TUSC: Flying Lizard Completes Rolex 24 at Daytona

Flying Lizard Motorsports Press Release

After a full 24 hours of racing at Daytona International Speedway, Flying Lizard Motorsports was able to place both of its cars in the top-5 in the GT Daytona class at the season opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
The end result was a 2nd place finish for the No. 45 Venezuela / eSilicon Audi R8 LMS of Nelson Canache Jr., Spencer Pumpelly, Markus Winkelhock, and Tim Pappas, and a 5th place finish for the PR Newswire / UBM Tech / eSilicon Audi R8 LMS of Seth Neiman, Dion von Moltke, Filipe Albuquerque, and Alessandro Latif.

Starting from the 18th and 20th positions, the team ran an essentially trouble-free race with both cars, eventually finding itself racing for position with each of its cars in the final two hours. Filipe Albuquerque took the last stint in the No. 35, which had come back to within one lap of the class leaders. In the end he was racing against the Level 5 Motorsports No. 556 Ferrari 458 for 5th position, passing the No. 556 immediately prior to the race's final caution period and then maintaining that position for the final run to the checker. Markus Winkelhock took the final stint in the No. 45 and was able to put on a huge late race battle against the other Level 5 team car, the No. 555. Despite contact in the Bus Stop turn within a few laps of the checker, Markus was able to mount another charge despite a bent right front suspension and broken wheel, swapping the lead back and forth with the No. 555 and attempting one final pass of that car which ultimately ended in the No. 555 forcing Markus to the grass with a half lap remaining and an eventual 2nd place finishing position.

The No. 45 was handed the victory as race control penalized the No. 555 for the move that put the No. 45 in the grass on the last lap. Though the results were declared final following the normal post race tech inspection, the penalty was lifted 3 hours later, making the No. 555 the winner, and the No. 45 second. Controversy about the incident, penalty, and the way the final decision was reached has been substantial. Following a meeting with top officials, team owner and driver of the No. 35 R8 LMS Seth Neiman said "What an emotional roller coaster – a 24-hour race always has these, and this has been one of the toughest. A great fight by Markus with a damaged car provided all of us with a spectacular finish to a deeply competitive race. The entire team and the Audi personnel that worked so hard to get our arms around these new cars in just 75 days should hold their heads high – it is a rare accomplishment in motorsports."

"The sequence of official decisions following the race was a big surprise, as we and Audi had been told the results were final, and did not realize that the supervisory body could make such a delayed ruling. This is a new series and has new rules and policies for all of us. I have asked for clarification of how the supervisory board works and how teams can present their case in situations like this. I think we also need some clarification on whether or not competitors are still required to give racing room in close situations. I have been assured information on both of these topics will be provided. That said, it's time to move on - congratulations to Level 5 – a great race. Now on to Sebring!"

Flying Lizard returns to the racetrack on February 20th and 21st for a test at Sebring International Raceway, prior to the 2nd race of the 2014 season, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, on March 15th.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports [2014 Bob Chapman, Autosport Image]

TUSC: Paul Miller Racing has competitive showing in Rolex 24 at Daytona

Paul Miller Racing Press Release

Rolex 24 At Daytona Run Has Paul Miller Racing Team and Drivers Encouraged For The 2014 Racing Season

Pole-Winning and Race-Leading Performance by the Team and Drivers Bryce Miller, Christopher Haase, Rene Rast and Matt Bell is an Encouraging Debut for New Audi R8 LMS Program

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 27, 2013) - A pole-winning and race-leading performance as strong as any team competing in this weekend's 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona has left Paul Miller Racing and its drivers encouraged for the 2014 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. 

Bryce Miller's full-season co-driver Christopher Haase led the GTD field to the green in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS and held the gas pedal steady to set a solid pace that his teammates Miller, Rene Rast and Matt Bell kept throughout the race. 

Despite each driver encountering a setback at one point or another, which typically relegated the Paul Miller Racing team back near the 15th position, the team was able to make adjustments and race back through the field on countless occasions. Racing inside the top-three throughout most of the day and trading the lead with only a handful of other competitors, the new Audi team appeared poised for a podium at the end of the event. 

"I feel there is a lot of potential in our program," Bryce Miller said. "We only took the car two months ago, and I think we already showed a lot of potential here. If you look at some of the obstacles we had-we had a tire blow out and still climbed back to the top, we had a pit lane speeding penalty and then climbed right back to the top. On multiple occasions we showed that we were fit to be running at the front of the class. I'm really proud of the guys, and I'm thankful to Audi for their commitment and cooperation to get our guys trained on the new car. I'm looking forward to a season of opportunity and I can already see some success ahead for us."

Just shy of the 14-hour mark the car began overheating, which sent the No. 48 Audi to the garage. The crew worked hand-in-hand with Audi support to diagnose the problem, make the necessary repairs, and return to the track within just 14 minutes. Approximately four hours later the problem reoccurred, but the crew once again made the repair and got the No. 48 back on the track. 

"The race didn't come out the way we would've liked, but the week came out perfectly," team owner Paul Miller said. "Obviously we qualified on the pole, which isn't critical in a race that's 24 hours, but it's an indication that we were in the ballpark. For a new team with a new car, we were really excited to be close. The amount of support that we've had from Audi has been very gratifying. With some of the little issues we did have that cost us quite a few laps, they were really tremendous. They were really focusing on it and, quite frankly, they were really the ones that did the work to solve the issues that we did have. We're very grateful and really excited about the season ahead."

Haase is new to the team but on Friday afternoon secured the pole for Paul Miller Racing in just the team's first race with Audi. 

