FIA GT: Audi teams 2013 season review

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 FIA GT Series provided some of the most exciting GT racing seen in Europe this year. Three Audi Sport customer racing teams fielded a number of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT fielded three regular cars and they were joined by single car entries from Phoenix Racing and Team Novadriver.

The season concluded with the 2013 FIA GT Series Pro Cup teams' and drivers’ titles being awarded to Belgian Audi Club Team WRT.

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: Nogaro

The FIA GT Series got underway at Nogaro this weekend. Five Audi R8 LMS ultra car arrived at the track, but to everyone’s surprise they were in 2012 specification. The 2013 updates have not yet been homologated and thus the cars had to run in the older specification. Despite the setback the Audis were fast and Rene Rast claimed pole position for the qualification race. The WRT entry of Rene Rast and Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof held the lead until the closing stages when Loeb managed to claim the win in his McLaren. Three Audis finished within the top five. The main championship race took place in wet weather on Monday afternoon. Mayr-Melnhof remained in second and stayed in contention with Loeb during the first stint, and took the lead during the pitstops. Rast eventually lost the lead due to a touch but regained it when the leading McLaren was called in for a pitstop infringement. During the closing minutes the #13 and #11 WRT cars also made it onto the podium to complete a WRT Audi 1-2-3 overall finish. In doing so WRT won the Pro class and the Pro-am class. The other Audis also did well, Phoenix Racing finished fifth overall and Team Novadriver finished second in Pro-am, which rounded off a 1-2 finish for Audi in both classes. 

Update: The #12 WRT entry was later penalised with a 30 second penalty, thus giving the overall victory to the #13 WRT entry of Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler. The Team Novadriver Audi squad thus also took the Pro-Am class victory.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (30-31/03 - 01/04/2013)

Round 2: Zolder

The FIA GT Series arrived at Zolder in Belgium this weekend. This was round two of the European series and five Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were once again entered in the event. All five cars were seen in the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification (minus the new rear diffuser). The cars were very fast and WRT achieved victory in the qualifying race with the #11 R8 LMS ultra. This victory marked the first race win for the new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The Championship Race saw a good battle for the lead between a Reiter Lamborghini and the #11 WRT Audi. In the end the WRT squad finished second and third, with the third car in fifth. Phoenix Racing and Team Novadriver completed a top ten finish for all the Audis by placing sixth and ninth respectively.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (20-21/04/2013)

Round 3: Zandvoort

The FIA GT Series headed to the Netherlands this weekend, hosting round three at Zandvoort. The regular five Audi R8 LMS ultra entries from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, Phoenix Racing and Team Novadriver were all present. They showed well, and four Audis made it into the top ten during qualifying. The start of the Qualifying Race was exciting as an Audi emerged at the front after it was three-way-wide in turn one. Vanthoor continued to lead the race and his teammate Ortelli brought the #11 Audi R8 LMS ultra home for another race victory. Four Audis finished within the top ten, all three WRT cars and the Team Novadriver entry. The main Championship Race on Sunday saw only two Audi cars finishing the race. The #11 and #13 WRT cars both battled to the line for second position, thus completing a double podium as #11 finished second ahead of #13 in third. Ortelli and Vanthoor have maintained their lead in the driver's standings and WRT is still leading the team's standings. The Phoenix Racing entry and the #12 from WRT both retired from the race. The Novadriver Audi suffered a hard crash, but luckily Cesar Campanico was reported as unharmed.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (6-7/07/2013)

Round 4: Slovakia Ring

Round four of the FIA GT Series headed to the Slovakia Ring. Only four of the regular five Audi entries were fielded this weekend, as Phoenix Racing decided to withdraw from the event. Three cars from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and one from Team Novadriver. Balance of Performance has been the buzzword as of late, with the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra suffering under the current BoP. WRT decided to retrofit their three cars with the 2012 R8 LMS ultra specification, thus taking advantage of the older specification’s BoP, which is now less harsh than the 2013 version. It was a wise decision and it paid handsome dividends, as the WRT cars were running at the front all weekend long. The #12 Audi took pole position with Rast behind the wheel. During the Qualifying Race Rast lead in the beginning, but an early safety car period bunched up the field. Mayr-Melnhof took over from Rast and held the lead until being passed by Loeb, he ultimately dropped to fifth. The highest Audi was the #11 of Vanthoor and Ortelli, who had progressed up to second, despite their penalty in qualifying. Three Audis within the top ten was rounded out by the #13 WRT car in ninth. The main Championship Race saw Ortelli leading from the start, but his start was judged as a jump-start and the penalty dropped them back. By the end of the race the WRT Audis were running together 1-2-3 in the Pro-Cup class, positions two through fourth overall. The Audis finished in the order: #12 of Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof and Rene Rast ahead of #11 Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor, and #13 of Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler.

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

Round 5: Navarra

Navarra in Spain hosted the fifth and penultimate FIA GT Series round this weekend. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were entered, three from Belgian Audi Team WRT and one from Team Novadriver. WRT arrived with the goal of maintaining their advantage at the head of the driver’s and team’s points standings. During qualifying the Audis showed very well, as Stippler and Sandström qualified on the front row. The qualifying race got underway in wet conditions, with many teams gambling on tires. The #12 WRT Audi suffered on the wrong tires, but a terrific battle for second place ensued between the #11 and #13 WRT Audis. By the end of the race the #13 of Stippler and Sandtröm finished second, as Ortelli and Vanthoor dropped back to seventh, having gambled on the wrong tires during the pitstop. The #14 Team Novadriver Audi finished sixth overall, taking third in the PAM class. The main championship race on Sunday saw another podium result for WRT, as the #13 crew finished third, followed by their teammates in the #12 in fifth. The #11 of Vanthoor and Ortelli suffered brake issues and finished fifteenth. Team Novadriver finished ninth overall, again on the PAM podium. The championship battle will come down to the final round at Baku, as Ortelli and Vanthoor lead the standings in the #11 WRT Audi, just five points ahead of Stippler and  Sandström in the #13 WRT Audi. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT remain in the lead of the team’s championship points.

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

Round 6: Baku World Challenge

The finale of the FIA GT Series took place in Azerbaijan this weekend. The Baku World Challenge street circuit was the scene for the finale, which saw the participation of six Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from three different teams. Four cars were entered by Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and one each from Phoenix Racing and Team Novadriver.

The drivers’ championship in the Pro Cup class came down to this weekend and it was a straight duel between WRT’s two crews of #11 Stéphane Ortelli / Laurens Vanthoor and #13 Edward Sandström / Frank Stippler. WRT was also aiming to clinch the teams’ title this weekend.

The Audi teams showed good pace at the front during the entire weekend. Good times in practice were backed up by a very strong showing in qualifying. The two qualifying sessions concluded with Rene Rast setting a massively impressive lap time, leading an Audi 1-2-3, with the #12 WRT Audi on pole, ahead of the #5 Phoenix and #11 WRT. Team Novadriver secured second position within the Pro-Am Cup. Phoenix Racing was later disqualified and dropped to last place for a technical infringement.

Sunday kicked off with the Qualifying race. A damp track had put a delay on the proceedings, but the race did eventually get going under safety car conditions. Rene Rast took control when the green flag was waved and continued to build a good gap in the #12 Audi ahead of Vanthoor in second position with the #11 Audi. The #13 Audi of Sandström was running further back after their grid drop penalty. By the end of the pitstop sequence the #12 Audi re-emerged as the race leader, now with Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof behind the wheel, ahead of Stéphane Ortelli in the #11 Audi.

A safety car period bunched up the field after the pitstops and Ortelli was on the tale of Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof. Stippler had recovered to tenth in the #13 Audi. Mayr-Melnhof held onto the lead until the race was red flagged due to an incident involving the #14 Novadriver Audi.

The race was restarted with an additional ten minutes added to the race time. Mayr-Melnhof continued to lead ahead of Ortelli. Mayr-Melnhof held onto the lead and opened up a small gap ahead of his teammate, which was enough to secure victory.

Rene Rast and Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof were victorious in the #12 Audi ahead of Audi #11 with Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor in second. Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler finished eighth in the #13 Audi. The #5 Phoenix Racing Audi finished tenth with Enzo Ide and Markus Winkelhock. The #18 WRT Audi finished seventeenth with Grégoire Demoustier and Filipe Albuquerque behind the wheel.

These results were enough to crown Belgian Audi Club Team WRT as the 2013 FIA GT Series Pro Cup teams' champions. The drivers' title would be decided in the Championship Race.

The Championship Race was held later on Sunday and it certainly had a chaotic start. Ortelli managed to take the lead during the run into the first corner and chaos broke out behind him with many cars making contact. Pole-sitter Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof was unfortunately involved in the incident and dropped back after heavy contact. The Phoenix Racing Audi managed to avoid the incident by running through the chicane and when things had settled down they re-emerged in third place, chasing the second placed McLaren and Ortelli in the lead. A few laps later the leading Audi of Ortelli dropped back to third behind the leading McLaren and Winkelhock in the Phoenix Audi.

Further back Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof made contact with the #10 McLaren and lost more time with repairs in the pits during the prolonged safety car period for track repairs. When the green flag came out the leading McLaren and the #11 and #13 WRT Audis came into the pits, promoting Winkelhock into the lead, until he was given a penalty for passing cars off-tack in the first lap incident. The #13 Audi lost time during the pitstop as the team had to work on the car, effectively removing Sandström and Stippler from the fight for the drivers' title.

When the frantic pitstop period came to an end it was the #11 WRT Audi of Vanthoor who was in second and chasing the leading Mercedes-Benz. Vanthoor continued to eat into the lead and eventually took the race lead with nine minutes to go, as the leading Mercedes-Benz began to slow on track.

The final FIA GT Series race of 2013 concluded with the #11 WRT Audi R8 LMS ultra of Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor taking victory, finishing ahead of Team Novadriver in eighth overall, who took second place in Pro Am. The #5 Phoenix Racing Audi finished in twelfth. The remaining two WRT Audis also finished outside of the top ten, as the #13 finished eleventh and the #12 in fifteenth.

Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor took victory in the Championship Race and they were also crowned as the 2013 FIA GT Series Pro Cup drivers' champions. This added to Belgian Audi Club Team WRT's success in the FIA GT Series, as they won both the Pro Cup drivers' and teams' titles this weekend.

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT also took the first three places within the Pro Cup drivers' standings with Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor in first, followed by Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler in second and Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof in third.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (23-24/11/2013)

Photo credit: FIA GT Series

Video: Breathtaking on board lap with René Rast Audi R8 LMS ultra in Baku

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA GT Series 2013 concluded in Baku this weekend. Audi customer teams performed very all weekend long with their R8 LMS ultra cars. Pole position and two victories in both Qualifying Race and Championship Race.

Qualifying session report is here.
Qualifying Race report is here.
Championship Race report is here.

Below is a great video on board with the #12 Audi R8 LMS ultra from the 2013 teams' champions Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. An impressive René Rast on a very quick and demanding Baku temporary street course. Enjoy.

Post by W Racing Team.

Photo credit: Endurance-Info

FIA GT: Maintaining the advantage: key objective for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT at Navarra

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Press Release

Following the end of the Blancpain Endurance Series last weekend at the Nürburgring, the focus of the GT community shifts to the FIA GT Series, the other top series in GT racing, which heads to the one-before-last stop of the season. 
This will be at Navarra, the modern and very pleasant track near Pamplona, in  Northern Spain. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT goes to Spain with the clear objective to maintain and possibly improve the nice advantage it has built in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ standings. At the moment, the three driver line-ups of the team are leading in the Drivers’ competition, a situation that anticipates an interesting ‘family battle’ between Ortelli-Vanthoor, Sandström-Stippler and Mayr-Melnhof, in that order in the standings. For this round, Niki Mayr-Melnhof will have a different team mate, as René Rast is taken by other commitments and replaced by Britain’s Oliver Jarvis, who is everything but a new face in the team. In the Teams’ standings, the Belgian squad has a comfortable 36-point advantage over the runner-up.

Spirits are high in the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT ahead of this fifth round. “In the first place, because it is always a great pleasure to go to such a nice circuit as Navarra”,explains Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse. “It has been a regular fixture in SRO-ran series over the years, and we have done well in the past there, but most of all, it’s a nice track in a nice region, very well managed by Michel Ligonnet and his team.”

“We enjoy a good position in both championships at the moment”, continues Vosse, “and the objective is to keep things that way: maintain the advantage and if possible, increase it ahead of the final round in Baku. Being a street circuit and a new track for most of the participants, so it would be safer to get to Azerbaijan with a sufficient margin of points. The advantage we have at the moment doesn’t mean at all that things will be easy in Spain. The competition is very strong and we will still have to cope with an unfavorable Balance of Performance, but I don’t want to sing the same song once again. We will be running the cars in their 2013 configuration in Spain, to show we are not seeking confrontation. I think we proved sufficiently our point in Slovakia at the last round and there is no need to run in 2012 specs one more time.”

Traditionally, the Audis R8 LMS ultra have been competitive at Navarra. It is a track really appreciated by drivers. “With its natural design, many up and downs through the hills, and technical corners with different surface inclination, it offers a really exciting driving experience. The turns are mostly medium-slow, which generally is not the most interesting configuration, but here they are really technical, and Turn 1 is a nice fast curve. It’s a track that may be tough on the brakes, but at this period of the year, cooler temperatures should help.”

Clearly, one of the main points of interest in Spain will be the battle for the Drivers’ title, which sees an unusual situation, with three driver teams of the same squad (Team WRT!) at the top of the points table. “It’s always an interesting situation to have a family affair of this kind”, reckons Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonné, “but we are clearly taking the option not to interfere at all, for the sake of the sports. We trust the professionalism and fair-play of our drivers, who are all grown-up boys, and they will be free to play their cards, within only one boundary: not to hurt the team’s interests.”

The six drivers in contention will actually be five, as René Rast, who normally partners with Niki Mayr-Melnhof, on car #12, will not be in Spain. The German is in a position to fight for the ADAC GT Masters title as well and will be participating in the finale of the German series that takes place at Hockenheim on the same weekend. He will be replaced by another Audi driver, Oliver Jarvis, who knows well the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and will be given a warm ‘welcome back’ by everybody.

The key players in the fight look forward to the weekend. Laurens Vanthoor, who together with Stéphane Ortelli, has a 19-point advantage at the moment, reflects: “It will be important for us to continue scoring consistently as we have been doing so far in 2013. Of course any mistakes now are going to be punished so we have to be careful as well as quick. Battling a car from the same team is very difficult but as long as we maintain the respect which we have done so far then it should be only fun at Navarra.”

In the role of the chaser, Frank Stippler and Edward Sandström are obliged to attack. “We have a gap to close and we intend to start in Spain this weekend”, confirms the German “We need to score heavy points in Navarra and it definitely should be a very interesting weekend.”

The weekend will have a compact format, with free practice and qualifying on Saturday and both the Qualifying and Main races taking place on Sunday.

FIA GT Series - Round 5

Navarra, Spain

28-29 September 2013

Timetable

Saturday 28th September 2013

10:00-11:20 Free Practice 1

12:35-13:50 Free Practice 2

17:00-18:00 Qualifying

Sunday 29th September 2013

10:15-11:15 Qualifying Race

14:15-15:15 Main Race

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT

#11  Stéphane Ortelli (MC) - Laurens Vanthoor (BE) (Pro)

#12  Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof (AT) – Oliver Jarvis (GB) (Pro)

#13  Edward Sandström (SE) - Frank Stippler (DE) (Pro)

Drivers’ (Pro) Championship Standings after Race 8 of 12

1. Vanthoor-Ortelli - 94 points

2. Sandström-Stippler - 75

3. Rast – Mayr-Melnhof - 63

3. Buhk-Day - 53

5. Zuber-Parisy - 39

Teams’ (Pro) Championship Standings after Race 8 of 12

1. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT - 120 points

2. Loeb Racing - 84

3. BMW Team Brazil - 78

4. HTP Gravity Charouz - 62

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club

BES: Belgian Audi Club and Team WRT gave it all at the Nürburgring but could not retain the Blancpain titles

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Press Release

The dream of conquering the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles of the Blancpain Endurance Series for the third year in a row could not come true:

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT gave it all in the ‘battle’ at the Nürburgring 1000 Km, but it wasn’t enough. The challenge was a big one, but despite a more favourable Balance of Performance, the Audis R8 LMS ultra were not fast enough on the German track that hosted the final and decisive round of the 2013 series, and were never in a position to beat the top rivals. Eventually, Vanthoor-Ortelli-Sandström finished the race 12th in the Pro Cup and Mayr-Melnhof-Frey-Castellacci in 13th, while the car that had the best options, with Stippler-Rast-Mies at the wheel, had to retire in the last part of the race after sustaining damage in a contact and after having been fighting in the top five throughout the entire race. With these results, Stippler-Mies finish fifth in the Drivers’ championship, while the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is the runner-up in the Teams’ standings. The team is now concentrating all its efforts into the two final rounds of the FIA GT Series, where it is also in contention for the crowns.

There was disappointment in the Belgian squad at the end of the long Nürburgring race, but also the awareness that little more could have been done. Summarizing everybody’s feelings, Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse commented: “In the first place, I would like to congratulate this year’s winners, Maximilian Buhk and Team Marc VDS, who are the new Champions. They did a great job during the entire season and deserve their success. For us, it was clear since first practice that we are still out-powered by the competition, despite the adjustments made to the Balance of Performance ahead of this final round. We did what we could under the circumstances, but we knew that we were not really in a position to fight for the titles today, regardless of the various race incidents we had later and which are part of racing. It has been like that for the entire season; it is frustrating when you have excellent machinery like the Audi R8, great drivers and a fantastic team that has done an outstanding job, but there is little we could do against that. Now it’s time to look ahead and prepare the future, and before that, we still have a championship to finish, the FIA GT Series. We will go to the two final rounds with double motivation and determined to fight for the titles until the last second.”

At the Nürburgring, the challenge looked extremely difficult since free practice, with the cars not having sufficient power to compete with their main rivals. Eventually, René Rast qualified car #13 in 6th place in the Pro Cup, with Vanthoor 13th and Mayr-Melnhof 17th. The race, which went on 1000 Km format (almost double distance than a normal Blancpain event) and was held under overcast skies but on a dry track, started relatively well for car #13, which was the one having the best chances in the Drivers’ standings, as René Rast, Frank Stippler and Christopher Mies stabilized themselves in the top 5 and ran as high as third, fighting permanently with their title rivals. By mid-race, unfortunately, the car was delayed by a punctured tire. The car was climbing back through the field, when, one hour and a half to the end, there was a contact with the ART McLaren which caused fatal damage to the steering, forcing the German trio to retirement.

Car #1 of Stéphane Ortelli-Laurens Vanthoor-Edward Sandström did not have the same pace and struggled in the middle of the field, especially after the drive-through imposed to Ortelli for excessive speed during one of the yellow flag periods. Eventually, it finished 12th.

Car #2, entrusted to Niki Mayr-Melnhof, Rahel Frey and Francesco Castellacci, who was making its debut with the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, was having a consistent race until, shortly after the 2-hour mark, the Austrian was hit by a Porsche and sent into a spin which ended with the R8 stuck in the gravel. It could only be brought back to the track by rescue vehicles and lost significant time in the venture, concluding the race in P13.

The very short journey back home comes welcome to team members, as there is little time to re-prepare the cars ahead of the next commitment: round 5 of the FIA GT Series is taking place next weekend at Navarra, in Spain.

Blancpain Endurance Series - Round 5

Nürburgring, Germany

21-22 September 2013

Race Results (Pro): 

1. Schneider-Buhk-Götz (Mercedes SLS) 178 laps in 6h00h46m354

2. Leinders-Buurman-Martin (BMW Z4) + 18s298

3. Parisy-Leclerc-Soucek (McLaren MP4 12C) + 42s721

4. Skryabin-Bobbi-Pierguidi (Ferrari F458) +1m24s294

5. Hoshino-Kane-Dumbreck (Nissan GT-R) + 1 lap

12. Sandström-Ortelli-Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS) + 3 laps

13. Mayr-Melnhof-Frey-Castellacci (Audi R8 LMS) + 5 laps

DNF Rast-Stippler-Mies (Audi R8 LMS) (139 laps)

Drivers’ Championship Final Standings (Pro) after Round 5 of 5

1. Buhk (Mercedes SLS) - 81 points

2. Schneider-Götz (Mercedes SLS) - 71

    Martin-Leinders-Buurman (BMW Z4) - 71

4. Ramos-Rigon-Zampieri (Ferrari F458) - 50

5. Stippler-Mies (Audi R8 LMS ultra)- 48

9. Sandström (Audi R8 LMS ultra) - 31

15. Ortelli-Vanthoor-Rast (Audi R8 LMS ultra) - 24

18. Lotterer- 21

32. Halliday-Frey-Mayr-Melnhof - 4

      Fässler-Ekström

Teams’ Championship Final Standings (Pro) after Round 5 of 5

1. Marc VDS - 90 points

2. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT - 60

3. Kessel Racing - 54

4. JRM Motorsport - 51

5. HTP Motorsport - 49

More info on the Blancpain series, live timing and live commented TV streaming of each race on www.blancpain-endurance-series.com

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media

FIA GT: Pole position for Belgian Audi Club Team WRT at Slovakia Ring

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA GT Series is in Slovakia this weekend, hosted at the Slovakia Ring. Only four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are entered in this fourth meeting of the season. Phoenix Racing decided not to enter the event, however the qualifying session gave Audi great satisfaction.

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT took a fantastic pole position today. For this meeting the team decided to race with the 2012 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra, to take advantage of the different 2012 vs 2013 specification BoP. It was a good decision as WRT was among the fastest during the sessions. In the end it was René Rast who was the fastest in Super Pole, driving the #12 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The three-time Porsche Supercup champion is sharing the car with Niki Mayr-Melnhof. Another car from team WRT also did very well, the #11 R8 LMS ultra of Laurens Vanthoor and Stépahne Ortelli. The series points leaders ended in fourth place, behind the two Sebastien Loeb Racing McLaren MP4-12C cars.

The two remaining Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were outside of the top 10. The #13 car of Frank Stippler and Edward Sandström from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, and the #14 Audi from Team Novadriver driven by Carlos Viera and Cesar Campanico.

The Qualifying and Championship Races are set for tomorrow, with live stream coverage offered on the official FIA GT Series website.

Photo credit: FIA GT Series

BES: Belgian Audi Club Team WRT announce additional car and ‘dream team’ drivers for the Total 24 Hours of Spa

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Press Release

Ekström, Fässler and Lotterer to join the team’s regular drivers

Belgian Audi Club and Team WRT today announced the entry of an additional Audi R8 LMS ultra to the forthcoming Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the stellar event in GT racing which will count as the fourth round of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

In a clear bid to re-conquer the success obtained in the Ardennes in 2011, the Belgian squad will also receive the support of three top drivers that will exceptionally join the team’s regular drivers for the occasion: Mattias Ekström, Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer.

While two of the driver line-ups (Ortelli – Rast – Vanthoor and  Mayr-Melnhof - Frey – Halliday) will see no changes, Switzerland’s Marcel Fässler, a double winner at Le Mans 24 Hours and a winner at Spa 24 Hours in 2007, and Sweden’s Mattias Ekström, who was part of WRT’s winning team in 2011, will join Edward Sandström. The additional car will see double Le Mans 24 Hours winner André Lotterer, from Germany, associated to Frank Stippler and Christopher Mies.

Vincent Vosse, Team WRT principal, commented: “We are extremely happy to take part to the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with a reinforced team and such an exceptional group of drivers, and thank Audi Sport and Audi Sport customer racing for their support. For a Belgian team like ours, the Spa 24 Hours mean an extra something and after our first win in 2011 and second position last year, we are determined to fight for being again on the highest step of the podium.”

“The three drivers that are joining forces with us for the occasion are simply a luxury! Mattias Ekström was at the wheel of the winning car in 2011 and we are very happy to have him again in our team. André is one of the fastest sportscar and GT drivers around and will be extremely motivated to fight for a first win in Spa, in a circuit and a country that mean so much to him. Marcel has already won here and twice at Le Mans, together with Lotterer, and has clearly become a top endurance specialist. Running an enlarged team will definitely be a new experience for Team WRT but we are looking forward to taking up the challenge.”

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club

BES: Fourth additional R8 LMS ultra for WRT at the Spa 24 Hours

By Johan Laubscher

On the morning of the Spa 24 Hours Test Day, which was held on Wednesday (3 July 2013), Belgian Audi Club Team WRT announced their plans for the Spa 24 Hours.

The big news was the addition of a fourth Audi R8 LMS ultra and three more drivers joining their regular nine-man squad. The three additions included: Mattias Ekström, Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer. They also announced the driver line-ups for each car. The fourth entry will be driven by Mathias Ekström, Marcel Fässler and Edward Sandström. André Lotterer will join Christopher Mies and Frank Stippler in the third entry. The other two cars will remain with their current Blancpain Endurance line-ups. The #1 driving crew will be Stéphane Ortelli, Laurens Vanthoor and Rene Rast, and the #0 with Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, Matt Halliday and Rahel Frey (who are normally the #2 car in BES) .

More information and a quote from Vincent Vosse can be seen at Endurance-Info.com HERE.

This four car team promises to be very strong from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, who are aiming to win again at the Spa 24 Hours, following their victory in the 2011 edition. This year's race will be held on the weekend of 27-28 July. 

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT at the 2013 Spa 24 Hours: 

#0 - Audi R8 LMS ultra (2013 spec)

Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, Matt Halliday, Rahel Frey

#1 - Audi R8 LMS ultra (2013 spec)

Stéphane Ortelli, Laurens Vanthoor, Rene Rast

#2 - Audi R8 LMS ultra (2013 spec)

André Lotterer, Christopher Mies, Frank Stippler

#13 - Audi R8 LMS ultra (2013 spec)

Mathias Ekström, Marcel Fässler, Edward Sandström

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media

*The fourth car is listed as #160 on the Test Day entry list, the final starting number TBA. 

BES: Eight Audi R8 LMS ultra for round 2 at Silverstone

By Tarek Ramchani

Silverstone is hosting the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series this weekend. A traditional 3-hour race format, and no less than eight Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will be entered for the event.

Eight cars from three different Audi Sport customer racing teams. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is fielding three cars, all of them in the upper Pro-Cup class. The  #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra will be shared by Stephane Ortelli, Laurens Vanthoor and Rene Rast. The #2 car will be driven by Rahel Frey, Matt Halliday and Niki Mayr-Melnhof. The #13 machine is for Edward Sandstrom, Christopher Mies and Frank Stippler. The Belgian team had a mixed race last time out at Monza. Strong performances on track but also a lot of bad luck. The best ranked car was the #13 Audi in fourth, losing the podium spot in the last corner to a McLaren MP4-12C. Silverstone should be more favorable for the Audi R8 LMS ultra, the Belgian team is aiming high in Britain. In the team standings Belgian Audi Club Team WRT are fourth with 12 points.

The second Audi entry is from Phoenix Racing. The German team has a two-car effort in the demanding Pro-Cup class. The #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Christopher Haase, Oliver Jarvis and Harold Primat, and the sister #16 car for Enzo Ide, Anthony Kumpen and Markus Winkelhock. At Monza Phoenix Racing performed very well, both cars entered the top 10 on a very penalizing track which had a very healthy grid. Phoenix Racing is fifth in the points standings with 10 points.

Sainteloc Racing is the third Audi team in the series. The French privateer team will have three cars. The #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Ronnie Latinne, David Hallyday and Romain Monti in the Pro-Am class, and the sister #41 car of Pierre Hirschi, Marc Sourd and Claude-Yves Gosselin in the Gentlemen Trophy. Their Pro-Cup entry will again be the #40 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Alexander Müller, Michael Ammermuller and Gregory Guilvert.

As seen at Monza, the 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series has an impressive level of competition. The largest and most competitive GT3 racing series around. The six Pro-Cup Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will have to fight very hard against very strong rivals from Ferrari, McLaren, BMW, Porsche and the full factory Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3.

Photo credit: Blancpain Endurance Series

Video: 1998 Zolder 24 Hours - The first 24 Hours for the Audi A4 STW

By Johan Laubscher

The Audi A4 STW, the Super Touring car version of the B5 Audi A4, was a brilliant race car. Its quattro system and superior traction made it one of the best cars of its time, highlighted by an international championship sweep in 1996, when Audi claimed the title in seven countries: Germany, Britain, Italy, Australia, Belgium, South Africa and Spain.

The 1998 Zolder 24 Hours was the scene for the first 24 Hour race for one of these A4 STW cars. It was however not the first 24 Hour race for an Audi Super Touring car, that was back in 1994 with an Audi 80 Competition entered in the Spa 24 Hours, run by the Belgian Audi Club (Dubois Racing).

The 1998 Zolder 24 Hours entry was also entered by the Belgian Audi Club. The driver line-up included the team’s regular two Belcar drivers: Jean-Francois Hemroulle and Timo Verbergt. The team needed a third driver for the 24 hour race, and they called upon the services of South African Terry Moss. Terry was the 1996 South African Super Touring champion and had also competed for the Belgian Audi Club twice before, at the 1995 Spa 24 Hours and a Belcar event at Spa in 1997, where the South African won the second race of the day.

The Audi A4 STW performed very well in the event, aided greatly by the wet weather. The team lead most of the race but technical issues resulted in sixth place overall, but with race victory in their class. A year later the Belgian Audi Club was able to win the 1999 Zolder 24 Hours overall with their A4 STW, which added another achievement for this great Super Touring Car.

Below we have embedded a video which features highlights from the 1998 Zolder 24 Hour race, the first time the A4 STW competed for 24 Hours. This rare short highlights video aired in South Africa during 1998 and was produced from a Belgian Audi Club perspective with Terry Moss. 

Photo credit: Jean-François Hemroulle old website

BRCC: PK Carsport winning debut with Audi at Zolder

By Tarek Ramchani

PK Carsport is one of the most prestigious and successful sportscar teams from Belgium. The team was revived this year after many years of absence. They have chosen to compete in the Belgian Racing Car Championship with the Audi R8 LMS.

Last weekend Circuit Zolder hosted the first round of the BRCC, a support event to the FIA GT Series. It was a perfect debut for PK Carsport with Audi. They qualified in fifth place. With the 2010 spec R8 LMS (ex Team Rosberg) of Anthony Kumpen, Bert Longin and Maarten Makelberge they won the 90 minutes endurance race, less than five seconds ahead the second placed Porsche 996 GT3-RS from ProSpeed Competition.

Anthony Kumpen, who also raced in the FIA GT Series on the same weekend with Phoenix Racing, was delighted after this fantastic victory: "I am very happy to finish this superb weekend on the highest step of the podium." (quotes sourced from BRCC)

The second round of the BRCC will be in France at Circuit Dijon-Prenois in May, with the three PK Carsport Audi drivers leading the overall points standings.

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club