BOSS GP: Absolute Racing was out in force at the Shanghai season opener in September

By Johan Laubscher

The Shanghai International Circuit hosted the opening round of the BOSS GP during the last weekend of September.

This event, which did not receive much news coverage, saw Absolute Racing out in force entering a total of five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars.

The Chinese Audi Sport customer racing team fielded one Audi R8 LMS ultra driven by Sun Jing Zu (#13). They also entered four older Audi R8 LMS cars driven by Z.Ting (#6), Jeffrey Lee (#58), F.Sean (#96) and J.Kane (#99).

Qualifying was highlighted by pole position for J.Kane in the #99 Audi R8 LMS. Jeffrey Lee secured third place on the grid, followed by Sun Jing Zu and  Z.Ting in positions four and five respectively. F.Sean lined up seventh on the grid.

The first race of the weekend saw three of the Audi drivers finishing within the top four. Jeffrey Lee finished second in his #58 R8 LMS, a mere 0.492 seconds behind the race winner. He finished ahead of Z.Ting and Sun Jing Zu. F.Sean finished sixth and J.Kane rounded out the top ten in tenth.

Race two concluded with a quartet of Audis finishing behind the race winning Porsche. Jeffrey Lee once again took second position, leading home J.Kane, Z.Ting and Sun Jing Zu. F.Sean finished thirteenth.
 
Both races were won by the #91 Team JR / Asia Racing Team Porsche Porsche 911 GT3 R of Li Chao.

The next round of the BOSS GP will be held as a support event alongside the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Shanghai from 1-2 November.

Special thanks to Sergio Fonseca (@SergioFonseca8) who kindly assisted us with sourcing the results from this event.

Photo credit: sports.qq.com

GT Asia: Highs and lows for Audi in Shanghai

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

• Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon take double victory in GTM Class
• Wins see Jacky Yeung top of GTM class rankings
• Unlucky weekend in GT3 for Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies

China, October 13, 2014 – The Hong Kong pairing of Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon scored back-to-back victories in the GTM class of Rounds 11 and 12 of the GT Asia series at the Shanghai International Circuit on October 11-12. After youngster Solomon clocked the fastest time in qualifying, the pair held onto pole position throughout the two races to pick up maximum points.

In Round 11, Matt Solomon, one of Asian motorsport’s most talented young drivers, got off to a flying start, pulling away from the rivals in the GTM class. This blistering pace gave Jacky Yeung a massive 16-second lead, who then drove even faster during his stint, recording a lap time a full second quicker than their qualifying time on the way to victory for the Audi R8 LMS #77.

Starting from pole-position for Round 12, Solomon and Yeung once again flew around the Shanghai International Circuit for their second start-to-finish victory of the weekend. Having secured maximum points for the weekend, Yeung moves to the top of the GTM class leaderboard heading into the finale in Macau next month. A good result in the final race will see Yeung crowned GT Asia GTM class champion for a second time.

In the GT3 class, the pairing of Jeffrey Lee and Audi factory driver Christopher Mies, endured a tumultuous weekend. In the first race, their Audi R8 LMS ultra #7 was hit by another driver, before suffering a puncture, which forced an extra visit to the pits. However, strong driving from the pair reduced the earlier delay and they finished in eighth. Unfortunately, there was more bad luck in store, as Lee was nudged in the opening laps of the second race, causing him to crash into the barriers, ending the race prematurely for the pair.

Elsewhere, the Chinese pairing of Sun Jingzu and Wang Jianwei put in two very good performances in front of their home crowd, finishing in ninth in both races. Johnson Huang of Taiwan, scoring two fourth-place finishes in the GTM class.

“This weekend saw our strongest performances so far this season, with two excellent wins for Jacky and Matt,” commented Fabien Fior, Technical Director of Absolute Racing. “But unfortunately, we had some difficulties with other cars making contact with ours, ruining the races for Jeffrey and Christopher and affecting their results. We were very unlucky in that case, but that’s how racing goes. We are all now looking forward to the season finale in Macau next month, and we will push even harder for the best results.”

The Audi entries head to Macau on November 14-16 for the GT Asia series finale at the Guia Circuit.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

V de V: Class victory for AB Sport Auto Audi R8 LMS at Magny-Cours

By Johan Laubscher

Round six of the V de V Endurance Series headed to Magny-Cours. It was a four-hour endurance race held at the French grand prix circuit.

AB Sport Auto, who has been a full season entrant in the V de V, entered their #45 Audi R8 LMS with drivers: Franck Thybaud, Maxime Jousse and Thierry Proust. They were entered in the GTV 2 class for older GT3 machinery.

They qualified seventh overall, taking second place on the grid in the GTV 2 class. The four-hour race concluded in the dark on Saturday evening and saw the AB Sport Auto crew taking a well deserved class victory and fifth overall.

The finale of the V de V will be taking place at Estoril with a six-hour endurance race from 7-9 November.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

GT Asia: Double class victory for Yeung and Solomon Audi R8 LMS in Shanghai race 2

By Johan Laubscher

Race two of the GT Asia Series at Shanghai concluded with another class victory for Absolute Racing.

Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon made it a double for the weekend by winning the GTM class in race two. Yeung handed over the car to Solomon in third place and Solomon was then able to pass both cars to take class victory with the #77 Absolute Racing prepared Tiger Racing Team R8 LMS. The pairing finished tenth overall. Jacky Yeung now has a twelve point lead in the GTM championship standings and the title will be decided at Macau.

Jian Wei Wang and Sun Jing Zu piloted the #17 Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra to ninth place overall, the highest Audi in the overall results. Johnson Huang repeated his race one result by finishing thirteenth overall, taking fourth in the GTM class with the #26 Absolute Racing R8 LMS.

Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies unfortunately retired from race two on lap seven, after having started from third position on the grid.

The finale of the 2014 GT Asia Series will be taking place at Macau with the Macau GT Cup from 13-16 November.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

SVRA: Old and new Audi R8 presence at COTA U.S. Vintage Racing National Championship

By Johan Laubscher 

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) hosted the U.S. Vintage Racing National Championship at the Circuit of The Americas this weekend, the finale of the season.

GMT Racing and ANSA Motorsports entered Audi race cars for the historic racing event.

Travis Engen was out in force with his GMT Racing prepared Audi R8, chassis #606. 

Eric Johnson brought two of his Audi race cars to the circuit, both prepared and run by ANSA Motorsports. His 2006 Audi A4 DTM R12 plus was on the entry list and his second car, the ex-MTM Motorsport Audi R8 LMS that won the 2013 GT Sprint title in Italy, was seen out on track with Johnson behind the wheel.  

The weekend's results are not online as of yet, but they will be available on mylaps.com HERE.

Photo credit: SVRA and ANSA MIAMI

DMV TCC: Class podium for Maximilian Stein Audi R8 LMS at Hockenheim

By Johan Laubscher

The finale of the DMV TCC was held at Hockenheim this weekend.

Schütz Motorsport entered their #29 Audi R8 LMS in Class 10 with Maximilian Stein behind the wheel. He qualified fourth and third in class for the two races respectively.

Race one concluded with sixth in class for Stein, followed by third in class and seventh overall in race two.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

GT Asia: Class victory for Yeung and Solomon Tiger Racing Team in Shanghai Race 1

By Johan Laubscher

The GT Asia Series is at the Shanghai International Circuit in China this weekend and the first race concluded with an Audi class victory on Saturday.

Qualifying saw the #7 Absolute Racing paring of Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies as the highest placed Audi on the grid for both races, fourth on the gird for race one and third for race two.

The first race was held on Saturday and concluded with a class victory for Absolute Racing. Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon took pole position and lead from start to finish to win the GTM class with the Absolute Racing prepared Tiger Racing Team Audi R8 LMS, they finished tenth overall. This result sees Jacky Yeung taking the lead in the GTM championship drivers’ standings.

The highest placed Audi in the overall and GT3 standings was the #7 Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra of Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies. Their teammates, Jian Wei Wang and Sun Jing Zu, finished ninth in the #17 Audi.

Johnson Huang finished thirteenth overall, taking fourth in the GTM class with the #26 Absolute Racing R8 LMS.

The second and final race of the weekend will be taking place tomorrow. We wish the best of luck to the Audi teams and drivers.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

GT Asia: Audi eyes podium in Shanghai

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

• Four Audi entries in Rounds 11 and 12 of the GT Asia series
• Team Absolute Racing aims for GT3 podium with the driver pairing of Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies
• Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon to challenge for GTM class

China, October 10, 2014 – Four Audi entries will compete at the Shanghai International Circuit in China for Rounds 11 and 12 of the GT Asia series from October 10-12. Team Absolute Racing aims for a podium finish at the first visit of the GT Asia series to Shanghai since 2009.

In the GT3 class, Jeffrey Lee will once again partner Audi factory driver Christopher Mies in the number 7 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The pair claimed fourth place in the last race at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia and will look to add to their points tally this time round.

“Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies are clearly aiming for a podium finish. I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish in the top spot, especially if it is a wet race, as the Audi R8 LMS ultra performs strongly in the rain,” commented Fabien Fior, Technical Director of Absolute Racing. Fior added, “We are definitely expecting another good weekend from all our drivers.”

Jacky Yeung will drive his number 77 Audi R8 LMS Cup car with youngster Matt Solomon, who recently finished on the podium in the Sepang 12h race. The Hong Kong driver pairing’s goal is to win in the GTM class and keep Yeung in line for a shot at the championship. Going into Shanghai, Yeung sits in third place in the GTM class, and a good result could see him climb back to first. In the previous Rounds 9 and 10 at Sepang, Yeung won the first race to move top of the leaderboard, before an early retirement in race two made it a mixed weekend for him.

Local Chinese drivers, Sun Jingzu and Wang Jianwei will compete in front of their home crowd in car number 17. Sun also competes in the amateur category of the Audi R8 LMS Cup and is familiar with both the track in Shanghai, and the GT3 race car. Sun showed a big improvement in his performance in last week’s Boss GP.

Completing the line-up for Absolute Racing and Audi is Johnson Huang from Taiwan in car number 26.

The qualifying sessions will be held on Friday October 10, with Rounds 11 and 12 taking place on Saturday October 11 and Sunday October 12 respectively.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

Macau GT Cup: Six Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars listed on provisional entry list

By Johan Laubscher

The provisional entry list for the 2014 Macau GT Cup was released on Wednesday and it includes a world class entry. Multiple champions, star drivers and teams will be taking part in the prestigious GT event at Macau from 13-16 November 2014.

A total of six Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars are included on the provisional entry list, headlined by the Audi race experience squad with Edoardo Mortara and Laurens Vanthoor. Absolute Racing will also be out in force with four cars.

Audi entries on the provisional entry list [as of 2014/10/08]

#1 Audi R8 LMS ultra – Audi race experience – Edoardo Mortara

#2 Audi R8 LMS ultra – Audi race experience – Laurens Vanthoor

#7 Audi R8 LMS ultra – Absolute Racing – Jeffrey Lee

#68 Audi R8 LMS – KAMLUNG Racing (Absolute Racing) – Mak Hing Tak

#77 Audi R8 LMS – Tiger Racing Team (Absolute Racing) – Jacky Yeung

#98 Audi R8 LMS ultra – Absolute Racing – Philip Ma

The provisional entry list can be seen HERE.

United Autosports had mentioned on their Facebook page that their Audi R8 LMS ultra, along with other entries from the team, would be seen at Macau this year, but thus far only the team’s two McLaren MP4-12C cars are listed on the entry list.

Photo credit: RacerLink [Sean Henshelwood] and Absolute Racing

Macau GT Cup: Mr Macau Edoardo Mortara returning to his favourite circuit + 6 Audi entries so far

By Johan Laubscher

The Macau Grand Prix is set for 13-16 November and six Audi R8 LMS and ultra entries have been confirmed for the Macau GT Cup, wherein Audi Sport customer racing has been unbeaten since 2011.

Audi Communication - Motorsport released details this past weekend regarding the Audi presence that will be at Macau in November. The headline news includes the return of Mr Macau, Edoardo Mortara, who has been unbeaten at Macau in every event that he has competed in since 2009. He won the prestigious Macau Formula 3 event in 2009 and 2010 and followed that up by taking the Macau GT Cup victories with Audi in 2011, 2012 and 2013, along with the Audi R8 LMS Cup support event victory in 2013, making it six out of six for the Italian at Macau.

Mortara will be entered in a two-car Audi R8 LMS ultra team that will be racing under the Audi race experience banner. His teammate will be the young Belgian, Laurens Vanthoor, who has already won the Spa 24 Hours and the Blancpain Endurance Series title during 2014.

The Macau GT Cup will once again also be the finale of the 2014 GT Asia Series and three Audis, fielded by Absolute Racing, will be taking part in the finale. The team’s Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will be driven by Jeffrey Lee and Philip Ma. Jacky Yeung will be competing with an older Audi R8 LMS under his Tiger Racing Team banner, fielded by Absolute Racing.

United Autosports has also mentioned that they will once again be fielding multiple cars at Macau this year, including their Audi R8 LMS ultra. They were seen testing at Silverstone two weeks ago.

The first version of the Macau Grand Prix entry lists is expected to be released soon, but it is great news that six Audi Sport customer racing team entries have already been confirmed so far.

The News in Brief press release from Audi Communications - Motorsport:

Audi Sport customer racing aims to win the Macau GT Cup for the fourth time in succession. The prestigious event, which at the same time is the finale of the GT Asia race series, is held on November 16 in the former Portuguese colony. Edoardo Mortara has won the spectacular GT race in the concrete jungle three times in succession since 2011 in the Audi R8 LMS ultra. This year, the Audi driver returns to his favorite track with the Audi race experience. His team mate is the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor, freshly crowned Blancpain Endurance Series Champion and winner of the 24 Hours of Spa. Team Absolute Racing fields three other Audis. Jeffrey Lee from Taiwan and Philip Ma from Hong Kong each drive an R8 LMS ultra, while Jacky Yeung from Hong Kong relies on the Audi R8 LMS, which he also drives in Asia in the Audi R8 LMS Cup. 

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

TUSC: Paul Miller Racing wins Petit Le Mans - Race Report

Paul Miller Racing Press Release

Bryce Miller, Christopher Haase, Matt Bell and the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS Team Take Victory in Season-Ending 10-Hour Race

BRASELTON, Georgia (Oct. 5, 2014) - Paul Miller Racing and team drivers Bryce Miller, Christopher Haase and Matt Bell scored a strong GT Daytona (GTD) victory in Saturday's season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS.

The win was a first for the established Paul Miller Racing team and its drivers in the inaugural season of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and came in one of the toughest events on the schedule. The timed endurance race is basically a 10-hour sprint to the finish and few teams have had to fight as hard for a Petit victory than the No. 48 Audi R8 LMS squad did on Saturday.

FOX national television coverage of Petit Le Mans highlights airs today in a two-hour telecast scheduled around the network's NFL programming. Viewers can check local listings for times.

Paul Miller Racing's victory capped a challenging season on a high note not only for the team and drivers but Audi as well that earned its first IMSA TUDOR Championship win in the 11th and final race of the season.

Bryce Miller and Haase also jumped two positions in the final IMSA TUDOR Championship GTD driver championship point standings to take runner-up honors for the season.

"It's been a good year and a great team effort with a lot of support from Audi," said Team Owner Paul Miller. "I'm really proud of the guys and the drivers and the team. Our pit stops were great, the car was beautifully prepared and it was just great overall. It's just so nice to end the year with this kind of result, to work our way through the field in a major endurance race like this to cap off the season."

All three team drivers led during the race and the competitive run began with starting driver Bryce Miller who quickly moved up from a 13th-place starting position. The heads-up opening stint was followed by a strong shift in the middle of the race when he led and handed the car off to Haase from second place.

"This is incredible," Bryce Miller said. "We've been on the BoP (Balance of Performance) slide all year but the guys keep making things happen for us from the pit cart. Like all year, we knew we couldn't win this race on pure pace alone, but the team called a brilliant strategy, executed outstanding pit stops, and provided a good solid setup with a focus again on tire preservation to try and improve our lapping average, which has been a tremendous challenge all season long. The drivers kept the car free of contact, didn't make mistakes and our Audi R8 LMS again proved reliable and we picked up positions due to attrition too."