"As today's race progressed, we didn't have as much luck as we needed and we had a few problems," Haase said. "But things happen in motorsports. Sometimes it's like that. Despite that, we had a great time. They fixed everything, and they stayed motivated through the whole race. Things like that are the most important qualities in a team. It makes me excited as we move forward throughout the year together."

Next up for Paul Miller Racing and the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, March 12 - 15.

About Paul Miller Racing:

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

Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more about the team at www.paulmillerracing.com.

About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS:

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

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

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

Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing

TUSC: Fall-Line Motorsports GTD has early end to Rolex 24

Fall-Line Motorsports Press Release

Daytona Beach, FL ((January 26, 2014) - The Fall-Line Motorsports' Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona came to an abrupt end yesterday just as it was getting started. Shortly after the green flag fell on the 52nd running of the historic race and the first under the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship banner, the Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS driven by Charlie Putman made heavy contact with the wall entering turn one. The contact was severe and left the car un-repairable.

The early exit was a devastating end to a promising race as the #46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS had been quick in practice and driver Oliver Jarvis qualified 3rd in the GTD category. The quartet of talented drivers Charles Espenlaub, James Walker, Jarvis and Putman had done their homework and were prepared for a long race in one of the most competitive classes in the field. The Audi R8 LMS was strong and the entire team had high hopes for a good finish.

The details of the crash are best told by the team's heart and soul Charlie Putman (one of the most likeable guys in the paddock) who was behind the wheel of the #46 when it suffered the fatal blow.

Charlie Putman: "I want to let our friends and fans know that the incident at Daytona today was sad and the impact was rough, but I am 100% okay.  The engineering of the Audi R8 LMS chassis is incredible and functioned as designed, sacrificing itself to protect me from the high-speed impact.  Of course we use the very best Safecraft seat belts and restraint nets with no compromises on any safety equipment and all of those safety systems paid for themselves today.
       I'm personally so sad because all of the crew have worked long days and nights with unbelievable heartfelt dedication to make our car the best of the best.  The hard physical impact to me and to the car was minor in comparison to the emotional blow to all of us.  We have received such an outreach of concern and support from all our fans and I am truly touched and blessed by the well wishes of everyone.  You will help us to be back stronger and faster than ever!
      The Fall-Line Audi R8 LMS showed signs of being the fastest R8 in the field for this race and was setup beautifully.  The setback to the rear of the grid on a technicality after qualifying in 3rd was not a concern to us, as we knew that in this long race with such a strong car we would easily work our way back into the thick of it. I was having a great opening stint and everything appears to have been normal according to the data systems, up until the moment the car unexplainably pitched to the inside of track just before entering turn one. This is the fasted place on the track, and not a place where cars are expected to spin, so the contact with the bare concrete wall there was disastrous.  It is too early to theorize exactly what happened, but as one of my teammates reminded me, this is racing and things happen.  We just keep striving forward and we will prevail.
    I want to thank my co-drivers Charles Espenlaub, and particularly Oliver Jarvis and James Walker for their support and contributions to the team.  While Charles (Espenlaub) and I have teamed up for many years, this was our first opportunity to work with Oliver (Jarvis) and James (Walker).  We hope to see more of them as they are not only exceptional drivers, but very nice people (if you can ignore their British accent!)  Nathan McBride is simply a genius on the car set-up and development.  Our relationship with Audi's support group really shows the signs of mutual respect and I know that as the year goes on we will only grow stronger together.
    Thanks again to all our friends for the concerns and well wishes."

Teammates Jarvis, Walker and Espenlaub also share Putman's sentiments:

Oliver Jarvis: "After a great buildup to the race, it's devastating to go out so early. The team did a fantastic job and I know we had a car capable of winning the race. But unfortunately that's motor sport. The most important thing is that Charlie (Putman) is okay. I would like to say a huge thanks to the team who worked their butts off to prepare the car for this race and it's a real shame they didn't get the reward they deserved."

James Walker: "It's obviously disappointing to go out early on in the race, but the main thing is that Charlie (Putman) is okay. It's very easy to forget just how quick these cars go, especially around the banking at Daytona. It was my first race with the Fall-Line crew and hopefully not my last. It's been great to work with everyone. They are such a professional outfit. A huge thank you to everyone there for all their hard work."

Charles Espenlaub: "We are so glad Charlie (Putman) is okay. We have to thank Fall-Line and Audi for building a very safe Audi R8 LMS. It did its job and kept Charlie out of harms way. It is so unfortunate that all the hard work and preparation over the last few months by everyone will not get the results they deserve. They did all the work and we were in position for a great result but that is racing and we will be ready for Sebring."

Michael Harvey, Fall-Line Motorsports Team Manager: "Very disappointing to go out so early and just glad Charlie is okay. The whole Fall-Line crew has worked so hard and we defiantly had a car to compete for the win. Huge thanks to Oliver (Jarvis) and James (Walker) who fit in seamlessly to our program and of course our friends at Audi Sport customer racing who have been incredible with their constant support and service."

Fall-Line Motorsports is a premiere builder and fabricator of racecars for all levels of competition. Fall-Line specializes in BMW, Porsche, Audi and other high-performance makes. Fall-Line Motorsports unveiled their Grand-Am team in 2006 and won the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS Championship title in 2010. In addition to fielding 3 GS BMW M3s in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and an Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Fall-Line also prepares and fabricates cars for other CTSC teams, SCCA and NASA drivers, track day prepared and high performance street vehicles. www.fall-linemotorsports.com @FallLineMotors www.facebook.com/Falllinemotorsports

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

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

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

Photo credit: Fall-Line Motorsports / Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography

TUSC: Second consecutive victory for Audi at Daytona + IMSA later revises Daytona result

Audi Press Release (Before revised results)

Second consecutive victory for Audi at Daytona

•          New U.S. version of the Audi R8 LMS wins 24-hour race
•          Perfect debut for the new Audi customer team Flying Lizard
•          Spectators experienced dramatic finale in the GT Daytona class

Ingolstadt/Daytona, January 26, 2014 – For the second time in succession, Audi has won the class for production-based GT sports cars in the famous 24-hour race at Daytona (USA). And, like last year, the victorious Audi customer team kept spectators watching with bated breath in a dramatic finale. 

Perfect debut for the new U.S. version of the Audi R8 LMS and the new Audi customer team Flying Lizard Motorsports: Nelson Canache jr. (YV), Tim Pappas (USA), Spencer Pumpelly (USA) and Markus Winkelhock (D) decided the inaugural race of the new Tudor United SportsCar Championship (TUSC) in their favor in a photo finish.

With 29 GT sports cars running, the GT Daytona (GTD) category featured the largest number of entrants in the field and was the most fiercely fought class in the iconic U.S. endurance race. The positions at the front kept changing and the customer teams of Audi, Porsche and Ferrari had chances of taking class victory up to the very end. 

Following a late safety car period, the spectators experienced a final seven-minute sprint in which Markus Winkelhock, in a tough duel, prevailed against the Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi, which had been leading up to that point. The Ferrari driver fiercely defended himself against the faster Audi R8 LMS and retroactively received a 75-second time penalty for his action.

“This was an incredible race, I’m absolutely speechless,” said Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “I can understand the disappointment of the Ferrari team. But I share the opinion of the race stewards that Alessandro Pier Guidi went a bit overboard in his defense on the last laps. Markus was simply faster. On the whole, it was a great entrance for the new U.S. version of the Audi R8 LMS. We put a fast and reliable car for the new GTD class into the hands of our customer teams. Flying Lizard and the four drivers of the winning car made the best of it. Many thanks to all who made this fantastic success possible.”

Following a restrained start and a few minor issues in the beginning, the new Californian Audi customer team launched an impressive recovery during the night that made the red-silver #45 R8 LMS advance position by position and rewarded the squad with its first lead on Sunday morning.

Filipe Albuquerque (P), Alessandro Latif (GB/I), Seth Neiman (USA) and Dion von Moltke (USA) showed a similarly strong performance as their team-mates and in the team’s sister car captured fifth place in class. After 24 hours, the quartet was trailing its victorious team-mates by only one lap.

The squad of Paul Miller Racing was beaten below its potential. Matt Bell (GB), Christopher Haase (D), Bryce Miller (USA) and René Rast (D) started the race from the pole position and set the pace for long periods during the first twelve hours. They lost their chances for victory during the night due to a water leak. After several longer pit stops, Paul Miller Racing had to settle for 16th place in class. A bit of consolation: Christopher Haase, after clinching the pole position on Thursday, also managed setting the fastest race lap of 1m 47.194s.

The two Audi R8 LMS cars of the Fall-Line Motorsports and GMG Racing teams did not make it to the finish. After just five laps, Charlie Putman (USA/Fall-Line Motorsports) on braking into Turn 1, lost control of his Audi in the fastest section of the track and spun backwards into a concrete wall. The rear-end section of the R8 LMS was irreparably damaged in the incident.

James Sofronas (USA/GMG Racing) was touched by an LMPC sports car in Turn 1 at the beginning of the seventh hour. The American spun off track and hit the wall of the pit lane exit head-on. Sofronas, like Putman, sustained no injuries but his R8 LMS was so heavily damaged that a trackside repair was impossible.

Quotes by the victorious Audi drivers

Nelson Canache jr.: “Flying Lizard Motorsports gave us four drivers a fantastic car. We weren’t the quickest in qualifying but all along we felt we had a fast and reliable car for a 24-hour race. We were really tight on fuel at the end. It was a magnificent team performance.”

Tim Pappas: “I was a late addition to the driver squad, so I’m literally stunned to have scored my first Daytona victory. It was a privilege for me to watch Markus (Winkelhock) and Spencer (Pumpelly) as team-mates. Nelson (Canache jr.) and I did what was required of us in keeping safe and bringing the Audi back in one piece in our stints.”

Spencer Pumpelly: “This will always be the most memorable of my three Daytona wins. Watching the final 20 minutes was nail-biting and Markus (Winkelhock) did a fantastic job. Daytona was an enormous challenge for the Flying Lizard team with the new car and they did a phenomenal job. We had a fantastic car which allowed us to score an important win.”

Markus Winkelhock: “It was an incredible last lap. I left plenty of space for him to turn in at the kink but on the exit he left me no space and pushed me into the grass. I think the officials made the correct decision. Last year, I fought for the GT class win but ran out of fuel on the last lap, so it’s great to come back twelve months later and win.”

Race results (GT Daytona class)

1 Canache jr./Pappas/(Pumpelly/Winkelhock (Audi R8 LMS) 662 laps in 24h 01m 19.953s
2 Snow/Heylen/Seefried (Porsche) + 0.159s
3 Rotenberg/Zlobin/Mediani/Salo/Aleshin (Ferrari) + 13.919s
4 Tucker/Sweedler/Bell/Segal/Pier Guidi (Ferrari) + 1m 43.707s
5 Albuquerque/Latif/Neiman/von Moltke (Audi R8 LMS) - 1 lap
...
16 Bell/Haase/Miller/Rast (Audi R8 LMS) - 36 laps

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Audi Press Release (After revised results)

IMSA revises Daytona result

•          Audi R8 LMS #45 relegated to second place
•          Organizers ask to excuse confusion caused

Ingolstadt/Daytona, January 27, 2014 – About four hours after the end of the race, the organizers of the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) have issued a revised result for the GT Daytona class.

The IMSA revised their original decision to impose a time-penalty on the #555 Ferrari. The #45 Audi R8 LMS of Audi customer team Flying Lizard Motorsports, which had originally been declared as the winner of the race, was moved back to second place. The organisers have pleged all participants to excuse the confusion they have caused.

The Team Flying Lizard Motorsports reserves further action against this decision and would like to comment not before Monday.

Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing: “It is unfortunate that the events after the race cast a shadow on a really great race in the Daytona GT class. Probably this race deserves two winners.”

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Follow the Daytona 24 Hours LIVE

The 52nd Daytona 24 Hours is getting underway this weekend. Five Audi R8 LMS cars will be competing in GT Daytona class entered by GMG Racing, Flying Lizard Motorsports Fall-Line Motorsports and Paul Miller Racing. With a tremendous amount of Audi factory support this should be a great race. We have included a collection of links below with which you will be able to follow the race live.

Live Stream
FOX Sports/SPEED

Live Radio
Motor Racing Network (English)

Live Timing
LiveTiming Link

Facebook
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on Facebook
Official Audi Sport on Facebook
Audi Motorsport Blog on Facebook
Audi R8 LMS on Facebook
Flying Lizard Motorsports on Facebook
GMG Racing on Facebook
Paul Miller Racing on Facebook
Fall-Line Motorsports on Facebook
Daytona Speedway on Facebook

Twitter
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on twitter
Official Audi Sport on twitter
Audi Motorsport Blog on twitter
Audi R8 LMS on twitter
RACER on twitter
Sportscar365 on Twitter
Daytona Speedway on twitter
Dailysportscar on Twitter
Sports Car Unleashed

Spotters Guide
Spotter Guide Link

Photo credit: Audi Media

TUSC: Paul Miller Racing Keeps GTD Class Pole for the Rolex 24 At Daytona After IMSA Rescinds Penalty

Paul Miller Racing Press Release

Christopher Haase Leads Team to the Pole for the Inaugural IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Race

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 24, 2013) - After receiving a penalty on Thursday that initially cost Paul Miller Racing the GTD-class pole, IMSA officials rescinded the ruling against the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS Friday morning.  The reversal put Paul Miller Racing back on the pole position for Saturday's 52nd Running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona that the team will contest with Bryce Miller, Christopher Haase, Rene Rast and Matt Bell.
"We are pleased that Scot Elkins and IMSA agreed to reevaluate the clarity and interpretation of the particular rule of issue, and deal fairly with us," said team owner Paul Miller.  "With this being the first race under the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship banner, basically a new generation of U.S. sports car racing, it is a big honor for our team to start from the pole." 

The Rolex 24 At Daytona airs live tomorrow beginning at 2 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST on FOX with two hours of race-opening action. At 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST coverage continues on sister station FOX Sports 2 until 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST. For the overnight hours, live images, in-car cameras and announcers will stream on www.IMSA.com. On Sunday, January 26, beginning at 7 a.m. EST/4 a.m. PST, FOX Sports 1 takes over the coverage and continues through the end of the race and post-race festivities, concluding at 3 p.m./12 p.m. PST. Motor Racing Network (MRN) will also air flag-to-flag radio coverage, streaming live at www.MRN.com.   
Bryce Miller won Paul Miller Racing's only previous pole at the Grand Prix of Mosport while competing in the American LeMans Series in 2010. 

"The pole result was almost a little bit unexpected for our team with us being new to Audi," Bryce Miller said. "But since we've joined forces with Audi, the support that we've received to accelerate our learning curve and bring us up to the level that we need to be at with the car has just been tremendous.  I attribute a large part of the success that we've had today to that whole relationship, and I'm very thankful to Audi for that."

Haase, Miller's full-season co-driver, was behind the wheel for team's pole run.  The Miller-Haas duo will be joined by 2012 Rolex 24 GT co-winner Rast and experienced British Audi R8 LMS driver Matt Bell to contend for this weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona title.  Despite this only being the German's second start in the prestigious event, Haase recorded a 1:49.973 lap (119.806 mph) to secure the top qualifying spot.

"Our Audi was very good in qualifying," Haase said.  "The team did a great job, and we improved the car step-by-step.  For qualifying we went a bit more aggressive, and I was able to trust the car to put down the lap time.  Good teamwork is the key to getting the pole, and we have a great team here." 

With buzz around the paddock area about the closeness of qualifying results, competitors are expecting a close race throughout the weekend.  By the conclusion of the 15-minute qualifying session, six GTD cars recorded lap times within one-tenth of a second while the top-10 GTD cars recorded lap times within four-tenths of a second.

"In the 24-hour races that I've driven in the past, the car is so reliable-especially the Audi-the race is almost like a qualifying lap every lap because you can push the car to those limits," Bell said.  "I think this race may be a little different because of the size of the track and the number of the cars on it.  With so many cars on such a small track, I think we'll be spending more time looking in our mirrors than looking out of the windshield.  I think the race will be decided in the last four to six hours, so we need to stay out of trouble until then.  As long as we can stay on the lead lap and keep the car in one piece, I think we will really be one of the most dangerous lineups out there."

After picking up three seconds during yesterday's practice sessions and winning the pole, the Paul Miller Racing team spent today's final practice session as a final warm-up for this weekend's 24-hour event. 

"Every session we are working on the car and trying to improve it," Rast said.  "Even though we are at the top of our game, we have been able to continually make improvements to our Audi.  We haven't stopped working to improve our car since we arrived at the Roar test earlier this month.  I feel like we have a good setup and a strong driver lineup going into the race this weekend." 

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

Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more about the team at www.paulmillerracing.com.

About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS:

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

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

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

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

TUSC: Strong fourth and final practice session at Daytona - and pole position reinstated

By Johan Laubscher

The 24 Hours of Daytona week is well and truly underway. Three practice sessions and qualifying took place yesterday and a fourth and final practice session took place today.

The big news yesterday was the pole position and subsequent disqualification of Paul Miller Racing's #48 Audi R8 LMS. Christopher Haase's GTD pole time was penalised following a technical infringement with the car's rear wing end plates. Since then the IMSA supervisory officials have reviewed the case. It was announced on Friday that Paul Miller Racing's pole position was reinstated and the penalty rescinded.

The fourth and final practice session was held on Friday morning.

Two Audi R8 LMS cars made it into the GTD class top ten. The #46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Charles Espenlaub, Oliver Jarvis, Charlie Putman and James Walker placed sixth fastest in GTD. They were followed by the #35 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS of Filipe Albuquerque, Seth Neimann, Alessandro Latif and Dion von Moltke in tenth.

Marc Basseng, Frank Stippler, James Sofronas and Alex Welch in the #32 GMG Racing R8 LMS were nineteenth fastest. The newly reinstated GTD pole sitters, Matthew Bell, Christopher Haase, Bryce Miller and René Rast in the #48 Paul Miller Racing R8 LMS, were twenty-fourth fastest. The #45 Audi R8 LMS from Flying Lizard Motorsports rounded out the Audi runners in twenty-sixth, driven by Nelson Canache Jr, Tim Pappas, Spencer Pumpelly and Markus Winkelhock.

The fourth practice session results can be seen HERE.

With four practice sessions and qualifying behind the teams, it is now full steam ahead towards the green flag at 14:10 local time tomorrow afternoon. It will be the beginning of a new era in North America, as it is round one of the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

We wish the best of luck to all of the Audi teams and hoping for a repeat of the terrific 2013 GT victory at the Daytona 24.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport 

TUSC: Flying Lizard Qualifies For Rolex 24 at Daytona Race

Flying Lizard Motorsports Press Release

Flying Lizard qualified the No. 35 and No. 45 Audi R8 LMS race cars today for the first race of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
With the short race week and minimal available practice time, the team did not attempt proper qualifying runs, instead choosing to use the 15-minute session for setup work. The team still managed to qualify ahead of several cars, with Nelson Canache Jr. qualifying the No. 45 Venezuela / eSilicon R8 LMS (which he will share with Spencer Pumpelly (USA), Markus Winkelhock (Germany), and Tim Pappas (USA)) in 21st position in class, and Dion von Moltke qualifying the No. 35 PR Newswire / UBM Tech / eSilicon R8 LMS (which he will share with Seth Neiman (USA), Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal), and Alessandro Latif (UK/Italy)) in 23rd position in class.

The team has two practice sessions remaining, a 90-minute night practice in which all drivers must run, as well as a 60-minute practice tomorrow prior to the 2:10pm ET race start time on Saturday.

Flying Lizard has also debuted its 2014 merchandise line this week, which includes a new hat, t-shirt, and hoodie. Please look for those at the team's online store, www.flyinglizardstore.com.

Live timing and scoring for the remaining practice sessions and the race can be found at scoring.imsa.com and on the IMSA mobile app. The race will be televised on FOX from 2pm to 4pm ET and on FOX Sports 2 from 4pm to 9pm ET on Saturday, January 25th. Overnight coverage from 9pm to 7am ET will be available on IMSA.com, with run to the finish on FOX Sports 1 from 7am to 3pm ET. Live streaming of the entire race will be available on the FOX Sports GO mobile app. International television coverage is available on SPEED (Canada), Fox Sports Latin America, Motors TV (Europe), and Network Ten (Australia). Radio coverage of the race is available on the Motor Racing Network, which is available on Sirius channel 90 for this race and Sirius channel 117 for the TUDOR Championship season, or at www.MRN.com.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

TUSC: First pole position for Audi at Daytona

Audi Press Release

• Audi R8 LMS on top spot of the grid in Daytona 24 Hours
• Christopher Haase fastest in GT Daytona class (GTD)
• Perfect start for new Audi customer team Paul Miller Racing

Ingolstadt/Daytona, January 23, 2014 – Premiere for the four rings: For the first time, an Audi will start from the pole position in the 24-hour race at Daytona (U.S. state of Florida). The German Christopher Haase posted the fastest time in the GT Daytona class for production-based sports cars in the Audi R8 LMS of the new Audi customer team Paul Miller Racing.

67 prototypes and GT sports cars will be tackling the 24-hour race at Daytona on Saturday at 14:10 local time (20:10 CET). For Audi, the iconic North American endurance race opens the 2014 GT season with the race debut of the new U.S. version of the Audi R8 LMS.

29 entrants and six brands make the GT Daytona category for production-based GT sports cars the class with the largest number of participants in the race. Four Audi customer teams, including Paul Miller as one of the largest Audi dealerships in the USA, are fielding a total of five Audi R8 LMS cars this weekend. The mid-engine sports car was further developed by Audi Sport customer racing for the new GT Daytona category and is immediately starting from the pole position in its first race.

In an extremely thrilling qualifying session, the fastest six GT Daytona sports cars were within 89 thousandths of a second of each other and the best 20 within one second. Haase, on his fifth lap, relegated the Ferrari of Toni Vilander, which had been leading up to that point, to position two by 0.055s. Oliver Jarvis in the Audi R8 LMS of Fall-Line Motorsports trailed him in third place by only another 0.022s.

Nelson Canache jr. and Dion von Moltke secured grid positions 21 and 23 for the Flying Lizard Motorsports team. Marc Basseng in the Audi R8 LMS of GMG Racing, after a spin in the chicane, took position 24 – with a gap of only 1.408s.

The 52nd running of the Daytona 24 Hours marks the beginning of a new era in U.S. sports car racing. It is the first race after the American Le Mans Series merged with the GRAND-AM to form the new Tudor United SportsCar Championship (TUSCC). In the United States, FOX Network airs live coverage from Daytona, in Europe MotorsTV. The website www.imsa.com offers live radio and live timing.

When the race starts, the production Audi R8 V10 will make an entrance as well: The mid-engine sports car is used as the safety car at Daytona and will be leading the impressive field into the new era of U.S. sports car racing. Last year, Audi celebrated a one-two victory in the GT class at Daytona.

Selected quotes

Romolo Liebchen (Head of Audi Sport customer racing): “Obviously, we’re extremely happy with this result – it’s the first pole position for Audi at Daytona. Being on grid positions one and three in such a large field with such close time gaps is simply brilliant. But we shouldn’t misjudge the other cars on some of the more rearward positions because they’re not that far away in terms of the times they set. It looks like a good solution has been found for rating the different cars. This promises a thrilling race.”

Christopher Haase (Audi R8 LMS #48/Paul Miller Racing): “It’s a great feeling to be on the pole position at Daytona. Of course that’s not what’s going to decide the race, but for the first hour it’ll definitely be helpful. The team did a superb job: Our car was good from the beginning and we further improved it in the right direction. We can be very pleased and I’m already looking forward to the race start.”

Qualifying results

1 Bell/Haase/Miller/Rast (Audi R8 LMS) 1m 46.973s
2 Balzan/Westphal/Vilander/Case (Ferrari) 1m 47.028s
3 Espenlaub/Jarvis/Putman/Walker (Audi R8 LMS) 1m 47.050s
4 Longo/Serra/Negrao/Gomes (Ferrari) 1m 47.052s
5 Block/Carter/Davis/Davison (Aston Martin) 1m 47.055s
6 Tucker/Sweedler/Bell/Segal/Pier Guidi (Ferrari) 1m 47.062s
...
21 Canache jr./Pappas/Pumpelly/Winkelhock (Audi R8 LMS) 1m 48.045s
23 Albuquerque/Latif/Neiman/von Moltke (Audi R8 LMS) 1m 48.140s
24 Basseng/Sofronas/Stippler/Welch (Audi R8 LMS) 1m 48.381s

Update (not part of press release):

The official 24 Hours of Daytona track action got underway on Thursday. Two practice sessions preceded the four individual class qualifying sessions and a third practice session later in the evening.

Qualifying was highlighted by Paul Miller Racing taking pole position in the GTD class and Fall-Line Motorsports taking third within GTD. The celebrations were however short lived, as both of the two front running Audi cars were disqualified for technical infringements and will have to start from the back of the grid.

Paul Miller Racing was disqualified due to a problem with their rear wing end plates and Fall-Line Motorsports' ride height was at fault.

Due to the disqualifications the highest Audi on the starting grid is the #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS in eighteenth.

Friday update (not part of press release):

The big news yesterday was the pole position and subsequent disqualification of Paul Miller Racing's #48 Audi R8 LMS. Christopher Haase's GTD pole time was penalised following a technical infringement with the car's rear wing end plates. Since then the IMSA supervisory officials have reviewed the case. It was announced on Friday that Paul Miller Racing's pole position was reinstated and the penalty rescinded.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

TUSC: Ups and downs for the Audi teams during practice and qualifying at Daytona on Thursday

By Johan Laubscher

The official 24 Hours of Daytona track action got underway on Thursday. Two practice sessions preceded the four individual class qualifying sessions and a third practice session later in the evening. The Audi teams showed good pace in all of the sessions, but it turned out to be a day of ups and downs.

The first practice session saw the #46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Charles Espenlaub, Oliver Jarvis, Charlie Putman and James Walker topping the GTD class time sheets. The next Audi in the times was that of Paul Miller Racing with the #48 R8 LMS of Matthew Bell, Christopher Haase, Bryce Miller and René Rast in thirteenth. GMG Racing placed nineteenth with Marc Basseng, Frank Stippler, James Sofronas and Alex Welch in the #32 Audi R8 LMS. Flying Lizard Motorsports' two R8 LMS cars, numbers 35 and 45, finished twentieth and twenty-fifth. The #35 is driven by Filipe Albuquerque, Seth Neimann, Alessandro Latif and Dion von Moltke, and the #45 by Nelson Canache Jr, Tim Pappas, Spencer Pumpelly and Markus Winkelhock.

The second practice session was held later on Thursday and Paul Miller Racing placed sixth with the #48 R8 LMS. The #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS was thirteenth fastest, ahead of Fall-Line Motorsports #46 in fifteenth and the #35 Flying Lizard Motorsports in seventeenth. GMG Racing's #32 R8 LMS was twentieth. 

Qualifying was up next and highlighted by Paul Miller Racing taking pole position in the GTD class and Fall-Line Motorsports taking third within GTD. The celebrations were however short lived, as both of the two front running Audi cars were disqualified for technical infringements and will have to start from the back of the grid.

Paul Miller Racing was disqualified due to a problem with their rear wing end plates and Fall-Line Motorsports' ride height was at fault.

Due to the disqualifications the highest Audi on the starting grid is the #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS in eighteenth. The #35 Flying Lizard Motorsports and #32 GMG Racing will be lining up twentieth and twenty-first respectively.

The Audi teams also performed well in the third practice session held on Thursday evening. Three of the Audis placed within the top ten, with Flying Lizard Motorsports #45 and #35 placing seventh and ninth, sandwiching #46 Fall-Line Motorsports in eighth. Paul Miller Racing #48 was thirteenth and GMG Racing #32 was twenty-fifth.

The results can be seen via these links:
First practice session HERE.
Second practice session HERE.
GTD qualifying session HERE.

Third practice session HERE.

A fourth and final practice session will be held on Friday, followed the 24 Hours of Daytona getting underway at 14:10 local time on Saturday.

Update:

The big news yesterday was the pole position and subsequent disqualification of Paul Miller Racing's #48 Audi R8 LMS. Christopher Haase's GTD pole time was penalised following a technical infringement with the car's rear wing end plates. Since then the IMSA supervisory officials have reviewed the case. It was announced on Friday that Paul Miller Racing's pole position was reinstated and the penalty rescinded.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

TUSC: Audi R8 V10 announced as Official Safety Car for 2014 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona

Audi of America Press Release

• Audi R8 V10 is the Official Safety Car for second year in a row at the iconic 2014 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
• Audi excited to lead the field for inaugural race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with the R8 V10 road car
• Audi R8 V10 offers exceptional balance between performance at the limit and ease of driving for daily use. 

For the second year in a row, the Audi R8 V10 will lead the field of cars at the 2014 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.

“We are excited to be the Official Safety Car of the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series for the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. “Watching the R8 V10 make its way around the track on the banked turns of Daytona as the safety car will further prove its ability to offer incredible balance as a car for the track and on the road.”

The Audi R8 V10 and the R8 LMS share more than 50% of their parts and components including the V10 naturally aspirated engine and the fully aluminum ASF® that provides a very stiff and lightweight chassis that weighs less than 500 pounds. The 13,000 mile engine service interval under race conditions is a testament to the durability of the R8 LMS. Where other race engines require servicing after a twenty-four hour race, the 5.2 liter V10 FSI engine in the R8 LMS can race a whole season without a major overhaul.

The 2014 model year Audi R8 V10 5.2 liter engine generates 525 horsepower and 391 lb-ft of torque which accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds. New for the 2014 model year is the 7-speed S tronic transmission that offers incredibly quick and smooth shifting between the gears including skipping gears automatically when downshifting for exceptional control and performance. The highly praised gated manual transmission is also available standard while the double clutch S tronic is available as an option.

The Audi R8 V10 road car is equipped with magnetic ride which allows the suspension to be stiffened for more dynamic driving or to offer a more comfortable ride. Standard waved brake rotors provide better heat dissipation as well as offer a nine pound weight reduction compared to conventional brake rotors which reduces unsprung weight. The R8 V10 is available as a coupe or Spyder.

The Audi R8 model line is also available as a V8 coupe or Spyder with 425 horsepower in a manual transmission or with the available 7-speed S tronic. For maximum performance, the R8 V10 Plus offers 550 horsepower, is 130 pounds lighter than the V10 and reaches 60 mph in a breathtaking 3.3 seconds.

The Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona race will take start at 2:30 pm on Saturday, January 25 and end twenty-four hours later on the Sunday, January 26th.

The full television schedule to watch all of the action is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 25
2-4 p.m. EST on FOX
4-9 p.m. EST on FOX Sports 2

Overnight (Jan. 25-26)
9 p.m. – 7 a.m. EST on IMSA.com (includes live images, in-car cameras and announcers)

Sunday, Jan. 26
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. EST on FOX Sports 1

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

Photo credit: Audi USA News

TUSC: Flying Lizard Enters Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Race Week

Flying Lizard Motorsports Press Release

January 21, 2014 – Daytona Beach, Florida

Following a very successful three day Roar Before the Rolex 24 test in which the team had the quickest time in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship GT Daytona class, Flying Lizard Motorsports returns to Daytona Beach for the opening race of the 2014 season, the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
As its name implies, the race runs a full 24-hours, starting at 2:10pm ET on Saturday, January 25th and finishing the following afternoon. Two days of practices will precede the race, with qualifying on Thursday afternoon.

The team will once again campaign its two new 2014 Audi R8 LMS race cars in the 29-car GTD class, with driving duties in the No. 35 PR Newswire / UBM Tech / eSilicon R8 LMS shared by Seth Neiman (USA), Dion von Moltke (South Africa), Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal), and Alessandro Latif (UK/Italy). The No. 45 Venezuela / eSilicon R8 LMS will be driven by Nelson Canache Jr. (Venezuela), Spencer Pumpelly (USA), Markus Winkelhock (Germany), and Tim Pappas (USA).

Flying Lizard will also debut its 2014 merchandise line later this week, with new hat, t-shirt, and hoodie offerings. Please look for those at the team's online store, www.flyinglizardstore.com.

Live timing and scoring for all practice sessions, qualifying, and the race can be found at www.imsa.com and on the IMSA mobile app. The race will be televised on FOX from 2pm to 4pm ET and on FOX Sports 2 from 4pm to 9pm ET on Saturday, June 25. Overnight coverage from 9pm to 7am ET will be available on IMSA.com, with run to the finish on FOX Sports 1 from 7am to 3pm ET. Live streaming of the entire race will be available on the FOX Sports GO mobile app. International television coverage is available on SPEED (Canada), Fox Sports Latin America, Motors TV (Europe), and Network Ten (Australia). Radio coverage of the race is available on the Motor Racing Network, which is available on Sirius channel 90 for this race and Sirius channel 117 for the TUDOR Championship season, or at www.MRN.com.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports [2013 Bob Chapman, Autosport Image]

Video: Onboard the Audi R8 GRAND-AM at Daytona

By Tarek Ramchani

The prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona is this weekend, round 1 of the newly formed TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Last year Audi took a sensational 1-2 victory in the GT class with the Audi R8 GRAND-AM.

This year no less than five Audi cars will enter the event, the R8 GRAND-AM renamed as the R8 LMS.

Here is a nice onboard lap at Daytona with the car that won the event last year. The Weathertech Audi R8 GRAND-AM from Alex Job Racing and Audi Sport customer racing.

Photo: Audi Media

TUSC: Fall-Line Motorsports assembles strong lineup for Rolex 24 in GTD

Fall-Line Motorsports Press Release

Buffalo Grove, IL (January 20, 2014) - Following a successful first season with the Audi R8 LMS in 2013, Fall-Line Motorsports enters their first full-season with the car in 2014 with great expectations.

This program was a new addition to the Fall-Line family in 2013 and has made great strides since its inception midway through the season. This year the team will run the full year with Charlie Putman and Charles Espenlaub along with Oliver Jarvis and James Walker rounding out the lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The #46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS will compete in the inaugural season of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship as part of Audi Sport customer racing in the GTD category which is one of the most competitive in the series.

The 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona was won by an Audi R8 GRAND-AM in only the second year attempting the race so the car is a proven winner. With the combination of such a powerful, reliable race car and an impressive driver lineup, the Fall-Line Audi R8 LMS has a solid chance to take home the win.

James Walker: "It was great to meet all the Fall-Line crew at the test. The team has a great atmosphere, which gives me a lot of confidence ahead for the 24. The Audi R8 LMS seems to be a great package. After their success in last year's race, I'm sure Audi is up for the fight again. The mixed conditions during the test enabled us to get an idea of what we can expect during the night phase of the race. As ever, having a car balance that copes with all eventualities is going to be the key to victory. I think we have a great driver lineup and tons of experience within the team. I can't wait to get back to Daytona for the race." 

Oliver Jarvis: "It's great to be heading back to Daytona to try and repeat the win we achieved last year. I absolutely loved taking part in the event so I was thrilled to be asked to return again this year. It will be quite different this year with the race being run as part of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship after the merger of Grand Am and ALMS. This means the race will be run to a different set of regulations compared to last year. The most significant being that each car must run a number of amateur drivers. For this reason I will not be partnering with the same drivers I was able to win the race with last year. With this rule, the level of amateur drivers in each car could have a significant outcome on the result. After the test, "The Roar," I feel confident that in Fall-Line I have a very strong team and some very good teammates. The level of competition this year is extremely high and there are at least 15 cars in the GTD class that are capable of fighting for the win. The key will be to stay out of trouble and be on the lead lap for the last 4 hours where it becomes a sprint to the finish. As always in 24hr races anything can happen and with the current weather in Florida there is no promise of sunshine so rain could certainly have a big impact on the race."

Charlie Putman: "We continue to make good headway on the development of the Fall-Line Audi R8 LMS.  Every time we test it, the car gets better and better.  The guys are still working on even better drivability, which will serve us very well, particularly in the longer endurance races that kick off with the Daytona 24.  Charles and I were happy to meet Oliver (Jarvis) and James (Walker) and welcome them into the driving team.  They are great guys and very, very talented drivers so Fall-Line has now completed a great driver lineup. Of course when you look around the paddock at Daytona, you see a "who's who" of drivers and teams so it isn't going to be a cakewalk; but we have the car, the drivers, and the crew to be a real factor when the green flag waves."

Charles Espenlaub: "I'm really excited to be back racing with Charlie (Putman) again at Fall-Line. We have shared many cars and raced in many different series as a team and we have had great success together. The Audi R8 LMS is a fantastic machine to drive and the difference in the car from last year when we first got it is enormous. We have made remarkable improvements to the performance of the car and as drivers we have learned a lot as well. I think we have one of the most talented driver lineups in the paddock and a real chance to win!"

Michael Harvey, Fall-Line Motorsports Team Manager: "We at Fall-Line Motorsports are very proud to of assembled such a talented group of people both in the car and in the pits. With so much experience in 24 hour events we are very excited for the green flag. Along with our partners at Audi Sport customer racing we are firmly eying a repeat of last year's success although we remain very grounded as we approach a race that is 24 hours of unpredictability. The key will be to stick to our plan, make no mistakes, tick off laps and stay on the lead lap so we can race at the end. My guys have worked tirelessly over the past few months in preparation for not only this event but the inaugural 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and we feel ready to compete. I would like to thank both Oliver and James for becoming a part of Fall-Line Motorsports program, they are both amazing talents."

Fall-Line Motorsports is a premiere builder and fabricator of racecars for all levels of competition. Fall-Line specializes in BMW, Porsche, Audi and other high-performance makes. Fall-Line Motorsports unveiled their Grand-Am team in 2006 and won the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS Championship title in 2010. In addition to fielding 3 GS BMW M3s in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and an Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Fall-Line also prepares and fabricates cars for other CTSC teams, SCCA and NASA drivers, track day prepared and high performance street vehicles.www.fall-linemotorsports.com @FallLineMotors www.facebook.com/Falllinemotorsports

ABOUT AUDI OF AMERICA AND THE AUDI R8 LMS 

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

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

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

Photo credit: Fall-Line Motorsports