WRT Audi name strong driver line-up

WRT Audi name strong driver line-up
WRT have named the men charged with driving their two Audi R8 LMS ultras in the 2012 season. The former DTM racer Frank Stippler (Germany) and Audi factory driver Oliver Jarvis (Great Britain) are part of the squad as well as the former Le Mans winner Stephane Ortelli (Monte Carlo). The Belgian junior Laurens Vanthoor completes the squad.

Ortelli is a familiar face to Audi as well as to Team WRT. The 1998 Le Mans winner was part of Audi’s first sports car line-up a year later, enjoys an excellent reputation in endurance racing with numerous victories and champion’s titles under his belt. He has been driving the Audi R8 LMS since 2009 and has been with WRT since 2010.

Jarvis has completed four years in the DTM. At the Le Mans 24 Hours the Briton in the Audi R10 TDI was the best rookie two years ago. In addition, he has gathered experience in endurance racing in the Audi R8 LMS at the Nurburgring. This year, Jarvis is part of Audi’s sports car factory team for the first time.

Stippler has been a development driver for quattro GmbH since 2004. From 2009, the German has been making a valuable contribution to the success story of the Audi R8 LMS.

Vanthoor, 20, was a Volkswagen factory driver from 2009 to 2011 and won the Formula 3 Cup in Germany in 2009.

"This squad allows us to put an attractive and promising mix of drivers on the grid," said team director, Vincent Vosse. "International successes through to winning Le Mans, strong technical expertise, many years of professional racing experience, four drivers from four nations - these are optimum pre-requisites for a harmonious team that works together well.

WRT will decide the composition of the pairings for the two cars at a later date. Following track tests starting at the end of March, a long and challenging season lies ahead.

"Both in terms of the sport and logistics this is the biggest challenge our ‘young’ team has tackled so far," said Vosse.
FIAGT.

Deliveries of the new Audi R8 LMS ultra begin

Deliveries of the new Audi R8 LMS ultra begin

• First examples of the new GT3 sports car presented to customers
• Two German teams collect an R8 LMS ultra each in Neckarsulm
• Numerous detail improvements

Ingolstadt, March 3, 2012 – The first four examples of the new customer sport
race car, the Audi R8 LMS ultra, have been delivered ready for the 2012 season.
The teams Mamerow and Prosperia uhc speed collected the first two 420 kW
(570 hp) GT3 sports cars in Neckarsulm on Friday. Two other vehicles were
shipped to Japan at the same time.
This marks the start of part two of a success story: Since 2009, Audi has produced
more than forty examples of the first generation of the R8 LMS and has achieved
119 international victories with the vehicle. And now its successor is ready to go.
Two race customers collected the first examples of the new Audi R8 LMS ultra at the
Audi plant in Neckarsulm. Mamerow Racing based in Castrop-Rauxel and Prosperia
uhc speed of Roth were the proud recipients of this evolution of the GT3 sports car.
Peter Mamerow and his team and Udo Zink, Managing Director of Prosperia uhc
speed, both accepted their vehicles in person at the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm.
“We are delighted that our sports car is enjoying such a great reception in the GT3
scene, which is becoming increasingly important internationally,” emphasized
Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing at quattro GmbH, which
develops, produces, and markets the Audi R8 LMS ultra. “Apart from our sales
figures, we also take our conquest rate as a gauge of our success. We are delighted
to welcome Mamerow Racing into the fold as a new member of the Audi customer
sport community. The team has been a key player on the Nordschleife of the
Nürburgring for years and has now decided to opt for our product. We are also just
as delighted that Prosperia uhc speed has chosen to stay with us and we will be
providing the team with their second R8 LMS ultra very soon. Other customer teams,
some of which were with other brands until now, will follow in the next few weeks.”

Two other R8 LMS ultra vehicles are now heading overseas. They will be collected in
Japan by Nova Engineering, one of quattro GmbH’s four international service
partners, and will then be presented to local customers there. Audi Sport customer
racing will have delivered 20 examples of the new model by the end of April.
The new Audi R8 LMS ultra boasts numerous technical modifications in comparison
to its predecessor. The new GT3 sports car is state of the art in everything from its
passive safety to much improved aerodynamics, a more efficient cooling system,
and modifications to its chassis. At a purchase price of 329,900 euros (plus VAT),
Audi’s newest customer sport race car is an attractive offer. This GT3 race car
bearing the four rings also boasts very long intervals between overhauls. For
example, the powerful V10 engine, which is based on a mass-produced engine,
regularly clocks up 20,000 kilometers or more of racing before needing its first
overhaul.
Audi Sport.

