Audi Sport teams strong in Australia
GT3 success for the Audi R8 LMS in GT World Challenge Australia International podium places for Audi RS 3 LMS and Audi R8 LMS GT4 Numerous Audi customer teams ready for season starts in Asia and Europe
The international programs of Audi’s customer teams began with a series of successes in Australia and Europe. In addition, many of the brand’s teams have announced their plans for Asian motorsport and European touring car racing in the 2024 season.
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Successes in three countries: Audi Sport’s customer teams got off to a perfect start in the GT World Challenge Australia. Will Brown and Brad Schumacher drove the Audi R8 LMS fielded by the Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC) to third place in the first race at Phillip Island. Marcel Zalloua/Sergio Pires won the Am class for Valmont Racing in the same competition. The two New Zealanders Tim Miles/Brendon Leitch achieved overall victory for MPC in the second race with a lead of eleven seconds. This puts them level on points with two Ferrari drivers at the top of the Pro-Am standings. Brad Schumacher also had a chance of winning the second one-hour race in an Audi. However, he and fellow driver Will Brown dropped back to third position after a spin. Ash Samadi secured the amateur victory in another Audi from MPC. At the Nürburgring, Team Scherer Sport PHX finished on the podium for the second time within a week. After third place in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie opener, an Audi R8 LMS from the team was again third in the ADAC Nürburgring 24h Qualifiers. Ricardo Feller/Christopher Mies/Frank Stippler achieved the result in the first of two four-hour races. In British club racing, Peter Erceg/Marcus Clutton secured an overall victory. They won the second race of the British Endurance Championship at Snetterton in an Audi R8 LMS.
Audi R8 LMS GT4 Class podiums in South Africa: Jimmy Giannoccaro took two second places on the third race weekend of the Extreme Supercars Driven by Dunlop in South Africa.
Impressive victory for Audi customer team in Asia
Audi R8 LMS with GT3 podium results on three continents Good weekend for the Audi customer teams in the GT4 and TCR classes Audi RS Q e-tron to be admired up close in Wolfsburg
At the opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS, the FAW Audi Sport Asia Racing Team set an exclamation mark with its first win of the season in difficult weather conditions. The GT4 and TCR models from Audi Sport also won several trophies in the hands of customers.
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Successes in Asia, America and Europe: Audi’s customer teams collected a total of six podium results in overall rankings on three continents. In the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS, Congfu Cheng/Adderly Fong won the first race of the season in Sepang. They had qualified for pole position in the Audi R8 LMS from the FAW Audi Sport Asia Racing Team. A heavy downpour delayed the start by an hour. The Audi customer team then made a bold tire choice and opted for slicks. Cheng initially dropped back to fourth place on the wet track in the early stages, but subsequently made up two positions. Fong took over the cockpit at the pit stop, was initially in second place and, after an overtaking maneuver, ultimately prevailed by 2.1 seconds. As a result, the duo also won the Silver class and leads this category of the standings. In the second race, a team from Japan celebrated victory in the Am class. Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Mineki Okura won the amateur classification in an Audi from The Spirit of FFF Racing. They now lead the Am Cup. At the second GT America powered by AWS event, four podium results went to Audi customers. On the streets of Long Beach, Johnny O’Connell in the Audi R8 LMS from SKI Autosports was beaten by the winner by just 0.298 seconds in the first race. The Audi privateer driver had secured pole position ahead of James Sofronas and led for a long time until he lost his position in lapped traffic shortly before the end.
Numerous podium results for Audi customer teams throughout Europe
Third place in the DTM season opener for the Audi R8 LMS from ABT Sportsline Olimp Racing starts the International GT Open season on the podium Trophies for the Audi RS 3 LMS in Western and Eastern Europe
Many Audi customer teams returned from the last weekend in April with trophies from GT3 and TCR competitions across Europe.
