Rolex Series: Audi teams 2013 season review

By Tarek Ramchani and Johan Laubscher

The Audi brand had a very mixed season in the demanding Rolex Series GT class this year. The American "R16" won the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona with a terrific 1-2 result.

Five teams represented the Four Rings in the 2013 Grand-Am season, but none of them competed at all of the rounds as full season entrants. Alex Job Racing and Rum Bum Racing only took part in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. APR Motorsport had two cars at Daytona and then a single car at Austin, before they withdrew from the series. Fall-Line Motorsports debuted their Audi at Watkins Glen and they entered all of the remaining races and performed very well. Audi also entered two rounds with a factory effort from quattro GmbH/Audi Sport customer racing, competing in the two endurance events at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis.

The season review has been compiled from the 2013 Audi Motorsport Blog Weekend Round Up posts. Each round has been added as was seen in the individual Weekend Round Up posts during 2013, which can be accessed via the links throughout the review below:

Round 1: Rolex 24 at Daytona

The 2013 Grand-Am season got under way this weekend with the Daytona 24 Hours. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were entered by three teams, APR Motorsport, Alex Job Racing and Rum Bum Racing. The teams showed good pace at the Daytona tests days and continued that form during the practice and qualifying sessions. The top Audi qualifier was the #24 AJR entry which originally qualified in sixth and was then upped to fifth place after another competitor was disqualified. The teams were ready for the race which started at 15:30 local time. The race got under way with the Audi teams maintaining their front running pace. All three teams ran at the front end during the afternoon and during the night. Audi held a 1-2-3 during the early evening until various problems, including penalties, dropped them back slightly, but all three remained in the top ten. As the race pasted half way the AJR Audi remained the highest placed Audi followed by the Rum Bum entry. The #52 APR suffered a crippling time penalty during the night. As the sun rose over Daytona both the AJR and Rum Bum cars were penalized and they dropped back. The #52 completed a tremendous comeback and was running in the leading group as the race headed into the afternoon followed by both the AJR and Rum Bum cars who were also completing great recovery drives. The race developed into a huge fight in the last thirty minutes as multiple cars stood a chance of winning. AJR managed to hold the lead after a splash and dash and lead a Audi 1-2-3 on the final lap. Tragedy struck as the Rum Bum car ran out of fuel on the last lap leaving the other two Audis to complete an Audi 1-2 with the #24 AJR winning ahead of the #52 APR. More details regarding the race can be read HERE.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (26-27/01/2013)

Round 2: Circuit of the Americas

Following the Daytona 24 Hours the second Grand Am round was held at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Four Audis took part at Daytona, however only one Audi was entered for round two. APR entered the black #52 Audi R8 GRAND-AM which was driven by Ian Baas and Matt Bell. They qualified seventh. During the race the team ran very well. Within the last half an hour they were battling in the top five until an incident with a Ferrari put the APR Audi out of the race.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (2-3/03/2013)

Rounds 3-6: 

APR Motorsport withdrew their Audi R8 GRAND-AM entry after round two at COTA. There were no Audi entries at Barber Motorsports Park, Road Atlanta, Belle Isle Park and Mid-Ohio, rounds 3-6 of the series. However, this was not the end of the Audi R8 GRAND-AM in the 2013 Rolex Series, as Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars returned to the grid for the Six Hours of Watkins Glen, round seven of the season.

Round 7: Six Hours of the Glen

The Six Hours of the Glen was held this weekend. This event was round seven of the Rolex Grand-Am Series, but it was also round two of the North American Endurance Championship. The latter series consists of the endurance Grand-Am events, namely: the Daytona 24 Hours, the Six Hours of the Glen and the three hour race at Indianapolis. For the first time since round two of the Grand-Am series Audi cars again took part. Two cars were entered this weekend. Fall-Line Motorsports debuted their R8 GRAND-AM in the series for the first time, whilst the second car was entered by Audi Sport customer racing. The #24 Audi Sport entry will be entered for the remaining two endurance events. Their drivers: Felipe Albuquerque, Eduardo Mortara and Dion von Moltke, are leading the standings following their victory at the Daytona 24 Hours. The two Audis showed well during the weekend with the #24 car qualifying in fourth and the Fall-Line entry in twelfth. It was an up and down race for the two Audis. The Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM lead the race for five laps during the pit stop sequences, but they eventually dropped back and finished fourteenth. The #24 Audi Sport customer racing entry also fell back during the event and ultimately finished within the top ten, placing in ninth.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (29-30/06/2013)

