Search

The history of the most successful Le Mans sportscar Anecdotes and unique photographs fill 128 pages Available now at bookshops for 29 Euro The Audi R8, available to customers since June, is the new mid-engined sportscar from AUDI AG. The entire annual production allocated for Germany in 2007 is already sold out. The name and genes of the R8 originate from the most successful Le Mans Prototype ever which recorded 63 wins from 80 starts – including five victories in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. “Born to win” is filled with a host of amusing passages and fascinating photographs recounting the Race-R8’s unique success story from its roll-out in December 1999 to its final victorious race in July 2006. Author Thomas Voigt, who followed the R8 project from its very inception, shares numerous anecdotes from the seven years of competition in the course of 128 pages. Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, the technicians responsible and drivers of the R8 recount their personal memories. A comprehensive table of statistics including every result and information appertaining to the sixteen R8-Prototypes built make the book a ‘must read’ for sportscar fans. “Audi R8 – Born to win” (128 pages, format 23 x 33 centimetres) is printed in two languages (German/English) by Heel-Verlag and is available at specialist bookshops for 29 Euro.

The Audi R8 won six times in succession between 2000 and 2005. In 2006 and 2007, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish triumphed with the Audi R10 TDI diesel-powered sportscar. On the first weekend in October, Capello and McNish compete together with the Italian Emanuele Pirro. The Audi R10 TDI with start number 2 is driven as usual by the two Germans Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner, who already clinched the LM P1 Drivers Championship in the American Le Mans Series 2008. The two Germans will attack the 1000-mile race at Road Atlanta without the support of a third driver. This year we won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the American Le Mans Series and the Le Mans Series in Europe with the R10 TDI, says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. Obviously wed like to continue our winning streak in the American Le Mans Series most important race alongside Sebring. In the shape of Acura/Honda, Peugeot and Porsche we have very strong competitors, some of which have also strengthened their driving squad. Im convinced that we are in a good position with our driver line-up. Four of the five Audi drivers have already won the 1000-mile or maximum ten hour race at least once. With a total of four overall victories (2000, 2002, 2006 and 2007) Dindo Capello is the most successful Petit Le Mans driver. Allan McNish triumphed at Road Atlanta in 2000, 2006 and 2007, Emanuele Pirro 2001 and 2005, and Marco Werner 2004.

Audi started from pole position twice at Barcelona 80th DTM race for Martin Tomczyk, 50th Christijan Albers María de Villota steers Audi R8 Race Taxi The DTM races for the third time at Barcelona. Audi – currently with Timo Scheider leading the standings – took pole position at both of the previous two events at the Catalan circuit. Did you know that... ... Spain is the third largest foreign European market for Audi after Great Britain and Italy? ... Audi delivered 58,850 cars in Spain in 2007 and, in doing so, achieved growth of 7.9 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year? ... the circuit close to Barcelona was on the DTM calendar for the first time in 2006? ... since then Audi is unbeaten in qualifying at the Catalan race track? ... both pole positions went on each occasion to factory driver Martin Tomczyk? ... in 2006 the Bavarian converted pole position to victory in the race, and in fact his first ever in the DTM? ... before Barcelona Audi has already taken six Pole Positions in the first eight races of the 2008 DTM season? ... the brand has already started from pole position once more during 2008 than in the entire season last year? ... At Barcelona Audi factory driver Martin Tomczyk will contest his 80th DTM race and Christijan Albers his 50th? ... after Timo Scheider’s victory at Brands Hatch the ten Audi drivers in the DTM now lay claim to a total 25 DTM wins? ... the female Spanish racing driver María de Villota will test an Audi A4 DTM and will also drive the Race Taxi version of the of the Audi R8 in the supporting programme at Barcelona? ... the 2.977 kilometre long version of the Catalan track raced on by the DTM is the third shortest on the calendar? Only Brands Hatch and the Norisring are shorter. ... as a result of the new chicane in the penultimate corner the circuit increased in length by 28 metres between the DTM events in 2006 and 2007?

Platz Formel Renault Eurocup 2007 4. Platz World Series by Renault 3.5, bester Rookie; zwei GP2- Rennen, Formel-1-Testfahrer Red Bull und Toro Rosso 2008 Vier Rennen A1GP-Serie 2009 3. Platz A1GP-Serie, 1. Platz Race of Champions Iberia, zwei Läufe Italienische GT-Meisterschaft (Audi R8 LMS) 2010 1. Platz Race of Champions, 2. Platz Italienische GT-Meisterschaft (Audi R8 LMS) 2011 12. Platz DTM (Audi A4 DTM) 2012 11. Platz DTM (Audi A5 DTM) 2013 18. Platz DTM (Audi RS 5 DTM), 1. Platz GT-Klasse 24 Stunden Daytona (Audi R8 GRAND-AM) 2014 24 Stunden Le Mans, 6. Platz 6 Stunden Spa, 22. Platz FIA-Langstrecken-Weltmeisterschaft WEC (Audi R18 e-tron quattro), 2. Platz European Le Mans Series 2015 6 Stunden Spa, 24 Stunden Le Mans (Audi R18 e-tron quattro), European Le Mans Series www.filipealbuquerque.com facebook.com/filipe.albuquerque1 twitter.com/AlbuquerqueFil (@AlbuquerqueFil) instagram.com/filipealbuquerque_

