Quartet of Audi R8 LMS racecars to compete in Nürburgring 24-hour race
Audi R8 LMS - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Audi's new R8 LMS racecar is set to face its first serious test of motorsports endurance next month. Abt Sportline and Phoenix Racing will each field two cars at the Nürburgring 24 Hour race with factory support from Audi. In preparation, the R8 LMS has already completed two races at the Green Monster as part of the BFGoodrich Endurance Championship, including one podium finish, and it will complete in one more event before the 24 hour race scheduled for May 23-24.
According to Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi's motorsport programs, the race will also be used to reveal any potential problems with the racecar before delivering the R8 LMS to customers this fall. With a driver lineup full of experienced road racers like Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller, Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro, and Marco Werner, we expect the R8 LMS to be fairly competitive. Plus, if there is anything we've learned from Audi's motorsport program, it's that both teams will be well prepared almost any problems that might arise. Follow the jump for more details in Audi's press release.
Gallery: Audi R8 LMS
PRESS RELEASE:
Ingolstadt – In the course of the further development of the Audi R8 LMS, an ultimate endurance test is on the agenda for the new GT3 sports car of AUDI AG at the end of May: On May 23/24, Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing, with "factory" support by Audi, will field a total of four vehicles in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
"The 24 Hours is not only one of the biggest motorsport events in Germany," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is considered one of the world's toughest and most demanding race tracks. Similar to Sebring for the sports prototypes, it is superbly suited for revealing the final improvement potential of any new race car. This is exactly what we're planning to do at the 24-hour race before delivering the R8 LMS to customers, starting this fall."
The Audi R8 LMS delivering some 500 hp has so far completed two "test" races as part of the BFGoodrich Endurance Championship on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and already clinched a podium result in the process. Another "test" race is planned for May 2. On that day, the 14 drivers scheduled to contest the 24-hour race will be at the wheel of the four vehicles.
Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing managed to form high-caliber driver squads consisting of five current Audi "factory" drivers, four DTM Champions, four Le Mans winners and five drivers who have won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring at least once. All 14 drivers are regarded as outstanding endurance racers who are intimately familiar with the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
They include the reigning DTM Champion Timo Scheider, who – together with his DTM teammate Mattias Ekström and three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner – will compete for Team ABT Sportsline. On the occasion of the Audi brand's 100th anniversary, their Audi R8 LMS will contest the event as car number 100. The second ABT Sportsline R8 will be driven by Christian Abt, Jean-François Hemroulle, Pierre Kaffer and Lucas Luhr.
Marc Basseng, Mike Rockenfeller and Frank Stippler will drive one of the two cars of Team Phoenix Racing. With the multiple Le Mans winners Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Hans-Joachim Stuck as well as Marcel Fässler at the wheel, the second R8 LMS fielded by Phoenix Racing has a particularly prominent cockpit crew.
With three overall victories under his belt so far, Hans-Joachim Stuck, who has been the Motorsport Representative of the Volkswagen Group since January 2008, is one of most successful drivers of the 24-hour race. Lucas Luhr, Emanuele Pirro, Timo Scheider and Mike Rockenfeller have entered their names on the winners' list of the endurance classic as well.
Also Team Phoenix Racing has already won the Nürburgring 24 hours. It triumphed at its home race in the Eifel region in 2003. The best result (second place) achieved by ABT Sportsline so far dates back to 2003 as well.
The 37th edition of the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race will start on Saturday, May 23, at 4 p.m. (local time). Practice sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday. The sports channel DSF will air extensive live coverage from the Nürburgring.
The Audi teams at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring:
Audi R8 LMS #97 (ABT Sportsline)
Christian Abt (D)
Jean-François Hemroulle (B)
Pierre Kaffer (D)
Lucas Luhr (D)
Audi R8 LMS #98 (Phoenix Racing)
Marc Basseng (D)
Frank Stippler (D)
Mike Rockenfeller (D)
Audi R8 LMS #99 (Phoenix Racing)
Frank Biela (D)
Marcel Fässler (CH)
Emanuele Pirro (I)
Hans-Joachim Stuck (A)
Audi R8 LMS #100 (ABT Sportsline)
Mattias Ekström (S)
Timo Scheider (D)
Marco Werner (D)
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick 10:21AM (4/22/2009)
Oh boy! More factory teams in GT-class! :D
Reply
dwightB 10:19AM (4/22/2009)
And we have LF-A vs R8 trash talking in 5... 4... 3... 2...
Reply
Zamafir 10:49AM (4/22/2009)
I doubt it, audis been dominating. The lexus was stomped on by everything last year. When you place 77th behind a handful of golfs and 120ds you don't register on anyones motorsports radar, except the tired fanboys taking any chance to try and validate toyotas failure by hitching it to audis juggernaught.
We all see through the bs, do us a favor and make comments which are remotely valid from now on. You can peddle your toyota snake water in the corolla forums.
hashiryu 12:09PM (4/22/2009)
It (LF-A)had an accident and was pitted various times, for as long as 3 hours. Before the accident, it was doing stomping of it's own.
nagmashot 1:12PM (4/22/2009)
there will be no R8 vs LF-A
quali time from the 04.04.2009
R8 LMS 8:30.992min
LF-A 8:41.914min
quali time from 18.04.2009
R8 LMS 9:45.03min
LF-A 10:03.593min
best lap race 18.04.2009
R8 LMS 9:37.554min finish 2.place
LF-A 10:00.530min finish 22.place
Not to forget the R8 LMS race one class below in the SP7 and the LF-A in the SP8 were they are alowed to race larger engines with more punch...specially in endurance race speed the different is huge in 4h the R8 LMS laped the LF-A once...
Tom Winch 1:57AM (4/24/2009)
There's an LF-A racing? Really? They were so far off the pace last year it could have been mistaken for the safety car. All kidding aside, the #99 and #100 cars have great driver lineups and should be at the front at the end.
ksmith 10:21AM (4/22/2009)
The headline threw me. For a second there I thought they were dusting off their old petrol LMP1 cars. That'd be sweet.
Reply
Nick 10:31AM (4/22/2009)
LMP1 cars in a GT-class race?
Zamafir 10:52AM (4/22/2009)
They'll wait and sell them a few decades from now, like p4 LOL.
rtofilovski 3:52PM (4/22/2009)
Nick,
The LMP1 no longer races. The PRODUCTION R8 is named aftter the old LMP1 car. Now they've taken the production R8 and turned it into a GT car for racing. I agree, its confusing a bit.
LMP1 R8, then production R8, and now GT R8 for GT racing.
Quattroporte 10:51AM (4/22/2009)
I know the R8 comes from the genius engineers at quattro GmbH, it says it on the side of the car, but why did they put a quattro (as in 4WD not GmbH, similiar to the one pictured) badge on the grille?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Audi_quattro_logo.JPG
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/audi-r8-gt3-racer/1509440/full/
Reply
Joe K. 11:02AM (4/22/2009)
I just got off the phone with them, they said it was solely to aggravate people like you. Seems to be working...
Quattroporte 11:18AM (4/22/2009)
Who did you get over there?
It's not aggravating; I was just under the assumption that the badge was reserved for Audis equipped with quattro.
zamafir 11:20AM (4/22/2009)
lmao, nice. Here's an even better question, why have any automakers sponsor nascar cars when they bare zero resemblance to the things on the street save some cutesy painted headlights. Oh wait wait... the badge on a real production car is a bigger issue. Let's focus on that for now everyone! Surely it is the most agregiously ungenuine assult on motorsporting audiences in the inteirety of motorsports! lmao
Quattroporte 11:38AM (4/22/2009)
I like to pick on Audi. It's not that I don't like them. It's more like a grade school kid who picks on the girl he has a crush on.
I don't know how, but someone is going to read too much into that, and I'm going to regret posting this comment.
nagmashot 1:27PM (4/22/2009)
could be also a S-Line sticker not a quattro sticker.... they have different type of S-Line sticker that looks from the far like the quattro sticker...
http://www.cartype.com/pics/60/full/audi_s-line_a3_04.jpg
zamafir 11:22AM (4/22/2009)
"I was just under the assumption that the badge was reserved for Audis equipped with quattro."
On production cars, yup. This is a GT car, and Audi markets motorsports heavily, thus the decision not to remove it. :D
Reply
Trent 11:49AM (4/22/2009)
nice driver lineup. should be a good race.
Reply
extinctdoughnut 12:32PM (4/22/2009)
GT drivers vs. LMP drivers vs. DTM drivers. cool.
BoxerFanatic 3:51PM (4/22/2009)
Nice... R8 seems to be doing quite well for itself. Good to see.
Aside from a McLaren F1, Audi R8 and Ferrari F430 would be duking it out for second place on my ultimate car list. Ferrari being purer sports car, Audi being the technical AWD dynamo.
All three being mid-engined, and having various forms of track experience to the nameplate...
Reply