The second round of the British GT Championship will be at Rockingham next monday. A healthy 30-car grid is expected for the two-hour endurance event, including three Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars, from three different teams.
Leading the Audi squad will be United Autosports, the Anglo-American team had a great season opener at Oulton Park last time out. Both Matt Bell and Mark Patterson finished in a strong second place in race two with their #25 Audi R8 LMS ultra (2012 spec). In the championship points standings both drivers are fifth overall and ahead of their teammates with the McLaren MP4-12C cars.
The second Audi R8 LMS ultra is from M-Sport. The Scottish based team entered a full 2013 spec car at Oulton Park, when the car was not yet homologated by the FIA, meaning they were not allowed to score points. The team competed in an individual class, with special dispensation from the organisors, due to the non-homologated status. The drivers of the #10 M-Sport entry are Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes.
PE Group Blendini Motorsport will field the third Audi, an older specification R8 LMS. Dom Evans and Tom Roche will be the drivers of the #11 R8 LMS.
As seen at Oulton Park the British GT Championship is clearly one of the strongest national GT series worldwide. Close racing with hard battles on track for the top spots. The three Audi teams will have to fight against a very strong field from Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren cars.
The second round of the French GT Tour Series will be in Belgium, at Spa-Francorchamps. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is planning to join the event with two Audi R8 LMS ultra.
WRT is no stranger to the French series, they managed the official Team Audi France entry for the last couple of years, with Stéphane Ortelli and David Hallyday as their drivers. In 2011 Team Audi France and WRT come very close to the title. Last season, at the finale of Paul Ricard, WRT entered a car on their own under the Belgian Audi Club banner.
Vincent Vosse, WRT team manager, spoke with our friends at Endurance-Info and said that racing at Spa will help the team prepare for the big Spa 24 Hours.
For now nothing is official yet, as the drivers line-ups are still to be announced, but it will be great to see the Belgian Audi team racing on home soil.
Great fictional Audi S4 for the popular V8 Supercars. The car is with Team BOC livery and driven by Jason Bright. Not a real one, but it would be great for sure to see Audi cars joining the most popular touring car racing down under.
Team Novadriver had another strong weekend with their Audi R8 LMS ultra. The Portuguese Audi Sport customer racing team took part in the season opener of the brand new Supercars International Series, which included the Supercars Portugal Series (former Portuguese GT Championship), at Motorland Aragon in Spain.
Two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars entered the Spanish meeting. The #1 car of Cesar Campaniço, Carlos Viera and Mikko Eskelinen, they started from pole position. The sister #10 car shared by João Ramos, João Pedro Figueiredo and Antti Buri started from eighth place.
On race day the #1 Audi battled hard with the AF Corse Ferrari 458. After a two-hour 57-lap race the #1 R8 LMS ultra finished second behind the winning car from the Italian team. However by finishing second overall, Campaniço, Viera and Eskelinen, were victorious in the Supercars Portugal Series. Unfortunately the sister #10 R8 LMS ultra retired from the race after 17 laps.
The next stop for the Supercars Portugal Series will be at Estoril.
Focussing this week on the weekend of 27 - 28 April 2013
2. The Events
VLN
ADAC GT Masters
Portuguese GT / Supercars Series
GT-Tour
Super GT
HSR
Cup & Tourenwagen Trophy
European Hillclimb Championship
Manx Classic
2.1. VLN
Round three of the VLN took place in chaotic conditions. The race got underway in torrential rain and cold temperatures, and finished on a drying track with the competitors on slicks. Victory went to the #5 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra which was driven by Marcel Fässler and Frank Stippler. A total of seven Audi R8 LMS ultra cars took part in round three. Behind the top SP9 class (R8 LMS ultra cars) there was further Audi success with Audi TT RS cars winning the SP3T and SP4T classes.
Oschersleben hosted the first round of the ADAC GT Masters this weekend. Six Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, all in 2013 specification, have been entered this year. Three cars from Prosperia C.ABT Racing, two from MS Racing and one from YACO Racing. The Audi cars suffered during qualifying, but during the wet first race the #27 of Rast / Mies was able to come through and win the first race of the season. Four Audis finished within the top ten in race one. The second race took place in dry conditions and the top placed, and only Audi in the top ten, finished in sixth place.
