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

VLN: Perfect lap record - Basseng/Stippler in Audi R8 LMS ultra in third place

Phoenix Racing Press Release

7m 57.474s – with a dream lap Frank Stippler in the Audi R8 LMS ultra has set a new unofficial lap record on the Nordschleife, taking the pole position for round nine of the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring in the process. Despite a puncture and a penalty Marc Basseng and Frank Stippler clinched third place in the four-hour race, marking the fourth podium finish for Phoenix Racing in this season.

Frank Stippler in the morning’s qualifying session managed a perfect lap. The external conditions were ideal, the Phoenix Audi was superbly set up and ‘Stippi’ caught a relatively clear lap. As a result, the clocks of the electronic time measurement system stopped at 7m 57.474s – a new best mark for the 24.358-kilometre configuration of the legendary Nordschleife in combination with the short version of the Grand Prix circuit. “Everything fit,” said an obviously pleased Frank Stippler.

From the pole position Stippler entered the race with the traditional flying start and was initially able to maintain his position at the front. However, the forward thrust of the R8 LMS ultra of Phoenix Racing based in nearby Meuspath was massively slowed on lap five due to a puncture. A piece of debris that was apparently on track as a result of one of the numerous incidents was identified as the cause. The way back to the pits across the Nordschleife was far and, accordingly, took a long time. Over three minutes were lost due to this puncture. To make things worse, the stewards of the meeting imposed a stop-and-go penalty against the #5 Audi for jumping the start, which cost another more than 40 seconds.

While this frustrated all hopes for victory, the Phoenix squad headed by team boss Ernst Moser, as well as Frank Stippler and Marc Basseng, would not give up. The two ‘ring’ specialists started a bold recovery and subsequently made up ground. In the end the Phoenix Audi crossed the finishing line in third place overall. Basseng/Stippler well deserved the place on the podium.

For Phoenix Racing, the winners of the Nürburgring 24 Hours with the Audi R8 LMS ultra and drivers Christopher Haase, Christian Mamerow, René Rast and Markus Winkelhock, this marked the fourth podium finish – including a victory by Basseng, Stippler and Laurens Vanthoor – in this year’s VLN Endurance Championship. Due to the preparations for the race of the Blancpain Sprint Series in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 01/02 November Phoenix Racing will not participate in the VLN season finale on 25 October.

Photo credit: Phoenix Racing

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

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

Italian GT: Runner-up spot grabbed in nail-biting Imola race keeps Marco Mapelli, Thomas Schöffler atop the points standings

Audi Sport Italia Press Release

GT title to go to the wire at Monza:  runner-up spot grabbed in nail-biting Imola race keeps Marco Mapelli, Thomas Schöffler atop the points standings

•  Series lead now shared with Imola race two winners Giammaria-Case
•  Rough driving spoils Emanuele Zonzini, Dindo Capello day at turn one

Imola, Italy – As going got tough in the Italian GT the No. 6 Audi duo proved to be a nearly perfect match: yesterday, at the circuit named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari, it was up to Singen, Germany's Thomas Schoeffler to put his mark on the third place finish in a race claimed by Alessandro Balzan, Nicola Benucci's Ferrari. Today it was Marco Mapelli's turn to put in an inspired drive to snatch the second place -- behind Raffaele Gianmaria and Lorenzo Case's Ferrari --. The Monza-based driver had to dodge a spate of punches during a bout with Francisco Mora's AMG Mercedes. The Portoguese's third place was then deleted by the stewards, but Mapelli, with the title on the line and the archrival Ferrari leading, simply couldn't afford not to take risks. And he proved his mettle moving by the AMG Mercedes at Tamburello corner with two laps to go. The runnerup spot in round 12 means that Mapelli, Schoeffler keep the lead in the standings they had re-claimed on Saturday, albeit level on points with Sunday winners. The four drivers will go to the wire in a fortnight at ultra-quick Monza and they will be level also as far as time handicap is concerned for round 13 mandatory pit-stop, whilst Saturday winner Nicola Benucci keeps himself a dim chance to leapfrog the foursome.

Imola wasn't as friendly with their team mate Emanuele Zonzini: the San Marino young gun was pushed into the runoff area at turn one on the opening lap and could not resume the race until he had a 3-lap gap. A recovery impossible to match even for his mentor Dindo Capello, who had to make do with a ninth place that was way too little, especially for a pissed off Zonzini.

Race two:
1. Giammaria-Case' (Ferrari)
28 laps, 49:55.011
2. MAPELLI-SCHÖFFLER (AUDI)
3. Pier Guidi-Lucchini (Ferrari)
4. Pezzucchi-Bianco (Porsche)
5. Frassineti-Lancieri (Ferrari)

Standings:
AFTER 12 ROUNDS:
1. MAPELLI-SCHÖFFLER 111 points
1. Giammaria- Case' 111 pts.
5. Benucci 98 pts.
6. Lucchini 84 pts.
7. Balzan 83 pts.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

VLN: Double podium for Audi R8 LMS ultra teams at round 9

By Johan Laubscher 

The penultimate round of the 2014 VLN Endurance Series took place at the Nürburgring on Saturday. A total of fourteen Audi race cars were entered this weekend.

Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were fielded by three different teams. The headline news was Audi race experience, run by TKL Motorsport, who entered two star driver line-ups. The first car was #22 with Audi drivers: Markus Winkelhock, Marco Werner and Christopher Haase. The second car was #11 which had an all-Chinese driver crew, including: Franky Cheng, Shaun Thong and Marchy Lee.

Phoenix Racing performed very well this weekend and Frank Stippler claimed pole position with the #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra, setting a blistering time of 7:57.474. The team also displayed fighting spirit during the race and recovered from a puncture and claimed a very well deserved third place overall with Marc Basseng and Frank Stippler.

Audi race experience finished second overall with their #22 Audi R8 LMS ultra, wherein Marco Werner was celebrating his thirtieth anniversary in motorsport, whilst the sister #11 car finished eighteenth overall.

Twin Busch Motorsport finished fourth with their #44 Audi R8 LMS ultra, thus ensuring that Audis filled positions two through four.

The SP3T class saw an Audi 1-2 for LMS Engineering, with their #303 Audi TT RS winning the class, ahead of their teammates in the #302 TT RS.

Møller Bil Motorsport unfortunately suffered a crash during practice on Friday. Atle Gulbrandsen was behind the wheel of the team’s #334 Audi TT RS when the rear brakes locked into Aremberg. The car was not repairable in time for the race, but most fortunately Gulbrandsen was unharmed.

The finale of the VLN season will be taking place at the Nürburgring on 25 October.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Italian GT: Marco Mapelli and Thomas Schöffler claim hard-fought podium finish at Imola

Audi Sport Italia Press Release

Marco Mapelli, Thomas Schöffler claim hard-fought podium finish at Imola and overtake Ferrari's crews for the lead of the GT3 championship in the process

• #6 Audi rounds out Top3 in unpredictable, fickle round eleven 
• Dindo Capello, Emanuele Zonzini grapple with alternator trouble

Imola, Italy – 458 Italia GT3s may have seized the leading spot in the Italian GT round eleven staged today at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari but... it turned out that ultimatley it's again an Audi R8 LMS ultra that came atop the tables. Pole sitting Alessandro Balzan and Nicola Benucci, then Luigi Lucchini and Alessandro Pier Guidi and eventual winners Gigi Ferrara, Marco Magli all enjoyed the first place. The Scuderia Italia car even looked set to snatch its second series win in a round that did not miss twists, until Lucchini was beached on lap 23 at Acque Minerali runoff area. By then Magli and Benucci were apparently set to duke it out for the runner-up spot with Audi's Thomas Schoeffler. The Singen, Germany driver had received the number 6 Audi from team mate Marco Mapelli in sixth place. The Lombardy-based driver had started from the front row, holding off championship leader and archrival Raffaele Gianmaria and Ferrara for ten laps, fighting tooth and nail to fend their charge off until he went wide at Tamburello. He then managed to keep the gap from the Ferraris as tight as possible. Schoeffler was as poised and focused, finishing third as Benucci's wingman a race that highlighted how you can't win crowns if you don't score on a regular basis: several of the Italian Gran Turismo mainstays failed to do so today, including Barri and Bortolotti, Lucchini and Pier Guidi and former series leaders Gianmaria and Casè. Imola's Top3 finish yields Mapelli and Schoeffler the first place that they had relinquished at Vallelunga, two points ahead of Bonucci and five ahead of Gianmaria and Casé--the former leaders wound up in P10.