Round 8: Indianapolis

The Grand-Am Rolex Series headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, for the Brickyard Grand Prix. This event was the eighth round of the Rolex Series, and more importantly, it was the third and final round of the North American Endurance Championship. Two Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were entered, the factory #24 Audi and the Fall-Line Motorsports car. The factory Audi squad showed excellent pace all weekend, and qualified in third for the three hour event, followed by the Fall-Line Motorsports entry in ninth. Filipe Albuquerque took the green flag in the #24 Audi R8 GRAND-AM and remained within the front battle for the first hour. He was running as high as second for the majority of his stint and things were looking good. Unfortunately tragedy struck within the second hour. The #94 BMW M3 lost control in the in-field section and collected Albuquerque from behind. The resulting damage ended the #24 Audi’s race and their bid for the NAEC title. Further back the Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM soldiered on well and came home for a top ten result, finishing ninth within the GT class.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (27-28/07/2013)

Round 9: Road America

Road America hosted round nine of the Grand-Am Rolex Series this weekend. Fall-Line Motorsports was the only Audi entry at the event, with their #46 Audi R8 GRAND-Am driven by Charles Espenlaub and Charles Putman. The team took part in the opening three practice sessions, but ultimately they made the decision to withdraw the Audi from the Road America weekend. The reason behind the decision was that the team has not had sufficient time to test and develop their new Audi R8 GRAND-AM. They have completed two races with the Audi, but hardly any testing. They will now focus on testing with the Audi and getting up to speed to challenge effectively in the Grand-Am Rolex Series. The team’s official press release regarding the withdrawal can be seen HERE.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (10-11/08/2013)

Round 10: Kansas Speedway

Fall-Line Motorsports was back in the Grand-Am this weekend, taking part in round ten at Kansas Speedway. A week ago they withdrew their Audi entry at Road America due to lack of testing time since acquiring the car, but they were back this week, and with two new drivers in the Audi: Mark Boden and Bryan Sellers. They qualified tenth for the two hour forty-five minute race and finished fifth within the GT class.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (17-18/08/2013)

Round 11: Laguna Seca

The eleventh and penultimate Grand-Am race weekend headed to Laguna Seca. The Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM was entered, driven by Al Carter and Bryan Sellers. The team was also allowed to use the original 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra rear diffuser, after it was cleared by the series organisers, but the car had to be fitted with penalty weight due to the change. They qualified sixth and finished the race in ninth place within the GT class.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (7-8/09/2013)

Round 12: Lime Rock

Lime Rock Park played host to the twelfth and final round of the Rolex Grand-Am Series. Fall-Line Motorsports was again the lone Audi entrant with their #46 Audi R8 GRAND-AM, driven by Al Carter and Eric Lux this weekend. They qualified in twelfth and finished the 2 hour forty-five minute race in twelfth place as well.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (28-29/09/2013)

Special thanks to our friend Dion von Moltke. The South African rising sportscar star raced twice with Audi in the Rolex Series this year. The Daytona 24 Hours GT victory was certainly a tremendous highlight. You can read our interview with Dion von Moltke right HERE.

More about Dion von Moltke at his official website www.dionvm.com, his Facebook page www.facebook.com/Dionvm and Twitter www.twitter.com/Dionvmracing.

Photo credit:
Grand-Am
APR Motorsport
Audi Media
Fall-Line Motorsports / Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography

Q&A: Interview with Dion von Moltke - Daytona 24 Hours winner

By Johan Laubscher

Dion von Moltke has been a very busy race car driver in recent years. The young South African has been seen in a variety of race cars, including the Audi R8 GRAND-AM in North America. He was seen in the #51 APR Motorsport Audi during 2012, and most recently in the factory Audi Sport customer racing R8 GRAND-AM at Watkins Glen. His highlight of the season, without a shadow of a doubt, was when he won the Daytona 24 Hours (GT class) in the Alex Job Racing R8, sharing the car along with his teammates Filipe Albuquerque, Oliver Jarvis and Edoardo Mortara.

During 2012 we at the Audi Motorsport Blog spoke to Dion following a trip back home to South Africa, and published an interview featuring his 2012 season with the #51 APR Audi R8 GRAND-AM. We have recently caught up again with Dion following the Six Hours of the Glen, for another short Q&A, this time featuring his Daytona 24 Hours victory and the 2013 season. 