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Podium results at the start of the season: In two European GT3 racing series, the Audi R8 LMS was one of the fastest race cars in the field at the start of the 2024 season. ABT Sportsline achieved a podium result in the DTM at Oschersleben. At the opening event, Ricardo Feller started Saturday’s race in fourth place. After the start and at the pit stop, he gained a position each time in the Audi R8 LMS when a full-course yellow neutralization phase created new conditions. The Swiss driver then fought a spectacular battle for position with Ferrari driver Jack Aitken and Lamborghini driver Mirko Bortolotti, eventually crossing the finish line in third place. In the International GT Open, Olimp Racing was the best of three Audi customer teams at the season opener in Portimão. Karol Basz took pole position in the Polish team’s Audi R8 LMS on a rain-soaked track in qualifying for Saturday’s race. Basz maintained the lead until the pit stop, when his compatriot Marcin Jedlinski took over the cockpit. He was in second place until the penultimate lap, when Marco Pulcini overtook him in a Ferrari. In the end, Olimp Racing took third place overall and second place in the Pro-Am classification.
Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR) Convincing start: Martin Kadlečik achieved a podium result on his debut in the TCR Eastern Europe. In the opening round of the racing series at Balaton Park in Hungary, the Czech driver finished second in the second sprint in an Audi RS 3 LMS entered by the Aditis Racing team. Kadlečik had started from fifth place and improved to second position over the course of the first lap.
Year by year: The most important successes of Audi in motorsport
Speed Trophy (Audi R8 LMS) 2017 Winner Drivers', Manufacturers’ and Teams' classification DTM (Audi RS 5 DTM) Winner Nürburgring 24 Hours (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Spa 24 Hours (Audi R8 LMS)Sieger Australian GT (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Canarian Hill Climb Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner China GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner DMV GTC (Audi R8 LMS) Winner DMV GTC Dunlop 60 (Audi R8 LMS) Winner FIA European Hillclimb Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Intercontinental GT Challenge (Audi R8 LMS) Winner North Island Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Saudi GT (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Three Hour Endurance Series 2016/17 (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships Sports Cars (Audi R8 LMS) Winner Pirelli World Challenge TC (Audi RS 3 LMS) Winner TCR China (Audi RS 3 LMS) Winner TCR Russia (Audi RS 3 LMS) 2018 Winner Drivers' Championship Formula E (Audi e-tron FE04) Winner Bathurst 12 Hours (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner Australian GT (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner Canarian Hill Climb Championship (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner China GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner Circuit Hero One (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner DMV GTC Dunlop 60 (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner Eset V4 Cup (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner Eset V4 Cup Endurance (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner FFSA GT4 France Pro-Am (Audi R8 LMS GT4) Winner FIA CEZ (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner FIA CEZ Endurance (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner GT4 European Series Silver (Audi R8 LMS GT4) Winner GT Masters Asia (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner GT Sweden (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge TCR (Audi RS 3 LMS) Winner New Zealand Endurance Championship (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner Pirelli World Challenge GTS (Audi R8 LMS GT4) Winner Pirelli World Challenge GTS Sprint (Audi R8 LMS GT4) Winner Pirelli World Challenge GTS SprintX (Audi R8 LMS GT4) Winner South Island Endurance Series Three Hour (Audi R8 LMS GT3) Winner TCR Benelux (Audi RS 3 LMS) Winner TCR Russia (Audi RS 3 LMS) Winner Victorian
Year by year: the most important successes of Audi Sport customer racing
2009 Winner of FIA European GT3 Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of ADAC GT Masters (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Belgian GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS) 2010 Winner of German GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Belcar Series (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Teams' Championship Belcar Series (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Portugese GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Spanish GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Teams' Championship ADAC GT Masters (Audi R8 LMS) 2011 Winner of Spa 24 Hour race (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Bathurst 12 Hour race (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Italian GT3 Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Spanish GT3 Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Blancpain Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Teams' Championship Blancpain Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Super Taikyu Series Japan (Audi R8 LMS) 2012 Winner of Bathurst 12 Hour race (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Nürburgring 24 Hour race (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Spa 24 Hour race (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Blancpain Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Teams' Championship Blancpain Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Gentlemen Trophy Blancpain Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Teams' Championship Gentlemen Trophy Blancpain Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of Portugese GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Taça Portugal (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Iberian Supercars Trophy (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Spanish GT3 Championship (Audi R8 LMS ultra) 2013 Winner of Daytona 24 Hour race, GT class (Audi R8 GRAND-AM) Winner of Portugese GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Swedish GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS) Winner of FIA GT Series (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Teams' Championship FIA GT Series (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Gentlemen Driver Trophy British GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of GT Sprint International Series (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of BRCC Endurance Series (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner of Teams' Championship GT Asia (Audi R8 LMS ultra) Winner
