Audi drivers second on the table after victory in Suzuka
- Strong showing from Audi Hong Kong in the Blancpain GT Series Asia
- Podium results for the Audi R8 LMS and the Audi RS 3 LMS
- Audi Sport TT Cup to hold its third event of the season
Once again, Audi customer teams were in action all over the world and lifted trophies in Germany, France, Japan, the Canary Islands, New Zealand and Portugal.
Audi R8 LMS (GT3)
Victory in Suzuka: The third event of the Blancpain GT Series Asia was a success for Audi drivers. Marchy Lee and Shaun Thong in an Audi R8 LMS from Audi Hong Kong won the first race in Japan, whilst Aditya Patel and Mitchell Gilbert from OD Racing finished third. In the second round, Jeffrey Lee and Alessio Picariello took third place for J-Fly by Absolute Racing in the pouring rain in Suzuka. The best Audi driver combination on the table is Marchy Lee/Shaun Thong. The racing drivers from Hong Kong sit in second place at the halfway stage of the season, eight points behind the leaders.
Podium place in the South of France: In the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in Le Castellet, Antonio García, Nico Müller and René Rast celebrated a podium result. The driver trio from Audi Sport Team WRT started from tenth and during the 1,000-kilometer race they worked their way up to third. The third round of the series counted as a dress-rehearsal for the Spa 24 Hours on the last weekend of July.
Trophies in the Eifel: In the third round of the VLN Endurance Championship, the Montaplast by Land-Motorsport team achieved a podium result. The German Michael Ammermüller and his Swiss driver colleague Jeffrey Schmidt shared an Audi R8 LMS and reached third place after four hours of racing.
Podium in New Zealand: Simon Evans and Gene Rollinson took second place at the second round of the North Island Endurance Series in New Zealand. The local driver duo, who also won the opening event in May, shared an Audi R8 LMS from the SMEG Racing team.
Racers as special guests: The Audi R8 LMS from the Yaco Racing team was present at the 3rd Audi Club International Meeting. 285 participants from five countries had arrived there with 170 models. At the event in the ADAC driving safety center in Nohra, Thuringia, the GT3 sports car was one of many attractions from the rich company history. Race driver Philip Geipel, who competes in the ADAC GT Masters series with the Audi R8 LMS together with Audi Sport driver Rachel Frey, drove a few demonstration laps and delighted the many fans of the brand with autographs and interviews.
Win on the Canary Islands: Luis Monzón Artiles took the overall victory in an Audi R8 LMS ultra from Auto-Laca Competición at the Subida de Haría mountain race in Lanzarote.
Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)
Second place on the Nordschleife: At the third round of the VLN Endurance Championship on the Nürburgring, the LMS Engineering team celebrated a podium result. Matthias Wasel, Marcus Löhnert and Christian Schmitz shared an Audi RS 3 LMS in the four-hour race and finished second in the TCR class.
Podium result in Portugal: An Audi customer team lifted a trophy at the fourth weekend of the FIA ETCC. Plamen Kralev from Bulgaria was second in the Audi RS 3 LMS in the second heat when the race had to be ended after four laps due to damaged track barriers.
Audi Sport TT Cup
The sole city race on the calendar: In the Audi Sport TT Cup, Nuremberg represents the only circuit on a non-permanent race track. The 16 juniors as well as the guest starters will line-up on the 2.3-kilometer-long circuit close to the “Dutzendteich” lake. British table-leader Philip Ellis is so far undefeated and heads to Nuremberg with a 17-point advantage of Polish racing driver Gosia Rdest. A further then points behind is Dutchman Milan Dontje. Amongst the rookies it is very close as well: the Swiss Yannik Brandt is the best newcomer so far, five points ahead of the Italian Tommaso Mosca. Six points behind Mosca follows Keagan Masters from South Africa.
Dates for next week
27/06–02/07 Bangsaen (THA), Thailand Super Series 3rd and 4th round
29/06-02/07 Watkins Glen (USA), Weathertech SportsCar Championship 6th round
30/06–02/07 Norisring (D), Audi Sport TT Cup 5th and 6th round
30/06–01/07 Imola (I), 24H Endurance Series 5th round
30/06-02/07 Nürburgring (D), Spezial Tourenwagen-Trophy 5th and 6th round
30/06-02/07 Bangsaen (THA), TCR Asia Series 4th round
01-02/07 Kazan Ring (RUS), TCR Russia 7th and 8th round
01–02/07 Zhejiang (CN), GT Masters China 3rd and 4th round