Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Audi R8 LMS claims second victory in SCCA World Challenge series]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/22/audi-r8-lms-claims-first-victory-in-scca-world-challenge-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/22/audi-r8-lms-claims-first-victory-in-scca-world-challenge-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/22/audi-r8-lms-claims-first-victory-in-scca-world-challenge-series/#commentsFiled under: ,

GMG Audi R8 LMS

After starting on the pole but falling behind mid-race, James Sofronas earned back the lead position to take victory at the Pirelli World Challenge event held at the Long Beach Grand Prix this past weekend. Driving the No. 14 GMG/Mobil 1 Audi R8 LMS, Sofronas was near the front of the pack when the No. 9 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60, driven by Alex Figge, suffered a brake rotor failure near the end of the race and went into a wall. The No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R, piloted by Johnny O'Connell, jumped into the lead. O'Connell only needed to complete two laps under caution for the win.

Yet the Cadillac would never complete those laps, as a three-inch piece of debris (presumably from Figge's car) had lodged into the CTS-V.R's front end, taking out vital machinery. The fatal wound would stop O'Connell dead on the last lap, allowing Sofronas to take the checkered flag and earn top spot on the podium. It was the R8's second victory in the series and Sofronas' second career win at Long Beach.

It is of interest to note that James Sofronas is credited with bringing the R8 LMS to the States to compete in the World Challenge after watching its success overseas. The southern California resident is owner/driver for Global Motorsports Group (GMG) - we took a tour of GMS's facility last year and shot the carbon-bodied Audi R8 LMS under early development. The team brought a total of four R8's to Long Beach this year, with its No. 14 car finishing first.

Audi R8 LMS claims second victory in SCCA World Challenge series originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audi r8 lmsglobal motorsports groupjames sofronaspirelli world challengesccaworld challengeMon, 22 Apr 2013 15:45:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20546515/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/04/22/audi-r8-lms-claims-first-victory-in-scca-world-challenge-series/20546515/article-detail.xml 20546515 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/world-challenge-lb-2013_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/world-challenge-lb-2013.jpg <![CDATA[An inside look at the Audi R8 LMS and its future of racing in the U.S.]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/an-inside-look-at-the-audi-r8-lms-and-its-future-of-racing-in-th/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/an-inside-look-at-the-audi-r8-lms-and-its-future-of-racing-in-th/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/an-inside-look-at-the-audi-r8-lms-and-its-future-of-racing-in-th/#commentsFiled under: , ,

GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS

Audi's customer racing program with the R8 LMS has been an unequivocal success. Since the delivery of the first race car in March of 2010, more than 40 examples have competed in 18 different championships worldwide, racking up more than 100 victories. In 2011 the R8 LMS captured important wins at the 24 hour races at Spa and Zolder, as well as claiming a GT3 class victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Most recently the R8 LMS won the Bathurst 12 Hour race in Australia for the second year in a row.

One of the places the R8 LMS hasn't had a big impact, though, is here in the United States. For 2012, Audi did finally homologate a version of the race car for Grand-Am, but it's a version that's significantly changed from the model that competes in the European GT3 series. The aerodynamics of the car are less aggressive to meet Grand-Am standards, the 5.2-liter V10 is detuned by around 75 horsepower, and driver aids like ABS and traction control have been removed.

With the R8's success in motorsports internationally, Audi has hinted that it is currently looking at expending the car's presence to other racing series stateside. One man, James Sofronas, isn't waiting around for the good folks at Ingolstadt to take action, though. He got his hands on a pair of GT3-spec R8 LMS race cars and is in the process of homologating them for a racing series here in the United States. He recently invited us to take a closer look at the R8 LMS and learn more about the car's domestic racing future.

Continue reading An inside look at the Audi R8 LMS and its future of racing in the U.S.

An inside look at the Audi R8 LMS and its future of racing in the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almsamerican le mans seriesaudiaudi r8 lmsglobal motorsports groupgmg racingjames sofronasr8r8 lmsscca world challengeThu, 29 Mar 2012 11:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20203363/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/03/29/an-inside-look-at-the-audi-r8-lms-and-its-future-of-racing-in-th/20203363/article-detail.xml 20203363 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/gmg-audi-r8-lms_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/gmg-audi-r8-lms.jpg -1 2