Four Audi entries at the endurance finale in Abu Dhabi
- Gulf 12 Hours new on the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar
- Customer team Attempto Racing was the winner in Abu Dhabi in 2019
- Five Audi Sport drivers in the cockpits of two teams
Since 2012, six different Audi customer teams have participated in a total of six editions of the Gulf 12 Hours so far. Attempto Racing was the most successful with a one-two victory in 2019. In the finale of the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge on December 11, two experienced teams will field a total of four Audi R8 LMS cars relying on five Audi Sport drivers, among others.
“For the first time, the Gulf 12 Hours is an event with an international status,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “This is a welcome occasion for us to now conclude the fantastic 2022 endurance season in the Gulf after three 24-hour overall victories.” The teams Attempto Racing from Germany and Saintéloc Racing from France have each prepared two Audi R8 LMS cars for the competition at the Yas Marina Circuit. The German squad knows the race well from three outings in 2018, 2019 and this January. In contrast, the French équipe, which has won the Spa 24 Hours and the Indianapolis 8 Hours for Audi in the past, is entering new territory at Abu Dhabi.
Ten years after the debut of an Audi R8 LMS in this event and three years after the first overall victory, Audi Sport is coming to Abu Dhabi with five experienced race drivers. The German endurance professional Christopher Haase will be racing for Audi Sport Team Saintéloc. He shares the cockpit with his Swiss Audi Sport driver colleague Patric Niederhauser. Third in the line-up is an up-and-comer: French privateer Erwan Bastard drives the GT3 version of the V10 sports car for the first time. He won the GT4 Silver Cup classifications of the FFSA GT4 France and the GT4 European Series with Saintéloc Racing in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 last season.
Audi Sport Team Attempto from Hanover relies on three Audi Sport drivers. The Italian Mattia Drudi had clinched second place at Abu Dhabi with Arkin Aka’s squad in 2019. He will share the cockpit this year with the Swiss Ricardo Feller and the South African Kelvin van der Linde.
One privateer team from each of the two teams completes the lineup for the eleventh edition of the race. As is customary in many endurance competitions of the Stéphane Ratel Organization (SRO), each driver competes in a 15-minute qualifying in Abu Dhabi. The average of the best times of all drivers per car determines the starting grid. The race starts on Sunday, December 11 at 10 a.m. local time (7 a.m. CET). Endurance racing fans can follow this competition live at www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com.
The drivers and teams at Abu Dhabi
Audi Sport Team Attempto
Audi R8 LMS #66 Mattia Drudi/Ricardo Feller/Kelvin van der Linde
Attempto Racing
Audi R8 LMS #99 Alex Aka/Pietro Delli Guanti/Finlay Hutchison
Audi Sport Team Saintéloc
Audi R8 LMS #25 Erwan Bastard/Christopher Haase/Patric Niederhauser