Audi R8 LMS GT3 Number 1 is back in the lead: On the fourth race weekend of the International GT Open, Christopher Haase/Simon Reicher achieved a breakthrough with the number 1 car: after four second places in the individual races of the first half of the season, the German-Austrian driver duo recorded their first win of the season at the Hungaroring. Haase laid the foundation for this with the fastest time in the second qualifying session, which was a clear 0.543 seconds ahead. The Audi R8 LMS led all 34 laps of Sunday’s one-hour race and ultimately won by 10.580 seconds at the gates of Budapest. Haase was the starting driver, Reicher took over the cockpit at the pit stop. The team from Upper Austria has thus won the 300th race of this Europe-wide series at the halfway point of the season. Former racing driver Jesús Pareja originally launched the competition in 1999 as the IBER GT. Last year’s champions Haase/Reicher turned a two-point deficit in the standings into a four-point lead in Hungary. Two other Audi customer teams also clinched trophies: Saintéloc Racing achieved third place in the Pro-Am classification with Michael Blanchemain/Marcus Påverud in the first race. Second place in this class went to Team ISR with Libor Milota/Filip Salaquarda in the second race. At the second round of the Thailand Super Series, B-Quik Absolute Racing put in a convincing performance in front of a large crowd. In the first race on the Bangsaen street circuit, Akash Nandy started from pole position in the team’s Audi R8 LMS. He immediately built up a lead, which was of great importance in view of the regulations. As his teammate Deng Yi has FIA Silver driver status and the driver pairing was competing in this racing series for the first time, an extended mandatory pit stop time of 156 seconds applied. With a 13-second lead, Nandy handed his Audi over to his Chinese teammate at the stop, who initially maintained the lead but then dropped back to second place.

ADAC has been organizing the GT Masters sports car racing series since 2007. Audi drivers have already won the overall title five times in the popular GT3 competition. Pictures and videos

A year later on the debut of the Audi R8, Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro, took Audi’s first victory in a sports car race. Another 62 wins would follow and make the R8 one of the most successful LMP1 sports cars in history. On March 18, 2006, Audi wrote another new chapter in motorsport history: Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish scored the first victory for a diesel racing sports car in an important international endurance race on the debut of the Audi R10 TDI. The trio, which was victorious at Le Mans last year, remains in the same formation for the debut of the new Audi R15 TDI. Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and Marco Werner drive the “sister” R15 TDI. The six Audi factory drivers have the opportunity to gain experience with the new LMP1 racing sports car under race conditions for an entire week – and this on one of the world’s most difficult race tracks in temperatures expected to reach some 30 degrees Celsius in the shade. These are entirely new conditions for the R15 TDI which until now tested almost exclusively in cool temperatures and was often running in the rain at the tests in Europe. The 12-hour race at Sebring is also the first event in which the new technical regulations for Le Mans prototypes are valid. In contrast to last year, the width of the rear wing is reduced by 40 centimeters. Furthermore, the diesel powered cars must compete with smaller engine air intakes and less turbo pressure and, as a consequence, less engine power. Audi Sport has attempted to compensate as much as possible with many technical innovations for the restrictions imposed by the new regulations. Comments before the race at Sebring Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “Sebring is an important test for the 24 Hours of Le Mans for us. Experience shows that the track is very hard and mercilessly reveals any problem a car has. Therefore it’s particularly important to compete with a newly developed car here.

ABT Sportsline concentrates on two Audi R8 LMS cars Tresor Orange1 with two drivers in the DTM for the first time Up-and-coming Liqui Moly Team Engstler faces first GT3 season Audi Sport customer racing relies on a strong customer base in the DTM in 2023 as well. Three established teams – including an up-and-coming touring car racing team with motor racing experience – will contest the tradition-steeped series with the Audi R8 LMS, which will be held under new auspices this year. “The DTM offers Audi Sport excellent opportunities together with the experienced customer teams,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “We can pursue exciting motorsport in the important performance market Germany with the Audi R8 LMS in competition with first-class rivals.” The DTM enters the 2023 season under new auspices after ADAC acquired the brand rights on December 2, 2022. The calendar includes eight events spread across Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. The racing series, which was founded in 1984, will kick off its new season at Oschersleben from May 26 to 28. Audi drivers have won the DTM twelve times since 1990. “We expect that the 2023 DTM, now organized by ADAC, will be characterized by a high performance density, exciting races and a future-oriented focus,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “It’s all the more pleasing that we can rely on high-performance partner teams with great knowledge.” Team ABT Sportsline from Kempten in the Allgäu region with ABT Motorsport director Martin Tomczyk was the best Audi customer team in the DTM in each of the past two years with Kelvin van der Linde finishing third (2021) as well as René Rast (2022). It thus made a major contribution to Audi winning the manufacturers title last year. This year, the squad that provided the DTM Champion in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009 again relies on Kelvin van der Linde from South Africa and the Swiss Audi Sport driver Ricardo Feller.