Haase was at the wheel in the race's final hours and three times raced back into the lead. He also defended the team's hard-earned first-place position when the last of the race's mass of yellow-flag periods forced a dash to the finish. The car behind him didn't make it easy.

"The team did a good job and so did my teammates," Haase said. "At the end we stayed out of trouble and had no mistakes. We tried to keep a fast and constant pace and the best team performance, which gave us a chance to fight for the win. The traffic was really tough and at the end the last lap was a bit crazy. In Turn 7 the car behind me crashed into me and afterwards on the back straight. The car is messed up but we can be happy we won, we can be really happy."

Bell raced with Paul Miller Racing at both the Daytona and Sebring endurance events and came home a winner in his first race at Road Atlanta.

"It went quite well," Bell said. "It was a big challenge, especially for me. This was my first time here and my first time back in the car since Sebring. A lot had changed and I just gradually relearned the car over the weekend. I brought the car in ninth, handed it over in fourth and gave it to my teammates who brought it home in the lead. It was an absolutely brilliant job from Bryce and Chris and just the whole Paul Miller Racing team and Audi crew. A big thank you to them for having me and a big thank you for making it possible to win."

Noteworthy

- Saturday's season-ending result couldn't have come at a better time. "This gives us a good boost headed into next season," Paul Miller said. "Our team has really grown a lot over the course of the year. I think we're in a great spot right now. We felt like we had the car and the team to do this all year long, we just kept missing it. We had two seconds and a third and a fourth and we led the Daytona 24 hour from the pole for 13 hours, so it's great to get a good win at Petit. We're very excited."

- A key to success Saturday and all season was tuning the car to maximize its long-run performance in the absence of competitive pace. "We didn't know if we had a win in the cards this year under the current rules configuration, but the pressure has been on this team for so long to find other ways to scrap for results," Bryce Miller said. "It's made us really strong in very specific areas of our play and now here we are with a win a Petit Le Mans. It's a great feeling and a wonderful under-dog story. I'm really proud of the team for staying after it and never giving up. They've earned this result and I'm proud of them."

About Paul Miller Racing
Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing. In 2014, the team will contest the full GT Daytona (GTD) season in the new IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship in a new partnership with Audi Sport customer racing. Bryce Miller and Christopher Hasse will co-drive the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS. The racing team is affiliated with the Paul Miller Auto Group, which has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, races in support of Full Circle Home, and competes with the support of Castrol EDGE, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.

Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and @ChHaase, on Facebook fan pages at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing, and at Facebook.com/brycemiller.net, and www.paulmillerracing.com,  www.brycemiller.net and www.christopher-haase.de.

Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing

TUSC: Paul Miller Racing No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS Team Take Victory in Season-Ending 10-Hour Race

Paul Miller Racing Press Release

Bryce Miller, Christopher Haase, Matt Bell and the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS Team Take Victory in Season-Ending 10-Hour Race 

ATLANTA (Oct. 4, 2014) - Paul Miller Racing and team drivers Bryce Miller, Christopher Haase and Matt Bell scored a strong GT Daytona (GTD) victory in Saturday's season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS.

The win was a first for the established Paul Miller Racing team in the inaugural season of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and came in one of the toughest races on the schedule. The timed endurance race is basically a 10-hour sprint to the finish and no team was on the winning pace more at Petit than the No. 48 Audi squad.

Starting driver Bryce Miller coupled a heads-up opening stint with a strong shift in the middle race when he challenged into the top five. That paved the way for Bell and race closer Haase to bring the No. 48 to the finish.

"It's been very long season for us," Bryce Miller said. "I think our whole team has felt held back so it's just a wonderful end-of-season result to be able to work our way up and win a big endurance race like this to cap off the year."

Haase was at the wheel in the race's final hours and twice raced back into the lead. He also defended the point when the last of the race's many yellow-flag periods forced a dash to the finish.

"The team did a good job and so did my teammates," Haase said. "At the end we stayed out of trouble and had no mistakes. We tried to keep a fast and constant pace and the best team performance, which gave us a chance to fight for the win."

A full report from Petit Le Mans follows.

