the Audi RS 5 DTM race taxi. On duty as ‘taxi drivers’ for Audi at the Nürburgring were the GT race drivers Kelvin van der Linde and Stefan Wackerbauer.

Insights into GT program for drivers of the Audi Sport TT Cup

Following round one of the Audi Sport TT Cup at the Nürburgring, the international young drivers from the Audi one-make cup have received further information about the successful GT3 sports car program at Audi Sport. Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing, and the team boss of Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, Vincent Vosse, delivered entertaining presentations about the GT program at AUDI AG. The winner in the Audi Sport TT Cup can look forward to receiving support in the GT program of the brand with the four rings.

A word from … Miguel Molina

With a pole position, a fastest race lap and his first DTM victory, Miguel Molina had a brilliant day at the Nürburgring. The Catalonian in an interview.

Miguel Molina, winner of the DTM race at the Nürburgring – how does that sound?

It sounds fantastic. Winning in the DTM is very special because it’s a highly professional racing series with a strong field. I worked for a long time for this moment, always believed in myself and never gave up. All this makes this day so sweet that I’ll certainly never forget it.

With your tears on seeing the checkered flag, you didn’t hide your feelings. What thoughts were crossing your mind during these seconds?

Seeing the checkered flag was a huge relief. “You did it, you finally did it” – that’s what I kept telling myself. But I wasn’t just thinking about myself then, but of the many people around me who supported me: Audi, my team, my family and the fans of course. The trophy belongs to all of them a little bit.

In three weeks from now, you’ll be traveling to Hockenheim. Actually, you can go there with a big sense of relief now, can’t you?

It’s exactly the other way around. Once you’ve clinched a victory, you want more of the same. But I really enjoy this kind of pressure because it’s simply part of my job as a professional race driver. I’m looking forward to Hockenheim. The track suits me and I’ve always handled it well, so why not again this year?

And before the event: a big party at home?

I’m definitely going to arrange a big dinner with my people to celebrate my victory a little. Afterwards, I’m going to relax a bit and then fully concentrate on the finale. We’ve still got plans for the weekend at Hockenheim.

Coming up next week
03/10 Nürburgring (D), round 8, VLN

03/10 Road Atlanta (USA), round 10, Tudor United SportsCar Championship

03–04/10 Hockenheim (D), rounds 15 and 16, ADAC GT Masters

03–04/10 Hockenheim (D), rounds 11 and 12, Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy

03–04/10 Misano (I), rounds 7 and 8, GT Sports Club

03–04/10 Monza (I), rounds 11 and 12, GT Open

04/10 Misano (I), round 6, Blancpain Sprint Series