1) First off, please describe how it felt winning the Daytona 24 Hours and collecting your Rolex.  

To put into words the emotions and feeling I had walking up onto the top step of the podium and collecting my Rolex watch along side my teammates and having our whole team in front of me was definitely the most emotional experience I have ever had.  Motorsports is not often looked at as a team sport but to win the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona it takes a mammoth effort from every single person on a team, and our team at Alex Job Racing and Audi Sport Customer Racing went into battle with us and were flawless for the entire 24 Hours. Since our win at Daytona I haven’t actually really been able to sit back and reflect on what happened because I have been flat out working on the next race and trying to get back behind the wheel of an Audi.

2) How did the closing minutes of the race feel, when Albuquerque was leading the race with the do-or-die fuel strategy? 

That was the most heart stopping gut wrenching time of my life to sit there and have no control over what was happening.  Olly Jarvis, Edo Mortara and I were all locking arms around one another yelling at the TV scream as we watched Filipe put in an amazing stint to hold off everyone for the last hour.  The strategy the team came up with was absolutely genius, between our race engineers Greg Fordhal and Jürgen Jungklaus and our data engineer Pat Fraccalvieri they came up with the best strategy of anyone on the lead lap at the end.  As drivers we were trying to do the math of what gap we would need over second place to pit for a “splash-and-dash” at the end and still come out in the lead.  As we pitted we thought we had no chance to come out still in the lead, but as Filipe came out just infront of second place and still in the lead we all though two things, “We might not be the best mathematicians, and oh my god we might actually win this thing!”  There is a great youtube video filming the us drivers standing arm in arm yelling obscenities at the TV screen where you can just see the emotions pouring out of us for the final 2 laps.  I still get Goosebumps just writing about these moments I will never forget.  

3) Describe the synergy in your driving crew at the Daytona 24 Hours, it was certainly an international mix with drivers from South Africa, Portugal, Italy and Britain.  

I have always said chemistry is always the most important thing in building a team, and I believe that was our greatest strength throughout the entire event.  The first time I really got to meet any of them was on the test days under a month before the race and we all immediately got along well with one another as well as with the entire team.  In our debrief sessions our feedback was almost exactly the same to what we wanted or needed out of the car to improve.  Also when it came to something as important as seat position we all were willing to compromise a little bit to find the best possible solution for all four drivers, it is these little key things that were so important.

4) How did it feel racing alongside the factory drivers from Audi, who were all spread among the four Audi R8 cars at Daytona?  

Just seeing my name alongside Albuquerque, Jarvis, and Mortara was something special.  Every driver dreams of becoming a factory driver and driving along side them was great.  Throughout the event you learn what has made them each so successful and you try to learn and implement those specific things to your own career and build upon it.  

5) From the outside it looked like there was a good team spirit amongst the four Audi cars entered by AJR, Rum Bum and APR. How did the cohesion feel amongst the four teams from your perspective?  

Absolutely!  We all worked very, very closely together.  We would share all information between the cars and drivers.  We would have meetings that would include engineers and drivers from all the cars together and speak about what was working or wasn’t working as a group and formed a strategy to continue to improve.  The massive amount of workload put in by everyone at Audi Sport Customer Racing as well as all the teams was the biggest reason the success we were able to have.

6) A brief description of your season so far after the Daytona 24 win in January.  

Since Daytona it has been the most hectic season I have ever had with the biggest workload in and out of the car.  The business side of racing, is the actually the biggest part of being a racecar driver but it’s something that unless you’re involved in the industry.  Since Daytona I have signed to drive with Flying Lizard Motorsports for the rest of the season in ALMS which has been fantastic, they are one of the best teams in sportscar racing internationally so it has been an honor to work with them.  On the Grand-Am side I have been able to find last minute rides for a race in most of the races which has been really nice.  I have already done more races this year than I normally do for the entire season so the extra seat time is very nice to have and also something as a driver you need to adjust to.  With the extra racing and traveling you need to manage the off weeks a little bit differently and really attack the fitness end to continue to improve and push yourself during them.  

7) You have recently been re-partnered with Mortara and Albuquerque for the remainder of the North American Endurance Championship, when did this program get finalized, shortly after Daytona or was it a more recent endeavour/decision from the team? 

From my end it was actually very last minute.  I actually found out I would be racing in the car the week of the race.  In racing as a driver you learn that the old saying “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready” is extremely important and true.  

8) Describe how the Watkins Glen weekend went for you and the #24 Audi crew.  

It was the first time any of us drivers had even sat in the Audi R8 Grand-Am racecar since our last laps at Daytona International Speedway, so to show up with extremely limited testing and qualify top five and have a car to win the race speaks so much to how good our engineers and crew are at Audi Sport Customer Racing.  Throughout the race we didn’t have things fall our way, in fact we just had some really bad luck when it came to timing of the yellows that really cost us a potential win there.  The competition in Grand-Am is extremely fierce and every team has the potential to win so you really need things to fall your way as well as preform at an extremely high level.  We had the crew and car to win the race but we didn’t make it happen which is frustrating but we’re all working hard to come back stronger!

9) The #24 Audi R8 GRAND-AM has been entered as a factory team, under the name of Audi Sport customer racing. How does it feel being part of this team for the NAEC, and how has the team been put together from the people at Kettler Motor Werks?  

As a driver the best scenario you can have is when you show up for a race and you know you are driving for the best team in the paddock and with Audi Sport Customer Racing I have that.  You realize straight away working with everyone there as well as with Brad Kettler and everyone he has at Kettler Motor Werks what has made them all so successful over the last decade in motorsports. 

10) Will we be seeing you in the Audi Sport customer racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM at Indianapolis for the final NAEC round? 

Not sure if I will be in the car there or not yet.

11) This year you are racing in both ALMS and Grand-Am. Which one is most demanding, and how do they differ with approach for the driver?  

Actually as a driver the two series have become quite similar and are both extremely demanding.  The main difference between the two series is in ALMS I race in the GTC class with Flying Lizard Motorsports and in the class everyone has the same spec Porsche 911 Cup Car and the changes you can make are extremely limited compared to Grand-Am.  This puts a huge emphasis onto the drivers in the car truly becoming even more important as well as a team that really focuses on all the very small details to get absolutely everything out of the car you can.  The difference on speeds as well in ALMS between the prototypes and GT cars are also much greater so that means you tend to spend more time looking in your mirrors and it also makes it a little tougher to judge traffic as often you will look in your mirror and see absolutely no one behind you and then all of a sudden three corners later they’re diving up the inside of you.

12) Following the completion of the NAEC, where else can we expect to see you racing this year? 

Well I will be racing the rest of the season in the American Le Mans Series for Flying Lizard Motorsports.  That is my main focus for the rest of the year and as of now the only thing certain I have on the calendar.  I am still working very hard to get back behind the wheel of an Audi more full time.

13) You have now had a full 2012 season in an Audi with APR, a Daytona 24 Hours victory and a factory drive in the NAEC. Are there any possibilities of seeing you going over to Europe to race one of the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars for a guest drive, and possibly becoming an Audi factory driver in Europe?  

That would be fantastic as I would love to be doing some racing in Europe but as of now my main focus is over here in the U.S.  If I had an opportunity to race some in Europe, especially as a Audi Factory Driver, I would be on the plane there the day I got the call! 

We at the Audi Motorsport Blog thank Dion for taking the time to complete our questions, and we wish him the best of luck for the rest of the 2013 season. Here's to seeing him back in victory lane very soon. 

Dion also thanks his sponsors for their continued support

More information:

Dion von Moltke website

Dion von Moltke on twitter

Dion von Moltke FB page

Photo credit: 
Audi Sport Communication / Media
Audi of America Media (Sideline Sports Photography, LLC)

von Moltke and Audi stars take Rolex 24 GT victory at Daytona

Dion von Moltke Press Release

Daytona, FL (Sunday, January 27, 2013): GRAND-AM Rolex Series young star Dion von Moltke teamed with a trio of Audi factory drivers today to take the German manufacturer to its first victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

von Moltke; Brit, Oliver Jarvis; Italian, Edoardo Mortara and Portugal's, Filipe Albuquerque drove the No.24 Alex Job Racing R8 to victory in the GT class, greeting the checkered flag 1.476 seconds ahead of the No.52 car of Rene Rast to make it a 1-2 finish for Audi.

After starting fifth, the Alex Job Audi stayed in contention for the entire 24 hour journey before disaster struck with two and half hour remaining when the car was assessed a penalty for avoidable contact with the No.61 Ferrari.

Despite assertions from the Ferrari team that they hadn't been hit, Mortara was forced to head to pit lane to serve a one minute penalty.

This put the car one lap adrift of the leaders and back in seventh place. However, clever pit strategy from the Alex Job Racing team over the remaining 150 minutes of the race not only put the No.24 car back on the lead lap, Albuquerque was able to drive into the lead.

The Audi squad faced a nervous final stint, uncertain as to whether they would need to make one final pit stop for a splash of fuel. Albuquerque's late race pace actually enabled the team to call him in for fuel with a mere five minutes remaining and return to the race with a slim lead.

Despite late race pressure, Albuquerque was able to hold on to take the victory.

“I’m completely speechless. With more than two and half hours to go we got a penalty for avoidable contact and went a lap down,” von Moltke said.

“We thought we were down and out but we kept fighting, we kept digging, we kept trying to find any way, and Filipe (Albuquerque) probably put in the best drive I've ever seen a race car driver do in my life, and that's what it really takes to win this race, and to pull it off is really special.

“It was going to close on fuel and when we had to come in for a splash we thought “oh no” but we came back out in the lead and the whole team just erupted. I’ve never seen an atmosphere like that."

The victory is the second major sportscar endurance victory for the PR Newswire-supported driver von Moltke and Alex Job Racing in less than twelve months. The combination was also victorious in the GTC class in the American Le Mans Series in last year's 12 Hours of Sebring.

Today was the second victory for Alex Job Racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona - the previous one coming in 1999.

“To win a Rolex watch at Daytona is incredible. This was only my fifth time doing this race and it is the first attempt for Olly (Jarvis), Edo (Mortara) and Filipe. Until this year I’d never even led a lap here. I managed to do that in my stint and now to come away with a victory is just amazing," von Moltke said.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Audi and I’m thrilled to be a part of their first win here at the Daytona International Speedway. To get to drive with these three guys was a great experience they have already become some of my best friends in two weeks. They really are some of the best drivers I've ever got the honor to work with.

“I've always really enjoyed and loved driving for Alex (Job). Everyone on the team really gets along, and I've always said chemistry is the most important part of winning any race, especially Sebring or Daytona or Petit or any of those races.

"To be standing here on the podium as a winner at the Rolex 24 at Daytona is quite surreal. I have to say a big thanks to everyone who has helped my career including everyone at PR Newswire. Their backing and support has played a key role in my career so far.

“Of course everyone at Alex's team and everyone at Audi. We all had one goal this weekend and we all worked together towards that goal.”

Photo credit: Audi Media

von Moltke teamed with Audi factory stars for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Dion von Moltke Press Release

GRAND-AM Rolex Series hot shoe Dion von Moltke is ready to team up with a trio of Audi factory stars for an assault on this weekend's 51st running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

von Moltke will drive the No. 24 WeatherTech Audi R8 GRAND-AM with PR Newswire alongside Italian, Edoardo Mortara; Brit, Oliver Jarvis and Portuguese driver Filipe Albuquerque. The quartet were consistently fast at the recent "Roar before the 24" pre-season test in early January - kicking off the event by being third fastest in the opening session and repeating the effort in the final run of the weekend with a time of 1 minute, 49.887 seconds. The 22-year-old von Moltke has a unique opportunity at the Rolex to be teamed with three of Audi's top young stars. The 25-year-old Mortara finished fifth in last year's DTM championship with two wins.

Former A1GP race winner Albuquerque (aged 27) also enjoyed a strong season in 2012 finishing just outside the top 10 in 11th - beating the likes of David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher in the standings. After four seasons of DTM competition, the 29-year-old Jarvis switched to the FIA GT1 World Championship with Audi last season and also drove their P1 class R18 prototype at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished third with Marco Bonanomi and Mike Rockenfeller. von Moltke is looking forward to sharing seat time with three of the hottest stars for the famous German marquee.

