The success story of AUDI AG in motorsport Victories and titles since 1981
Audi positions itself as the sportiest manufacturer in the premium segment and has a perfect basis to do so: motorsport. Sportiness, advanced technology and emotive design are the basis for the success of the Audi brand. The genes for this have their origin in racing, since 1980.
The success story began with the Audi quattro Excluding the era before the Second World War that included the legendary Auto Union Grand Prix race cars in the 1930s, the motorsport history of AUDI AG began with the Audi quattro. The dominant victories and two manufacturers’ and two drivers’ titles achieved with the “original quattro” in the World Rally Championship between 1982 and 1984 were an important factor in the market success of the quattro drivetrain. quattro victorious in circuit racing as well After Audi had turned rallying upside down and stormed up Pikes Peak (USA) with the Sport quattro in record time on three successive occasions, Audi also made the quattro drivetrain fit for circuit racing: initially with the Audi 200 quattro and the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO in the United States, in 1990 and 1991 with two championship titles for the Audi V8 quattro in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), and ultimately also with the A4 in the production-based super touring cars. In 1996, the Audi A4 quattro won the championship titles in seven countries. Between 2012 and 2016, the all-wheel drive system returned to the race track as the e-tronquattro. Audi R8 most successful Le Mans sports car in present-day racing After the dominant quattro drivetrain was banned from touring car racing, Audi switched to sports prototypes and also underpinned its slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” in this motorsport category for 18 years. Audi, on making its debut at Le Mans in 1999, the toughest endurance race in the world, immediately managed the leap onto the podium, finishing third overall.
1981 3 victories in the World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1982 Winner manufacturers’ classification World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1983 Winner drivers’ classification World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1984 Winner drivers’ and manufacturers’ classification World Rally Championship (Audi quattro) 1985 Winner Rally San Remo (Audi Sport quattro S1) Winner Pikes Peak Hillclimb Race (Audi Sport quattro S1) Winner Rally Hong Kong–Beijing (Audi quattro) 1986 Winner Pikes Peak Hillclimb Race (Audi Sport quattro S1) Winner Rally Hong Kong–Beijing (Audi quattro) 1987 Winner Safari Rally (Audi 200 quattro) Winner Pikes Peak Hillclimb Race (Audi Sport quattro S1) 1988 Winner TransAm Series (Audi 200 quattro) 1989 7 victories IMSA GTO Series (Audi 90 quattro) 1990 Winner German Touring Car Championship (Audi V8 quattro) 1991 Winner German Touring Car Championship (Audi V8 quattro) 1993 Winner French Touring Car Championship (Audi 80 quattro) 1994 Winner Italian Touring Car Championship (Audi 80 competition) 1995 Winner Italian Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) Winner Touring Car World Cup (Audi A4 quattro) 1996 Winner Super Touring Car Championships Australia, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and South Africa (Audi A4 quattro) 1997 Winner Central European Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) 1999 3rd place Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8R) Winner German Super Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) Winner Swedish Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) 2000 Winner Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8) Winner Sebring 12 Hours (Audi R8) Winner ‘Petit Le Mans’ (Audi R8) Winner American Le Mans Series (Audi R8) 2001 Winner Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8) Winner Sebring 12 Hours (Audi R8) Winner ‘Petit Le Mans’ (Audi R8) Winner American Le Mans Series (Audi R8) Winner European Le Mans Series (Audi R8) Winner Speedvision GT (Audi S4 Competition) Winner Swedish Touring Car Championship (Audi A4 quattro) 2002 Winner Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi R8) Winner Sebring
Versatile electric drives from Audi around motorsport Mattias Ekström, Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz meet Tom Kristensen at Audi Sport’s “e-tron on track” event in Neuburg, Germany Five fascinating models show rapid technical progress
They stand for efficiency and enthusiasm in equal measure: Five high-performance Audi models for racing and action embody the path of electrified drives. The brand was among the pioneers in 2012 when it began electrifying its drivetrains in racing. The Audi R18 e-tronquattro from Le Mans, the Formula E race car e-tron FE07, the Dakar Rally prototype RS Q e-tron and the two show cars e-tron Vision Gran Turismo and S1 e-tronquattro Hoonitron have now met for the first time. Nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen met with the current three Audi drivers from the Dakar program to experience the progress made.