About Paul Miller Racing:
Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing. In 2014, the team will contest the full GT Daytona (GTD) season in the new IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship in a new partnership with Audi Sport customer racing. Bryce Miller and Christopher Hasse will co-drive the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS. The racing team is affiliated with the Paul Miller Auto Group, which has operated Paul Miller Audi since 1976, races in support of Full Circle Home, and competes with the support of Castrol EDGE, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.

Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and @ChHaase and become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more information about Paul Miller Racing and the team's drivers at ww.paulmillerracing.com, www.brycemiller.net and www.christopher-haase.de.

Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing

NASA Utah: Dominant weekend for TW Racing at Miller Motorsports Park

By Johan Laubscher

The NASA Utah region hosted round six of its racing season at Miller Motorsports Park this weekend, running on the west course configuration.

TW Racing entered their #08 Audi R8 LMS with Derek Wolthoff behind the wheel. They took part in the Time Trails and Thunder race categories.

Saturday’s proceedings were greeted by wet weather and saw TW Racing taking first place in the Time Trails and pole position for the Thunder race. Derek Wolthoff piloted the ex-GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS to a convincing victory in the thirteen laps of racing. 

Sunday saw TW Racing again topping the Time Trails standings and taking pole position for the day's Thunder race. Derek Wolthoff then also took victory in the nineteen lap race, after a hard fought battle with George Smith's Corvette, rounding out an excellent weekend.

Round seven will be the finale of the 2014 NASA Utah season. The final round will be an endurance event weekend, taking place on the outer course configuration at Miller Motorsports Park from 17-18 October 2014.

Photo credit: Makes and Models

TUSC: Flying Lizard Motorsports - Brickyard Grand Prix results

Flying Lizard Motorsports Press Release

July 25, 2014 – Indianapolis, Indiana

The Flying Lizard Motorsports team's stretch of bad luck continued at the Brickyard Grand Prix, as the team's two Audi R8 LMS race cars were hit a total of six times during the two hour and forty five minute TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race, including once even before the race started. Spencer Pumpelly took the start in the No. 35 PR Newswire / UBM Tech / eSilicon car, filling in for injured team owner Seth Neiman. On the first of the two pace laps a competitor ran off track on cold tires and then abruptly rejoined, running into Spencer and causing the No. 35 car to spin. Then only 10 minutes into the race, Spencer was hit again, this time by an out of control Prototype class car. This caused a flat tire and Spencer pitted immediately for repairs. As each driver is only allowed to earn points in one car, the team took the opportunity to put Dion von Moltke into the car for the remainder of the race, but he too fell victim to poor and overly aggressive driving on the part of his competitors, being hit by another GT Daytona class car as well as a Prototype Challenge car as the race went on, before eventually finishing the race with body damage in 13th place in class.

Spencer's teammate Nelson Canache Jr. fared better, starting the race in 4th place and moving into the lead with an inspired pass to jump up two positions in one turn. But the same bad luck was to befall Nelson, as he was hit multiple times by the GTD class BMW and was forced into a spin as well. He was able to recover however and entered the pits in the top-5 during a lengthy yellow for track repair due to a damaged section of curbing. Spencer then took over the No. 45 Yoddle / Venezuela / eSilicon Audi but irregular handling caused by damage to the car hurt his race pace and an 8th place finish was all that was possible.

Flying Lizard hopes to shake its recent run of bad luck in two weeks at the Road America racetrack in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The race will be held on Sunday, August 10th, starting at 1:15pm local time.

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Flying Lizard is based on Sonoma, California, and has competed in the American Le Mans Series for ten consecutive seasons, from 2004 to 2012 in the GT class and in 2013 in GTC. The Lizards have won two ALMS GT team championships (2008 and 2009), one ALMS GTC team championship (2013), and have secured three ALMS GT Drivers' championships (2008, 2009, and 2010).

Flying Lizard has also competed in the 24 Heures du Mans from 2005 through 2012, finishing third in 2005, fourth in 2006, sixth in 2008, sixth in 2011, and fourth in 2012.

Please visit the team website at www.lizardms.com and the team store at www.flyinglizardstore.com.

About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS
Audi began a new chapter in 2009 with the introduction of the Audi Sport customer racing program. For the first time it was possible for motorsport customers to acquire a race car designed for customer racing events. Since its inception, the success of the R8 LMS has been significant throughout the GT3 racing format worldwide, including victory in the GT class in the 2013 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Audi R8 LMS shares more than 50% of its parts with the Audi R8 street car including the naturally aspirated V10 5.2 Liter engine, the Audi Space Frame and a variety of other components.