The Portuguese GT Championship, now known as the Supercars Portugal Series, took place alongside the Supercars International Series this weekend. The event took place at Aragon in Spain. One Audi R8 LMS team has entered the series for 2013, Team Nova Driver, who are once again fielding a two car effort. Both of the team’s cars are in the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification. The team qualified on the overall pole and finished the race second overall, and first in the Portuguese GT standings. The second Nova car unfortunately retired from the race.
The French GT-Tour got underway at Le Mans this weekend. The series competed on the permanent Bugatti circuit. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (all in 2013 specification) took part, three from Saintéloc and one from Team Speed Car. The cars performed well with a fourth in the first race and seventh in the second race. The top placed Audi in both races was the #42 of David Halliday and Gregory Guilvert.
Round two of Japanese Super GT Championship took place at the Fuji Speedway. The two regular Audi R8 LMS ultra teams took part. Hitotsuyama Racing with a 2013 R8 LMS ultra and äpr racing with a 2012 R8 LMS ultra. Both teams qualified outside of the top ten for the race held on the Monday following the weekend.
The Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) series hosted the annual Mitty at Road Atlanta. The Mitty is an annual historic sportscar racing event. One Audi R8 LMP was entered, the Audi R8 (#606) of Travis Engen.
The Cup & Tourenwagen Trophy is a German series which featured a number of Audi race cars last year. The first round took place at Hochenheim. One Audi was entered, the Audi TT driven by Franz-Josef Fischer.
The Rechberg Hillclimb was held in Austria, a round of the FIA European Hillclimb Championship. A number of Audi cars took part, including most notably the Audi A4 STW of Andreas Marko and the newly modified ABT-Audi TT-R of Vláďa Vitver.
An Audi R18 e-tron quattro display car was present in Belgium this week. A pre-event press conference was held in the centre of Liege. A Toyota TS030 display car was also part of the display, alongside the Audi. Loïc Duval also attended the press conference which was aimed at promoting the Six Hours of Spa, round two of the FIA WEC which is taking place in May.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours entry list was released this week. The current list includes nineteen Audis, eight of which are Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. More can be read HERE. The entry list can be seen HERE.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours press conference was held this week. Two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were present at the conference. Nineteen Audis will take part in the event spearheaded by the reigning champions, Phoenix Racing.
During Sunday afternoon the official Audi Sport Facebook page launched an online competition. Fans are encouraged to prove that they are “Audi Motorsport’s biggest fan” by submitting their best photos from the 2012 season. The winners stand a chance to win various Audi Sport merchandise.
At the 2012 Audi Sport year end function (Audi Sport Finale), it was announced that Dindo Capello would receive the 2012 Sebring 12 Hours winning Audi R18 TDI. The car would be supplied to be on display at Capello’s Italian Audi dealership. The R18 was delivered this week.
Audi Sport Italia will return to the Italian GT Championship. The team will be fielding two 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (car pictured is in 2012 specification). The new livery and driver line-up was revealed this week. The two-car team will consist of Dindo Capello / Andrea Sonvico and Johan Kirstoffersson / Alex Frassineti.
Istook Motorsport has revealed their livery and sponsors this week. The team is working on preparing their two TT RS race cars for their first entry in the 2013 SCCA World Challenge.
The new Iron Man 3 Movie, which features Audi cars, will be promoted in the DTM. The Audi RS 5 DTM of Adrien Tambay will compete with an Iron Man 3 livery at Hockenheim next weekend.
An Audi won the first race of the 2013 ADAC GT Masters at Oscherslben yesterday, with René Rast and Christopher Mies in the wet. Race 2 today was a little bit harder for the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.
The best ranked Audi R8 LMS ultra finished in sixth place, the #28 Prosperia C.Abt Racing car shared by drivers Christer Jons and Christian Mamerow. The two drivers started from third on the gird and were not able to fight for the race win.
