JCR Motorsports Ready for Double-Header in Pirelli World Challenge Championships at Circuit of The Americas

JCR Motorsports Press Release

JCR Motorsports driver Jeff Courtney will pilot the Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS at Circuit of The Americas for Rounds 4 & 5 of the Pirelli World Challenge championship schedule.

Coming back from an exciting two days of testing in Austin, JCR Motorsports heads into the Circuit of The Americas weekend optimistically, looking to establish two solid finishes at the world renowned circuit. Courtney will race the Kenda/RecStuff Audi R8 LMS in two 50-minute double-header sprint races, May 18th and 19th, alongside a total of 19 GT class cars entered into the event.
“I was really happy with the testing we had earlier this month,” stated Courtney. “We were able to get a lot of laps in the car and finally work on setup changes along with getting some needed seat time. The course is a lot of fun and super busy, which I like. The facility is awesome and the team is very excited about the two races coming up this weekend.”

Adding to the anticipation of strong finishes for the weekend, Courtney will be joined by family and friends, “It’s exciting to have relatives and close friends here with us,” said Courtney. “We want to put on a strong show for everyone and hopefully they bring us some good luck.”
The Pirelli World Challenge races at Circuit of The Americas will be using the two-mile "short course" configuration which routes drivers through the middle of the "S" corners to the back straight.

Tune into the Live Stream on WCTV at www.world-challengetv.com for full coverage of the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the Circuit of The Americas. The full weekend event schedule is available online, click here.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

Jeff Courtney Racing To Debut Audi R8 LMS At The Streets Of St. Petersburg

Jeff Courtney Racing Press Release

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Jeff Courtney Racing is excited to announce plans to return to the Pirelli World Challenge championships in 2013. JCR will campaign a new manufacturer, the Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS and will debut at the Streets of St. Petersburg for a double-header race weekend March 23-24.

Jeff Courtney will debut the JCR Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS at St. Petersburg
“After the late off season decision to make a brand change, the team and everyone have worked so hard during the last month to pull this program together – I can’t thank everyone enough,” stated Jeff Courtney. “I’m very excited to get in the car and get back to racing.”

Kenda and RecStuff.com are returning to support Courtney in 2013 along with STaSIS, JG Wheels and GoPro. Courtney is confirmed to run the Streets of St. Petersburg, Streets of Long Beach, Circuit of the Americas, Mid-Ohio and the Sonoma Grand Prix. Driver Courtney will reunite a partnership with STaSIS, who helped him win Rookie of the Year in the series’ Touring Car division, back in 2006. The new car and partnership has resulted in a great deal of work and efforts over the off season. Jeff Courtney Racing is enthusiastic about the switch and to be heading down to the Streets of St. Petersburg for the season opener.

"We are very excited to continue our support with Jeff Courtney in the upcoming 2013 season. Jeff and his team have done a great job preparing the #99 Audi R8 LMS and we are excited to see the car in action," said Jimmy Yang, President of Kenda Tire.

You can watch Jeff Courtney race the Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS in the Pirelli World Challenge series live by going to: www.world-challengetv.com on March 23rd at 5pm Eastern and March 24th at 10:25am Eastern. The NBC Sports Network broadcast will air on Sunday, April 7 at 12:30pm Eastern.

Stay up to date with Jeff Courtney Racing on Twitter: @jeffcourtney99 and www.jeffcourtneyracing.com

About Kenda:
Kenda Tires, based in Columbus, Ohio (North American offices) has been in existence since 1962. From bicycles to automotive tires, Kenda produces a wide variety of tires that can be found on everyday applications. For more information about Kenda, go to KendaTire.com.

About RecStuff.com:
RecStuff.com is an online retailer that specializes in trailer components, trailer parts, trailer tires, trailer wheels, Trailer Fenders, and trailer tire/wheel assemblies. Specializing in a wide range of universal and OEM replacement trailer parts and are committed to exceeding your service expectation with Same Day shipping, the highest quality products, and the widest selection at the most competitive prices in the industry

Photo credit and more information:
Jeff Courtney Racing on Facebook

Bell, Baas, and Audi South Austin Join Forces in Texas in the no. 52 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am

APR Motorsport Press Release

February 27, 2013 (Opelika, Ala.) – One month after celebrating its runner-up finish in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, APR Motorsport is heading to GRAND-AM’s first visit to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas with the driving duo of Matt Bell and Ian Baas in the no. 52 APR Audi R8. Joining both of them is APR Motorsport’s newest partner, Audi South Austin.

Bell joined APR for the first time at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, finishing 12 in the no. 51 APR Audi R8. As an instructor at the Audi Sportscar Experience at Sonoma Raceway, Bell is certainly familiar with Audi R8’s and is happy to become more familiar with the APR Audi R8.

“We definitely had some challenges at Daytona, but what I took away from that weekend was how strong the APR Motorsport program is,” said Bell. “Top to bottom it is full of great people with a great family atmosphere. I’m excited to see how Ian and I do in Austin. The Audi R8 is a great car to drive and we all got a glimpse of how far it has come, and I’m excited to see what we can do in Austin.”

Baas has driven APR’s Audi R8 in the endurance races, and this will be the first ‘regular’ race in which he pilots the car. Baas will do double-duty again this weekend as he will drive an APR VW Jetta in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

“Going to the Circuit of the Americas in the Audi is almost as exciting as going to Daytona for the 24 Hour,” said Baas. “We know how good the car is and after Daytona I can’t wait to get back into an Audi R8 after we just missed out on the win. Matt did a great job in Daytona and fit right in with the rest of the guys. I think we’re going to get along well and contend for another podium.”

The GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL Rolex Sports Car Series race will be shown live on SPEED Channel on Saturday, March 2 at 5:30 PM ET on SPEED Channel. The CTSCC race will be shown live on SPEED2.com on Saturday, March 2 at 10:05 AM ET, with a television broadcast on Sunday, March 9 at 4:00 PM ET.

NOTEWORTHY
Audi South Austin will host an APR Motorsport meet-and-greet at its dealership on Friday, March 1 at 5:00 – 9:00 PM local time. The team’s Rolex 24 at Daytona runner-up Audi R8 will be on display at the dealership throughout the weekend, while fans will have the chance to meet the APR Motorsport drivers. Audi South Austin is located at 4738 IH-35 South, Austin, Tex.

About Audi South Austin
Audi South Austin in Austin, Tex. treats the needs of each individual customer with paramount concern. We know that you have high expectations, and as a car dealer we enjoy the challenge of meeting and exceeding those standards each and every time. Allow us to demonstrate our commitment to excellence! Learn more at audisouthaustin.com, or by calling (512) 660-6700.

About RageTank
Show your speed. RageTank is the Mobile App, Social Network, and Lap-Sharing service for track-day and motorsports enthusiasts. RageTank was founded in Silicon Valley to revolutionize the racetrack experience by connecting and engaging the community with innovative mobile technology. Learn more at www.ragetank.com.

About APR Motorsport
APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance campus in Opelika, Ala. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence and Innovation. APR’s sole mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly-engineered aftermarket performance parts available for Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda vehicles. Learn more at www.goapr.com, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/APRMotorsport, and on twitter (@GoAPR).

Photo credit: APR Motorsport

Video: Onboard the Daytona 24 Hours winning Audi

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 Daytona 24 Hours was an amazing race for Audi fans. The Audis ran near the front for the entire event. It was a very good showing from the Audi teams who were involved in a three way fight at the end of the race. You can watch the exciting final minutes of the race HERE. Below we have included a YouTube onboard video. 

The video features 20 minutes of footage onboard the Alex Job Racing #24 Audi R8 GRAND-AM. It includes the warm up lap and the race start. It allows a very nice glimpse of this important opening stint at the Daytona 24 Hours inside the car that went on to victory.

Photo by Audi Sport Media

Video: The amazing 2013 Daytona 24 finish

By Johan Laubscher

The 51st Daytona 24 Hours was held over the weekend with a dramatic finish. In the end the #24 Alex Job Racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM came trough to win ahead of the #52 APR Audi, completing an Audi 1-2. It was a brilliant result but the 1-2 does not tell the whole story. In the closing minutes it was a crazy dash to the flag with multiple cars standing a chance of victory. A video featuring the last few minutes of the race has appeared on YouTube, we have embedded that below. Spoiler alert: If you have not seen the Daytona 24 finish yet, first watch the video before reading the two paragraphs below.  

Let us set the scene. There is less than ten minutes to go. The #24 AJR Audi is out in the lead but needs to pit, it is assumed that they will loose the lead. The #13 Rum Bum Audi is chasing in second, but it is unclear if they have enough fuel whist they are closely chased by a trio of cars which do not need to pit. This trio consisted of the #44 Porsche closely followed by the #52 APR Audi and the #69 Ferrari. At this stage any one of these five cars stood a chance at victory, and no one knew what was going to happen. 

Rene Rast was in the #52 had he was a man on a mission and stormed pasted the Ferrari and Porsche. Whilst this was happening the #24 AJR Audi had to come in for its pitstop but reemerged just in front of the chasing GT group. By this time the #52 Audi was up to third and we had an Audi 1-2-3, with AJR leading Rum Bum and APR, as they went into the final two laps. Rast was still flying and passed Rum Bum on the outside during the last lap and began chasing down the leading AJR car. Tragedy struck as Rum Bum ran out of fuel on the last lap, as their fuel gamble did not pay off. The leading two Audis came home for an Audi 1-2. It was a tremendous finish, one with huge suspense as you had no idea of what was going to happen. You can relive these crucial final moments in the video below.

Photos by Audi Sport Media

von Moltke and Audi stars take Rolex 24 GT victory at Daytona

Dion von Moltke Press Release

Daytona, FL (Sunday, January 27, 2013): GRAND-AM Rolex Series young star Dion von Moltke teamed with a trio of Audi factory drivers today to take the German manufacturer to its first victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

von Moltke; Brit, Oliver Jarvis; Italian, Edoardo Mortara and Portugal's, Filipe Albuquerque drove the No.24 Alex Job Racing R8 to victory in the GT class, greeting the checkered flag 1.476 seconds ahead of the No.52 car of Rene Rast to make it a 1-2 finish for Audi.

After starting fifth, the Alex Job Audi stayed in contention for the entire 24 hour journey before disaster struck with two and half hour remaining when the car was assessed a penalty for avoidable contact with the No.61 Ferrari.

Despite assertions from the Ferrari team that they hadn't been hit, Mortara was forced to head to pit lane to serve a one minute penalty.

This put the car one lap adrift of the leaders and back in seventh place. However, clever pit strategy from the Alex Job Racing team over the remaining 150 minutes of the race not only put the No.24 car back on the lead lap, Albuquerque was able to drive into the lead.

The Audi squad faced a nervous final stint, uncertain as to whether they would need to make one final pit stop for a splash of fuel. Albuquerque's late race pace actually enabled the team to call him in for fuel with a mere five minutes remaining and return to the race with a slim lead.

