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Florida-based Champion Racing will become the first team in the world to race Audi’s potent RS 6 quattro sedan. Michael Galati will bid for a third consecutive SPEED World Challenge GT title in the latest all-wheel-drive Audi while fellow American Randy Pobst joins the Audi Sport North America backed outfit for the 2003 season. Champion Racing campaigned an all-wheel-drive Audi S4 “Competition” for the past three seasons but takes on the new bi-turbo, 4.2-liter V8-engined RS 6 “Competition” currently being built at its impressive Pompano Beach race facility in readiness for the season-opener at Sebring on March 14. In “standard” road-going guise, Audi’s latest four-door, performance sedan boasts 450hp. Ohio-based Galati (43) finished second in 2000 but has won the GT title for the past two years with Champion Audi. In 30 races spanning the last three years, Galati steered his Champion Racing S4 home to eight wins plus 15 other top-six finishes. This success was achieved despite varying levels of weight ballast imposed by the organising SCCA to compensate for the Audi’s all-wheel-drive advantage over its more powerful rivals. “I’m still hungry for success,” commented Galati who bids for an unprecedented sixth career SCCA SPEED World Challenge title. “I’m especially excited about driving a brand new car this season - it should be very competitive and has bags of potential. I’m looking forward to developing the RS 6 throughout the season and also to working with Randy – I believe we’ll quickly become a very formidable team.” Meanwhile Pobst (45), of Melbourne FL, joins the Champion Racing Audi line-up for the first time. With Galati’s former regular team-mate Derek Bell, of Britain, having increased commitments with Team Bentley for 2003, Champion Racing Team Owner Dave Maraj targeted Randy as an ideal replacement.

At Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans event, Pobst earned the Audi RS 6 Competition its first victory in the SPEED GT World Challenge. Before next Sunday’s final race at Puerto Rico, the Audi driver now also leads the point standings of the series. “The final race is going to be mighty interesting,” said Pobst after his flag-to-flag victory. “We’ve made great progress throughout the year with the new RS 6. I’m delighted to have been able to reward Champion Racing and Audi North America for their hard work.” Reigning champion Michael Galati completed the Audi success at Road Atlanta with his third-place finish. Results 1 Randy Pobst (Audi RS 6 Competition) 27 laps in 48m 32.209s 2 Mike Fitzgerald (Porsche) + 0.458s 3 Michael Galati (Audi RS 6 Competition) + 1.733s 4 Phil McClure (Chevrolet) + 2.540s 5 Michael McCann (Dodge) + 5.139s

Team Champion Racing continues to make progress with the new Audi RS 6 Competition in the North American SPEED World Challenge GT class. The touring car with almost 500 hp occupied pole position for the first time. During the wet qualifying session, Randy Pobst and Michael Galati fully exploited the advantages of quattro drive, planting both RS 6’s on the front row. During the initial stages of the race – now on a dry track – the Audi drivers occupied first and second positions, before Galati slid into the tyre wall after being nudged by a competitor. Despite damage to the RS 6’s front end, the defending champion continued, finishing the race in tenth position. After battling hard for position, Randy Pobst finished 3rd for the third time in succession. As a result, the American reduced the points deficit to Phil McClure, the championship leader, to five. The next round is held at Lime Rock on Monday. “Maybe it will be raining,” said Rod Bymaster, Motorsport Manager of Audi Sport North America hopingly. Lime Rock (USA), Round 3 of the SPEED GT World Challenge, 25 May 1 Bill Auberlen (BMW), 42 laps 2 Boris Said (BMW), + 15.014s 3 Randy Pobst (Audi), + 17.167s 4 Phil McClure (Chevrolet), + 21.064s 5 Justin Marks (BMW), + 24.229s Positions after 3 of 10 races: 1 McClure, 88 points; 2 Pobst, 83; 3 Auberlen, 78; 4 Culver, 54; 5 Fitzgerald, 53. Next races: Lime Rock (USA), 26 May, Road Atlanta (USA), 29 June.

Successful racing debut for the Audi RS6 in the GT class of the North American SPEED World Challenge: In the opening round of the series at Sebring (Florida), Randy Pobst finished third earning the Audi RS6 a podium result in its very first race despite being forced into a spin by another competitor. “This result rewards the Champion crew who have worked hard over the past months,” explained Pobst. “I used the quattro drive to good effect at the start. Finishing the first race on the podium is a great beginning for the new RS6.” Michael Galati also enthused the spectators with a catapult start but was forced into retirement with the second RS6 with a transmission problem. Sebring (USA), Round 1 of the SPEED GT World Series, March 14 1 Phil McClure (Chevrolet) 18 laps 2 Mike Fitzgerald (Porsche) + 7.037s 3 Randy Pobst (Audi RS6) + 15.562s 4 Hans-Joachim Stuck (BMW) + 20.117s 5 Bill Auberlen (BMW) + 31.922s Championship positions after 1 of 10 rounds: 1 McClure, 34 points; 2 Fitzgerald, 28; 3 Pobst, 27; 4 Stuck, 23; 5 Auberlen, 21. Next race: Mosport (CDN), May 18