All the other Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were outside of the top 10. Rahel Frey and Markus Winckelhock, with #26 Prosperia C.Abt Racing, were eleventh. The defending champions from MS Racing were only able to finish in twelfth and seventeenth places with their #1 and #100 Audis. The YACO Racing #16 car was twentieth. Bad luck for race 1 winners René Rast and Christopher Mies, they were classified twenty-fourth with #27 R8 LMS ultra.
The next stop for the ADAC GT Masters is set in two weeks time in Belgium, at Spa-Francorchamps.
Round 3 of the VLN Endurance Series was held yesterday, the ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup 4-hour race. Very hard conditions on track, with extreme cold weather and heavy rain. Audi was victorious in the end with the #5 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra, driven by Marcel Fässler and Frank Stippler.
A full field of GT3 cars (SP9) entered the event, the final VLN race before the demanding Nürburgring 24 Hours. Seven Audi R8 LMS ultra cars too part. Fässler and Stippler crossed the finish line victorious with a minute gap ahead of the second placed BMW Z4 GT3 from BMW Team Schubert, third was the Timbuli Racing Porsche 997 GT3 R.
The other Audi R8 LMS ultra finished in ninth with #37 G-Drive Racing by Phoenix (Frank Biela/Roman Rusinov/Luca Ludwig), fifteenth with #44 Twin Busch Motorsport (Dennis Busch/Marc Busch), sixteenth with #15 Phoenix Racing (Johannes Stuck/Ferdinand Stuck/Michael Ammermüller, twenty-second with #11 Audi race experience (Florian Gruber/Ronnie Saurenmann), twenty-ninth with #22 Audi race experience (Marco Werner/Christian Bollrath/Dominique Bastien) and forty-sixth with #45 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT (Laurens Vanthoor/Edward Sandström/Christopher Haase).
In addition to the outright win, the Audi TT RS cars did well in the other classes. In SP4T it was the #249 Audi TT RS of team MSC Adenau e.V. im ADAC who took the class honors. In SP3T the #331 Audi TT RS of Raeder Motorsport was first. A positive second appearance for the privately built #130 Audi RS 5 GT from Dupré Motorsport, the car finished fourth in the SP8 class.
Rob Austin Racing, the only Audi team in Biritish Touring Car Championship, faced a very hard Donington Park round last time out, with disappointing results in the end. Both WIX Racing backed Audi A4 NGTC cars lacked top speed compared to rivals cars from Honda, MG, BMW and Toyota.
As seen at Brands Hatch, and even at Donington Park, the Audi A4 is very good in handling and cornering, one of the best chassis on the grid. The next round of the series will be at Thruxton, clearly the fastest circuit of the BTCC calendar. Rob Austin Racing recently went to Silverstone to test the Audi car, whilst preparing for that demanding - and penalizing - event. The team focused on gaining extra power to be more competitive in a straight line.
Team owner Rob Austin talked to btcc.net about these tests: "It was a reasonably productive day. We were working on our ducting to try and reduce charger temperatures as well as develop our set up for the unique long fast corners of Thruxton. Field Motorsport are also working tirelessly to give us some more power and bridge the power gap to the other teams." (Quote sourced from btcc.net)
Will Bratt: "We made some good progress with the turbo cooling and handling, and we’ve got some engine work planned between now and the next race. Hopefully they will find us some extra speed, as Thruxton will really show up any disparity in power against the other drivers." (Quote sourced from btcc.net)
Le Mans is hosting the first round of the French GT Tour this weekend. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars have entered the event, from Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car. Race 1 was held today with a fourth place finish as the best result for the Audi squad.
The #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Sainteloc Racing shared by Gregory Guilvert and David Hallyday finished in a strong fourth place. After very close battles in the 1-hour sprint race at the Bugatti track, the two Audi drivers were less than three seconds behind the race winning McLaren MP4-12C from Sebatien Loeb Racing. All three the other R8 LMS ultra cars had a very hard event, they finished respectively in the 21st, 22nd and 26th places. Race 1 results are here.
Race 2 is set for tomorrow. Again another 1-hour sprint race, we hope that both Guilvert and Hallyday will be able to fight for the victory.
The 2013 ADAC GT Masters season has started at Oschersleben. Race 1, which was held today, was a great one for Audi. A storming victory for drivers René Rast and Christopher Mies, who came from far behind on the grid.
The victorious #27 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Prosperia C.Abt Racing started from fifteenth place on the grid. Both Mies and Rast raced very hard through the field, setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:41.863. After one hour and 33 laps they crossed the finish line, 8 seconds ahead the second placed Porsche GT3 R. YACO Racing, on their debut with Audi, finished in a very strong fourth place with drivers Philip Geipel and Dino Lunardi, in the #16 R8 LMS ultra. The other Audi cars finished sixth with #26 C.Jöns/C.Mamerow (Prosperia C.Abt Racing), ninth with #26 R.Frey/M.Winkelhock (Prosperia C.Abt Racing), twelfth with #100 D.Dobitsch/A.Patel (MS Racing) and twentieth with #1 F.Stoll/S.Asch (MS Racing). Race 1 results are here.
Race two is set for tomorrow. We hope for another set of good results for the Audi squad.
THE Audi S4 quattro racers head into round four of the season on a high note. Good performances have marked all three of their outings so far this season and, as they head back to altitude after two coastal race meetings, anticipation is high they will continue in their winning ways.
Thanks to their performances so far this season the Audi S4 quattro quartet have ensured that Audi is leading the Manufacturers' Championship by 48 points after just three rounds.
At the sharp end of the charge is the defending champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) who is successfully defending his title and leading the 2013 championship standings. Stephen is 21 points ahead in the standings and heads inland on a high thanks to his first overall result on his home track in Port Elizabeth.
Third overall is none other than Stephen's teammate, Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme). Sipuka has put in some solid performances this year and he trails second place by just two points going into the fourth round of the season. With such a small gap Sipuka will be focused on another good result to climb another step on the 2013 ladder – and further Audi S4 quattro domination of the Bridgestone Production Car series.
Just a single point behind Sipuka is Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine) who holds fourth place overall in Class A of the championship. Priest finished the Scribante event, round three of the championship, in second place – just behind the defending champion. Zwartkops is his opportunity for another strong finish – and Priest is all too eager to rise to the challenge.
Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing) currently holds sixth in the championship, but needs just two points to move ahead and claim fifth. This would put all of the Audi S4 quattro racers within the top five of the championship standings. Bonafede has produced good results this season and Zwartkops is his opportunity to push the tables further in his favour.
The four Audi S4 quattro racers will be racing to win at Zwartkops and motorsport fans can look forward to maximum competition as they challenge for every point available at the event.
Newcomer Jamie Green celebrates his Audi debut at season opener
DRS, option tires and tight schedule: new rules add thrill
Iron Man 3: spectacular graphics on the RS 5 DTM of Adrien Tambay
Ingolstadt/Hockenheim, April 26, 2013 – With a seasoned driver squad whose combined tally reflects a total of 478 races, 34 victories and four titles plus an Audi RS 5 DTM that has been optimized in many details, Audi is entering the 2013 DTM season on May 5. Technical innovations such as the use of option tires and a rear wing that can be adjusted by the driver on track make for an additional thrill this year.
The DTM has rarely ever before entered a new season with so many unknown quantities. Accordingly, there is a high level of suspense in the Audi Sport squad and Audi Sport Teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg. After a winter of intensive work and positive track tests in the past few weeks, the mechanics, engineers and drivers are all looking forward to the first real comparison of strengths with BMW and Mercedes-Benz this year.
Three innovations are awaiting the teams and drivers: - The Drag Reduction System (DRS) that makes it possible to flatten the rear wing angle by depressing a button on the steering wheel is designed to make overtaking on the race track easier. The system can deliver a speed advantage of five to ten km/h – with respect to how it will perform in the direct duel with the competition there is still a question mark before the opening race. - The option tire developed by tire partner Hankook allows faster times to be driven on a specified number of laps and provides the strategists with an additional tactical tool. - The more compact schedule of the race weekend severely limits the working time that is available to the mechanics. With only one 90-minute free practice session before qualifying the experience of the teams and drivers is more crucial than ever before: a fact that could be playing into Audi’s hands because, with a total of 478 races, 34 victories and four titles, the driver squad of the four rings holds all the top marks in the series. Furthermore, the three Audi Sport teams combine the know-how gained in more than 450 DTM races.
A rookie again, despite his 83 DTM races, is Jamie Green, who will be competing at his first race weekend as an Audi factory driver at Hockenheim. The Briton, who has previously won eight rounds – including four events at the Norisring – is the only newcomer to the driver squad of the brand based in Ingolstadt. In addition to Green, Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich and Dieter Gass, Head of DTM, rely on drivers from last year: a mix of seasoned campaigners and ambitious youngsters with an average of 28 years.
The youngest of them will be featured in a unique way at Hockenheim: Adrien Tambay, on his race suit and on his Audi RS 5 DTM, will be advertising the movie “Iron Man 3.” His pit crew will be sporting the theme of the hero as well. In the new Marvel action film featuring Robert Downey Jr.and Gwyneth Paltrow, the Audi R8 e-tron is one of the protagonists. The movie will arrive at German theaters on Wednesday, May 1, before the DTM weekend at Hockenheim.
In line with the compact schedule, the timing of the two most important events of the weekend has slightly changed as well: Qualifying starts at 14:30 on Saturday, May 4 and the race on Sunday at 13:30. As always, ARD will air live coverage on both days on “Das Erste.” Tickets for all DTM races of the 2013 season are available at www.audi-motorsport.com/DTM
Quotes by the officials
Dieter Gass (Head of DTM): “I’m looking forward to working even more closely with the drivers and the teams in the DTM. The first run at Hockenheim is new territory for me but I know that I’ve got a strong squad backing me that, like me, is tackling the job highly motivated. The season opener will be interesting because even after the track tests in the past few weeks we can’t assess exactly where we stand. In the few areas permitted by the regulations, we worked extremely hard at Audi Sport in the winter. Now, we’re jointly going to do everything within our means to ensure that the work we’ve invested will pay off and that we’ll be able to battle with our competitors on an equal footing again.”
Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): “It’s great that we’re finally getting started again. We used the winter to again perfectly prepare ourselves as a team for the new challenges of this season. With the new tactical options and shorter practice opportunities, team work is more important than ever. Our newcomer, Jamie Green, immediately gelled really well with us and brought a fresh breeze to the squad. After a difficult year in 2012, the motivation of the whole team is at an all-time high. We’re going to try and pick up a lot of momentum for the season right away by clinching a good result at Hockenheim.”
Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): “After six months without DTM races, the whole squad is just dying for things to start again in earnest. We had eight test days and particularly the findings from Hockenheim give me a positive feeling. Now we’re eager to find out where we really stand in qualifying and the race compared with the competition.”
Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg): “We’re happy that the season is finally starting again. The entire squad is highly motivated – not least because Hockenheim is our team’s home round. Last year, we achieved the aims we’d set for the season, finished as the best Audi team and scored the brand’s two victories as well. We want to continue like this.”
Facts and quotes by the Audi drivers
Filipe Albuquerque (27/P), Audi Financial Services RS 5 DTM #6 (Audi Sport Team Rosberg) - Before the season, was honored for his achievements by his home town Coimbra - Starts into his third season with the same team and team-mate “I’m eager to see how significantly the cars of all the brands have continued to develop in the winter despite the tight regulations. DRS, option tires, less time on track on a weekend – let’s see how the drivers will cope with that. I’m hoping to manage well.”
Mattias Ekström (34/S), Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM #11 (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) - Is the most senior and – with 17 victories – most successful Audi DTM driver - Has won the Hockenheim season opener twice before “Hockenheim will be one of the most thrilling races in my DTM career. I can’t remember ever having been so excited. The further development of the cars, DRS, option tires – there are many unknown factors. Last year, the season, with a pole position at Hockenheim, started very well for me. Of course it would be great to make such a start again.”
Jamie Green (30/GB), Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM #12 (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) - Contests his first DTM race for Audi at Hockenheim - Was on podium at Hockenheim seven times before and celebrated two victories “For me, the race at Hockenheim not only is a great challenge but the beginning of a new chapter in my life. A red-silver race suit, a car in Red Bull colors and plenty of rings – everything has been very exciting for me since I switched to Audi. The first race will be the pinnacle of this stage so far. I’m very much looking forward to it and am eager to see where we stand.”
Miguel Molina (24/E), Audi RS 5 DTM #20 (Audi Sport Team Phoenix) - Achieved his only podium result in the DTM to date at Hockenheim - Set up a second residence in Adenau to spend more time with his team “I’m incredibly excited about Hockenheim because the winter seemed to be longer than usual for me this time. It’ll be a different experience going out on track for the first time on Saturdays. And with respect to the new rules there are still some question marks too. But I’m optimistic because we were able to sort a lot of things during the track tests and are traveling to the race well prepared.”
Edoardo Mortara (26/F/I), Playboy Audi RS 5 DTM #5 (Audi Sport Team Rosberg) - At Spielberg and Zandvoort, scored the only two DTM wins for Audi in 2012 - After the 2012 season, again won the GT Cup in the Audi R8 LMS ultra in Macau “The nice thing before the first race is that nobody really knows where they stand compared with the competition. I wouldn’t venture any predictions either. I hope that our hard work over the past few months pays off and that in the 2013 season we’ll be more competitive than last year.”
Mike Rockenfeller (29/D), Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM #19 (Audi Sport Team Phoenix) - Was the best Audi driver in the DTM in the 2012 season - In 2013, is exclusively concentrating on the DTM events “For me, the season opener at Hockenheim is one of the pinnacles of the season: a great track, a large crowd at the Motodrom and plenty of suspense. And with the new possibilities that make overtaking on the track easier, the race will be even more thrilling for the spectators – as well as for us drivers, by the way.”
Timo Scheider (34/D), AUTO TEST Audi RS 5 DTM #23 (Audi Sport Team Abt) - Is the only driver in the field who was on the grid at the DTM’s comeback in 2000 - In his black car, clinched his two DTM titles in 2008 and 2009 “I can already clearly feel the butterflies in my stomach. My excitement about the first race coming up is huge. Personally, I had a great winter with a lot of nice experiences and moments. I’d like to take this positive mindset with me into the cockpit. Plus, after a couple of years, I’m sitting in a black car again. I’ve clinched two titles before with this color and thinking about that gives me an extra motivation boost.”
Adrien Tambay (F/22), Audi ultra RS 5 DTM #24 (Audi Sport Team Abt) - At 22 years of age, is the youngest driver in Audi’s DTM driver squad - Advertises the movie “Iron Man 3” on his race suit and car at Hockenheim “I remember last year well when I contested my first ever DTM race at Hockenheim. Now a lot of things are different: I’ve got more experience, have been on the podium once, we’ve got new rules and new rivals. I’m looking forward to Hockenheim and am eager to see what memories I’ll be taking home from the first race this time.”
The Audi drivers in the 2013 DTM
Filipe Albuquerque (P): * June 13, 1985 in Coimbra (P); residence: Coimbra (P); single (partner Joana); height: 1.74 m; weight: 65 kg; Audi driver since 2011; DTM races: 20; pole positions: 0; victories: 0 (best result: 2nd place); fastest laps: 0; points: 35; DTM titles: 0; best result DTM Hockenheim: 10
Mattias Ekström (S): * July 14, 1978 in Falun (S); residence: Salenstein (CH); single (partner Heidi), one son (Mats), one daughter (Hanna); height: 1.83 m; weight: 79 kg; Audi driver since 1999; DTM races: 124; pole positions: 19; victories: 17; fastest laps: 12; points: 615; DTM titles: 2 (2004, 2007); best result DTM Hockenheim: 1
Jamie Green (GB): * June 14, 1982 in Leicester (GB); residence: Monaco (MC); married to Ginny, two sons (Zachary James and William); height: 1.78 m; weight: 70 kg; Audi driver since 2013; DTM races: 83; pole positions: 6; victories: 8; fastest laps: 13; points: 361.5; DTM titles: 0; best result DTM Hockenheim: 1
Miguel Molina (E): * February 17, 1989 in Barcelona (E); residence: Lloret de Mar (E); single; height: 1.75 m; weight: 64 kg; Audi driver since 2010; DTM races: 31; pole positions: 2; victories: 0 (best result: 3rd place); fastest laps: 1; points: 34; DTM titles: 0; best result DTM Hockenheim: 3
Edoardo Mortara (F/I): * Jan 12, 1987 in Geneva (CH); residence: Geneva (CH); engaged; height: 1.82 m; weight: 75 kg; Audi driver since 2011; DTM races: 20; pole positions: 1; victories: 2; fastest laps: 0; points: 103; DTM titles: 0; best result DTM Hockenheim: 6
Mike Rockenfeller (D): * Oct 31, 1983 in Neuwied (D); residence: Landschlacht (CH); single (partner Susanne); height: 1.75 m; weight: 68 kg; Audi driver since 2007; DTM races: 61; pole positions: 1; victories: 1; fastest laps: 2; points: 159; DTM titles: 0; best result DTM Hockenheim: 3
Timo Scheider (D): * Nov 10, 1978 in Lahnstein (D); residence: Lochau (A); single (partner Jessica), one son (Loris-Romeo); height: 1.78 m; weight: 72 kg; Audi driver since 2006; DTM races: 129; pole positions: 10; victories: 6; fastest laps: 9; points: 373; DTM titles: 2 (2008, 2009); best result DTM Hockenheim: 1
Adrien Tambay (F): * Feb 25, 1991 in Paris (F); residence: Lochau (A); single; height: 1.81 m; weight: 69 kg; Audi driver since 2012; DTM races: 10; pole positions: 0; victories: 0 (best result: 2nd place); fastest laps: 0; points: 28; DTM titles: 0; best result DTM Hockenheim: –
Audi DTM statistics (since 1990)
Champion’s titles: 8 (in 16 years) Victories: 63 (in 198 races) Pole positions: 67 (in 162 qualifying sessions) Fastest laps: 54 (in 198 races) Podium finishes: 200 (in 198 races)
All Hockenheim winners (opening round)
2000 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz), Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz) 2001 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz) 2002 Laurent Aiello (Abt-Audi) 2003 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz) 2004 Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) 2005 Jean Alesi (Mercedes-Benz) 2006 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz) 2007 Mattias Ekström (Audi) 2008 Mattias Ekström (Audi) 2009 Tom Kristensen (Audi) 2010 Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) 2011 Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz) 2012 Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz)
2012 flashback: Audi A5 DTM takes podium on debut
Following eight successful years with the Audi A4 DTM, the Audi A5 DTM celebrated its racing debut at the season opener last year. Mattias Ekström started from the pole position and immediately took the lead at the start, which he maintained up to the fifth lap before making a braking mistake in turn 2, which caused him to drop behind Jamie Green and shortly afterward behind the subsequent winner Gary Paffett as well. The Swede then concentrated on securing third place. His brand colleagues Mike Rockenfeller (5), Miguel Molina (9) and Filipe Albuquerque (10) scored points as well.
Track info
Track length: 4.574 km Race distance: 42 laps = 192.108 km DTM qualifying record on this track: Mattias Ekström (Audi), Oct 25, 2008, 1m 32.244s = 178.509 km/h DTM race record on this track: Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz), Oct 26, 2008, 1m 33.576s = 175.968 km/h Pole position season opener 2012: Mattias Ekström (Audi), Apr 28, 2012, 1m 34.680s (173.900 km/h) Fastest lap season opener 2012: Jamie Green (Mercedes-Benz), Apr 29, 2012, 1m 34.901s (173.511 km/h) Turnout season opener 2012: 142,000 TV live rating 2012: 1.28 million / 10.7 % market share (source: ARD)
Mattias Ekström about the Hockenheimring: “I’ve got so many memories of Hockenheim – good ones and bad ones. In 2007, I became Champion there, have had one of the best weekends in my entire DTM career there, as well as retirements and weird incidents. Hockenheim has been and will remain my absolutely favorite track. I love the layout. You can overtake and fight tough duels. Technically, the first sector with turns 1 and 2 is particularly challenging. The best opportunity for overtaking is at the end of the Parabolica on the way to the hairpin turn. Another very important place is the last section with the Sachs corner and the Opel corners. Hockenheim has simply got everything you wish for as a racer – for me, it’s the highlight of the year that is always attended by many fans as well.”
Timetable
Saturday, May 4 09:05–10:35 Free practice 14:40–15:50 Qualifying
Oschersleben is hosting the season opener of the 2013 ADAC GT Masters this weekend. Two qualifying sessions were held today with some disappointing results for the Audi squad. Six Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are entering the event from three different teams. Prosperia C. Abt Racing is fielding three cars, #26 of R.Frey/M.Winkelhock, #27 of C.Mies/R.Rast and #28 of C.Jöns/C.Mamerow. MS Racing, who are the defending ADAC GT Masters champions, have two Audi cars, #1 of F.Stoll/S.Asch and #100 of D.Dobitsch/A.Patel. YACO Racing is entering a single R8 LMS ultra, #16 of P.Geipel/D.Lunardi.
In the first qualifying session the best ranked Audi was the #28 Prosperia R8 LMS ultra of C.Jöns/C.Mamerow who placed in eighth. All the other cars were far behind, they were respectively classified in 14th (#1 MS Racing), 15th (#27 Prosperia), 16th (#26 Prosperia, 20th (#100 MS Racing) and 22nd (#16 YACO Racing). Qualifying session 1 results are here.
For the second qualifying session things were slightly better. Again the #28 Prosperia Audi of C.Jöns/C.Mamerow was the best R8 LMS ultra and was able to qualify in a fine third place. All the other Audi cars were once again outside of the top 10: 11th (#27 Prosperia), 12th (#1 MS Racing), 13th (#26 Prosperia), 19th (#16 YACO Racing) and 22nd (#100 MS Racing). Qualifying session 2 results are here.
The first race of the weekend is set for tomorrow. A 1-hour sprint event, we wish the best of luck to all three teams and their drivers.
Audi Sport Italia will enter the 2013 Italian GT Championship with two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, and a strong driver line-up. The team will aim for the 2013 title, after the dramatic finale at Monza last year. Andrea Sonvico missed the title by only a single point, loosing the title to the BMW drivers. Sonvico is back with the team and will share the first Audi R8 LMS ultra with Dindo Capello. The Italian Audi legend will compete in the Italian GT as a full season competitor for first time in years, after focusing on the Le Mans effort with the factory Team Joest. The second car will be in the hands of Alex Frassineti, who also drove for the team last year, and the 2012 Superstars Series champion, Johan Kirstoffersson. The Swedish driver had a great 2012 by winning the Superstars Series, the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia. He is not stranger to Audi Sport Italia, the team who built his Audi RS 5 quattro, which entered by his father's team KMS.
The first round of the Italian GT Championship is set for next weekend at Misano. No doubts that Audi Sport Italia will be among the big favorites for the title hunt.
Twelve years already, 25 April 2001 Michele Alboreto passed away at the EuroSpeeday whilst testing the Audi R8 for Audi Sport Team Joest. Just weeks earlier the Italian champion won the 12 Hours of Sebring and was preparing for Audi's assault for Le Mans. Alboreto raced with Audi for three years between 1999 and 2001. He won Le Mans once, back in 1997 with Joest Racing in a TWR Porsche. For sure Audi and motorsport fans in general will never forget him.
Full details about Michele Alboreto's career, including his glorious days in Formula 1 with Ferrari is here.