Their team mates Capello and Zonzini were stuck throughout their race with low voltage problems, which luckily didn't forced him to join the DNF list. Capello even had a near miss when Giacomo Barri's Lambo flew off track at Tamburello early in the race, just inches away from the 3-time Le Mans winner. Zonzini then made up ground, but trimming the gap from the leading Ferrari wasn't enough to yield his -- and his team mate, too-- effort a better result than P7. However, they look forward to Sunday, as this time out --unlike Mapelli and Schoeffler -- they will not have to grapple with a 10-second time handicap at the pit-stop.

Race one:
1. Ferrara-Magli (Ferrari) 27 laps, 51:24.865s
2. Balzan-Benucci (Ferrari)
3. MAPELLI-SCHÖFFLER (AUDI)
4. Mora (AMG Mercedes)
5. Beretta-Carboni (Porsche)

Standings:
1. MAPELLI-SCHÖFFLER 96 points
3. Benucci 94 pts.
4. Giammaria-Case' 91 pts.
6. Beretta-Carboni 79 pts.
8. Balzan 77 pts.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

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

Australian GT: Melbourne Performance Centre testing Fitzgerald Racing Services Audi R8 LMS ultra at Phillip Island

By Johan Laubscher

Melbourne Performance Centre was out testing at Phillip Island on Tuesday. The Audi R8 LMS ultra of Fitzgerald Racing Services, run by MPC, was among the cars testing.

On Monday it was announced that Peter Fitzgerald and Michael Almond will be debuting the Audi R8 LMS ultra at the finale of the Australian GT Championship, which will be taking place at Highlands Motorsport Park in New Zealand from 8-9 November. They will then be heading to the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour and will also contest the 2015 Australian GT Championship.

This Audi R8 LMS ultra arrived in Australia a few months ago and was used as an Audi driving experience vehicle and raced at one round of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships before its acquisition to contest the Australian GT Championship. It is the same car that was used by äpr racing in the Japanese Super GT during 2012 and half of 2013.

The Fitzgerald Racing Services Audi R8 LMS ultra was seen testing still in its white Audi driving experience livery. The car will soon be receiving its new blue and white livery designed by ssMEDIA. Both Peter Fitzgerald and Michael Almond were behind the wheel of the Audi during the testing at Phillip Island.

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre, Luke Wright and ssMEDIA

Australian GT: Fitzgerald Racing Services debuting Audi R8 LMS ultra

By Johan Laubscher

The Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars have been very successful in Australia in recent years and another new entrant was announced on Monday.

Fitzgerald Racing Services has acquired an Audi R8 LMS ultra and will be competing in the Australian GT Championship.

This Audi R8 LMS ultra arrived in Australia a few months ago and was used as an Audi driving experience vehicle and raced at one round of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships before its acquisition to contest the Australian GT Championship. It is the same car that was used by äpr racing in the Japanese Super GT during 2012 and half of 2013.

The team will be debuting the car with Peter Fitzgerald and Michael Almond at the finale of the 2014 Australian GT Championship, which will be taking place at Highlands Motorsport Park in New Zealand from 8-9 November.

2015 will see Fitzgerald Racing Services kicking off the season at the Bathurst 12 Hour, followed by contesting the Australian GT  Championship. Peter Fitzgerald and Michael Almond will be piloting the blue liveried Audi R8 LMS ultra at Bathurst, along with a third yet to be confirmed driver, who could possibly be an Audi factory driver.

Photo credit: Peter Fitzgerald / ssMEDIA