Year by year: The most important successes of Audi in motorsport
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
A sporty evolution: from the NSU Prinz to Bergmeister
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Neckarsulm-based company offered small but powerful cars for everyday use as well as for sports. First came the NSU Prinz 1000, followed by the NSU TT and the NSU TTS. In this eighth episode of the NSU anniversary series, Audi Tradition makes a foray into this very sporty chapter of NSU history.
At the 1963 IAA, NSU unveiled several new models. In addition to the stylish NSU/Wankel Spider, the NSU Prinz 1000 also made its debut. The small and lively car was well received by both the media and the public, as it offered unprecedented handling in its class due to its exceptional power-to-weight ratio. The new series, with its modern four-cylinder engines, marked NSU’s entry into the mid-size segment. Demand for NSU cars, especially for the new car affectionately called the “Tausender” (German: thousand) by fans, grew – as did the Neckarsulm plant: NSU built a new factory on an area of 10,000 square meters with space for six assembly lines. The first Prinz models rolled off the line in early April 1964, and by the end of the month, NSU dealerships from all over Germany had ordered a total of 1,150 NSU Prinz 1000s from Neckarsulm. From 1964 to 1972, the Neckarsulm-based company made a total of around 195,000 Prinz 1000 L and S and NSU 1000 C units, as well as another 11,500 NSU Prinz 1000 TTs. The sporty NSU Prinz 1000 ensures a winning streak for Siegfried Spiess The NSU Prinz 1000 came as standard with a 40 or 43 PS engine, depending on the model version. Later modifications such as an optimized camshaft, Weber carburetors, racing exhaust, and lowered suspension gave the car, which weighed in at only 650 kg (1,400 lb), a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph), making it competitive on the track and in hill-climbing, which was popular at the time.
State of the ArTT – the Audi TT turns 25: Summer exhibition at the Audi museum mobile
TT models in a special anniversary exhibit from July 24 to September 24 More vehicles centering on the “Tourist Trophy,” which gave its name to the Audi TT
The Audi TT made design history when the series debuted 25 years ago. A quarter of a century later, Audi Tradition celebrates the iconic sports car in its “State of the ArTT” exhibition. Visitors can see the unique showcase from July 24 to September 24 at the Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt.
There is one car that has to be shown among the TT’s ancestors: the 1995 show car. Audi presented the study at the IAA in Frankfurt in September of that year. And right away, public opinion was clear: The car should go into series production – exactly as it is! So, the decision was made in late 1995 that the Audi TT Coupé would be built. And in 1998, production began. Torsten Wenzel, the exterior designer at Audi who helped translate the study into series production, recalls: “To us, the greatest praise was when the trade press noted appreciatively that little had changed from the study to the series model, although we did, of course, have to adapt several details due to the technical specifications for the series version, including the proportions.” For Wenzel, who owns his own first-generation TT, the TT remains unchanged today, “a drivable sculpture, with the finest surfaces and lines.” The Audi TT was an innovation with a traditional name The Ingolstadt-based car manufacturer deliberately deviated from the usual Audi conventions when it named the new sports car back then: The model name “TT” is reminiscent of the legendary Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, one of the oldest and most spectacular motorsports events in the world and one where NSU and DKW achieved great success with their motorcycles. With the NSU TT, the Neckarsulm-based car manufacturer had already established a connection to the brand’s motorsports successes on the island in the 1960s.
Audi Sport customer racing with 14 drivers in the 2023 season
Twelve familiar and two new faces in the Audi Sport customer racing driver squad Audi Sport signs Simon Gachet and Max Hofer
Audi Sport customer racing is relying on a mix of experience and youth for its 2023 driver squad. In addition to established drivers, the brand also includes two former customer drivers in the driver squad, Simon Gachet and Max Hofer.
Audi Sport is relying on twelve familiar and two new faces for its driver line-up this year. The very different careers and experiences of the individual race drivers enable them to support the brand in the best possible way through their individual strengths in the diverse customer programs and strategic assignments.
The 24-year-old Italian Mattia Drudi’s greatest success to date was winning the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Endurance in 2021. The talented youngster has also showed good performances in strategic endurance races. Last year, 22-year-old Luca Engstler, who previously won TCR touring car titles, managed to clinch a win both in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie and the South African Endurance Series at the first attempt in his debut season in the Audi R8 LMS. The Swiss driver of the same age, Ricardo Feller, winner of the 2021 ADAC GT Masters in an Audi, has also been part of the Audi Sport customer racing driver squad since last year. He has made a name for himself as a particularly fast and reliable driver. Christopher Haase from Germany is 35 years old and has been a permanent fixture for Audi for more than ten years. In addition to two championship titles, the Bavarian has already clinched four 24-hour overall victories for Audi: he was successful twice at the Nürburgring and once each at Spa and Dubai. His 46-year-old compatriot Pierre Kaffer has already driven sports prototypes, DTM race cars and GT3 models from Audi in his career.
Rolf Michl: “An exciting challenge”
Head of Audi Motorsport in dual role also Managing Director Ambitious goals with motivated team for Dakar Rally Desert rallying demands first-class coordination
Since September 1, Rolf Michl has been responsible for motorsport at Audi and is Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. The 44-year-old manager talks about the Dakar Rally, the complementation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain, the emotions that motorsport arouses in him, and his expectations and goals for the desert rally.