WTCC: ZENGÖ MOTORPORT ADD SECOND BMW CAR

ZENGÖ MOTORPORT ADD SECOND BMW CAR

Hungary-based Zengö Motorsport step up from one to two cars. After having confirmed WTCC race winner Norbert Michelisz the team have entered a second BMW 320 TC for the 39-year-old Gábor Wéber who succeeded Michelisz in winning the SEAT León Eurocup in 2010.
Michelisz said: "I can't wait the 2012 season to start. Monza is going to be quite interesting, but I hope we can be at least as competitive as we were there last year. I know that this season will be a huge challenge and with Gábor Wéber as my team-mate, I think it's possible to fight more frequently for top positions as he is a very competitive driver, and we know each other very well."
And Wéber added: "We've been working on the project for months and finally we are there. I'm very happy to be back with Zengö Motorsport, and to team with Norbert. He was my teammate in the SEAT Cup and we share the same fighting spirit. Together we can be even stronger to challenge for the Yokohama Trophy."

Gábor Wéber joins fellow countryman Norbert Michelisz at Zengö Mosorport

TIAGO MONTEIRO TEAMS WITH PEPE ORIOLA
Tiago Monteiro remains in the WTCC and with SEAT for a sixth consecutive year. The Portuguese racer will team with Pepe Oriola at SUNRED Engineering; they will be at the wheel of SEAT León cars run under the name of Tuenti Racing Team.
Since 2007 Monteiro claimed 15 podium results, including four race victories in the world championship.
"I am very pleased to be renewing my contract with SEAT Tuenti Racing Team. It's an extension that is pretty obvious from a competitive and commercial standpoint. The brand is increasingly committed to the championship and the best proof of that is that the improvements made to the car this year are significant: a new engine and several major technical developments," declared Monteiro who will take part in a test session at Imola before the season opening at Monza.
"I can't wait to get back to competition in the strictest sense. Next week, the Imola tests will be very important for preparing for the start of the season. These tests will be brief but no stone will be left unturned."

BAMBOO SIGN MACDOWALL AND DI SABATINO
Alex MacDowall and Pasquale Di Sabatino are the drivers signed by bamboo-engineering for their 2012 campaign.
The 21-year-old MacDowall joins the team after two years with the Chevrolet RML squad in the British Touring Car Championship, while Di Sabatino (24 years old) competed in the Auto GP Series in 2011.
Team Principal Richard Coleman said: "We're delighted to have Alex and Pasquale with us. Alex has proved himself in the BTCC over the last two seasons and I'm sure he'll shine at world level as well. Pasquale has no previous Touring Car experience but he's a very quick racing driver and I'm sure he'll adapt quickly to the car."

O'YOUNG JOINS BOARDMAN AT STR
Special Tuning Racing announced their driver line-up for the 2012 season. WTCC regular Darryl O'Young will join Tom Boardman who returns to the world championship after two years that he successfully spent in the British Touring Car Championship.
The team will run two SEAT León cars powered by SEAT Sport's new 1.6 litre turbo engine.
"I'm really looking forward to the new season. I have a lot of confidence in the car, as SEAT worked hard to develop the engine and STR have years of experience with them," O'Young said. Team principal John Boardman commented: "Darryl is an exceptional talent. He has raced all over the world and his experience speaks for itself. He will be a great asset for the team."

ENGSTLER AND NG TO TEAM TOGETHER
Germany-based Liqui Moly Team Engstler announced Franz Engstler and Charles Kaki Ng as their drivers for the 2012 WTCC, at the wheel of two BMW 320 TC cars.
On their attempt to defend the Yokohama Drivers' and Teams' Trophies won in 2011, the German outfit mix Engstler's experience with Ng's youthful enthusiasm.
The 50-year-old Engstler claimed his and the team's first WTCC victory last year at Oschersleben, while Ng (27 year old) joined the squad for the last three events of the season and managed to score his first championship point at Shanghai.
"It was a very promising start for him," said team manager Kurt Treml, adding: "Charles has moved to live in our town, works together with the mechanics and trains on the simulator. He is quickly integrating himself with the team."

RICKARD RYDELL TO RACE AT MONZA
Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden and reigning Scandinavian Touring Car champion Rickard Rydell will take part in the WTCC opening at Monza, marking the drivers' comeback to the world championship in which he claimed five race victories between 2005 and 2009.
Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden's main target for the season is to retain the Scandinavian title, but the team also assess the opportunity of an extended WTCC programme, with further outings possible later this year.
"It will be great to return to WTCC, and particularly to do it together with an all-Swedish team. Our aim for the year ahead is to retain our STCC title, and the WTCC outing will provide us with a valuable opportunity to get back into the racing groove," said Rydell.