Electric, fast-paced and emotionally stirring: The five models that were united for the first time at Audi Sport in Neuburg an der Donau even inspire seasoned race drivers. After decades of professional experience and major victories, Mattias Ekström, Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz were impressed by the development of electric drives. With “Mister Le Mans” Tom Kristensen, the professional who drove the forefather of all e-tron models in motorsport during his career was on hand at “e-tron on track.” It was eleven years ago when Audi celebrated the first victory with a hybrid drive in the Le Mans 24 Hours with the R18 e-tronquattro and the titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC. “After Audi had already demonstrated its pioneering spirit with the quattro in rallying in the eighties, Le Mans was later a first-class technology laboratory,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “That’s where the story of our alternative powertrains began, which continues to set new milestones to this day. We inspire millions of fans with them and show worldwide how attractive and effective electric drives are.”
Audi subsidiary celebrates its 40th birthday this year Oliver Hoffmann: “We have a clear goal: to successfully carry the sporting DNA of the four rings into the electric future” Rolf Michl: “The Nürburgring is a magical place for us” Sebastian Grams: “We want to shape the future of mobility in the high-performance segment in a sustainable and progressive way”
Almost 40 years ago – on October 10, 1983 – Audi Sport GmbH, as it is known now, was founded as quattro GmbH. Today, it shapes the sporty and exclusive image of the brand with the four rings. At Audi, the vehicles with the red rhombus stand for performance and sportiness. The birthday celebrations begin at the Nürburgring 24 Hours next weekend (May 18–21).
40 years, more than 250,000 vehicles produced in the past ten years alone and more than 400 clinched motorsport titles meet 20.832 kilometers, 73 turns and elevation changes of more than 300 meters – key figures that stand for Audi Sport GmbH and also the legendary Nordschleife – also known as the “Green Hell” – of the Nürburgring. This has shaped Audi Sport GmbH like no other race track. The circuit in the Eifel region and the wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG share a close relationship – both in racing and in the high-performance vehicles of the series. Audi Sport has been an official partner of the 24-hour race since 2002 and provides the “official cars” to the race organizers. Since 2009, the Audi R8 LMS has been competing in the Eifel marathon, which is one of the annual highlights of Audi Sport customer racing. The customer racing division has been part of the former quattro GmbH since 2011. With six overall victories and three additional GT3 class wins to date, Audi is the most successful manufacturer in the GT3 era of the endurance classic at the “Green Hell.”
Flair of rallying, touring cars and sports prototypes in the Eifel region Four Audi R8 LMS in the design of historic Audi racing models A total of six Audi R8 LMS at the 24-hour race
Audi Sport customer racing will contest the 51st edition of the Nürburgring 24 Hours from May 18 to 21 with four Audi R8 LMS cars in epoch-making designs. Audi’s expressive liveries reflect its motorsport history. They remind the public of unforgettable times for the brand in racing and rallying. In sporting terms, Audi, as the most successful brand of the past decade, is already aiming for its seventh overall victory after 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022.
“This year the audience at the Nürburgring can look forward to a special appearance,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “The four Audi R8 LMS offer the many fans of this race and the Audi brand, as well as photographers and cameramen, an exciting reinterpretation of unforgettable liveries.” The audience is instantly reminded of legendary times of the four rings in motorsport. “After six victories in the past eleven years, we now want to race for our seventh success in the world’s biggest endurance race,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “The Audi design department team has taken historical motifs as a model to develop four new designs for the R8 LMS. They are completely unique, but immediately call to mind images of earlier Audi race cars.” Each of the four GT3 sports cars cites features from individual eras. While these four race cars will be competing on behalf of Audi Sport customer racing, the private team Scherer Sport PHX will bring two more R8 LMS to the Eifel.
American flair at the Nürburgring: Number 1 Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX pulls up as last year’s winner with the number 1. The team from the Eifel region has already won the race four times with Audi. For many fans of the brand, the design of the car with the coveted starting number is associated with legendary successes.
Audi driver prevails over Mick Schumacher in the final Mattias Ekström “Champion of Champions” for the fourth time Audi delights fans with demo laps of RS Q e-tron and Sport quattro S1
Mattias Ekström has once again demonstrated his world class and versatility: In his Swedish homeland, the rally and circuit pro driver won the “Race of Champions”, a traditional competition between the world’s best motorsport drivers, on an icy track. The two-time DTM champion and rallycross world champion had particularly emotional words for his opponent in the final, Mick Schumacher, whom Ekström defeated despite a short burst of smoke in his race car.