Mr. Michl, you were Project Manager in the Audi Sport TT Cup in 2015, then Director Sales & Marketing at Audi Sport GmbH. You returned to motorsport as Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. Did you miss the racing world in the meantime? Before that, I also enjoyed my management function in global sales and marketing and was able to achieve three sales records in a row with the team there. But returning to the racetrack and the rally tracks has a very special fascination. Being operationally at the track, experiencing the spirit in motorsport, whether on the circuit or in the sand, is and remains unique. I have definitely missed that. How would you rate the projects you found at Audi Sport GmbH? The Dakar Rally and customer racing form an exciting project landscape. There are some exquisite, major events in motorsport worldwide and the Dakar is definitely one of them. I was very fascinated to see how Audi competes with an electric drive in such a difficult discipline and is successful right from the start. But the human aspect, the spirit and the passion, are also clearly noticeable. Carlos Sainz, who I already admired in the World Rally Championship and with whom we’re now working, Stéphane Peterhansel who has remained relaxed and modest even after 14 Dakar victories, a guarantor of success like Mattias Ekström, with whom I’ve had a good relationship for years – simply great drivers!
Audi Enters Formula 1
Development of a power unit for the premier class of motorsport from the 2026 season Hybrid power unit will be developed at the Audi Sport facility in Neuburg an der Donau under Adam Baker’s leadership New rules focusing on sustainability and cost efficiency are important factors for getting involved Change at Audi Sport: after successful restructure, Julius Seebach passes the baton to Rolf Michl
Audi enters the premier class of motorsport. From 2026, the premium brand will compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with a specially developed power unit. The project will be based at Audi Sport’s facility in Neuburg near Ingolstadt. This is the first time in more than a decade that a Formula 1 power train will be built in Germany.
Audi announced its entry at a press conference at the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. At the event, Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, and Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development, answered questions in the company of Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed ben Sulayem, President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). “Motorsport is an integral part of Audi’s DNA,” says Markus Duesmann. “Formula 1 is both a global stage for our brand and a highly challenging development laboratory. The combination of high performance and competition is always a driver of innovation and technology transfer in our industry. With the new rules, now is the right time for us to get involved. After all, Formula 1 and Audi both pursue clear sustainability goals.” The key to getting involved is the world’s most popular racing series is the clear plan to become more sustainable and cost-efficient. The new technical rules, which will apply from 2026, focus on greater electrification and advanced sustainable fuel. In addition to the existing cap on costs for teams, a cost cap for power unit manufacturers will be introduced in 2023.
Endurance victory and championship lead for Audi in Italy
Another triumph for Audi Sport Italia First DTM Trophy win of the season for the Audi R8 LMS GT4 in Assen Class podiums in four countries for the Audi RS 3 LMS
Audi Sport Italia won in the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Endurance with the Audi R8 LMS for the second time this year. With this success, Audi Sport Italia now leads both the drivers’ and the teams’ standings in the endurance and sprint classifications. The Audi R8 LMS GT4 came out on top in the DTM Trophy for the first time this season with a victory and a second place, while Audi privateers celebrated podium successes with the Audi RS 3 LMS in China, Croatia, Germany and Spain.
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Victory and championship lead: Audi Sport Italia clinched victory in the Campionato Italiano GT Endurance for the second time this season. The driver trio of Audi Sport driver Mattia Drudi and his teammates Riccardo Agostini and Lorenzo Ferrari qualified in fourth place. Starting from the second row of the grid, Agostini drove the first stint and advanced to second position. Ferrari then took over the Audi R8 LMS and went into the lead after the first phase of pit stops. The young Italian maintained the first position and handed the car over to his teammate Drudi. The latter took the lead again after the final pit stop phase and finally crossed the finish line with a four-second advantage. As a result of the victory, the Italian driver trio of Agostini, Drudi and Ferrari are now leading the endurance drivers’ standings by three points, while Audi Sport Italia has a ten-point lead in the teams’ title race. This means that the Audi Sport Italia squad is leading both the drivers’ and teams’ standings of the series’ endurance and sprint classifications with one round remaining in each, both scheduled for October. Second consecutive victory: As in early September at Ningbo, Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute won the second round of the China Endurance Championship.
Promising line-up from Audi at the Nürburgring
Proven winners and teams at the Nürburgring 24 Hours Three Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport customer racing on the grid Customer teams plan to field up to four additional Audi R8 LMS cars
At the Nürburgring 24 Hours from June 3 to 6, Audi Sport customer racing sets its sights on its sixth overall victory. In addition, the chances of equaling or even surpassing the distance record set by Audi in 2014 are good this year. Three strong driver squads with twelve professionals, including nine previous winners, share the work in the cockpits of the three Audi R8 LMS cars fielded by Audi Sport customer racing. The private teams Car Collection Motorsport and Phoenix Racing are also preparing up to four additional private Audi R8 LMS cars.
“We’re facing the world’s biggest car race again this year with our three successful Audi Sport teams Car Collection, Land and Phoenix,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “In terms of drivers, we’re relying on a combination of proven winners and promising young talents.” Peter Schmidt’s Audi Sport Team Car Collection, third at the Nürburgring in 2019 and second last year with a gap of just 15 seconds, will start this year with the three winners Christopher Haase (winner in 2012 and 2014), Nico Müller (2015) and Markus Winkelhock (2012, 2014 and 2017). They will be reinforced by the Swiss Patric Niederhauser, last year’s class runner-up in the Pro-Am classification. Wolfgang and Christian Land’s Audi Sport Team Land won the 2017 competition with Kelvin van der Linde and Christopher Mies, among others. The South African and the German are also on board this year. Their teammates are the winners René Rast (2014) and Frédéric Vervisch (2019). Audi Sport Team Phoenix, based at the Nürburgring, has already won its home race three times with the R8 LMS since the beginning of the Audi Sport customer racing program plus another two times with other brands before that.