André Lotterer and Benoit Tréluyer will join the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT at Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian round of the French GT Tour.
The Audi Sport customer racing team will enter the GT Tour event with a pair of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. The French series is using a Pro-Am formula, the two times Le Mans winners and 2012 FIA WEC champions not allowed to share the same car.
André Lotterer will drive along with Enzo Ide a regular with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT this year in the Blancpain Sprint Series. Benoit Tréluyer will be joined by Yves Weerts.
At Spa-Francorchamps, the WRT team will target strong results as well preparing for the upcoming Spa 24 Hours. The Belgian squad is familiar with the French GT Tour. In 2011 they competed under their own banner, whilst in 2011 and 2012 they represented the official Audi France effort under Team Audi France name.
WRT will join at Spa the regular French Audi teams in GT Tour, Sébastien Loeb Racing, Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car.
A perfect start for the Audi Sport customer racing squad in the 2014 French GT Tour Series. The Audi teams performed very well today at Le Mans in race 1 with a sensational 1-2 victory.
The short permanant Bugatti circuit hosted a great GT race today. New comers to Audi from Sebastien Loeb Racing took a great race win ahead of another Audi team, Sainteloc Racing.
Both teams battled very well for race win. After an amazing 1-hour sprint event, the #50 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sebastien Loeb Racing won the race. The car in the hands of Mike Parisy and Heni Hassid took the race lead only five mintues before the checkered flag.
In a very strong second the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing. David Hallyday and his team-mate Gregory Guilvert were impressive. Both drivers are familiars with the Audi R8 LMS ultra.
Race 2 is set for tomorrow. We wish the best of luck to all Audi teams and their drivers.
The 2014 FFSA French GT Tour series kicks off this weekend at Le Mans. The Audi Sport customer racing squad is very well represented with no less than seven R8 LMS ultra cars.
The seven Audis came from three diffrent teams. Sainteloc Racing a regular in the French GT will field three cars. One in the main "Championnat de France" with a very strong driver line-up made. fans' favourite David Hallyday is sharing the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra Gregory Guilvert . The other two Audis are competing in the lower "Coupe de France" open for old spec GT3 cars and Gentlemen drivers. The #43 Audi will have Jean-Paul Buffin and Jacques Wolf as drivers. The #44 Audi will be shared by Gilles Lallement and Fabrice Rossello.
Team Speed Car is back with Audi and a two-car effort. The #30 Audi with drivers Pascal Destembert and Rémy Deguffroy. The #36 car will be driven by Mathieu Lecuyer and Vincent Abril. Last year Team Speed Car scored three race wins all of them with Vincent Abril.
But the main story this year in GT Tour is all about Sebastien Loeb Racing. The team managed by the WRC legend switched to Audi and is fielding two very strong Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. The #50 Audi shared by Anthony Beltoise and Roland Berville. The sister #51 Audi is driven by Mike Parisy and Heni Hassid.
19 cars will enter the Le Mans opener. The Audi teams will have to fight against a field of six Ferrari 458 GT3s, three Porsche 997 GT3 Rs, a McLaren MP4-12C, a BMW Z4 GT3 and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
GT Tour teams will have two races at the short Bugati circuit. Race 1 will be on Saturday at 18:20, Race 2 will be on Sunday at 14:10. We wish the best of luck to all three Audi teams and their drivers.
By Johan Laubscher Sébastien Loeb Racing was out testing at Nogaro on Wednesday. The teams was testing their Audi R8 LMS ultra at the French circuit. They are currently preparing for a two-car assault on the French GT Tour and a single car entry in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). Photo credit:Mike Parisy
Sébastien Loeb Racing revealed their 2014 Audi R8 LMS ultra livery in full on Friday.
The French team acquired two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars for the 2014 season and they are currently preparing for a two-car assault on the French GT Tour and a single car entry for the European Le Mans Series GTC class.
Mike Parisy was announced as one of the team's drivers earlier this week and two further drivers were announced on Friday. Roland Berville and Anthony Beltoise will be piloting the #50 Audi R8 LMS ultra in the GT Tour. Parisy will be one of the drivers behind the wheel of the team's other R8 LMS ultra in the GT Tour and also their single car entry in the ELMS.
The European Le Mans Series will be getting under way at Silverstone from 18-19 April, followed by the opening round of the French GT Tour round at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans from 26-27 April.
On Monday Sébastien Loeb Racing revealed a teaser of their Audi R8 LMS ultra livery and also announced their first confirmed driver. The team is currently preparing for a two-car Audi R8 LMS ultra entry in the French GT-Tour and also a single car entry in the European Le Mans Series.
The first confirmed driver for Sébastien Loeb Racing is Mike Parisy. He will be behind the wheel of one of the team’s two R8 LMS ultra entries in the French GT Tour and also in the ELMS.
The European Le Mans Series will be getting under way at Silverstone from 18-19 April, followed by the opening round of the French GT Tour round at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans from 26-27 April.
By Johan Laubscher Sébastien Loeb Racing Team was out testing at Magny-Cours on Monday. The teams was testing their two white Audi R8 LMS ultra cars at the French circuit. They are currently preparing for a two-car assault on the French GT Tour and a single car entry in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).
Two French Audi Sport customer racing teams recently tested at the Ledenon circuit preparing the upcoming French FFSA GT Tour series.
Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car were present at Lédenon with a single Audi R8 LMS ultra each. At Team Speed Car, Matthieu Lécuyer took charge of driving the silver livered Audi. This was the first test for Matthieu Lécuyer with the R8 LMS ultra, he will partner with team's regualt Vincent Abril this season in GT Tour.
At Sainteloc Racing, two drivers tested the Audi R8 LMS ultra, Renaud Derlot and Grégory Guilvert. Sainteloc Racing is expected to field Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in both GT Tour and the Blancpain Endurance Series.
The French GT Tour gets underway at Le Mans (short Bugatti circuit from 26-27 April.
Team Speed Car debuted last year the in the Fench FFSA GT Tour series with the Audi R8 LMS ultra. The Audi Sport customer racing team had a great 2013 season and collected three race wins.
The team is about to return to the ORECA managed series with at least one Audi R8 LMS ultra. The first car will be in the hands of Vincent Abril and Matthieu Lecuyer.
Vincent Abril raced for Team Speed Car last year and was among the fastest drivers in the field. He had some impressive performances including Spa-Francorchamps and Magny-Cours sharing the car with Dino Lunardi. In addition to the GT Tour series, Vincent Abril will also compete with the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in the Blancpain GT Series.
Team Speed Car will test their Audi R8 LMS ultra car at the Lédenon circuit. The 2014 GT Tour will start at Le Mans, the short permanent Bugatti circuit, April 26th and 27th.
Sebastien Loeb Racing will enter two Audi R8 LMS ultra in the French GT Tour with the drivers line-ups expected to be announced very soon. The team will also compete in the European Le Mans Series with a single car effort within the GTC class.
By Johan Laubscher Sébastien Loeb Racing held their first shakedown with their new Audi R8 LMS ultra cars today. The team has began their on track preparation for the 2014 season. Sébastien Loeb Racing will be entering a two-car team in the French GT-Tour and a single car entry in the European Le Mans Series GTC class.
The ELMS gets underway at Silverstone from 18-19 April, followed by the first French GT-Tour round from 26-27 April. Photo credit:Sébastien Loeb Racing
Sébastien Loeb Racing received their Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on Tuesday this week.
They are one of the newest Audi Sport customer racing teams for 2014 and will be competing with a two-car team in the French GT Tour and a single car entry in the European Le Mans Series.
Sébastien Loeb Racing Press Release The Sébastien Loeb Racing team will carry out a double programme in GT this season and has now confirmed its first part. The Alsatian team will take part in the FFSA French GT Championship with two Audi R8 LMS ultra. The drivers line-up, to be revealed later on, will be made up so as to battle for victory.
Third place in 2012 with six podiums on its first year of existence, second in 2013 with three wins and two podiums… For the third year in a row, Sébastien Loeb Racing will be on the French GT Championship’s starting line with one aim in mind : trying to climb on to the last step toward the title ! In order to do so, the team co-founded by Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz will rely on the Audi R8 LMS ultra, over fifty times a winner last year ! The team is currently finalising its two tandems. They will consist of leading drivers, with a great experience of the GT and particularly of the French Championship. Sébastien Loeb Racing wishes to create two pairs of drivers able to rival for the win and the national crown.
« In 2013 we fought for the title up to the last race. Our ambition today is obviously to do better.» confides Dominique Heintz, team manager. «Historically, the French Championship is among the hardest GT championships. Therefore we are approaching this programme with humility, all the more as we have to get familiar with our new car. We are convinced that we will have all the pieces of the puzzle in order to shine : a very competitive car and drivers, professionals or gentleman drivers, who absolutely know both the GT and the management of a championship. « We have been enjoying the GT Tour since 2012 and it has not been limited to the competitive aspect. The atmosphere is friendly and that programme is also important for the events projects directed by Loeb Events. We have seen it during the final at the Castellet. It was a great success. » Apart from the French GT Championship, Sébastien Loeb Racing will also take part in the Porsche Carrera Cup France. A second GT programme is currently being finalised, while the team is looking into a possible participation in one or several endurance races with the Audi R8 LMS ultra. Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport Sébastien Loeb Racing
The French GT Tour saw a number of Audi R8 LMS and ultra entries during 2013. Saintéloc Racing and Team Speed Car both fielded multiple cars during the season, which was highlighted by a number of Audi race victories.
The season review has been compiled from the 2013 Audi Motorsport Blog Weekend Round Up posts. Each round has been added as was seen in the individual Weekend Round Up posts during 2013, which can be accessed via the links throughout the review below:
Round 1: Le Mans - Bugatti
The French GT-Tour got underway at Le Mans this weekend. The series competed on the permanent Bugatti circuit. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (all in 2013 specification) took part, three from Saintéloc and one from Team Speed Car. The cars performed well with a fourth in the first race and seventh in the second race. The top placed Audi in both races was the #42 of David Halliday and Gregory Guilvert.
The French GT-Tour held its second round at Imola, a support event for the ELMS. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars took part in what turned out to be a very difficult weekend for the Audi teams. The highest Audi finisher this weekend was the Sainteloc entry who finished ninth during race one, this was the only Audi top ten finish this weekend.
The French GT-Tour was in Belgium, running round three at Spa. It was a weekend to remember for the Team Speed Car squad, as they claimed pole position and a dominant race one victory, with Vincent Abril and Dino Lunardi behind the wheel of the #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Only two Audis placed within the top ten during race one. The Team Speed Car squad was in top form again during race two, as they recovered to another podium finish, this time in third place.
The French GT-Tour was at Val de Vienne this weekend, with four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the grid. Qualifying saw good results for the Audis, two within the top three for race one, and also a third for the race two grid. During the first race the highest Audi was the #42 Sainteloc car which was battling for third, and ultimately finished fourth, the only Audi inside the top ten. Two Audis entered the top ten during race two, with the #42 as the highest Audi once again, finishing in sixth, ahead of the Team Speed Car Audi in seventh.
French GT Tour headed to Magny-Cours for round five this weekend. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were originally entered for the races, three from Sainteloc and one from Team Speed Car. The majority of the Audis were running in the 2012 specification, to take advantage of the improved performance within the current BoP regulations. A second Audi R8 LMS from Team Speed Car was also present, but it was only intended to take part in the sessions for testing. However, Team Speed Car's #007 Aston Martin blew its engine, thus the team used their second Audi R8 LMS to replace that car. Qualifying yielded a race one pole position for the #42 Sainteloc Audi, leading two Audis within the top ten. Three Audis qualified within the top five for race two. The first race finished with Team Speed Car taking a sensational win, their second victory of the season, leading home three Audis within the top ten. Race two saw Team Speed Car taking victory once again, leading home an Audi 1-2 finish, with Sainteloc finishing second with the #42 car. Three Audis placed within the top ten during race two.
Lédenon played host to the sixth and penultimate French GT-Tour round. Five Audi cars were entered this weekend: Sainteloc entered three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, along with Team Speed Car entering two cars, one Audi R8 LMS ultra and one older R8 LMS. Sainteloc suffered a hard crash with their lead car during the sessions, resulting that their #42 car was out for the remainder of the weekend. Team Speed Car was the only Audi within the top ten during the first qualifying session, their #36 R8 LMS ultra qualified sixth. Qualifying for race two saw the #82 Sainteloc entry taking third on the grid. The first race concluded with the #36 Team Speed Car Audi R8 LMS ultra finishing in ninth, the only Audi within the top ten. The second race again only saw one Audi within the top, the #36 Audi which finished sixth.
Paul Ricard played host to the French GT Tour finale this weekend. A total of six Audi cars were entered. Sainteloc entered four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars and Team Speed Car entered one R8 LMS ultra and one older R8 LMS. The fourth Sainteloc car was the #43 Audi R8 LMS ultra, a once-off entry which included Stephane Ortelli as one of the drivers. The #009 Team Speed Car R8 LMS was on site, but did not take part. Qualifying for the first race only had one Audi within the top ten, with the #43 Sainteloc car placing tenth. The grid for race two saw two Audis within the top ten, as the #43 and #82 Sainteloc cars qualified ninth and tenth respectively. The first race got underway on Saturday and concluded with Team Speed Car as the highest Audi in fourth with their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Two Audis made it into the top ten, as the #82 Sainteloc car finished eighth. The second and final race was very hard for the Audi teams. Only four cars started the race, as the #42 Sainteloc car did not take part. Only one of the four cars finished the race. The #83 Sainteloc Audi R8 LMS ultra finished twenty-first, whilst all three of the remaining cars retired.
The final race of the season in GT Tour at Paul Ricard turned to be a very difficult event for Audi teams. All the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from both Team Speed Car and Sainteloc Racing were outside the top 20.
Yesterday the Audi teams performed very well in race 1. Team Speed Car narrowly missed the podium ending in a strong fourth. Today it was another story, best ranked Audi ended in twenty-first position. The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing was shared by drivers Frank Zattera and Fabrice Rossello. They were followed by Vincent Abri and Dino Lunardi driving the #36 Audi from Team Speed Car in twenty-second place.
The remaining cars from Sainteloc Racing were also hit by bad luck. The # 43 Audi R8 LMS ultra finished in twenty-third place. The #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra was forced to retire after only 4 laps and finished in twenty-eighth position. Unfortunatelly, the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra did not start the race.
Race victory went to the BMW Z4 GT3 from TDS Racing. Seconf the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 from HTP Motorsport. Third the McLaren MP4-12C from Sebastien Loeb Racing.
French GT title went to Ferrari drivers Fabien Barthez and Morgan Moullin-Traffort driving for Team SOFREV-ASP.
Paul Ricard in southern France is hosting the season finale of the French GT Tour series. Five Audi R8 LMS ultra are on site from Team Speed Car and Sainteloc Racing.
Race 1 already held this afternoon gave the Audi squad satisfactions. Team Speed Car finished the 1-hour event in a strong fourth overall. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra shared by Vincent Abril and Dino Lunardi started from fifteenth place and was able to fight for the top spots. In the closing stages of the race the Audi had a great fight with the Hexis Racing McLaren MP4-12C.
Sainteloc Racing is entering no less than four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars at the Castellet this weekend. Best of the Sainteloc Racing Audis was the #82 car. Matthieu Jaminet and Marc Sourd recovered very well on track. They started from position twenty-five and finished in a positive eigth place.
The #43 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing had a very special guest. Stephane Ortelli joined the team sharing the car with Romain Monti. The two drivers finished the race in seventeenth place. Unfortunately the #83 and the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra did not finish the race.
Race victory went the the #5 BMW Z4 GT3 from TDS Racing. Second the #62 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 from HTP Motorsport. Third the #17 McLaren MP4-12C from Hexis Racing.
The French FFSA GT Tour headed to Ledenon this weekend, for the penultimate round of the 2013 season. A total of five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars were on site, coming from Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car.
Audi teams dominated last time out at Never-Magny-Cours, pole position for Sainteloc Racing and double race victories for Team Speed Car in both race 1 and race 2. The two Audi Sport customer racing teams were eager to perform well again, however it was a difficult weekend for the Audi R8 LMS ultra.
Race 1
The victorious duo at Nevers Magny-Cours last time out, Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril, were the best ranked Audi drivers during the first race at Lédenon. Their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car finished in ninth place after an eventful 1-hour race. Their sister car #009 finished twelfth with Pascal Destembert and Jimmy Antunes.
It was a much harder race 1 for Sainteloc Racing. The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Emmaunel Rodrigues and Gilles Lallement finished in sixteenth place, third in the Coupe de France GT class, open for Gentlemen drivers. The #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Marc Sourd and Mathieu Jaminet failed to finish. Unfortunately the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert was damaged and did not start the race.
Up ahead it was a 1-2 Ferrari 458 GT3 finish. The #20 car from Sofrev ASP won the race in front of the #27 machine from Sport Garage. Third was the #8 McLaren MP4-12C from Sebastien Loeb Racing. Race 1 results can be seen here.
Race 2 The second race, held on Sunday, was slightly better for Team Speed Car. Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril battled very well against their rivals from McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche. The two drivers came home in sixth place, driving their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The two drivers finished fourteen seconds behind the race winning McLaren.
The two Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were outside of the top 10. The #83 car of Emmaunel Rodrigues and Gilles Lallement finished in nineteenth place. The sister #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Marc Sourd and Mathieu Jaminet again failed to finish. The car retired after only two laps into the race.
The #009 Audi R8 LMS from Team Speed Car, driven by Pascal Destembert and Jimmy Antunes, did not start the race. The same case for the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert, the Sainteloc Racing car was not able to take part in either of the two races.
Race victory went to the #8 McLaren MP4-12C from Sebastien Loeb Racing. Second was the #1 Porsche 997 GT3 R from Pro GT By Almeras, ahead of the sister #2 car. Race 2 results can be seen here.
The GT Tour series will head to Paul Ricard in southern France for the season finale, October the 26th and 27th.
Perfect second race for Audi at Nevers Magny-Cours today. A fine 1-2 victory for the Audi R8 LMS ultra, with a second straight win for Team Speed Car in a chaotic race.
Already winners yesterday, the #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Vincent Abril and Dino Lunardi took another sensational race win today. Youngster Vincent Abril had a heroic stint in the second part of the race. In the closing stages Vincent Abril passed several rivals on a slippery track with heavy rain. With only a few minutes left in the race, Abril made the winning move passing the leading Porsche 997 GT3 R. A great result for Team Speed Car, their third race win in the demanding French GT series this season.
In second place was another Audi, the #42 R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing, with drivers David Hallyday and Gregory Gulivert. Just like Vincent Abril, David Hallyday was able to finish the race very strongly. The popular French singer overtook a lot of rivals on track to reach a great second place in the end.
Another Audi also made it into the top 10, the #82 R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing. The car shared by Marc Sourd and Mathieu Jaminet finished in ninth place. The debuting #007 Audi R8 LMS (ex-Abt Sportsline) from Team Speed Car was nineteenth. The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing did not take part in the race.
Audi had a great first race at Magny-Cours in the French FFSA GT Tour series today. A sensational race win for Team Speed Car and their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra.
The Audi squad performed very well earlier today in the two qualifying sessions, with a fine pole position for Sainteloc Racing. In the race the Audis were strong again. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car crossed the finish line victorious. A great race from their drivers Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril. They started from position nine on the grid and had impressive pace in the 1-hour sprint race. Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril took their second victory of the season, after their race win at Spa-Francorchamps a few weeks ago.
The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing did really well during race one. The car finished in a very strong fifth, having started way back from sixteenth on the grid.
The pole-sitting #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing faced bad luck. The car driven by David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert finished in seventh place, after a very eventful race.
Race 2 is set for tomorrow with live stream coverage available at www.gt-tour.fr.
After the long summer break the French GT Tour is resuming at Nevers Magny-Cours this weekend. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are taking part in the event, with great results so far for the Audi squad.
The #42 Audi R8 LMS from Sainteloc Racing had a great first qualifying session. A maiden pole position with the popular David Hallyday, with a fastest time of 1:57.881. Hallyday is sharing the car with Gregory Guilvert. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car qualified in ninth place, with drivers Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril. The remaining two Audi cars, both from Sainteloc Racing, were outside of the top 10. The #82 car was sixteenth and the #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing was twenty-fourth. The first qualifying session results can be seen here.
In the second qualifying session the Audi cars did well again. Mathieu Jaminet took a surprising and sensational third place with the #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing. Fourth was the #36 car from Team Speed Car with Dino Lunardi, who qualified the car this time. The #42 machine from Sainteloc Racing was fifth fastest in the hands of Gregory Gulivert. Only the #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra was outside of the top 10, the car qualified way back in twenty-fourth position. Up ahead it was a 1-2 Ferrari 458 GT3 front row. The second qualifying session results can be seen here.