From quattro to e-tron
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. In the following years, the Audi R8 was in a class of its own. From 2000 to 2002, Audi achieved a historic hat-trick, not least thanks to the TFSI technology that debuted in 2001 and then also subsequently made its way into production. In 2004 and 2005, customer teams clinched two further overall victories for Audi. The R8 secured its spot in motorsport history with a total of 63 victories in 80 sports car races. Title wins following the return to DTM Following Laurent Aiello’s victory with the Abt-Audi TT-R in 2002, Audi returned to the DTM with a factory-backed commitment in 2004 and instantly won the title with Mattias Ekström. In 2007, the Swede triumphed again, followed by Timo Scheider in 2008 and 2009, making Audi the first and so far only automobile manufacturer in DTM history to have managed a title hat-trick. In the 2011 season, Martin Tomczyk completed the success story of the Audi A4 DTM with another title, the fifth in total for the Audi A4 DTM. In 2013, Mike Rockenfeller, diving the Audi RS 5 DTM, clinched the ninth DTM title for Audi. René Rast caused a sensation in 2017 when he clinched another title for Audi in his rookie year. Audi took home the manufacturer’s championship crown in the same year. In 2019 and 2020, Rast won the prestigious title two more times. Audi drivers have thus already won the DTM drivers’ title twelve times. Added to this are six manufacturers’ and eight teams’ titles.
Audi customer teams win almost 90 titles worldwide
These successes are spread across the Audi RS 3 LMS touring car and the Audi R8 LMS in the GT4, GT2 and GT3 variants. In the penultimate calendar week of the 2023 season, a worldwide award in a touring car category rounded off Audi Sport customer racing’s record.
“What Audi Sport customer racing achieved with and for its customers was once again first-class,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “Our thanks go to all these teams and their drivers as well as to our drivers who supported the customers in prestigious programs and achieved so many successes.” The chronologically last award of the 2023 season, a particularly valuable one, was a title in touring car racing. As the rights holder and licensor of the TCR category, the WSC organization calculates the worldwide track record of all homologated TCR racing cars across all series every year. “We have won the TCR Model of the Year title with the Audi RS 3 LMS for the third time in a row and for the fourth time overall,” said a delighted Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “This was the 87th title in an exceptional season in which we set a new record. Thanks to all the teams and drivers for their efforts.” With 876 races contested across all categories, the Audi customer teams clearly surpassed the previous global record of 806 competitions from the previous year.
Each of the four models from the current Audi Sport customer racing program has played its part in the overall balance. In touring car racing, the Audi RS 3 LMS has won 111 of 331 races as well as five drivers titles and 22 other classes. The GT entry-level model Audi R8 LMS GT4 has made its valuable contribution with 66 victories in 196 races and a total of five titles. In the small, but excellent GT2 scene, the Audi R8 LMS GT2 won nine of 29 races and was ahead in four classifications at the end of the year.
Audi Ingolstadt: net carbon neutral production since January 2024
In addition are the Audi R8 and e-tron GT quattro models, which have been built at Böllinger Höfe with net zero emissions since 2020. As part of its Mission:Zero environmental program, Audi has set itself the goal of achieving net carbon neutrality at all its sites worldwide by 2025. By then, the final steps will have been taken in Neckarsulm and San José Chiapa (Mexico).
Audi Board Member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker emphasizes: “Protecting the environment as best as possible is firmly anchored in Audi’s corporate strategy. By transitioning the Ingolstadt site to renewable energies, we are taking a major step toward our goal of net carbon-neutral1 vehicle production.” To achieve its ambitious goal, the brand with the four rings is implementing a four-pillar concept.
1. Increasing energy efficiency In the first pillar, Audi is improving energy efficiency at its sites, which will already avoid large amounts of carbon emissions. In 2022, for example, these energy management measures allowed the Ingolstadt site to save more than 35,000 megawatt hours of energy and prevent more than 5,000 tons of carbon emissions. The platform Energy Analytics platform developed by Audi itself has made a significant contribution to achieving this goal. Energy Analytics is a software-based analysis system that performs live compilation, preparation, and processing of large quantities of data from production processes from various sources in the company. This process is known in general as data mining. The results are then depicted visually in such a way that users can quickly identify the key points of the analysis.