LAUNCH OF THE MARRAKECH EVENT
The WTCC Race of Morocco that will take place at Marrakech on April 15, was launched during a press conference at Casablanca's Hyatt Regency Hotel.
In front of a large representative of local media, event promoter Aly Horma announced that the Marrakech street circuit has been renamed after His Highness Moulay El Hassan, heir to Morocco's throne.
"We are deeply grateful to His Majesty the King for this great honour. It is an important recognition and a reward for the huge efforts we have done to establish this event. We are also very happy for the deal we have signed with Eurosport Events that grants the future of the WTCC race meeting for the next three years," Horma commented.
WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti said: "We are very pleased to come back to Marrakech that must be proud to be the only African venue to host an FIA world championship."

The Casablanca press conference launched the WTCC event at Marrakech


COMING ON MONDAY - MONZA PREVIEW AND ENTRY LIST

COUNTDOWN: - 9 DAYS

Fabio Ravaioli - FIA WTCC Media Delegate

The Callaway Corvette - the "purest" GT3 racer

The Callaway Corvette - the "purest" GT3 racer

The Corvette by Callaway Competition is an integral part in the ADAC GT Masters. Since its premiere season of "league of super sports car" in 2007, the Giants went with displacement seven-liter V8 engine to date a total of eight victories in 2009 and took the title for Callaway in the team standings. In the most legendary of all American sports car while living a Swabian soul - but the Corvette is by Ernst Wöhr and Giovanni Ciccone with her team in Leingarten developed and built at Heilbronn.

"Our Corvette is probably the 'cleanest' of all current GT3 race car," said team manager Ernst Wöhr. "The ideas are based according to the original, the GT3-class racing continues all our vehicles on modified street cars." A glance into the workshop of Callaway, which are currently two brand new Corvette for the FIA ​​GT Championship season established in 2012, the series will close significantly. Production vehicles to be gutted to the bodyshell and prepared for the construction of racing cars. About three months it takes for a production Corvette, the workshop of Callaway as a racing version of the ADAC GT Masters leave. So far, Callaway built so since 2005, more than 20 racing Corvette that fight now around the globe from Brazil to Australia to victory. "Our philosophy was never possible to sell a lot of race cars," said Wöhr. "We very much value on the close and cordial relationship with our customers and always all of us have built cars in sight."

Callaway is one of the "founding members" of the GT3 class. "When we were in 2005 by the plans of the International Automobile Federation FIA hearing, call the GT3 class in life, has the same aroused our interest and our return to racing moved. The GT3 class provides for the tuner as a perfect platform to to demonstrate competence. " Since entering into the GT3 class, for which Callaway 2005 allied with the Dutch racing veteran Toine Hezemans, is the current Technical Director of Callaway, Mike Gramke, indispensable part of the team.

With the commitment demonstrated in the GT3 class of technicians and body shop Wöhr Ciccone was the second time a good nose since start racing series in the ADAC at Callaway have a certain tradition. Back in 1993 served the ADAC GT Cup with a Callaway Corvette C4 for the two as a springboard into the modern GT racing and led Callaway Competition in the sequel to the legendary endurance classics such as the 24-hour race at Le Mans and Daytona.

Thanks to continuous development and attention to detail of the Callaway Corvette GT3 race cars of the first generation is still a winning car. Every winter, the muscle car of Wöhr and his team will be further improved. Also for the 2012 season can be found at the in-house by Giovanni Ciccone made carbon fiber dress again, many modifications, so that the Corvette is also a word for this season victories in the ADAC GT Masters a say.

The racing expertise Callaway makes its customers now also accessible by road sports car. Under the leadership of Herbert Schürg, the next to today's NASCAR drivers Boris Said III. for the Swabians in 1993 in the legendary black "Lemon Soda" Corvette C4 in the ADAC GT Cup took that offer Leingartner of the "Callaway Sport Club" high-performance parts in the chassis and aerodynamics area. This closes the circle back to Callaway: From road to race track and back on the road.
ADAC GT Masters Presse.

Official team for 2012 FIA European Rally Champion, Lotus Racing set for tarmac and grassrootsship

Lotus Racing set for tarmac and grassroots

Official team for 2012 FIA European Rally Championship

Rallying
The Lotus International Rally team is set to make its race debut in April in the FIA European Rally Championship. In partnership with Italian team United Business, who won the title last year, the hotly anticipated Exige R-GT will be painted in Lotus’ iconic black and gold colour scheme.

