Audi R8 LMS wins the most important endurance race for GT cars.

Audi R8 LMS wins the most important

endurance race for GT cars.

􀀁 Audi Sport Team WRT triumphant at the 24 Hours Spa

􀀁 Victorious against GT cars from twelve other manufacturers

􀀁 DTM stars Ekström and Scheider in winning car

Ingolstadt/Spa, July 31, 2011 – The Audi R8 LMS won the most important

endurance race for GT cars ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Audi Sport Team

WRT overcame the strongest competition during the 63rd running of the 24

hours of Spa (Belgium). The two DTM stars Mattias Ekström (Sweden) and Timo

Scheider (Germany) and the Belgian endurance specialist Greg Franchi shared

driving duties in the victorious mid-engine sportscar.

Experts agreed before the race started that the endurance classic, held since 1924,

had never fielded so many potential winners as this year. A total of 62 cars

representing 13 different manufacturers joined the grid, including no less than 57

cars of the worldwide booming GT3 category.

The opening stages of the endurance classic in particular fulfilled expectations.

Spectators lining the 7.004 kilometer track and in front of television screens

enjoyed tough battles for position, countless overtaking maneuvers, retirements

and small and big dramas which are typical for a 24-hour race. The Audi R8 LMS was

the fastest car in the field from the very beginning. After just a few hours it was

clear that the V10 powered R8 sports cars where the favorites for the victory.

The race of the victorious #33 R8 LMS fielded by Audi Sport Team WRT was

particularly impressive. The car driven by Mattias Ekström, Greg Franchi and Timo

Scheider ran like clockwork for 24 hours, while many other GT3 cars were no match

for the stresses and strains of the hard fought endurance race. The brake discs and

pads were changed twice as scheduled. Apart from this, the R8 LMS only entered pit

lane to refuel, change tires and to swap drivers. At the start of the tenth hour

Ekström/Franchi/Scheider took the lead which they duly held all the way to the

checkered flag. At the finish the trio had a two-lap lead over the closest rival.

Audi led 22 of the 24 hours. Just after midnight three R8 LMS actually occupied the

first three positions. However, while Audi Sport Team WRT also celebrated fourth

overall for the #32 car, Audi Sport Team Phoenix was struck by bad luck.

Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase and Frank Stippler led convincingly for many hours

in the #99 R8 LMS and had eked out an advantage of almost an entire lap. Just after

1 a.m. Haase lost first place due to a faulty air jack system. Only an hour later the

youngster slid off the track on a damp patch at Turn 9 and had to retire the car.

The #98 sister car was hit by a slower car on the left rear wheel while fighting for

the lead towards the end of the third hour. Shortly afterwards second gear was lost.

Although they had to continue without second gear as a result and lost additional

time due to a puncture, Marcel Fässler, Andrea Piccini and Mike Rockenfeller worked

their way back up to third from 13th before a gearbox change was required just

after midnight. The change cost 1 hour 36 minutes. The trio still managed to battle

their way through the field from 36th to 14th thanks to consistently quick laps and

in the process recorded the absolute fastest race lap (Mike Rockenfeller / 2m

20.286s).

The second Audi R8 LMS entered by Audi Sport Team WRT put in two exciting

comeback drives. After an accident in qualifying, Stéphane Ortelli scythed

spectacularly through the field from 41st to second in the opening 90 minutes,

before a drive-through-penalty for contact cost almost a lap. Changing the front left

suspension components took 24 minutes and threw the #32 car back to a seemingly

hopeless 42nd position. However, Filipe Albuquerque, Bert Longin and Stéphane

Ortelli had other ideas, overtook car after car and finished the race in an almost

sensational fourth overall. This was the icing on the cake for Audi Sport Team WRT

which celebrated an important victory in its first outing as “factory” team for Audi.

“Vincent Vosse’s team really did a fantastic job during its home race,” explained

Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Mattias (Ekström), Greg (Franchi)

and Timo (Scheider) drove fast and without mistakes – and it was exactly this that

was the key to victory this weekend alongside the reliability and speed of the R8

LMS. Unfortunately out other three cars were rather unlucky and especially Ernst

Moser’s squad. That’s why it was almost like Le Mans at the end: After just a few

hours we only had one iron still in the fire – but we won with this car. This shows our

strong nerves and team spirit because everybody helped to take the win with the

only remaining car.”

The Audi R8 LMS, which is supplied to customers by Audi Sport customer racing

since last year, notched up win number 96 this weekend. “After three class victories

in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and the one-two in the 12-hour race at

Bathurst at the start of the year, this is without doubt the most important victory

for the Audi R8 LMS and our still relatively young customer racing program,” said

Werner Frowein who is responsible for the company’s customer racing program as

Managing Director of quattro GmbH. “I’d like to thank everybody who worked so

hard and with so much commitment to make this victory possible. After Le Mans,

Audi now stands in the winners list of another great 24-hour race. We were able to

show that the R8 is a fantastic sportscar. Our increasing number of customer teams

also confirms this.”

One of these customer teams, United Autosports, contested the 24 hours Spa with

three R8 LMS. Following an eventful race with drivers Richard Dean, Zak Brown,

Stefan Johansson and Johnny Herbert can be delighted with 13th overall and sixth

place in the Pro-Am category.

Audi Sport.