• Audi R8 LMS proves unbeatable in New Zealand
  • Saintéloc Racing now leads the points in France with Audi R8 LMS GT4
  • Successes for Audi RS 3 LMS in Canada and Portugal
South Island Endurance Series 2018
Audi R8 LMS #22 (IMS), Neil Foster/Jonny Reid

Two Audi Sport customer racing squads in New Zealand and France have good chances to claim their respective championship titles after another successful weekend of racing.

Audi R8 LMS GT3

Second straight win in New Zealand: On the South Island of New Zealand, the Audi customer sport team IMS followed up with another victory at round two after winning the season-opener. Neil Foster/Jonny Reid won the three-hour race at Ruapuna with a one-lap advantage in the Audi R8 LMS. Heading to the finale in Timaru on 13 October, the pair has excellent chances to claim the title in the South Island Endurance Series. Scoring third place at Ruapuna, the driver pairing Ben Byers/Jaxon Evans claimed another trophy in an Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Two wins in Australia: In his Audi R8 LMS ultra, Ryan How won the first two races at the fifth weekend of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships at Phillip Island. Ross Lilley achieved third place at all three individual races of the clubsport racing series with another Audi R8 LMS ultra. 

Audi R8 LMS GT4

Top of the table with two wins: Round five of the GT4 France in Barcelona was well worth the trip for the Saintéloc Racing squad. With their Audi R8 LMS GT4, Gregory Guilvert and Fabien Michal won both races at the guest appearance of the French series in Spain. Heading to the finale in Le Castellet in 14 days, the two Frenchmen have moved to the top of the points table. After notching up three victories over the season, Guilvert/Michal now hold a six-point lead over their closest rivals. 

Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)

Victory in Canada: On the sixth race weekend of the Canadian Touring Car Championship in Mirabel, Marco Cirone won the GT Sport class at the first race. In his Audi RS 3 LMS, the Canadian took the flag 0.9-seconds ahead of his nearest challenger. In race two, Alain Lauzière finished second in the GT Sport class in another Audi RS 3 LMS.

First to the top: At the Portuguese Hillclimb Championship, Luis Nunes celebrated his latest victory. At round eight of the series held at Rampa de Boticas, the Portuguese driver won Division 4 in the Audi RS 3 LMS for TCR race cars with a 26-second advantage. 

Two podium spots in China: At the third race weekend of the TCR China, Filipe Souza took home two trophies. The racing driver from Macau scored third place in the second sprint race in the Audi RS 3 LMS. In the following one-hour race, he experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. Taking up the race from position one, the Audi privateer fell to the back of the field after a poor start. Over the course of the 30-lap race, Filipe Souza battled his way through the pack to finish second. 

The third city circuit: In the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, the second event in China will be contested within a week. The Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team and the Audi Sport Team Comtoyou as well as Comtoyou Racing travel directly from Ningbo to Wuhan. Awaiting the drivers and their six Audi RS 3 LMS there is a 2.984-kilometer city circuit. The best Audi Sport driver in the points at the moment is the Frenchman Jean-Karl Vernay in seventh, followed by Frédéric Vervisch from Belgium on tenth. So far this season, Audi drivers have claimed a total of nine podium results.

Coming up next week

04–05/10 Shanghai (CN), rounds 10 to 12, TCR China

05–06/10 Shanghai (CN), rounds 7 and 8, Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup

05–07/10 Wuhan (CN), rounds 22 to 24, WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup

05–07/10 Wuhan (CN), round 2, China Endurance Championship

05–06/10 Hockenheim (D), rounds 15 and 16, DMV GTC

05–06/10 Fort Grozny (RUS), rounds 13 and 14, TCR Russia

05–07/10 Monza (I), rounds 13 and 14, TCR Italy

06/10 Nürburgring (D), round 8 VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring

06–07/10 Zandvoort (NL), rounds 9 and 10, GT4 Central European Cup

06–07/10 Zandvoort (NL), rounds 7 and 8, GT4 Belgium

06–07/10 Monza (I), rounds 11 and 12, Italian GT Championship

06–07/10 Jarama (E), round 4, Campeonato de España de Resistencia

07/10 Shanghai (CN), SIC 888 Invitation Race Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup

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