Former Portuguese champion and Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) driver Bernardo Sousa is in-line to race the car at the Rally 1000 Miglia in Brescia, Italy, on 19-21 April, provided the car is ready. Next week the Exige R-GT undergoes its final testing before being submitted to the FIA for homologation. Ten cars will be built this year, with seven cars allocated to the official team and European racing drivers.

Claudio Berro, Director of Lotus Racing, started his career rallying and is thrilled to be back. “This will be the first GT car to be homologated by the FIA. Lotus, of course, has been successful in rallying before, winning the 1981 World Rally Championship with the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. So in many ways we’re all going back to our roots. Partnering with the United Business Rally Team in the FIA European Rally Championship makes perfect sense because they, like us, know how to win. I think this is going to be a very strong collaboration. The championship largely takes place on tarmac, which suits us too. It’s so exciting to go rallying with this new project. It’s another big challenge for Lotus.”

Pier Liberali of United Business, commented: “This partnership agreement with Lotus Racing fills me with pride. Lotus is one of the most famous manufacturers worldwide in the motorsports field. It is an honour for us to be able to work with them, and we will do our utmost to exceed their expectations.”
Unitedracingpress.

Hide-and-seek game is over: the new Audi A5 DTM

Hide-and-seek game is over:
the new Audi A5 DTM

􀀁 Eight more weeks to go before the new DTM era starts
􀀁 Technology largely frozen after homologation on March 1
􀀁 Preparation of race cars has begun

Ingolstadt, March 2, 2012 – One date in particular influenced the work of the
engineers and technicians at Audi Sport in a major way over the past few months:
the homologation of the new Audi A5 DTM on March 1.
Exactly 59 days before the racing debut at the Hockenheimring on April 29 the rule
now is “rien ne va plus.” As of the electronic transmission of all relevant design
drawings, CAD data, descriptions and photographs to Deutscher Motor Sport Bund
(DMSB) for approval (“homologation”) the key technical areas of the new DTM
vehicles – including aerodynamics – have been frozen. This means that the concept
Audi is using to start the “title defense” project in the 2012 DTM has been finalized.
Like its two competitors, Audi had been testing the final version of the new A5 DTM
in top-secret conditions excluding the general public over the past few weeks. “More
than ever before, even the minutest detail will count this year in the DTM,” says
Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Obviously, you want to keep the
things you’ve worked out over the past few months under wraps for as long as
possible.”
The new DTM regulations prescribe more shared parts than in the past and impose
further restrictions on aerodynamics as well. The Audi engineers are convinced
nonetheless that they have come up with interesting and innovative detailed
solutions again in this area in which Audi has consistently been a trendsetter over
the past few years. And these solutions were covered by so-called “bubble wrap”
(camouflage) of the type their colleagues in production pre-development use to
disguise their secret prototypes.

This hide-and-seek game is over now. When comparing the first A5 DTM as it was
unveiled to the world’s public at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) in
September 2011 with the vehicle that has just been homologated the changes that
have been made are obvious at first glance. The single-frame radiator grille and the
air intakes on the sides of the front spoiler in combination with the characteristic
LED daytime running lights of the production A5 give the A5 DTM an extremely
dynamic look. The three-dimensional aerodynamics components in the lower third
of the vehicle flanks are small works of technological art. And the rear section as
well exhibits innovative ideas.
Audi factory driver Filipe Albuquerque was the first to have the chance of getting an
idea of the overall package. At the end of February, the Portuguese had the honor of
completing the first test kilometers at the wheel of the A5 DTM with chassis
number 003 that both in terms of weight and aerodynamics reflected the (near-)
final version. “I expected quite a bit of it,” said the winner of the 2010 Race of
Champions at which he defeated Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel among
others. “But I wouldn’t have thought that the step would be so big. Particularly in
fast turns the new A5 DTM handles like a formula car. Truly fascinating! I think I’d
have to readjust quite a bit if I switched back to the old A4 DTM …”
The homologation on March 1 also gave the starting signal to the three Audi factory
teams that are now beginning to prepare the race cars at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt.
Four of the new A5 DTM vehicles can be seen at the official track tests in Valencia
(Spain) from March 20 to 22 – then sporting the design of the various sponsoring
partners as well.
Yet the work of the technical staff has by no means come to a halt. The remaining
days before the Hockenheim season opener will primarily be dedicated to finetuning
work and efforts to maximize the potential of A5 DTM in combination with
the new Hankook tires.
Audi Sport

Audi brings the quattro back to the race track

Audi brings the quattro back to
the race track

􀀁 World premiere in Munich: the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro
􀀁 Four-wheel driven diesel hybrid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
􀀁 Audi ultra lightweight as base for the application of hybrid technology

Ingolstadt/Munich, February 29, 2012 – Motor sport is used yet again by AUDI
AG to pioneer new technology: the brand with the four ring’s new Le Mans race car
is the world’s first LMP1 car to combine a highly-efficient TDI with a hybrid
system. quattro drive also celebrates its comeback to the race track with the
prototype – in a entirely new form.
Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the name of the new Le Mans prototype that makes its
race debut on May 5 in the 6-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and fights
for overall victory at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) on June 16/17. Audi
unites two technologies in a fascinating way to create a new type of drive, which is
also already being tested for future use in production cars: e-tron quattro.
Hiding behind this description is the next generation four-wheel drive with which
Audi combines the advantages of the proven quattro drive with the potential of
electromobility. To this end one vehicle axle is powered conventionally, the second
by electric motors.
“Audi has always consciously selected championships and categories in racing that
have a close relationship to production and therefore have technical relevance for
the Audi customers,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, who
personally drove the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro onto the stage on Wednesday
evening during its world premiere in the Audi Training Center at Munich airport –
electrically and almost silent. “quattro, TFSI and TDI are three excellent examples
of how motorsport has stimulated production development. A similar tendency is
apparent with the e-tron quattro: we test a completely new technology on the race
track before it’s introduced to the Audi production line.”

On the Audi R18 e-tron quattro kinetic energy is recovered on the front axle during
the braking phase. It is fed as electric into a flywheel accumulator before being
retrieved under acceleration again above a speed of 120 km/h. During this
procedure only the front axle is integrated. The V6 TDI power plant producing 375
kW (510 hp) continues to transmit its power to the rear wheels. Both systems
complement each other to create the new drive principle e-tron quattro.
Project began in February 2010
The project e-tron quattro for motorsport started in February 2010. Only 18 months
passed from the initial conceptual ideas to the first test. “This is a relatively short
cycle for a technology that has never been tested in motorsport and which still
doesn’t even exist in production,” stresses Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of
Technology at Audi Sport. “The challenge is correspondingly big.”
Audi Sport developed the Audi R18 ultra in parallel to the Audi R18 e-tron quattro –
because Audi takes a two-pronged approach this year in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
and in the newly created FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) – the 2012
model year Audi R18 is built with and without hybrid drive. The trick: the base of
both cars is completely identical, which is why the additional logistical effort is kept
limited for Audi Sport and the race team.
“The TDI engine invented by Audi is still the most efficient drive in the world,” says
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We are convinced that the TDI has even more potential. This
is why Audi not only supports the hybrid in motorsport as it does in production, but
in parallel also the further development of the conventional drive.”
Innovation in transmission area
The R18 e-tron quattro’s twin brother more than lives up to its model name ‘R18
ultra’: it is the lightest Le Mans prototype that Audi Sport has ever built. To
compensate for the additional weight of the hybrid system the subject of
lightweight design and construction was the focus throughout development of the
2011 Le Mans race winning R18 TDI. In addition to the many detail optimizations
there is also a genuine innovation in the transmission area: a new gearbox with a
carbon-fiber composite housing was developed for the R18 – a premiere for
endurance racing.

“The new R18 ultra is a distinct evolution of last year’s Le Mans race winning car,”
summarizes Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Our drivers’
impressions were very positive from the first moment. Without the weight
optimized R18 ultra we would have not been capable of realizing the R18 e-tron
quattro which is absolutely identical with the exception of the hybrid system.”
Le Mans 2012: two R18 e-tron quattro and two R18 ultra
Audi Sport Team Joest will field two R18 e-tron quattro and two R18 ultra
prototypes in the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16/17. The two hybrid cars are driven by
last year’s winning trio Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer
(F) as well as Dindo Capello (I), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) who
boast a total of 13 Le Mans wins between them. New signing Loïc Duval (F) starts
together with Timo Bernhard (D) and Romain Dumas (F) in an R18 ultra as do Marco
Bonanomi (I), Oliver Jarvis (GB) and Mike Rockenfeller (D).
Audi Sport Team Joest also contests the World Championship round at Spa-
Francorchamps (Belgium) on May 5 in the same formation. At the same time the
race doubles as a dress rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only Mike
Rockenfeller will miss this race due to a clashing date with the DTM.
After the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi plans to enter an R18 e-tron quattro and an
R18 ultra in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). André Lotterer and
Allan McNish have been nominated as the drivers so far.

At the World Championship opener at Sebring (USA) on March 17, Audi Sport Team
Joest relies on the proven R18 TDI from last year, which are driven by Marcel
Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan
McNish as well as Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Loïc Duval.
Audi Sport.