"For any driver, the eventual goal is to become a factory driver and for me to be able to work not only with any factory drivers, but some of the best, from an organization like Audi, is an amazing experience," von Moltke said. "Edoardo Mortara, Oliver Jarvis, Filipe Albuquerque... they've been very successful in the DTM, one is driving the R18 prototype and they just had a dominant year. They're also very young and very hungry. They haven't had a long, extensive career with five or six Le Mans wins. This isn't just another race to them. They're coming here and are extremely determined, as is Audi. The energy that they bring with them and the confidence as well really rubs off on the team and on me as well. So it's been really nice being able to work with them and see what they do differently. You can take little points from each driver - you never stop learning from guys you are working with. Each of us have different driving styles and through the data, we're able to pick apart what I do better, what they do better and combine it all together. We not only have an open environment within Alex Job Racing but also within all the Audis here for the Rolex 24. Where we're all working together with data and setups. It's really great to see the teamwork and camaraderie all pushing each other to get faster, and hopefully get an edge on the competition. You not only have to have a quick car, but also be very confident in what you have under you is going to be reliable, in order to push. Not only is Audi and Alex Job Racing really focused on making the car fast, they're also committed to making it reliable."

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the toughest endurance races on the global calendar. With 59 entries, the number of cars is similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the pack is squeezed into a 3.81 miles road course compared to 8.46 miles in France. By racing early in the year during the winter, the Rolex 24 also has considerable more running at night compared to Le Mans - up to 13 hours of the race is contested in the dark.

"As a driver, you used to be able to baby the car around and you'd start pushing only for the last six hours or so. But in reality nowadays, it's really 24 one-hour stints," von Moltke said. "I remember at the start of the race last year, already 30 minutes into the race, people were blocking and fighting for positions and being very aggressive. You never used to see that, but the dynamic of this race has changed. Everyone's flat-out and you need to be flat-out as well and trust that your car will be reliable. Luckily when you work with a manufacturer like Audi and you have a really good team like Alex Job Racing, you have a lot of confidence in that aspect of the race. Going into it, we know we have as good of a chance as anyone else, team-wise and car-wise to make it through the race reliably. The competition is going to be really strong. I think this might be the strongest competition in GT, or even in DP, that we've ever seen for this race."

Despite the strong performance of the Alex Job Racing at the pre-season test, von Moltke is under no illusions as to the big task ahead he and his Audi factory teammates face.

"While we were quick at the test, you unfortunately never really know how you stack up until race day. I think the Porsches are going to be strong, as well as the Ferraris. BMW has a really good lineup and the Stevenson Chevrolet did well last year. There are a lot of cars that might not be ultra-quick around Daytona, but they know how to make it strategy wise. To be able to get a top-5 or even a top-10, you have to be perfect. The drivers cannot make any mistakes and the team cannot make any mistakes. The whole mindset going into this race is that you have to look after your own responsibilities and that's not always easy to do, especially in a big team when there is a lot of pressure. But you have to focus on what your job is and on the task at hand. If everyone does their own jobs to the best of their ability, I think we have as good of a chance as anyone else to go out and win this race. It will really be down to everyone bringing their 'A' game."

Photo credit: Endurance-Info

Positive Daytona tests for Audi R8 GRAND-AM teams

By Tarek Ramchani

Daytona hosted the annual "Roar Before The Rolex 24" last weekend, the official test days of the Rolex 24 Hours. Audi was well represented at the world famous speedway. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were there and they did really well.



Audi debuted the R8 GRAND-AM spec car last year in the Rolex Series. It was a really mixed season, as APR Motorsport had a lot of ups and downs with the car. The team really improved during the season and achieved a sensational second in class at the season finale. Later towards the end of 2012 the Audi R8 GRAND-AM again proved that it was heading in the right direction. Audi Sport customer racing and quattro GmbH were among the fastest in the last December tests at Daytona.

Now the Audi Rolex Series squad has increased, welcoming two new comers. Both Alex Job Racing and Rum Bum Racing are fielded a single car each. They join APR Motorsport, the Alabama based team, who is back for the second straight year this time with two cars. All three teams worked very hard in these tests this weekend. Most of the time they were able to enter the top 10 in the very demanding GT class. The R8s were as fast as the world class rivals from the Porsche, Ferrari, Chevrolet and Mazda teams.

The amount of the support from Audi is clearly showing. The Four Ringed brand really wants to add an Audi victory in the Florida classic to their already impressive results with the Audi R8 in the other big endurance classics. Proof of that is the massive presence of Audi works drivers and Audi Sport customer racing engineers who are present with each of the three teams. In end the best result for the Audi R8 GRAND-AM was a fine second place in class, set in the third session with the #52 car of APR Motorsport.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is set for the end of January. And as seen last weekend Audi will be one of the big favourites for the GT class win.

Photo credit: APR Motorsport / Daytona International Speedway