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.

Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports / Bob Chapman

TUSC: Second place for Paul Miller Racing Audi at Indianapolis

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi R8 LMS performed well again in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. A fine second place for the Paul Miller Racing run Audi at Indianapolis.

The #48 Audi R8 LMS in the hands of Christopher Haase and Bryce Miller finished in a very strong second place within the GT Daytona class in the Brickyard Grand Prix. The two drivers were right behind the winning Ferrari 458 Italia from Scuderia Corsa.

The Paul Miller Racing team battled really hard in what is clearly seen the most fought class in the North American sportscar series. The car was leading the GT Daytona field in most of the second half of the race before the final pit stops. In the closing stages of the race Christopher Haase charged back chasing the leading Ferrari but the time run over. A strong result for the team and drivers and big points collected for the overall championship standing.

Best of the Flying Lizard Motorsport Audis was the #45 R8 LMS, eighth within the GT Daytona field. The car was shared by Nelson Canache Jr and Spencer Pumpelly. Their team-mates Dion von Moltke and Seth Neiman were thriteenth in class driving the #35 Audi.

The #46 Audi R8 LMS from Fall-Line Motorsports finished the 2h45 event in fourteenth place in GT Daytona class with drivers Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman.

Indianapolis race results can be seen here.

The next stop for TUDOR United SportsCar Championship teams and drivers will be at the very popular and fast Road America, August 8th-10th.

Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsport / Paul Miller Racing / Bob Chapman

Audi R8 LMS Cup: Audi R8 LMS Cup debuts in Japan

Audi Press Release

• Audi R8 LMS Cup visits the Fuji International Speedway
• Alex Yoong leads the drivers’ championship
• Japanese film actor and race car driver Koichi Iwaki to drive for Team Audi Japan

Fuji, Japan, July 24, 2014 — The Audi R8 LMS Cup visits Japan for the first time ever this weekend. Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2014 season of the sprint race series will be held at the Fuji International Speedway on July 26. After his first and third places at the season opener in Korea, former Formula 1 driver, Alex Yoong from Malaysia, arrives in Fuji as points leader, ahead of Round 1 winner “Franky” Cheng Congfu and Rahel Frey.

“The addition of the Japan race weekend to the Audi R8 LMS Cup is the next step in the expansion of the series around Asia. It emphasizes the commitment of Audi to the development of motorsport in the region,” commented Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. “Audi won here a few weeks ago in the GT Asia series, and we anticipate another weekend of exciting motorsport action.”

Qualifying will take place on Friday June 25, with Rounds 3 and 4 both to be held on Saturday, July 26. The Fuji International Speedway has been host to the Japanese Grand Prix, sitting beneath the symbolic Mount Fuji. It is a 4.5 km circuit, featuring 16 turns, challenging corners and a high-speed 1.5 km straight, one of the longest among motorsport tracks.

Team Audi Japan, representing the brand in the host country, will join the competition for the first time. Starting for the local Audi team will be actor and race driver, Koichi Iwaki. Team Tunewear Racing will field two additional Japanese drivers with Kato Gachi and Kenji Abe.

Young regulars Matt Solomon and Aidan Wright will be joined by fellow Formula Masters China driver Ronald Wu in Fuji, who debuts in the Audi R8 LMS Cup.

After the season opener at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Korea, Alex Yoong sits top of the leader board (40 points) after two podiums with his 3rd place finish in Round 1 and victory in Round 2. “Franky” Cheng Congfu is just four points behind him (36 points) with his start-to-finish win in round 1 and 5th place in Round 2. In third place is the young Swiss female driver, Rahel Frey (30 points).

Meanwhile, in the Amateur Cup, Steven Lin of Brothers Racing Team comfortably tops the standings (51 points) after back-to-back wins in South Korea.

The Audi R8 LMS Cup is the first brand cup in the history of Audi. After its successful maiden season in China in 2012, and expansion to Malaysia and South Korea in 2013, the sprint race series has added Japan to its stops around Asia this year.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup