Blancpain Endurance Series: The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and Vanthoor take win and BES titles in epic Ring finale

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT reconquered the Blancpain Endurance Series today at the Nürburgring after an epic 1000 km race in very difficult conditions. Laurens Vanthoor was crowned as the new Driver Champion in the best way this could happen, by winning the race together with team mates César Ramos and Christopher Mies, at the end of a faultless and authoritative performance.

Rain, poor visibility and low temperatures for most of the 6-hour race made conditions worth of the “Green Hell” reputation of the German track, but the Audis R8 LMS ultra of the Belgian squad mastered the situation throughout the weekend. Basseng-Stippler-Nash also had the pace of the front-runners but their race was ruined by an alternator problem, while Richelmi-Kelders-Blanchemain took a good result in the Pro-Am Cup, completing the success of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, which rubricated its Team title by bringing the three cars to the finish.

With today’s triumph, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT signs a quite remarkable achievement, as it has conquered the double crown in the Blancpain Endurance Series three times out of the four editions held so far. Only in 2013, the top honours escaped from the hands of the Baudour-based squad, although that was widely compensated by the double title in the Sprint Series.

Vincent Vosse was, obviously, a happy Team Principal, once the chequered flag fell at the Nürburgring: “It’s simply fantastic”, he commented, “for Audi, for the Belgian Audi Club and for the entire WRT team. I am very proud of all the guys, because they really worked perfectly throughout the entire weekend. Everybody has done a great job, something that wasn’t easy in the dreadful conditions we have had for most of the weekend. Car #1 had no issues, and car #3 had a podium pace, if it hadn’t been for an alternator failure caused by some gravel getting lodged in the wrong place. I am also very happy of what shown by car #4, so I cannot ask for more tonight”.

Few meters next to him, Laurens Vanthoor was finally able to relax a bit, although he still couldn’t fully realize that he has added an Endurance title to the Sprint one won last year and to the Spa 24 Hours success of last July: “Exactly like in Baku last year, it will take me some hours and a number of drinks to fully realize I have won the title”, admitted the young Belgian, “At the moment, I just feel physically exhausted, not from the race but from all the stress. The decisive race is always a very special exercise but luckily, everything went very well, like in a dream. It was a difficult race, because of the rain and the slippery track. The choice to put on slicks in my second stint was the right one, but the initial laps were very, very tricky. I have to thank the team for the great job during the entire season, but also all my team mates, not only César and Christopher, that were with me today, but also Marc Basseng, Rene Rast and Markus Winkelhock, they all deserve a piece of the cup. Having had many different team mates proves once again that this was a team effort and shows the team spirit that exists within WRT.”

Things at the Ring started in the best possible way, with the two Pro cars of WRT trusting the front row, as Mies signed the pole ahead of Basseng, while #4 car qualified in P34.

The start of the race had to be given behind the safety-car, which stayed on track for several laps, as conditions were absolutely dreadful. Mies kept the advantage during most of his stint, being passed only by Estre, and handed the car in P2 over to Ramos, who was extremely cautious during his first laps and lost three positions against rivals that were on a double stint and knew the track conditions. But the Brazilian progressively raised his game throughout his double stint, finishing it in P3. Mies drove car #1 in the fourth hour, regaining the lead in lap 90. Then, Vanthoor took the wheel for a final double stint, to finish the job, something that wasn’t so easy, as the track started to dry partially, which led to putting on slicks for the final hour, despite of the risks.

Car #3 started the race with Basseng in P3, before a slight off-track put him in P9. Still, the bad news came during Stippler’s first stint, as the German had to stop to change the alternator, broken by some gravel. That cost the car 7 laps and a further delay came in the second half of the race, because of a drive-through for inadequate speed under yellow. Nevertheless, the car finished 10th and in the points in the Pro category.

Car #4 had a quieter Sunday and shone in the initial hour when Stéphane Richelmi, in his debut with the team, climbed as high as 15th despite the pouring rainfall. Blanchemain and Kelders, the two gentlemen-drivers, did an excellent job under the circumstances and Richelmi eventually brought the car to an excellent P11 in the highly-competitive Pro-Am category.

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT may have brought home two more titles and the Spa 24 Hours, but its season isn’t over: there are still two rounds, Zolder and Baku, of the Blancpain Sprint Series to be raced, and the last word isn’t said

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club / Patrick Hecq Photography

Blancpain Endurance Series: Laurens Vanthoor wins title for Audi

Audi Press Release

• #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra wins in finale at the Nürburgring
• Belgian Audi Club Team WRT wins teams’ classification as well
• First title for the Audi R8 LMS ultra in the 2014 season

Ingolstadt, September 21, 2014 – Laurens Vanthoor in the Audi R8 LMS ultra won the driver title in the Blancpain Endurance Series (BES) for Audi Sport customer racing. In the season finale, the Nürburgring 1000, the mere 23-year-old Belgian together with Christopher Mies and César Ramos was victorious in difficult conditions. In addition, the 33 points awarded for the victory at the Nürburgring earned the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT the team title in the prestigious endurance racing series. With that, the driver and team titles have gone to Audi for the third time in the Blancpain Endurance Series that has existed since 2011.

Vanthoor, who together with the Germans Markus Winkelhock and René Rast had won the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of July, had traveled to the Nürburgring as the sole leader of the standings with a seven-point advantage. His team-mate Christopher Mies put the #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra on the pole position in qualifying. In the race that was started behind the safety car in pouring rain, start driver Christopher Mies stood his ground in the pack of front runners. In second place, he turned over driving duties to the Brazilian César Ramos. Shortly after the turbulent race’s midpoint, Christopher Mies took the lead. Laurens Vanthoor defended the top position on a drying track and after six hours of racing crossed the finish line with an advantage of 57 seconds.

“Obviously, after having won the Sprint Series last year, I’m overjoyed about now winning the Endurance Championship. This shows that we’re competitive in both series,” said the Belgian. “I’d like to thank my team-mates without whom I couldn’t have clinched this title because in Markus Winkelhock, René Rast and Marc Basseng, and now here in the finale in Christopher Mies and César Ramos, I’ve had strong drivers running with me this season.”

“After the tough first three races, it didn’t look like we were going to again clinch the title,” said WRT team boss Vincent Vosse. “The turnaround happened when we clinched victory in the Spa 24 Hours. In the finale, all three drivers showed an absolutely impeccable performance on a slippery track in pouring rain and poor visibility. Winning both titles with a victory in such a race – you can’t do better than that.”

The #26 R8 LMS ultra of Team Saintéloc Racing became an early victim of the extremely difficult conditions. Stéphane Ortelli/Edward Sandström/Grégory Guilvert (MC/S/F), who had arrived at the Nürburgring as the runners-up in the standings, had to bury their championship ambitions after start driver Sandström had been touched by another vehicle and slid into the gravel trap at an early stage. The run of Super-G world champion Didier Cuche in the R8 LMS ultra of the Audi race experience was over early as well, following an off-track excursion by his team-mate Rahel Frey.

“The title win in the Blancpain Endurance Series, one of the world’s most challenging GT3 championships, marks another highlight in the customer sport program with the Audi R8 LMS ultra,” commented Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Sincere congratulations to Laurens Vanthoor and the WRT squad. But Saintéloc Racing fought a respectable battle as well, albeit the team was unfortunate in the finale. Congratulations also to Ian Loggie and Julian Westwood from Team Parker Racing, who were the front runners in the Gentleman Trophy in the finale.”

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series

Blancpain Endurance Series: Mies takes pole in eventful Qualifying Session

Blancpain Endurance Series Press Release

Christopher Mies took pole for the final round of the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series, at the wheel of the #1 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi. The German set his quickest lap in Q2, just before a rain shower hit the Nürburgring. Mies’s time proved to be more than four tenths of a second quicker than the one set by his team-mate Marc Basseng on the #3 Audi. Marco Seefried in the #52 AF Corse Ferrari set the third time overall and the quickest time in Pro-Am, while Alexander Matschull proved to be the fastest Gentlemen Trophy driver in the #458 GT Corse by Rinaldi Ferrari.

The Qualifying session for the iRacing.com Nürburgring 1000 was decided halfway through Q2, just before a rain shower made it impossible to improve lap times. At the start of Q2, Christopher Mies was one of the first to leave pitlane in his #1 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi. Shod with new tyres, he set the fastest time of the session, with a lap of 1’55.708. Mies was transferred to the #1 Audi before the start of the weekend, and now has Cesar Ramos and Pro Cup points leader Laurens Vanthoor as his team-mates.

Shortly after setting his poletime, Mies was quickly followed by his countrymen Marc Basseng in the #3 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi and Marco Seefried in the #52 AF Corse Ferrari. Seefried, who shares the car with Pro-Am Cup championship contender Francesco Castellacci, also set pole in Pro-Am Cup. Castellacci’s former team-mates and co-leaders in the standings Andrea Rizzoli and Stefano Gai ended up in sixth position among the Pro-Am cars, driving their #90 Scuderia Villorba Corse Ferrari.

Steven Kane’s time in Q1 was enough to put the #7 M-Sport Bentley on the second row, while the third row will be occupied by the #99 ART Grand Prix McLaren and the #8 M-Sport Bentley. The Sainteloc Racing trio of Guilvert-Ortelli-Sandström, second in the Pro Cup driver standings, put their #26 Audi on the fifth row.

Alexander Matschull, driving the #458 GT Corse by Rinaldi Ferrari, took pole in the Gentlemen Trophy. Matschull, together with team-mate Frank Schmickler, is going for a fourth win of the season, which could also give them the Gentlemen Trophy’s title. They will have to make up a 22-point deficit on the AF Corse-duo Peter Mann and Francisco Guedes, who will start the race from the last row on the grid.

Christopher Mies (#1 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi): “The plan was to start Q2 on used tyres, but when we saw the dark clouds we changed our tactics and shod the car with new Pirelli’s. It proved to be the right choice. I managed to do two quick laps, before it started to drizzle. It’s a good thing that the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has two cars on the front row and my focus is now on helping the team to win the team’s title and to help Laurens to remain on top of the Pro Cup standings.”

Marco Seefried (#51 AF Corse Ferrari): “We did the right thing at the right time. Before the start of Q2 we were all running up and down the stairs to look at the clouds, because we all know the Nürburgring very well and we knew what we had to look for. It was clear that it would rain, but the question of when it would start to pour down remained. That is why we put new tyres on the car immediately as well, and it worked out great. In the race we will focus fully on the Pro-Am classification, because Francesco Castellacci still has a shot at the title.”

Alexander Matschull (#458 GT Corse by Rinaldi Ferrari): “Even though we had anticipated the rain by putting a wet set-up on the car, it was still dry when I did my lap. It gives us a good position on the starting grid, but our task in the championship remains very difficult. That is why we will focus on trying to win a fourth race this season, and then see where it gets us in the standings.”

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series

Blancpain Endurance Series: Season finale full of highlights for Audi sport customer racing

Audi Press Release

• Audi R8 LMS ultra to battle for the title at the Nürburgring
• Four teams with seven GT3 race cars from Audi on the grid
• Skiing world champion Didier Cuche to celebrate Audi racing debut

Ingolstadt, September 16, 2014 – In GT racing, Audi will be celebrating the finale of the Blancpain Endurance Series on September 21 with several attractions. The 1,000-kilometer race on the Nürburgring will not only be about the decision between the four Audi drivers at the top of the standings and their immediate rivals. In the closing event of the season, the Swiss Ski World Cup winner Didier Cuche will also be celebrating his debut in the Audi R8 LMS ultra. At the same time, Audi will be looking at a four-digit number of racing commitments of the successful customer sport program in the Eifel.

This will be a Swiss stunner: Super-G world champion Didier Cuche will be tackling his first car race in an Audi. The 40-year-old race rookie will be relying on the support of two compatriots, as Rahel Frey, who has been clinching success in motorsport with Audi since 2011, and Nico Müller, who is in his first year of racing in the DTM with Audi, are sharing the cockpit with the former professional ski racer from Le Pâquier. The prominent entrant is the most recent example of a number of newcomers receiving professional training by the Audi race experience. They complete a systematic educational program for race drivers, from license training through to actually competing in a race.

Whereas the racing action will be a thrilling Audi premiere for Cuche, Laurens Vanthoor is looking forward with eager anticipation to round five of the season as the leader of the standings. In July, the 23-year-old Belgian at the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS ultra won the Spa 24 Hours, the Blancpain Endurance Series season’s pinnacle event, for the first time. Now he is fired up for clinching his first title in the series. On achieving his triumph in his home round, the driver of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT gained a seven-point advantage. 33 points are awaiting the race winner at the Nürburgring. Breathing down Vanthoor’s neck are three brand colleagues from another Audi customer team: Grégory Guilvert/Stéphane Ortelli/Edward Sandström (F/MC/S) are competing for Saintéloc Racing from France, were the best Audi driver team in two rounds this season and are in the runner-up spot of the standings with an equal points score. Mathematically, no less than 16 drivers still have chances of taking the title. In the Pro Cup teams’ classification, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is leading with an eleven-point advantage, while Saintéloc Racing is sharing second place with a competitor that has an equal number of points. For Audi, a success at the Nürburgring would mark the third title in this prestigious endurance series within the space of four years.

In total, the current entry list reflects seven Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. In addition to the three cars of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, the two race cars of Saintéloc Racing and the car of the Audi race experience, Team Parker Racing will be putting another R8 LMS ultra on the grid. The British team is currently in third place of the Gentlemen Trophy teams’ classification.

But not only the number of entrants proves the popularity of the GT3 model with the four rings that delivers up to 560 hp. Since 2009, 120 units of the race car with the 5.2-liter V10 engine have been delivered and won 23 motorsport championships around the world to date. The race at the Nürburgring marks the 1,000th run in a major racing event in five years – in addition, there are numerous other competitions on regional and local levels in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America, as the R8 LMS is a popular model in club sport as well. The 1,000th run explains why the race car of the Audi race experience is designated as car number 1000.

“Following our victory in the Spa 24 Hours in July, the season finale featuring this large number of attractions will definitely be another season highlight in the Blancpain Endurance Series,” Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing, is certain. “We wish our customers and their drivers a lot of success. It would be fantastic to win the next title in this fiercely competitive and high-caliber Blancpain Endurance Series. The success of our customers underscores the status of the R8 LMS ultra, which has long become a living GT legend.”

The Audi teams at the Nürburgring

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
#1 Marc Basseng/Cesar Ramos/Laurens Vanthoor (D/BR/B)
#3 Christopher Mies/James Nash/Frank Stippler (D/GB/D)
#4 Jean-Luc Blanchemain/Christian Kelders/Stéphane Richelmi (F/B/MC)

Team Parker Racing
#22 Ian Loggie/Julian Westwood (GB/GB)

Saintéloc Racing
#25 Claude-Yves Gosselin/Jean-Claude Lagniez/Marc Rostan (F/F/F)
#26 Grégory Guilvert/Stéphane Ortelli/Edward Sandström (F/MC/S)

Audi race experience
#1000 Didier Cuche/Rahel Frey/Nico Müller (CH/CH/CH)

Photo credit: Audi Media

Blancpain Sprint Series: Third place for René Rast and Enzo Ide in Algarve qualifying race

By Tarek Ramchani

The very beautiful and demanding Algarve Circuit in Portugal played host to a thrilling Blancpain Sprint Series qualifying race. The Audi brand took a fine podium with René Rast and Enzo Ide and two cars within the Top 5.

René Rast and Enzo Ide who shared the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club were among the fastest on track in the 1-hour sprint race. The two Audi drivers were behind the winning Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 (Grasser Racing) driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen and Hari Proczyk and the #84 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (HTP Motorsport) of  Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz.

Fourth place went to another Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. The car was in the hands of Laurens Vanthoor and Cesar Ramos.

Mateusz Lisowski and Vincent Abril took a fine victory in the Silver-Cup with their #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. The two youngsters were seventh overall.

Pro-Am victory went to Phoenix Racing Audi drivers Alessandro Latif and Marc Basseng with #5 R8 LMS ultra and finshed in eleventh place overall.

The main championship race is set for tomorrow with a live stream coverage at www.blancpain-gt-series.com

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series

Blancpain Sprint Series: The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT to Portugal for crucial Blancpain Sprint round

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

Two weeks after a lively event in Slovakia, the Blancpain Sprint Series is back at the other end of Europe, as the fifth round of the season will take place on the shores of the Atlantic, in the hilly and beautiful Autódromo do Algarve. It is still full summer in Southern Portugal at this time of the year, so it can be expected that warm weather will add to the technical difficulties of the track. With only two events left after this round, Portimão is bound to clarify the situation with regard to the bid for the titles. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has retaken the lead in the Teams’ standings, but needs something like a perfect weekend to stay in the race on the Drivers’ rankings. Currently, the best-placed of the team’s pairs is the one composed by Enzo Ide and René Rast, who lie fourth in the standings, 34 points from the top, with Laurens Vanthoor and César Ramos in a more challenging position after the misfortunes in the Main Race at Bratislava. In the Silver Cup, Mateuz Lisowski and Vincent Abril will defend their strong leadership, while the fourth car of the team will see Fabian Hamprecht’s second outing with WRT, alongside Stéphane Ortelli.

Team Principal Vincent Vosse has a clear view on the objective for the weekend: “We need something like a perfect weekend. So far, in the Sprint Series, we have often been doing very well in qualifying and in the Qualifying Race, but we have been missing great results and heavy points in the Main Races, for a variety of reasons, not always under our control. We need to put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place again, like we did many times in the past, and for sure, we are capable of doing it. I don’t know how competitive we will be in Portimão: it is not the track we know best and we haven’t raced there last year. As we all know, it is a great track but not easy. Still, we go there determined to fight hard.”

Car #2 of Enzo Ide and René Rast, as said, is the best-placed in the standings and both drivers are determined to play all their cards: “We will do the utmost to reduce the gap”, says Enzo, “it’s of course a pity that we left some good points in the way in Slovakia, but I hope that we are done with our share of bad luck…I definitely like Portimão and it’s

there that I won my first race for WRT, in the European GT3 Series back in 2011, so I hope this is a good sign.”

The other young Belgian of the squad, Laurens Vanthoor is less optimistic about his and César Ramos’ chances, but equally determined to do well. “The situation in the championship doesn’t reflect our competitiveness and that is of course frustrating”, he admits, “We have been doing poles and podiums, but haven’t been very successful in the Main Races lately, because of small mistakes, race incidents, bad luck or whatever that was. We have to be realistic: it is going to be very difficult to make up the gap, but you never know, you have to try until the very end. And we definitely have to go for the Teams’ title!”

In the Silver Cup, the two Belgian Audi Club Team WRT young guns, Vincent Abril and Mateusz Lisowski, may be enjoying a more comfortable position, as they are strong leaders in the standings, but their motivation remains higher than ever. Looking at what achieved so far in the season, Vincent Abril reflects: “It has been a positive year so far, I think we have done a good job. We knew after winter testing that we had the right speed, what we didn’t have is the experience, but that’s coming! It’s really nice to be in a team like WRT, where you are and feel totally supported. That reflects on the performance and makes things much easier. With Mateusz Lisowiski, we complement each other perfectly, you can say he is a more aggressive kind of driver than me, and that I am the wiser of the two, although being younger than him! Portimão is yet another track we don’t know, so we’ll try to make maximum use of the free practice sessions. The objective is to do well in the Silver Cup but also in the overall results. I fear the heat a little bit, I much prefer racing in cool conditions, and I wouldn’t mind a storm to break out at some point…”

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will have on the grid another very young gun, as Fabian Hamprecht will perform his second and last scheduled outing with the team, alongside Stéphane Ortelli on the #9 car. The young German is certainly eager to make the most out of this opportunity: “We showed good pace and consistency throughout changing conditions in Slovakia but unfortunately race incidents stopped us, so I really look forward to a good performance at Portimão, a track I don’t know. For me, it has been an honour to have the possibility of doing two races for such a professional and successful team as WRT, and I thank them for the support. If things come together nicely, I would be delighted of further cooperating in the future.”

The Portuguese round will follow a traditional format, with the Qualifying Race kicking off on Saturday afternoon at 13:45 and the Main Race taking place Sunday at 14:45, at local time, Portugal being one hour behind with respect to Central Europe.

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series

Blancpain Sprint Series: Top results earns Alessandro Latif bigger Pro-Am trophy lead

Alessandro Latif Press Release

Alessandro Latif has extended his lead in the Pro-Am Trophy after enjoying his most successful Blancpain Sprint Series race weekend of the year.

The young British GT driver placed first in class in the latest two rounds in Slovakia last weekend (23-24 August) as well as scoring his best overall race results of the year.

Latif and German co-driver Marc Basseng had started the weekend with a mere two-point advantage but after the latest results in their Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra, their advantage is up to 14-points.

In Saturday’s opening one hour “Qualifying Race”, ran mainly in very wet and challenging conditions, the Anglo-German pairing came through from 19th overall on the 22-car grid to win the Pro-Am class and finish eighth place overall – just 10.317secs behind the race winner – in a race temporarily stopped twice.

“I lost some places at the start due to the chaos everywhere with cars crashing off,” reflected Alessandro. “The heavy rain made the track conditions very tricky to race on with the car aquaplaning all over the place. I handed the Audi over to Marc who did a fantastic job of bringing it home eighth.”

The Latif/Basseng Audi started Sunday’s “Main Race” from the fourth row of the grid and recorded a season-best seventh overall – and class winners for the fourth time this season.

Alessandro continued: “Marc did a great start considering the usual carnage off the grid although contact at the first corner damage the Audi’s suspension. He drove a fast, clean stint and handed the car over to me in fourth overall brought the car into fourth with Phoenix Racing again clocking the fastest pit stop.

“It was the first time for me racing in the top-five and I was very conscious of not making a mistake and turning a top result into a retirement! I lost a couple of places due to my cautiousness but seventh place overall was nevertheless satisfying as well of course winning the Pro-Am class again to strengthen our points lead.

“Next time I will know how to handle the pressure better as a top-five overall is definitely within our potential.”

The 14-corner Automotodróm Slovakia Ring track opened in 2008 and is the longest on the Blancpain Sprint calendar at 3.68-miles.

Latif’s next races in the Blancpain Series are staged at the Algarve in Portugal over 5-7 September.

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series

Blancpain Sprint Series: Enzo Ide and René Rast grab another podium

Enzo Ide Press Release

Motorsport is back following the summer recess, with next to the F1 in Spa and the World Rally Championship in Germany, this weekend also saw the first of the four remaining rounds of the Blancpain Sprint Series or the European Championship for GT cars. And Enzo Ide was also on hand. The West Flanders based driver is competing with WRT Audi, and teamed up with German driver René Rast, recent winner of the 24 Hours of Spa, also with Audi. On the highly challenging Slovakia Ring in Slovakia, the duo experienced some highs and lows during the weekend, but which finally did result with a podium having finished in third place in the championship race. As such Enzo Ide and René Rast are still in the battle for the championship’s final podium, and will be heading on down to Portimao for the next race of this highly thrilling season.

On Friday it soon became apparent that the WRT Audi R8 LMS Ultra would be in a position to perform well on this undulating circuit in Slovakia. René Rast slotted the car, with which earlier at the beginning of the summer he had won at Zandvoort, in first spot of the second free practice.

Enzo Ide: “Right from the start it all went well. So we were pretty confident for the rest of the weekend to come, in fact confidence that was confirmed with a fourth place in the qualifying sessions. Ok, it wasn’t a front row spot, but on the other hand a second row is and remains a perfect position for the race.”

The sequel was one from which Enzo Ide would literally lie awake from all night.

Enzo Ide: “Up to a few minutes from the finish of the first race we were up front, with the victory in sight. That’s when I committed an error, dropping us back into ninth place. I still can’t get over it. To this day I can’t understand how this could have happened. I could hardly sleep all night and you will appreciate how annoyed I felt, especially for the team and my teammate René Rast, who once again had driven a brilliant race. It was especially hard to get going again a mere twenty fours later to take the start of the main race.”

Initially the main race looked as though it would turn out to be a drama, as Enzo Ide’s car was involved in an accident through no fault of his own. However the sequel turned into what one might call a sporting fairy tale.

Enzo Ide: “We were lying last up until the pit stops… Unbelievably I cursed everything and everyone in the car, which was far from being a pleasant experience. But then … A brilliant tyre change led by François Verbist and Laurent Durieu of the WRT Audi team meant that we were able to make up a few places. What then followed was a true show put in my teammate René Rast, who managed to climb back up through into third place. To be honest I didn’t expect that result, but it really felt fabulous. We’re still in the battle and running for the final podium in the championship and in the intermediate rankings we remain the best Audi team. I’m really looking forward to the next race, in a fortnight’s time in Portimao, in the splendid Portuguese Algarve.”

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club / Patrick Hecq Photography

Blancpain Sprint Series: One win and one podium finish for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in eventful Slovakiaring weekend

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

It was definitely two eventful and lively races at the Slovakiaring for the fourth round of the Blancpain Sprint Series as numerous race incidents and changing weather conditions added to the show. At the end of the weekend, the harvest for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT was positive but not as good as it could have been. Laurens Vanthoor and César Ramos took a brilliant win in Saturday’s Qualifying race before being frustrated on Sunday. On the contrary, René Rast-Enzo Ide were unlucky on Saturday but took a precious podium finish (3rd) on Sunday. The team’s pair of youngsters, Vincent Abril-Mateusz Lisowski, had consistent results, taking two seconds in their class which reinforce their leadership in the Silver Cup. The fourth car, now under the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT banner and entrusted to Stéphane Ortelli and young German Fabian Hamprecht, who debuted with the team, was a victim of the circumstances in both races.

“It has been an intense weekend, with a lot of things happening”, agrees Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse, “We have seen a lot of good things but also some not so good. All in all, though, I am happy with the results, although we could have hoped for better results in the Main Race after conquering the pole and Race 1, but race incidents are part of racing, as we all know. The good thing is that we gain points on our main rivals in the Teams’ championship, both the Sprint one and the Blancpain GT Series overall one. I also want to stress the good debut with the team of Fabian Hamprecht. Car #9 had a difficult and unlucky weekend but I am definitely happy with what was shown by Fabian.”

The twisty and technical Slovakiaring, located in Orechová Potôň, in the outskirts of Bratislava, proved to be a good ground for the Audis R8 LMS ultra, which shone in qualifying, with Laurens Vanthoor taking the pole and René Rast qualifying an excellent fourth.

The Qualifying Race on Saturday presented itself under the best auspices but a chaotic start, with the green lights coming very late, penalized the first rows, with Vanthoor losing immediately the advantage of the pole. Contacts in the very compact group were inevitable in the first corners, with the Lambo of Enge crashing heavily and rolling a number of times. Luckily, the Czech escaped unhurt but the race was red-flagged to allow rebuilding of the Armco. At the restart, Rast took third and, soon after, second, after passing Winkelhock, with Vanthoor taking P4 from Pantano. An excursion into the gravel delayed Ortelli down to P15, right behind Lisowski. Both started then to climb positions through the field. In the meantime, René Rast had taken the lead, after passing Bleekemolen, with Vanthoor fourth (and then third) only 2” behind. Soon after, rain started to fall heavily which eventually led to a second red flag as track conditions were dreadful right after the pit stops. At the restart, Enzo Ide stayed in the lead and when Ramos passed Proczyk 15 minutes from the end, the two Belgian Audi Club Team WRT cars were in control and fighting for victory. As Ramos reduced the gap, Ide made a small mistake three laps from the flag, spinning and sliding down to P9. For Ramos and Vanthoor it meant victory, but it was Vincent Abril putting the show in the closing laps, as the young Frenchman took fourth after a couple of stunning overtakings. Unfortunately, in the final lap he went wide into the gravel, losing two positions. The car of Hamprecht finished 12th after having to serve a drive-through for having pitted under red.

"This was a very long and very hard race”, admitted Ramos, “When I took the wheel of the car for the second half of the race, I did not know what to expect on the wet track. Fortunately, Laurens could give me some pointers over the radio, so I managed to overtake the Lamborghini and then got first when Enzo spun. I am very happy with this first win of the season.”

On Sunday, for the Main Race, the sunshine was back for good, but the start was again marred with confusion, with many cars arriving side by side at the first braking. Ramos, who hadn’t taken the best start, couldn’t avoid contact, ending sideways. The turmoil that followed resulted not only in damage to car #1, which had a visible hole on the left door, but also in the retirement of car #9, as Hamprecht was sent off into the gravel, and in a spin for car #2, with Ide rejoining at the back of the field. First part of the race saw Ramos cruising in P7 with a machine not in perfect conditions, ahead of Abril. After the pit stop, Vanthoor had a scary moment when he went wide into the grass while trying to chase up. The young Belgian avoided the barriers but could not avoid to pit to clean the radiator. He finished 11th, taking the points of 7th in the Pro Cup. Lisowski had a quieter race, finishing 9th overall and taking again 2nd in the Silver Cup, but the heroes of the race were Enzo Ide and René Rast, who after their initial misfortune, charged through the field to take a wonderful third in the final lap, as Rast passed Götz in turn 6 with a breath-taking maneuver. “It was a very close one”, commented the German, “and I must apologize to Max because there was a slight unintentional contact. To finish third after such an unlucky start is quite unexpected. Enzo had a great start but then was an innocent victim of the first corner drama. He did a great job climbing up positions, we had a perfect pit stop and I could finish the job”.

The Blancpain Sprint Series will be back in two weeks, with the fifth round scheduled at the Autódromo do Algarve, in Portimão (Portugal) on 6-7 September.

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club / Patrick Hecq Photography

Blancpain Sprint Series: Vanthoor and Ramos win a chaotic qualifying race in Slovakia Ring

By Tarek Ramchani

It's was dream Saturday for Laurens Vanthoor, his team-mate Cesar Ramos and the whole Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. After taking a breathtaking pole position earlier today, the drivers of the #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra secured a great race victory in the qualifying race.

The race itself was a very chaotic one with heavy rain and a very massive crash. Right from the start Tomas Enge driving a Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 had a big crash. The driver went out OK from the very damaged car but the race was red flagged. Another red flag came out later with very hard conditions same to what WTCC competitors have faced a couple of months ago.

Rast and Ramos victory came in the very closing stages of the race. Their team-mates René Rast and Enzo Ide with the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra were holding the race lead until five minutes to go when Ide lost control of his car and ended the race in ninth place. The #1 Audi duo won ahead of the #28 Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 in second place and the #84 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in third.

The #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT was sixth with youngsters Vincent Abril and Mateusz Lisowski.

The #5 Phoenix Racing Audi of Marc Basseng and Alessandro Latif ended in eighth place overall and took the Pro-Am class victory.

Two Audis were outside the Top 10. The #9 R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT driven by Stéphane Ortelli and Fabian Hamprecht was twelfth. The #6 Phoenix Racing car of Niki Mayer-Melnhof and Markus Winkelhock was fifteenth.

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club / Patrick Hecq Photography

Blancpain Sprint Series: Laurens Vanthoor gives Audi a great pole position in Slovakia Ring

By Tarek Ramchani

A great Blancpain Sprint Series qualifying session for the Audi brand at the demanding Slovakia Ring. A fine pole position and no less than three cars within the first four positions.

Laurens Vanthoor took a sensational pole position after a thrilling Q3 qualifying session at the Slovakian track. The Audi factory driver was the fastest behind the wheels of the #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT.

The recent winner of the Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and Blancpain Endurance Series leader set a best time of 1:58.187. The Belgian GT ace finished ahead of Lamborghini's Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Phoenix Racing performed very well too. Markus Winkelhock driving the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra was third fastest with a best time of 1:58:870. René Rast driving the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT was right behind in fourth place. The other three Audis qualified outside the Top 10.

Slovakia Ring qualifying results (Q3) can be seen here.

The qualifying race will follow at 14:45 GMT with a live stream coverage at www.blancpain-gt-series.com.

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series

Blancpain Sprint Series: Six Audi R8 LMS ultra at the Slovakia Ring

By Tarek Ramchani

The Blancpain Sprint Series is back and will head to the demanding Slovakia Ring this upcoming weekend. A total of six R8 LMS ultra cars will represent Audi Sport customer racing.

The Audis performed well last time out at Zandvoort with a brilliant race victory in the main race with René Rast and Enzo Ide. In Slovakia the Audi teams will try to take additional race wins and strong points in the battle for championship title.

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT who recently won the prestigious Spa 24 Hours will field three cars. The #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra will be shared by recent Spa 24 winner and Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Cup leader Laurens Vanthoor and Cesar Ramos. The #2 Audi will be driven by René Rast (another Spa 24 winner) and Enzo Ide. The #4 Audi will compete in the Silver Cup with youngsters Vincent Abril and Mateusz Lisowski.

G-Drive Racing will enter a single Audi R8 LMS ultra, the car will be managed once again by Team WRT. Stéphane Ortelli and Roma Rusinov will be the behind the wheels of the Russian Audi.

The remaining two Audis are from Phoenix Racing. The German team had a mixed season in the series so far with some ups and downs. The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra will have Marc Basseng and Alessandro Latif as drivers, they will compete in the Gentlemen Trophy class. Their team-mates Niki Mayer-Melnhof and Markus Winkelhock will share the sister #6 machine.

Audi R8 LMS ultra cars at Slovakia Ring: 

#1 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT - Laurens Vanthoor / Cesar Ramos
#2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT - René Rast / Enzo Ide
#3 G-Drive Racing - Stéphane Ortelli / Roma Rusinov
#4 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT - Vincent Abril / Mateusz Lisowski (Silver Cup)
#5 Phoenix Racing - Marc Basseng / Alessandro Latif (Gentlemen Trophy)
#6 Phoenix Racing - Niki Mayer-Melnhof / Markus Winkelhock

Photo credit: Blancpain GT Series

Q&A: Interview with Laurens Vanthoor - Audi factory driver and Spa 24 Hours winner

By Tarek Ramchani

Laurens Vanthoor is no doubt one of the strongest and fastest GT driver around. A factory Audi driver since 2013, Laurens Vanthoor won that same year the FIA GT Series title in just his second season in GT racing.

The Belgian ace recentley won the prestigious Spa 24 Hours race and took the overall lead in the Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Cup drivers' standing.

We were pleased to have an interview with Laurens Vanthoor. A very interesting Q/A about his debut with the Audi brand in GT racing, the 2014 season and his expectations for the upcoming races this year.

You joined Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in 2012 coming from single-seater formulas , tell us more about that.

My dream was ofcourse always to do F1 as a young driver. My first three years in single seat were very promising but my last year in Euroseries was a disaster. It was due to different reason, relationship with the team, technical issues, myself, private life,... So everything went wrong.

After that I tried to view my next years in life in a realistic view. F1 was my dream, but how many chances do I have to arrive there and to make it my job ? That was very small, even if I went further and for example won races.. At that moment I did not had the support from somebody who could open doors or could bring me the sponsorship money, and maybe I was just not good enough..

But luckily I had a very good support from the Belgian VW Club (VW Motorsport Belgium), specially from J.G. Mal Voy. He supported me a lot and helped me on many many aspects. We sat together and spoke about the future and came to the same conclusion to go for plan B. J.G. Mal Voy was also responsible for the Belgian Audi Club who at the point were helping WRT. He made the contact between Vincent Vosse, Rene Verbist and Pierre Dieudonne and what happened after was clear. The goal was to become as quick as possible an Audi Factory driver and to start making a living of motorsport. Because in the end that's what I love, and making it your job is a dream.

Since last year you are a factory Audi driver, how is it diffrent compared to the first year as a Team WRT driver?

Basically it didn't change a lot to the pure driving aspect. There came a bit more activities and commitments. You have to pay a bit more attention to your behaviour and your professionallity because you are representing the brand. In the end it becomes your job.

You have a busy 2014 season with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT between Blancpain Endurance Series and Blancpain Sprint Series, which one is more demanding?

I personally always love to drive the Sprint series because it's a bit more exciting for me. Sprint races, 1 hour to go and all-in. So I was really happy to win the series last year. But for myself I wanted to try and win the Endurance series this year, to prove that I'm also able to be an endurance driver.

The Spa 24 Hours was a dream race, pole position, outright victory and new Pro-Cup leader in Blancpain Endurance Series, tell us more about the event.

Yes, it's still quite hard to believe. Achieving these results in Belgium, with a Belgium team, with the Belgian Audi Club and my long-time partner Grafiwrap. Is quite a dream story. In the end it was a very exciting race but we worked hard and nobody made a mistake, the job on the team was incredible and I would say they deserved it more then us the drivers !

Like mentioned before after winning the Sprint series last year, this year I wanted to win a big 24 Hours race and the Endurance championship. Obviously this weekend helped me a lot to achieve that dream.

Aren't you missing your partner Stéphane Ortelli with whom you won the FIA GT Series title last year?

For sure Stephane and me had a extremely good relationship. We knew each other for more then 2 years at the end and he teached me a lot in motorsports but also in life. It's quite funny that he could be my dad, but Stephane it still living his life like a young, passionated race driver and that's impressive to see. I always tell people that I hope I can still do the same when I have his age !

To reply the question, of course I miss him but life goes on and we know that.. Maybe one day we will drive again together, who knows. At the moment I'm working close with Cesar Ramos in both championships and we have a very good relationship between ourselves but also with our car crew. But it's different because this time it's me who is the more experienced guy in the car and team so I'm taking more the responsibility in some occasions. But Cesar has proven that he is very quick and I think in the second part of the season that we will be even stronger !

Earlier this year you did Bathurst 12 Hour, what about racing in North America with Audi customer teams?

I would love to race in the US. I should have been driving with Audi at Daytona this year but it got cancelled in the end. I hope I will get my chance there soon because I love the US and can't wait to do my first race there to see how it is..

When it comes to Audi full factory racing, which one do you prefer Le Mans or DTM?

It's difficult. Maybe slightly Le Mans because I think I prefer the way of working. Since I started in GT racing I always liked it to have a partner and to work together. Boost each other, having different opinions.

DTM is more everybody for himself but on the other hand DTM is more sprint wise of racing. I would only be happy in DTM if I can be able to fight for victories and be a front runner..

What is your favourite track?

Exciting onces, maybe not the most safe places but where you can get a lot of adrenaline! The Nordschleife, Macau!

Photo credit: Audi Media

VIDEO: Audi victory at the 24 Hours of Spa 2014

A great video by Audi Media featuring the Audi victory at the prestigious Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.



Photo credit: IG Autorennsport