Despite late race pressure, Albuquerque was able to hold on to take the victory.

“I’m completely speechless. With more than two and half hours to go we got a penalty for avoidable contact and went a lap down,” von Moltke said.

“We thought we were down and out but we kept fighting, we kept digging, we kept trying to find any way, and Filipe (Albuquerque) probably put in the best drive I've ever seen a race car driver do in my life, and that's what it really takes to win this race, and to pull it off is really special.

“It was going to close on fuel and when we had to come in for a splash we thought “oh no” but we came back out in the lead and the whole team just erupted. I’ve never seen an atmosphere like that."

The victory is the second major sportscar endurance victory for the PR Newswire-supported driver von Moltke and Alex Job Racing in less than twelve months. The combination was also victorious in the GTC class in the American Le Mans Series in last year's 12 Hours of Sebring.

Today was the second victory for Alex Job Racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona - the previous one coming in 1999.

“To win a Rolex watch at Daytona is incredible. This was only my fifth time doing this race and it is the first attempt for Olly (Jarvis), Edo (Mortara) and Filipe. Until this year I’d never even led a lap here. I managed to do that in my stint and now to come away with a victory is just amazing," von Moltke said.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Audi and I’m thrilled to be a part of their first win here at the Daytona International Speedway. To get to drive with these three guys was a great experience they have already become some of my best friends in two weeks. They really are some of the best drivers I've ever got the honor to work with.

“I've always really enjoyed and loved driving for Alex (Job). Everyone on the team really gets along, and I've always said chemistry is the most important part of winning any race, especially Sebring or Daytona or Petit or any of those races.

"To be standing here on the podium as a winner at the Rolex 24 at Daytona is quite surreal. I have to say a big thanks to everyone who has helped my career including everyone at PR Newswire. Their backing and support has played a key role in my career so far.

“Of course everyone at Alex's team and everyone at Audi. We all had one goal this weekend and we all worked together towards that goal.”

Photo credit: Audi Media

Audi wins the Rolex 24 in Daytona GT class

By Tarek Ramchani and Johan Laubscher

Audi has just won the demanding GT class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The #24 Alex Job Racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM driven by Dion von Moltke, Filipe Albuquerque, Oliver Jarvis and Edoardo Mortara crossed the finish line victorious after a titanic GT battle all race long. The AJR Audi lead home the APR #52 Audi for a 1-2 finish. A great result for Audi as a brand and the whole Audi Sport customer racing program. The GT3 spec Audi R8 LMS has won almost everything in Europe and beyond, and it was great to see the "American" R16 doing the same in America's premier 24 hour endurance event this weekend.

It was a very hard and long race with a great field consisting of 34 GT cars. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were entered in the event with massive support from Audi Sport customer racing/quattro GmbH and Audi of America. The three teams worked together and most of the race they were among the top 10. Bad luck hit APR Motorsport after very strong performances from the #52 R8 of Frank Stippler, Marc Basseng, Rene Rast and Ian Baas. After a brilliant showing and leading the race in the early evening the very strong APR driver squad was forced to catch up from behind due to a crippling 3 minute time penalty, a shame for one of the big favourites for GT victory. This meant that the remaining other two Audis, AJR and Rum Bum, were the ones left fighting for class honors. Rum Bum Racing and Alex Job Racing challenged world class rivals from Porsche and Ferrari teams, both also with factory support.

As the sun rose over Daytona the AJR and Rum Bum Audis remained in the hunt and battled with the leaders. Bad luck with penalties was to plague the Audi teams again during the morning. First to fall victim was the Rum Bum entry which also received a crippling 3 minute time penalty which dropped them far back. This left the AJR car as the lone Audi in front, but after a titanic battle for the lead Mortara was involved in a high speed spin nearly collecting a Ferrari. This spin prompted a penalty of over 1 minute for "avoidable contact," despite no contact taking place and the Ferrari team saying that there was no contact. This ill deserved penalty almost effectively ruined the AJR Audi's race and completed a full set of penalties for the Audi entries.

As the disappointment of the two penalties during the morning began to sink in another Audi made the recovery drive of the race. After receiving their own three minute penalty during the night and loosing two laps, the #52 APR squad had raced their way back onto the lead lap. They continued their forward progress and with less than three hours to go the #52 went back into the lead and another titanic GT battle ensued with Audi versus Porsche and Ferrari. The Rum Bum and AJR entries worked hard and got themselves back onto the lead lap as well. As the race headed into the final stages the Rum Bum car completed an equally impressive recovery to place themselves in third, right in the mix.

The stage was set for the final 90 minute dash to the flag. APR and Rum Bum were in the leading group with AJR on the lead lap. The GT racing was intense as the teams battled for the lead, whilst track position was becoming ever more important. At one stage the leading trio, including the #52 APR and Rum Bum, went three wide into the bus stop where Rum Bum went from 3rd to 1st, only to spin on the next lap. During these proceedings the AJR car was back into the leading group as well. Now all three Audi cars were within 20 seconds of the lead, after countless penalties the race was still alive for all three Audi teams.

Coming off another caution period the top four had three Audis with the #52 APR car leading the way. Rene Rast had a tremendous battle with the #69 Ferrari with the Rum Bum and AJR cars in the top five as well. The final 30 minutes became a pitstop battle of who needed to stop and who didn't need to. AJR lead 1-2 (Audi ahead of Porsche) but appeared to need a stop whereas Rast was charging and didn't need to stop again. A grand stand finish was awaiting the fans with five cars standing a chance of winning.

The moment of truth arrived as the #24 AJR Audi had to pit leaving the AJR Porsche in the lead until they pitted as well. The #52 Audi was involved in a huge fight with the #44 Porsche. As it all settled down it was an Audi 1-2-3 with AJR leading Rum Bum and APR. On the last lap the Rum Bum car ran out of fuel as APR tired to catch AJR. The #24 AJR came through to win after running long enough to make the gap and win with the final splash and dash.

Audi victory at Daytona is somewhat a bit of revenge after all the bad luck and some penalizing rules that hit the R8 GRAND-AM during the 2012 season. Right now only APR Motorsport is committed to the full Rolex Series season with Audi. We hope that the Daytona result will continue all year long in Grand-Am. Next stop for the series will be at the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Texas.

Photo credit: Audi Media

von Moltke teamed with Audi factory stars for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Dion von Moltke Press Release

GRAND-AM Rolex Series hot shoe Dion von Moltke is ready to team up with a trio of Audi factory stars for an assault on this weekend's 51st running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

von Moltke will drive the No. 24 WeatherTech Audi R8 GRAND-AM with PR Newswire alongside Italian, Edoardo Mortara; Brit, Oliver Jarvis and Portuguese driver Filipe Albuquerque. The quartet were consistently fast at the recent "Roar before the 24" pre-season test in early January - kicking off the event by being third fastest in the opening session and repeating the effort in the final run of the weekend with a time of 1 minute, 49.887 seconds. The 22-year-old von Moltke has a unique opportunity at the Rolex to be teamed with three of Audi's top young stars. The 25-year-old Mortara finished fifth in last year's DTM championship with two wins.

Former A1GP race winner Albuquerque (aged 27) also enjoyed a strong season in 2012 finishing just outside the top 10 in 11th - beating the likes of David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher in the standings. After four seasons of DTM competition, the 29-year-old Jarvis switched to the FIA GT1 World Championship with Audi last season and also drove their P1 class R18 prototype at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished third with Marco Bonanomi and Mike Rockenfeller. von Moltke is looking forward to sharing seat time with three of the hottest stars for the famous German marquee.

"For any driver, the eventual goal is to become a factory driver and for me to be able to work not only with any factory drivers, but some of the best, from an organization like Audi, is an amazing experience," von Moltke said. "Edoardo Mortara, Oliver Jarvis, Filipe Albuquerque... they've been very successful in the DTM, one is driving the R18 prototype and they just had a dominant year. They're also very young and very hungry. They haven't had a long, extensive career with five or six Le Mans wins. This isn't just another race to them. They're coming here and are extremely determined, as is Audi. The energy that they bring with them and the confidence as well really rubs off on the team and on me as well. So it's been really nice being able to work with them and see what they do differently. You can take little points from each driver - you never stop learning from guys you are working with. Each of us have different driving styles and through the data, we're able to pick apart what I do better, what they do better and combine it all together. We not only have an open environment within Alex Job Racing but also within all the Audis here for the Rolex 24. Where we're all working together with data and setups. It's really great to see the teamwork and camaraderie all pushing each other to get faster, and hopefully get an edge on the competition. You not only have to have a quick car, but also be very confident in what you have under you is going to be reliable, in order to push. Not only is Audi and Alex Job Racing really focused on making the car fast, they're also committed to making it reliable."

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the toughest endurance races on the global calendar. With 59 entries, the number of cars is similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the pack is squeezed into a 3.81 miles road course compared to 8.46 miles in France. By racing early in the year during the winter, the Rolex 24 also has considerable more running at night compared to Le Mans - up to 13 hours of the race is contested in the dark.

"As a driver, you used to be able to baby the car around and you'd start pushing only for the last six hours or so. But in reality nowadays, it's really 24 one-hour stints," von Moltke said. "I remember at the start of the race last year, already 30 minutes into the race, people were blocking and fighting for positions and being very aggressive. You never used to see that, but the dynamic of this race has changed. Everyone's flat-out and you need to be flat-out as well and trust that your car will be reliable. Luckily when you work with a manufacturer like Audi and you have a really good team like Alex Job Racing, you have a lot of confidence in that aspect of the race. Going into it, we know we have as good of a chance as anyone else, team-wise and car-wise to make it through the race reliably. The competition is going to be really strong. I think this might be the strongest competition in GT, or even in DP, that we've ever seen for this race."

Despite the strong performance of the Alex Job Racing at the pre-season test, von Moltke is under no illusions as to the big task ahead he and his Audi factory teammates face.

"While we were quick at the test, you unfortunately never really know how you stack up until race day. I think the Porsches are going to be strong, as well as the Ferraris. BMW has a really good lineup and the Stevenson Chevrolet did well last year. There are a lot of cars that might not be ultra-quick around Daytona, but they know how to make it strategy wise. To be able to get a top-5 or even a top-10, you have to be perfect. The drivers cannot make any mistakes and the team cannot make any mistakes. The whole mindset going into this race is that you have to look after your own responsibilities and that's not always easy to do, especially in a big team when there is a lot of pressure. But you have to focus on what your job is and on the task at hand. If everyone does their own jobs to the best of their ability, I think we have as good of a chance as anyone else to go out and win this race. It will really be down to everyone bringing their 'A' game."

Photo credit: Endurance-Info

Follow the Daytona 24 Hours LIVE

By Johan Laubscher

The 51st Daytona 24 Hours is getting underway this weekend. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars will be competing in the GT class entered by APR Motorsport, Alex Job Racing and Rum Bum Racing. With a tremendous amount of Audi factory support this should be a great race. We have included a collection of links below with which you will be able to follow the race live. 

The race is scheduled to start today at 21:30 CET (15:30 local time in Daytona, Florida).

Live Video Stream

Live Video Stream Link       

Live Radio
Radio Le Mans (English)
Sport Audi Radio (German)

Live Timing

LiveTiming Link

Facebook

Rolex Series on Facebook
Official Audi Sport on Facebook
Audi Motorsport Blog on Facebook
APR Motorsport on Facebook
Rum Bum Racing on Facebook
Daytona Speedway on Facebook
GRAND-AM Unleashed on Facebook

l'endurance on Facebook

Twitter

Rolex Series on twitter
Official Audi Sport on twitter
Audi Motorsport Blog on twitter
APR Motorsport on twitter
Rum Bum Racing on twitter
Daytona Speedway on twitter
GRAND-AM Unleashed on twitter
l'endurance on twitter
John Dagys on twitter
Jake Yorath on twitter

Drivers
Dion von Moltke on Facebook
Dion von Moltke on twitter
Edoardo Mortara on Facebook
Oliver Jarvis on twitter
Filipe Albuquerque on Facebook
Christopher Haase on Facebook
Markus Winkelhock on Facebook
Marc Basseng on Facebook
René Rast on Facebook
Ian Baas on twitter

APR Live Blog
APR Live Blog Link

Spotters Guide
Spotter Guide Link

Websites

Grand-Am website
Event Schedule

Photo by Audi Sport Media

Rast Narrowly Misses top-10 for APR Motorsport in Stacked GT Qualifying

APR Motorsport Press Release

Team will run Live Blog throughout Rolex 24 at Daytona

January 25, 2012 (Daytona Beach, Fla.) – A strong qualifying session highlighted a busy day for the APR Motorsport team at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.
In the stacked thirty-four car GT field Rene Rast drove to 11th place in the day’s qualifying session in the no. 52 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am. Such was the depth of the GT field at the Rolex 24 at Daytona that Rast’s time was less than a second behind the pole sitting car. Rast, a defending GT-class winner at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, will partner with Ian Baas, Marc Basseng, and Frank Stippler in the no. 52 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am.

“I am pretty satisfied with the car and with qualifying the APR Audi R8 in 11th position,” said Rast. “It isn’t as fast in qualifying as we would like, but. I think we have a good car for the race. On Saturday, we will see.”

In the sister no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am, Matt Bell qualified in 27th position as he and the team continued to work on the setup of the Audi. Bell will be partnered with David Empringham, Alex Figge, John Farano and Dave Lacey for the twenty-four hour contest.

“We went in a certain direction for qualifying and it didn’t work out for us,” said Bell. “The car was really good, except for in a couple of spots on the track. As strong as this field is, you can’t really have a weakness anywhere and hope to be competitive. But now we know which direction to go and we have plenty of practice to get it right before Saturday.”

To give fans behind-the-scenes access throughout the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the team will run a Live Blog throughout the race. Stephen Hooks, team owner of APR Motorsport, will be online throughout the race from APR’s pits on the front straightaway of Daytona International Speedway to answer questions from Audi fans around the world. APR’s Live Blog will be available at SPEED2.com, starting at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, January 26.

About APR Motorsport
APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance campus in Opelika, Ala. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence and Innovation. APR’s sole mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly-engineered aftermarket performance parts available for Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda vehicles. Learn more at facebook.com/APRMotorsport, and on twitter (@GoAPR).

Photo credit: APR Motorsport

Rolex 24: Audi on third row of the grid at Daytona

Audi Press Release

• Filipe Albuquerque with Alex Job Racing is best Audi driver

• Teams are mainly focused on race preparation

• All four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars are thoroughly prepared

Ingolstadt, January 24, 2013 – The best Audi R8 GRAND-AM will be starting into the 24-hour race at Daytona (Florida) from the third row. The fastest driver of the Audi customer teams in qualifying was Filipe Albuquerque.


Following several warm-up laps, the Audi factory driver managed to make a perfect landing. After the tire pressure had reached the planned optimum level, Albuquerque drove a flawless lap on the high-speed track in Florida. His time of 1m 48.282s earned him and Team Alex Job Racing grid position six in the GT class, making Audi the third-best brand in the field of the eight manufacturers.

René Rast achieved the second-best time of an Audi driver. The German from Team APR Motorsport took grid position eleven (1m 48.581s). Markus Winkelhock in the Audi R8 GRAND-AM qualified in the front half of the field of 34 GT vehicles as well. The Audi from Rum Bum Racing will start from position 16 (1m 48.865s) on Saturday. The American Matt Bell from APR Motorsport achieved grid position 27 in another R8 GRAND-AM.

The main focus of all the teams was and continues to be placed on preparing for the 24-hour race. All teams are using the remaining night practice on Thursday and a final practice on Friday to further refine the set-up of the customer race sports car. The race will start at 15:30 local time on Saturday.

Selected quotes

Romolo Liebchen (Head of Audi Sport customer racing): “In qualifying, there were no surprises. We concentrated on preparing for the race. It was important not to take any risks today. Together with the preparation in the tests at the end of last year and in the beginning of January, we’re tackling the race with a clear conscience. The drivers are giving us feedback confirming that we’re running with a set-up that provides very good drivability.”

Filipe Albuquerque (Audi R8 GRAND-AM #24/Alex Job Racing): “I’m very happy with my lap. I kept my cool because I knew that the first three laps are nothing special. I knew when I’d be able to attack. The tire pressure was developing according to plan and then I only needed a single lap. Everything was right on the dot. There was no more traffic and I made no mistakes. Afterward, the tires were used up. Things couldn’t have gone any better today. And in the other practice sessions we want to improve our car a little bit more. I’m looking forward to the race.”

Qualifying results

1 Nick Tandy (Porsche) 1m 47.631s
2 Andy Lally (Porsche) 1m 47.828s
3 Sean Edwards (Porsche) 1m 48.007s
4 Patrick Long (Porsche) 1m 48.137s
5 Alessandro Balzan (Ferrari) 1m 48.260s
6 Filipe Albuquerque (Audi R8 GRAND-AM) 1m 48.282s
7 Marco Seefried (Porsche) 1m 48.319s
8 Robin Liddell (Camaro) 1m 48.330s
9 Daniel Serra (Ferrari) 1m 48.521s
10 Anthony Lazzaro (Ferrari) 1m 48.577s
11 René Rast (Audi R8 GRAND-AM) 1m 48.581s
16 Markus Winkelhock (Audi R8 GRAND-AM) 1m 48.865s
27 Matt Bell (Audi R8 GRAND-AM) 1m 49.937s

Photo credit: APR Motorsport

Video: Onboard APR #52 Audi R8 GRAND-AM Daytona 24 qualifying

By Johan Laubscher

The Daytona 24 Hour weekend is well underway. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars will be lining up for the classic endurance race. The first of the onboard videos has gone online, this one from APR Motorsport. Enjoy a few laps onboard the #52 APR Audi R8 GRAND-AM during qualifying with Rene Rast behind the wheel.

Photo by APR

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 1: Introduction

By Johan Laubscher

2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra and R8 GRAND-AM

The Audi “R16” was the code name given to the race car projects based on the Audi R8 road car. The first version of the R16 was launched into competition during 2009 as the original Audi R8 LMS. The car achieved much success in the years that followed. In 2012 an updated version of the R16 was launched, based on the original R8 LMS, called the Audi R8 LMS ultra. The new ultra version received a number of updates. The cars do have an overall similar appearance, however there are distinct differences. It has been the case that many people have found it difficult to distinguish between these two versions, thus during 2012 we at Audi Motorsport Blog published an article to help with the identification process. The article discussed and highlighted the differences between the Audi R8 LMS and the Audi R8 LMS ultra. That article can be seen HERE. 

This new series of articles that you are currently reading aims to be an updated version of the article mentioned above, and will include all four of the Audi R16 versions to date. During 2012 another Audi R16 was launched, the Audi R8 GRAND-AM. It was based on the Audi R8 LMS ultra but with more significant differences to comply with the Grand-Am GT rules. Along with this third R16 version a fourth version has just been released, the updated 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra. We will discuss all four of the versions with a tutorial on how to spot the differences and identify the cars correctly.

You can click on the three links below (Parts 2-4) to head to the specific article featuring the cars mentioned in the title.

Article links: 

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 1: Introduction
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 2: Original Audi R8 LMS and 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 3: Audi R8 GRAND-AM

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 4: 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra  

Photo credits:

Audi Sport Media

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 2: Original Audi R8 LMS and 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra

By Johan Laubscher

This is part 2 of our How to spot an Audi R16 article series. Part 2 focuses on the differences between the original Audi R8 LMS and the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. All four articles within this series covering all four versions of the Audi R16 can be seen via the four links listed below: 

Article links: 
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 1: Introduction
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 2: Original Audi R8 LMS and 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 3: Audi R8 GRAND-AM
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 4: 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra 

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 2: Original Audi R8 LMS and 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra

Audi Sport launched its first FIA GT3 spec race car, the original Audi R8 LMS, in 2009. The car achieved much success in its first season and competed almost unchanged from 2009 until 2011. At the beginning of 2012 Audi Sport customer racing launched the first updated version of the R8 LMS, called the Audi R8 LMS ultra.

The Audi R8 LMS ultra was a winner straight out of the box. The ultra looked fast standing still and looked even better at speed out on track. However with different GT3 Audi race cars on track, being the older Audi R8 LMS and the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra, some fans battled telling the difference between the two versions. Spotting an ultra can be difficult, especially depending on the angle at which you see the car. But it is possible to visually tell the two versions apart.

Note in the comparison photos below all references to the Audi R8 LMS ultra refer to the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. 

Front View

Click on the photo for larger image 

1. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has a much wider rear-wing. The older R8 LMS rear-wing is 1780mm and the 2012 ultra rear-wing is 1920mm.

2. The front fender on the 2012 R8 LMS ultra has a slightly different shape with a lower outward appearance. This gives the ultra a perceived wider stance, while in actual fact it is the same overall width as the older R8 LMS. See points 18 and 19 for more detail regarding the fender.

3. The air intake above the splitter is slightly different on the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The ultra also does not have a visible board under the front splitter, on the centreline of the car which is present on the older R8 LMS. The older R8 LMS also has a pronounced front lip. The ultra front splitter is almost completely flat underneath when viewed from the front, and only has a very small lip.

4. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra only has one large front side splitter on either side, unlike the R8 LMS which has two smaller ones.

Side View

Click on the photo for larger image

5. The rear wing end-plates on the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra are much larger than the older R8 LMS. However some older R8 LMS cars have also used the new end-plates. See point 11 for more details.

6. The rear wing mounting of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra is in a new lower optimised position. The new mountings are lower and further rearwards (The ultra pictured has the older more upright mountings). See points 16 and 17 for more details.

7. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has larger air intakes on the side of the car. See point 15 for more details.

8. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has a small rectangular plate on the side of the front splitter, which is not present on the older R8 LMS. It is often a brown colour. This plate is lower than the front splitter, thus it wears down first when the car bottoms out, ensuring less damage to the expensive splitter, whilst the less expensive side plate can be replaced. 

9. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra only has one large front side splitter on either side, unlike the R8 LMS which had two small ones.

10. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has a more extended front splitter which has a sharper shape when viewed from above. See point 12 for more detail.

Click on the photo for larger image 

11. Point 5 continued: The large rear wing end-plates were introduced on the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. However, the large rear wing end-plates seen in point 5 do not mean that it is definitely an ultra. Some of the older Audi R8 LMS cars are also using the larger new end-plates mounted on the older, more upright mountings, as you can see above in point 11. The picture on the left is the Team Nova Driver R8 LMS in 2011 and on the right is the same Team Nova Driver R8 LMS in 2012, which is NOT an ultra, but it has the larger end-plates. This R8 LMS is termed the 2011 evolution model, so to say. It has some updates but it is not in full ultra specification.

Click on the photo for larger image 

12. Point 10 continued: Here one can clearly see the difference between the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra's sharper edged and extended front splitter and the old R8 LMS's shorter and more rounded front splitter.

Rear View

Click on the photo for larger image

13. From the rear the cars are almost visually identical; the only visible difference is the wider rear wing and the lower rear wing mountings on the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Both the old R8 LMS and the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra have a visually similar rear diffuser.

Other Aspects

Click on the photo for larger image

14. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has fixed windows accompanied by a sliding window opening on the driver’s side of the car. The ultra has carbon doors whereas the older R8 LMS has the normal production doors. The production based doors of the old car still have operating windows which can be put up or down (Note the windows of the R8 LMS on the left are in the down position). The ultra with the new carbon doors does not have operating windows and thus has a little sliding window on the driver’s side of the car, another feature with which to identify an ultra. (However lately some teams have begun fitting small sliding windows to their older R8 LMS cars).

15. Here one can also see the larger air intake more clearly. The new 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has a much larger intake which has a much sharper apex corner compared to the older R8 LMS.

Click on the photo for larger image

16. Point 6 continued: Some of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra cars have been seen running the new wider rear wing but using the more upright mountings similar to the older R8 LMS. In these photos the WRT car on the left is an ultra and has the new wing mounted on the older more upright mountings. The Phoenix car on the right is also a new ultra but has the new rear wing and mountings. Here one can see the new ultra mountings have a more curved design and reach further rearwards and hold the wing in a lower vertical position than that compared to the older R8 LMS mountings.

Click on the photo for larger image

17. Point 6 continued: The differences between the rear-wings are difficult to see. This is a design drawing taken from a technical document about the 2012 R8 LMS ultra (Link to this document HERE). It clearly shows the difference between the rear wings, rear wing mounting and rear wing position. The yellow wing is the older R8 LMS rear-wing and position, note that the rear wing is narrower and that the mountings for the wing are more forward and upright. The blue wing is the new wider R8 LMS ultra rear wing. Note the new mountings here are lower and reach further rearwards than compared that of the older R8 LMS. 

Note: The FIA originally disallowed the new lower more rearward rear wing position during homologation, and thus all Audi R8 LMS ultra cars used the new wider rear wing on the older more upright mountings. There were a few exceptions to this rule as some of the individual race series, such as the VLN, allowed the new rear wing position set up. 

18. The front fender of the Audi R8 LMS is much smoother than that of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The Audi R8 LMS ultra fender has a distinct edge in the fender which follows the round contour of the wheel. This edge gives the ultra the lower and wider appearance when viewed from the front.

19. The edge described in point 18 carries on until the fender meets the front splitter. Here the curvature of the front nose meets the edge and forms a distinct corner. 

20. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra was launched with bonnet vents which were not present on the older Audi R8 LMS. These vents were disallowed during homologation and the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars had to run with a panel which closed the vents, thus returning that section of the car to the appearance similar to the older R8 LMS. However, as was the case with the rear-wing positions, there were a few exceptions to this rule as some of the individual race series, such as the VLN, allowed the open bonnet vent set-up. 

There are many differences under the skin of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra, including revised carbon doors, new layouts to the cooling system, wider front wheels etc. The above “tutorial” gives one the ability to at least visually distinguish between the cars. For some more information regarding the technical aspects of the ultra have a look at this great link to a gallery hosted at the J-Fly Racing R8 LMS teams' Facebook page, which shows a technical document of the ultra, see it HERE.

This was part 2 of our How to spot an Audi R16 article series. Part 2 focused on the differences between the original Audi R8 LMS and the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. All four articles within this series covering all four versions of the Audi R16 can be seen via the four links listed below: 

Article links: 

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 1: Introduction
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 2: Original Audi R8 LMS and 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 3: Audi R8 GRAND-AM

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 4: 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra  

Photo credits:

Audi Sport Media
Fabian Wiedl

Norbert Kratz 

Jean-Baptiste Lassaux from IG-Autorennsport

Team Nova Driver
Christian Mamerow

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 3: Audi R8 GRAND-AM

By Johan Laubscher

This is part 3 of our How to spot an Audi R16 article series. Part 3 focuses on the differences between the Audi R8 GRAND-AM and the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. All four articles within this series covering all four versions of the Audi R16 can be seen via the four links listed below:

Article links: 

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 1: Introduction
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 2: Original Audi R8 LMS and 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 3: Audi R8 GRAND-AM

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 4: 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra 

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 3: Audi R8 GRAND-AM 

  

The Audi R8 GRAND-AM was launched in 2012. The car was specifically developed for the North American Grand-AM GT rules. The championship began allowing FIA GT3 cars to compete, but required modifications to be made to the cars ensuring they comply with the specific Grand-Am GT rules. The R8 GRAND-AM was based on the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra and shares the basic bodywork layout. Below we will discuss these visual differences. It is also worth noting that many people refer to the Grand-Am Audi R8 race car as the “Audi R8 LMS” or the “Audi R8 LMS Grand-Am,” however the official name of this vehicle is the “Audi R8 GRAND-AM.”

For this comparison the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has been used as the datum for the comparison with the Audi R8 GRAND-AM.

Front view

Click on the photo for larger image

1. The windscreen of the Audi R8 GRAND-AM has three support bars/struts for added protection, as per the Grand-Am rules. The FIA GT3 specification Audi R16 cars, which includes all the R8 LMS and ultra versions, do not have these bars.

2. The front splitter on the Audi R8 GRAND-AM is a lot smaller than that of the 2012 R8 LMS ultra. The R8 GRAND-AM also has a much more pronounced lifted lip on the underside of the splitter, as highlighted in the photo. See point 7 for more details regarding the front splitter differences.

3. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM has a standard Grand-Am issue rear-wing which is much smaller than that of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. See points 12 to 14 for more detail on the rear-wings.

4. The small side front splitter of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra is a single and very large unit. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM side splitter is also a single unit but much smaller. Note the R8 GRAND-AM pictured does not have its side splitter fitted. Please see point 8 for more details and a photo of the splitter.

5. From a visual perspective, the roll cage difference is difficult to see, however the roll cage in the Audi R8 GRAND-AM is much thicker. This is a requirement of the Grand-Am rules for increased safety, due to the speeds and the banking which the cars experience when running at tracks like Daytona.

6. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM shares the general 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra body work, including the bonnet vents. These vents were allowed on the R8 GRAND-AM, but they were disallowed on the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra during the homologation process at the beginning of 2012. During 2012, the R8 LMS ultra bodywork used a panel to cover the vents, as seen in the picture.

Click on the photo for larger image

7. Here the difference between the front splitters can clearly be seen. The R8 GRAND-AM has a much smaller front splitter which does not extend far outwards from the bodywork and follows the rounded contour of the front nose. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra splitter extends far out from the bodywork and has aggressively squared off edges and a virtually flat underside which only has a very small lip.

Click on the photo for larger image

8. The side splitters on the two cars differ in size. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM also has a single unit, but it is a lot smaller than that of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Side View

Click on the photo for larger image

9. The front splitter of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has a side-plate, often in a wood colour, on the side of the splitter. This plate is not present on the Audi R8 GRAND-AM.

10. The Grand-Am GT cars do not have side windows and only have mandatory catch-nets. Thus the Audi R8 GRAND-AM is in this configuration, whereas the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has fixed side windows with a small sliding window on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

11. The rear wing positions of the two cars differ as per the requirements of the specific rules for each car. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM has a standard Grand-Am issue rear wing which is much smaller than that of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. See points 12 to 14 for more detail on the rear-wings.

Click on the photo for larger image

12. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM rear-wing is smaller than the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra rear-wing.

13. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM rear-wing mounts have a bend in their profile, whereas the 2012 R8 LMS ultra mounts are straight. More detail regarding the mounts can be seen in point 17. It should also be noted that the R8 LMS ultra has two different rear-wing mounts, one set which extends more rearwards and another which is less rearward and more upward. The ultra pictured is the aforementioned more rearward position.

  

14. The 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra has very large rectangular end-plates, whereas the Audi R8 GRAND-AM has much smaller end-plates with rounded edges.

Click on the photo for larger image

15. It should also be noted that the Audi R8 GRAND-AM has received an updated rear-wing position. Towards the end of 2012 the Audi R8 GRAND-AM was allowed a new higher and more rearward rear-wing position, which greatly aided the aerodynamic layout of the vehicle. This new updated rear-wing position is also present on the 2013 Audi R8 GRAND-AM, which does not differ visually from the 2012 car.

Rear View

Click on the photo for larger image

16. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM rear-wing is not as wide as that of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra, which extends the entire width of the vehicle.

17. Both of the cars use the same rear-wing mounting point locations in the bodywork, thus the bends are added to the Audi R8 GRAND-AM rear-wing mounts in order to compensate for the more widely positioned bodywork mount locations.

18. The basic rear end layout is the same on both vehicles, including the rear diffuser which is visually similar.

Top View

19. The Audi R8 GRAND-AM has its fuel nozzle on the left side of the vehicle, whereas the fuel nozzle of the 2012 R8 LMS ultra is located on the right.

This was part 3 of our How to spot an Audi R16 article series. Part 3 focused on the differences between the Audi R8 GRAND-AM and the 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. All four articles within this series covering all four versions of the Audi R16 can be seen via the four links listed below:

Article links: 

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 1: Introduction
How to spot an Audi R16: Part 2: Original Audi R8 LMS and 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 3: Audi R8 GRAND-AM

How to spot an Audi R16: Part 4: 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra  

Photo credits:

Audi Sport Media

Team Nova Driver