Team Novadriver phenomenal 2012 with Audi

By Tarek Ramchani

Team Novadriver had a very successful 2012 season with Audi and their R8 LMS ultra cars. The Portuguese Audi Sport customer racing team was able to clinch four titles with the highlights being the Portuguese GT and Spanish Iber GT titles.

In Portugal, the title went to César Campaniço and Carlos Vieira. In Spanish Iber GT it was Mikko Eskelinen from Finland who gave the team the driver's crown. Team Novadriver also did very well in the FIA GT3 European Championship. A fine fourth place in the final points standings and a race win in Russia. 10 victories out of 34 races, quite remarkable for a truly privateer effort.

For 2013 the team will be back with Audi for the fourth straight year. The big target will be the newly formed FIA GT Series with an R8 LMS ultra. The car will be in hands of the team's star, César Campaniço joined by Carlos Vieira.

Championship titles:
Portugues GT - Cesar Campanico, Carlos Vieira
Spanish Iber GT - Mikko Eskelinen
Iberian Supercars Trophy - Cesar Campanico, Carlos Vieira
Taça de Portugal de Circuitos GT - Cesar Campanico, Carlos Vieira

Team Novadriver has just released a brilliant 15-minute video review featuring their phenomenal 2012 season. All their races are included. Great action on prestigious European tracks and great sound as well from the 5.2L V10 inside the R16 cars. Enjoy.

Photo credit and more information:

Team Novadriver official Facebook

All the Audi R8 LMS victories in FIA GT3 European Championship 2009-2012

By Tarek Ramchani

2012 saw the end of one of the most successful sportscar racing series in recent years, the FIA GT3 European Championship. Launched in 2006 by the SRO (Stephane Ratel Organisation), FIA GT3 was the pinnacle of the GT3 formula. Unlike FIA GT1 and FIA GT2 cars, GT3 cars were much closer to their road going counterparts, thus making them a lot cheaper and affordable for privateer teams and gentlemen drivers.

Audi joined the category in 2009 with their R8 LMS. What was planned to be a learning year turned out to be a very successful debut season. Phoenix Racing won the drivers title with youngsters Christopher Haase and Christopher Mies. That was the first and only overall championship title for the R16 in FIA GT3. The years that followed saw the Audi R8 LMS achieve more race wins with different customer teams.

The 2012 FIA GT3 season had a dramatic collapse with very poor grids, many teams switched to the sister and growing Blancpain Endurance Series. By the end of the year the SRO decided to pull out from the series, the same fate as the FIA GT1 World Championship. For 2013 both the FIA GT1 and FIA GT3 championships have been merged into one single unified championship, now named the FIA GT Series and again under the SRO umbrella, open to FIA GT3 spec cars. Multiple Audi cars are expected to join the field in 2013.

Here is a list which features all ten race victories achieved by the Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars during the last four years of the FIA GT3 European Championship.

2009 FIA GT3 Round 7 Algarve -  #26 Phoenix Racing of Christopher Haase and Christopher Mies

2009 FIA GT3 Round 8 Algarve -  #26 Phoenix Racing of Christopher Haase and Christopher Mies

2009 FIA GT3 Round 11 Zolder -  #26 Phoenix Racing of Christopher Haase and Christopher Mies

2009 FIA GT3 Round 12 Zolder -  #26 Phoenix Racing of Christopher Haase and Christopher Mies

2010 FIA GT3 Round 3 Jarama - #3 Team Rosberg of Bernd Herndlhofer and Kenneth Heyer

2011 FIA GT3 Round 2 Algarve - #33 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT of Enzo Ide and Greg Franchi

2011 FIA GT3 Round 6 Navarra - #33 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT of Enzo Ide and Greg Franchi

2011 FIA GT3 Round 12 Zandvoort - #33 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT of Enzo Ide and Christopher Haase

2012 FIA GT3 Round 1 Nogaro - #16 Sainteloc Racing of Marc Sourd and Gregory Guilvert

2012 FIA GT3 Round 10 Moscow - #114 Team Novadriver of  Ni Amorim and Cesar Campanico

Photo credit: SRO / FIA GT3 European Championship