Hot temperatures around Pite Havsbad’s “Frozen Ocean”: In the individual classification of the best drivers on Sunday, the 44-year-old Audi factory driver beat all the opponents he encountered. In the quarter-finals, he prevailed against his compatriot Johan Kristoffersson, who, like himself, is a former World Rallycross Champion. In the semifinals, Ekström met Thierry Neuville, a multiple World Rally Championship runner-up. The Belgian also lost out to the Swede. The final was marked by special emotions: After Mattias Ekström had prevailed over Michael Schumacher in London in 2007 and in Beijing in 2009, thus winning two of his first three ROC titles to date, he now met Michael’s son Mick in the decisive contest.
In the Polaris race car, the Swede was 0.348 seconds faster than the German in the first competition. In the second race, this time in the 320-hp Supercar Lites model, Ekström was involuntarily “on fire”: after half a lap, smoke came out of the fuse box, which did not faze the pro racer. “My co-driver wanted to stop, but I wasn’t that interested in doing so,” he confessed amusedly at the finish after removing the fuse at full speed. Without stopping, he continued to follow the track on the ice rink and was still 1.3 seconds faster than Schumacher.
New building of around 3,000 square meters at the Neuburg facility New test benches for the development of the power unit Board Member for Technical Development Oliver Hoffmann: “The best possible conditions to be successful in the top class of motorsport”
The Competence Center Motorsport at the Audi Neuburg facility is being expanded for the Formula 1 project. In a new building measuring around 3,000 square meters, new test benches for the development of the power unit will be installed in particular. The construction work on the extension began this week. Audi will compete in the top class of motorsport from 2026 with the power unit manufactured in Neuburg.
The Competence Center Motorsport, which opened in the summer of 2014, is considered as one of the most modern of its kind. All of the factory racing operations, as well as customer racing, are coordinated from here. The futuristic Audi RS Q e-tron, with its innovative drivetrain for the Dakar Rally, was built in Neuburg an der Donau, as was also the case for versions of the Audi R18 e-tronquattro hybrid racing car, the AudiRS 5DTM and the all-electric Formula E racing car. The entire power unit for the new Formula 1 project, which consists of an energy recovery system, electric motor, battery, highly efficient combustion engine and transmission, is being developed and built in Neuburg. Around 50% of the drivetrain’s power will be electric. Audi will compete in Formula 1 as a factory team in 2026 together with its strategic partner Sauber. “With the Competence Center Motorsport, we have an ideal base for our Formula 1 project,” says Oliver Hoffmann, Board Member for Technical Development. “Audi Neuburg was designed from the outset to be able to tackle the most demanding motorsport projects. This foresight is paying off. With the existing facilities, we were able to immediately begin with the Formula 1 project.
Combination of pioneering performance and outstanding everyday usability have always been trademark features of an RS 6 The current RS 6 Avant – now available in the US for the first time – is the global market leader in its segment with a uniquely wide body From the C5 to the C8, Dynamic Ride Control suspension ensures first class driving dynamics
One car has been exciting Audi Sport GmbH and a worldwide fanbase like no other for 20 years: across four generations, the AudiRS 6 has set the tone for high-performance station wagons with impressive performance and outstanding everyday usability. It owes the success of its underlying concept from 2002 to its double-charged engine and all-wheel drive. The basic concept has been the same across every generation of the RS 6. Again and again, it sets new standards in its competitive environment as well. Technical Vorsprung also turns up in other places, such as Dynamic Ride Control suspension. It has been used in other RS models from Audi for a long time.
The C5: a desire for performance in the upper mid-range Shortly after the start of the new millennium, what was then quattro GmbH (now Audi Sport GmbH) was faced with the question of which car the staff would give a sporty renovation to after the RS 4. It was an opportune moment for the Audi A6. The first generation (C5) underwent a product enhancement in 2001 and Audi also wanted to add more power under the hood in its upper mid-range. The brand was self-aware and motorsports were in high demand. Audi drove its way to the winners stand on the first try at its premiere in the legendary 24-hour Le Mans in 1999. The company with the four rings made history again in 2000, 2001, and 2002.