With a flag-to-flag victory in the series’ finale at Puerto Rico, Randy Pobst driving Champion Racing’s Audi RS 6 Competition, has clinched the Drivers’ Championship in the SPEED GT Word Challenge. For the second time after 2001, Audi has also won the Manufacturers’ title of the American racing series. Michael Galati, 2001 and 2002 SPEED GT Champion, completed the Audi success with his second-place finish. On the temporary airport circuit near San Juan, the Audi drivers took advantage of Audi’s quattro four-wheel drive traction. Randy Pobst captured pole position on the slippery track, Michael Galati qualified third. Galati used the quattro traction at the start of the race, immediately moving to second position behind his team mate. This positions remained unchanged for the entire 36 laps of the race. “This title is the pinnacle of my career,” enthused 46-year-old Randy Pobst after his triumph. “I am proud being part of Audi and the Champion Team. We started the season with a brand new car and had to work hard. The Audi RS 6 was fast and reliable from the very beginning and we kept developing it from race to race.” “Who would have guessed that we would win this title this year,” explained Rod Bymaster, Motorsport Manager of Audi Sport North America. “We started the season using a brand new, undeveloped car. But Champion Racing turned the RS 6 Competition into a race and title winning car. Combined with Audi’s American Le Mans Series success for a fourth consecutive time, this makes it another excellent motorsport year for Audi in North America.” Results 1 Randy Pobst (Audi RS 6 Competition) 36 laps in 45m 26.232s 2 Michael Galati (Audi RS 6 Competition) + 1.324s 3 Phil McClure (Chevrolet) + 3.300s 4 Hans-Joachim Stuck (BMW) + 4.306s 5 Bill Auberlen (BMW) + 9.470s

Having competed three years successfully with the Audi S4 Competition, Champion Racing, based in Florida, want to defend their title in the Audi RS6. The 4.2 litre V8 twin turbo engine of the RS6 produces an output of 450 hp in the standard version. The 475 hp racing engine of the RS6 has been developed in cooperation with Cosworth Technologies in the UK. The cars have been prepared by Champion Racing in Pompano Beach in a record time of just 15 weeks. For Champion Racing, which has so far solely concentrated on running racing cars, this was a new task and a big challenge, as it was that Champion Racing was in charge of the entire development. “Both AUDI AG and quattro GmbH were very supportive to help carrying out the project in such a short period,” says team owner Dave Maraj. “We are looking forward to the new challenge and we have a good chance to win the championship again.” Two Audi RS6s will be entered for all races, with a third RS6 possibly being run in selected rounds. “Champion Racing has been a partner of Audi Sport for a long time”, states Head of Audi Sport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “The team was very successful with the S4 and will certainly take up this tradition with the RS6.” Thanks to handicap regulations, the SPEED World Challenge enjoys many entries from a variety of manufacturers and a growing popularity in the USA. In 2003, four of the total of nine rounds will be held as support races to the American Le Mans Series. American motorsports broadcasters SPEED, the brand after which the series has been named, will televise every round, some of them live. Michael Galati contests the series as title holder in one of Champion Racing’s two Audi RS6 racers. Galati won eight races in the past three years in the Audi S4 Competition, clinching the most recent titles twice in a row in spite of additional weight imposed by the series organisers (SCCA) to compensate the opposition for the advantage of the Audi fourwheel drive system.

Audi RS 6 Avant (until 2025) 25 years of RS, 25 years of high-performance station wagons from Audi: With the new Audi RS 6 Audi Sport is ushering in a new chapter in the history of the high-performance Avant. Even more power combined with increased efficiency thanks to mild hybrid system turn the RS 6 Avant into the perfect companion for any purpose.

The new Audi RS 6 Competition, with which Randy Pobst won the championship and Audi the Manufacturers’ title first time out, will be reworked in many areas and further developed by Champion Racing. With one exception, all races held will be part of the programme supporting the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) – an enormous relief for the team of Dave Maraj, which contests both championships under the banner of Audi Sport North America. Also, two of the Abt-Audi TT-R cars, which ran in last years DTM, will be racing again in 2004: They will serve as basis for the cars that Team Abt Sportsline, with support from quattro GmbH and the Audi Sport Customer Sport Department, will enter in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on the 12/13 June 2004. The second weekend in June is a special highlight in the 2004 Audi Motorsport Programme: The two 24-hour races at Nürburgring and at Le Mans are held simultaneously. “This clash of dates is of course very unfortunate, but it offers an interesting challenge to be successful in both of the world’s biggest 24-hour races on one weekend,” explains Head of Audi Sport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich.