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

Q&A: Interview with Rahel Frey - Audi GT factory driver

Rahel Frey is racing with Audi since 2011. First in the German DTM touring car series for two years and since 2013 the Swiss driver switched to GT racing with competing in various events around the world from German ADAC GT Masters to the Asian based Audi R8 LMS Cup.

Our friend Jean-Baptiste Lassaux at IG Autorennsport had a a very interesting interview with Rahel Frey at the Nürburgring about her 2014 season.

1/ First, a look back to the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Tell us more about your race with the Audi race experience in the Green Hell?

My summary of the 2014 24h race at the Nürburgring is really positive. Our priority was to finish the race, what we did on P22. Furthermore all four drivers on the car (including myself) could improve our personal laptimes compared to last year or compared to former races which was for my the most important. Incidents can always happen in a 24h race and they did unfortunately for us! But our team and especially our mecanics mad a fantastic job to fix this incidents in no time - therefore big thanks once again!

2/ Now, your next race is in Fuji in the Audi R8 LMS Cup. This will be your first time there, so  how do you learn the track before the race weekend?

As usual when I dont know a racetrack, I will watch onboard videos and studying important datas I got from the team. I will be prepared for it.

3/ What are your targets this year in the Audi R8 LMS Cup?

My target is to win the Audi R8 LMS Cup 2014. Right now I'm 10 point behind the leader - a cap which I can still close when I'm clever on driving and on strategy.

Taking care about the tyres is an important point for but as well being clever on using the new "push-to-pass" system which gets us 50hp more when we press the special button for it. Furthermore it's performance balance we get for the first three places (60kg for P1, 40kg for P2 and 20kg for P3) can take influence on the results.

4/ Let's talk about your season in ADAC GT Masters. What do you think about your season so far in the German series?

We had a good start into the new season with immediately scoring points in both races at Oschersleben. Afterwards we made some mistakes where we had to pay for not being in the position for fighting for point anymore. But we learn from every mistakes we do and for sure we will get back stronger again.

5 / What are you expecting in the second half of the season?

As I just mentioned, we will get back stronger and aiming again for more points. Therefore each race track is a new challenge. For sure sometimes one race track fits better for the driver another race track fits best for the car. But in my opinion the BOP 2014 is more equal as last year!

6 / After your two years in the DTM, you switched to GT racing with Audi. Tell us more about what you have learnt traveling and discovring many prestigious tracks and events around the world?

Always when traveling the world you have to find your way through! I got already a lot of experience with traveling around the world for racing and I wont miss any. Some were tough, some were really nice but they all formed my personality like I am today. And for sure each race driver has a list with races or race tracks he likes to drive in or on. I have my list too, some of these tracks were on - some are still on.

7 / Any racing track or series you want to compete in?

Taking every challenge I get! But I would like to drive once in America maybe in the oval with a Nascar.

Photo credit: Autorennsport

Audi Sport Italia's Andrea Sonvico reviews the 2013 Italian GT season

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi Sport Italia had a very mixed year in the 2013 Italian GT Championship. The team was very competitive with two strong Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. They were able to secure two race wins, yet the official Audi Italia dealer team faced a lot of bad luck as well. One of Audi Sport Italia's drivers is Andrea Sonvico, who has been a regular with the team since 2011. The young Italian driver shared the #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra with Audi legend, Dindo Capello.

Andrea Sonvico talked with us about his 2013 season and reviewed his performances in the Italian GT Championship.

You can follow Andrea Sonvico on Facebook here and his official website here.

"I certainly can not say to be satisfied. After a title won in 2011 and one lost by a single point in 2012, this year we were hardly ever protagonists."

"The "Balance of Performance" certainly didn't help us: in fact our car was penalized in all the national championships with the air restrictors really too tight ! The weakest point , which in the past was our strength, has become top speed."

"Another crucial point was that the new tires Avon were too hard and extremely difficult to warm up. It's clear that the out best performances have taken place in the summer (or with wet tires)."

"These factors have made us much weaker than Porsche and Ferrari in the last part of the season also the BMW."

"We must admit, however, to have made some mistakes trying to point the "big shot" , who managed only at Imola. In that race in mid-July (of course, very hot) I got the only pole of the season and i fought to keep behind the Ferrari of Cirò in my stint. Dindo Capello did the rest to bring the car to the finish line in first position."

"In this regard , I would like to emphasize how crucial it was for me to run with a partner as Dindo in these two years. I have learned a lot from the mindset, to the method of working with the team until humility."

"I hope to continue my career with Audi in 2014."

Photo credit: Andrea Sonvico

Q&A: Interview with Christopher Haase - Audi GT factory driver

By Tarek Ramchani

Christopher Haase had a busy and very strong 2013 season, racing for different Audi Sport customer racing teams in different series and endurance events in Europe. From the Blancpain Endurance Series with Phoenix Racing to the ADAC GT Masters with Prosperia C.Abt Racing and appearances in selected endurance events, as well as testing the GTD spec Audi R8 LMS in America.

We were pleased to have an interview with Christopher Haase. A very interesting Q/A about his debut with the Audi brand in GT racing, the 2013 season and his expectations for 2014.

You can follow Christopher Haase on Facebook here and his official website here.

1) Please tell us how it all started for you with Audi in GT racing.

Oh yeah, good story. I try to make it short. :-)

I never did karting in my live but driving a race car was my dream. So I was track marshal in some hill climp races.

I am a member of an automobil club in my home town. I was 18 years old when the organisation team had founded together with flatex a motorsport programm for young people in the ADAC Dacia Logan Cup in 2006. I won my fist race and from that point my carreer has been started. 2007 I directly switched into GT Racing with Lamborghini in ADAC GT Masters. Start of a great championship triple. 2007 champion ADAC GT-Masters, 2008 champion as KTM factory driver in FIA GT4 SL, 2009 champion in FIA GT3 with the Audi R8 LMS of Phoenix Racing. Severall class victories in VLN, victory at the 12h of Sepang Malaysia and a good season in the FIA GT1 World Championship where I have earned a lot of experience in 2010. 2011 I came back to my lovely Audi R8 LMS. I had good results which showed my talent. From this moment I have become member of the Audi family, and I love it :-) .

Since that time we had some great results together (for example the victory 24h of Nürburgring 2012) I enjoy the great team atmosphere. Already now I am looking forward to the next season.....I can´t wait. :-)

2) Back in 2009 you gave the Audi R8 LMS an emotional winning debut in FIA GT3 with Phoenix Racing, tell us more about that title.

Difficult season, but we did it. In GT-Racing you always have to find out your own benefit. And this we did really great. In all races where we could see some chances to use our own advantage to beat our competitors, we used it nearly perfect. And that was the key to win it. If you earn poinst constantly you are going to be the champion in the end.

3) In 2013 you entered two competitive championships, the Blancpain Endurance Series and ADAC GT Masters, tell us more about your season?

I had a lot of fun. :-)

I don´t talk about "balance of performance". You always find someone who is crying. The best thing is to concentrate on yourself. Blancpain Endurance Series is a long distance championship. I drove together with Oliver Jarvis and Harold Primat for Phoenix Racing. We were a great team and we worked great together. Unfortunately we never had a good race and quali luck. But still we earned points and at the 24h of Spa we finished on 4th position. Nothing to be disappointed. Racing at the Blancpain is fun over 6h.

ADAC GT Masters togehter with Prosperia C.Abt Racing and my teammate Rahel Frey. I missed the first two events. So I wasn´t able to fight for the campionship. Rahel and me we worked very good together. We have the same car feeling. The competion at the GT Masters is incredible. For a good position everything has to be perfect. But I love that kind of racing. It makes you just harder and better.

4) Sprint vs Endurance, which style do you prefer in GT racing?

I am a GT racer, I like both. It makes the GT sport unique.

I don´t believe that a Formula One car can run 24h in a row. :-)

5) You have already won prestigious titles and races with Audi, which one was the best for you?

Victory 24h of Nürburgring Nordschleife in 2012.

6) A few years ago you competed with a Reiter Lamborghini Murcielago in the FIA GT1 World Championship. How different were those GT1 cars in comparison to today’s GT3 cars?

Quiet a lot. The GT1 car had more power, less weight, no ABS, no TC, more Setup ajustments. You have to be sensetive by driving but still you have to push on the edge. One mistake and the race is done. In GT3 racing, we have a race ABS, a TC as well as a car which forgives you some little mistakes. Anyway to stay in front in both categories, it is always a challenge because everybody is fighting with the same regulations.

7) You have recently been at Daytona for the TUSC test days. How does the driving experience differ between the FIA GT3 R8 LMS ultra and the IMSA GTD R8 LMS?

First of all I like that kind of racing. In comparison to the Audi R8 LMS ultra the R8 Grand AM Version hasn´t any ABS, TC and much less downforce. Both cars have their own setup. To be honest the racing in the IMSA with the Audi R8 Grand AM remembers me to the FIA GT1 cars. Okay the car has less downforce but you need so much feeling to be quick. One slide then you are off time.

8) Which race track is your favourite?

I have three. Nürburgring Nordschleife, Zandvoort, Spa.

9) What are your targets for the upcoming 2014 season?

Great results and hopefully winning a championship again.

10) What are your dreams for the future within your motor racing career?

If you had ask me this questions 6 years ago I had given you the same answer. My target is to win the 24h of Le Mans! I hope to get the chance to drive an Audi LMP car anytime. Thats my dream. :-)

Photo credit:
Christopher Haase
ADAC GT Masters

Q&A: Interview with Christopher Mies - Audi GT factory driver

By Tarek Ramchani

Christopher Mies had a busy and very strong 2013 season, racing for different Audi Sport customer racing teams in different series and endurance events in Europe and beyond.From the Blancpain Endurance Series with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT to the ADAC GT Masters with Prosperia C.Abt Racing and appearances in selected endurance events, as well as testing the GTD spec Audi R8 LMS in America.

We were pleased to have an interview with Christopher Mies. A very interesting Q/A about his debut with the Audi brand in GT racing, the 2013 season and his expectations for 2014.

You can follow Christopher Mies on Facebook here, his Twitter account here and his official website here.

1) Please tell us how it all started for you with Audi in GT racing.

I had a very good year in Motorsport in 2008 and the Audi project just started 2009. So I was invited by Phoenix Racing for a test and it worked out. You know, at this stage racing was just a hobby for me and I was just happy to drive a racecar. I couldn't tell the engineer about the car or the handling, I just drove as fast as I could.

2) You have recently been at Sebring and Daytona for the TUSC test days. What are the differences between the FIA GT3 R8 LMS ultra and the IMSA GTD R8 LMS?

To make it not too long the GTD car has less Aero, no ABS or TC. I'm glad we will get some side windows now, before they were forbidden. Open your windows on a motorway when you are as fast as you can. It's so horrible loud. We are going around 300 kp/h at Daytona, I couldn't hear the engine anymore. The last difference is that the teams can change many parts like dampers, antirollbars, brakes and so on. So not every Audi has the same configuration.

3) How does the driving experience differ between the FIA GT3 R8 LMS ultra and the IMSA GTD R8 LMS?

Our Ultra car is much quicker in the corners and we can brake much later while we can go on power earlier. The big advantage of the GTD R8 is the topspeed. Less Aero makes a better drag and that means a better topspeed. So the GTD car is around 20 to 25 kp/h quicker on the straight. Both are fun and especially the GTD car is a new challenge. I like both but if you want to push really hard, if you want to give 110% of your knowledge then the R8 Ultra is easier to handle.

4) You had a busy year with Audi during 2013. Between the Blancpain Endurance Series and the ADAC GT Masters, which one is the most demanding?

It's hard to compare. The Blancpain is a 3 hour race with 3 drivers on fantastic tracks around europe and we have more than 50 cars every race. That's so fantastic. But, and this is the worst part on the Blancpain series, a lot of Gentleman which makes life not easy. Sometimes they are in a quicker car due to a better BoP. They block you before or in the corners and pull away on the straight. That's really frustrating sometimes and I'm happy that WRT always gave me a perfect car to push. I qualified 3rd in Silverstone which is the best Qualifying result for an Audi in the Blancpain ever and it could be the Pole Position but unfortunately I had traffic. But that's life and it's the same for everybody.

The GTM (GT Masters) is a sprint race for me, I shared my car with Rene and each of us were 'just' 30 minutes in the car. But to be honest this is more exhausting. 22 cars, 8 of them fight for the Championship. That's close and tough racing with lot of contacts. Unfortunately the BoP was not that good in the beginning - it changed but for some others as well. The Mercedes and especially the Ford and Corvette were much too strong, I hope this will change for 2014. All in all I enjoyed both series, they are both fantastic and I had the best teams I could imagine.

5) What are your targets for the upcoming 2014 season?

To win races and at least a Championship. Last year I won the Blancpain with WRT and Stephane/Christopher. It felt fantastic and I want to have this feeling back. This year we were unable to win the Blancpain, the BoP was too bad. We were missing 2 seconds minimum at Spa 24h compared to Mercedes, BMW and Porsche. You can't win a Championship if you are that slow by BoP, you just win a Championship if everything fits perfect.

You know, for me René and I were the best driver line-up in GTM. We had really the slowest car in the beginning but we won the first race. Coming from P15! Why? The team did an outstanding job after qualifying and René and I just did our best. There are some guys I know from early days and now they are in a Mercedes or Ford for example. Some years ago I was quicker on the same car, today I'm 5 tenth of Qualifying compared to them. That means that something is wrong and it clearly shows that we have to work very hard on the BoP theme. Or just have a look on Corvette Qualifying at Nürburgring. Jeroen Bleekemolen has never been in the car before, has never tested a new set of tyre before Qualifying and was 7 tenth quicker than Keilwitz who drives the car since a couple of years. It clearly showed the performance of the car when a professional is on! So for 2014 let's hope for a better BoP and I'm sure we are back in a title fight!

6) Which race track is your favourite?

One is for sure Bathurst. The fascination, going up the Mountain, going down after with a lot of quick corners. Fantastic! No place for mistakes, there are walls beside the track
For sure the Nordschleife is my No.1. At no track I have more mileage and no track I know better than this. It's a fascinating track in a wonderful area. I hope to race there some more years.

7) You are a keen motorcycle rider, have you ever considered to compete in superbike racing?

Nooo I'm far off. I just do it because I like to relax. And on my Ducati, it's just perfect. No Navigation, no passenger, no radio, no mobile - just driving. I love to be on the Nürburgring with my bike, to hear the 2 cylinder going up to 13.000 rpm! It sounds like music. But I'm sure I'm far off a professional superbike racer. At least it's just fun for me.

8) What are your dreams for the future within your motor racing career?

If you would ask me that a couple of years ago I would answer going to DTM. But today it's LMP1! To go to LeMans would be a dream! I just have seen the new R18. I fall in love immediately! What a dream car. So wish me luck, I hope to be there soon.

Photo credit: Christopher Mies

Interview with Fabryce Kutyba part 2: 2013 season with Audi and more

By Tarek Ramchani

GMG Racing is the only Audi team fielding the Audi R8 LMS in the Pirelli World Challenge series in North America. The team have been loyal to Audi and Porsche for a very long time. We were pleased to have an interview with Fabryce Kutyba, vice president of GMG Racing. A very interesting Q/A about the history of the team, the team's plans for the upcoming Pirelli World Challenge season, the future of North American sportscar racing and more. Here is part two, you can read part one of the interview right here.

GMG debuted the R8 LMS in the World Challenge, what are your thoughts on the 2012 season?

For GMG 2012 was simply a test year we wanted to evaluate the cars performance potential in competition. I feel that 2012 taught us a lot about the car especially its weak points as well as its strong points. We were able to show the car was within the performance envelope that it needed to be in, in order to be a front running car. The team worked very hard in analyzing the performance potential of the car. I have been involved in pro racing in one way or another for over a decade now and the dedication and countless hours the team put in during the 2012 season was amazing I would say they are the some of the hardest working most dedicated guys out there today and with their global racing experience some of the best in the business as well. Early test and even an evaluation in a competition showed that the R8 was very capable. I am pleased to say that GMG was the first team to score a overall win with a R8 LMS in North America in 2012 when we decided to evaluate the cars potential at a race in late spring at Thunderhill Raceway in Northern Ca. The team entered the car in a 4 hour enduro and won by over 3.5 laps.

How did the GMG Audi R8 LMS story / project in the World Challenge begin and then grow to a total of now four cars at GMG?

See my notes above in my answer in part 1. There is an explanation of how the cars came to GMG. The R8 proved to be a competitive car, it was also an opportunity for GMG to race a very special car.

We have a very strong relationship with Porsche Motorsport in North America and Porsche has an amazing customer supported racing program. In fact it is my opinion that they set the bar globally when it comes to this type of racing.. Audi really didn’t have any presence racing in North America in many years. It was an opportunity to bring our level of experience to the Audi brand and it was a great opportunity to work with the factory to develop this program. I have to admit it’s very gratifying to see this program develop from infancy. I have always been the Audi die hard at GMG so it’s almost like seeing your child grow up.. It’s very exciting for me to be part of this program and working with Audi Sport Customer Racing. People love the R8 LMS every time we take it to a public event or a car meet people can’t get enough of it.

The GT3 specification R8 LMS has been described as differing significantly from the World Challenge specification R8 LMS. What are the most notable difference between these two versions?

The base car is the R8 LMS GT3 R16 for World Challenge however there are some considerable changes to the cars aerodynamics. Visually you can see the WC spec car to not have the aerodynamic aids of the GT3 spec car. Additionally our cars performance is also restricted by engine restrictors to bring down the power the engine produces. Additionally the R8 LMS was developed for smooth high speed European tracks where it can take advantage of its aerodynamics our tracks in North America are much bumpier, we have a different climate we race in and different conditions even the racing surface is different. This poses many challenges for our engineers and mechanics in developing the cars suspension and handling characteristics not to mention its limited aero as set forth by the rules. There was no data for any of this so we had to start from scratch in developing and evolving the R8 LMS to be competitive in North America. The R8 is very complex car that requires a lot of attention to get the most out of it from the mechanics, engineers but also from the drivers. It is very sensitive to changes but when driven properly it can prove be a very fast and a very capable car. The World Challenge R8 LMS will be known internally as the GMG -R8 LMS WC R16.

World Challenge rules are now welcoming more FIA GT3 spec cars for 2013, how is GMG Racing looking forward to this?

This is very exciting for us.. GMG has been pushing to adopt GT3 rules in World Challenge racing for a few years now. There is no doubt it’s a formula that makes sense. 12 manufactures that are building spec cars that you can buy from the factory ready to race. It makes sense financially to run these cars because the cars are not one off’ s the parts can be purchased from the factories, there is manufactures support in one way or another. No one has to try and build one off cars and it’s also easier to manage the performance of the cars by the series official so no one shows up with an over dog car and runs away with the series. I think this is the future for sports car racing and I am excited to see it finally evolving in North America.

The cars look very aggressive with the wider body designs but there is a direct correlation to their road car counter parts which they are based off of. And with a car like the Audi the engine is a stock engine which helps manage the costs of the cars and running them.


Will the introduction of more FIA GT3 cars benefit GMG Racing from a rules / rules lobbying standpoint in the series?

I don’t know if it will necessarily benefit us form a lobbying perspective but what it will do is allow our performance to be properly gauged against the competition because there is a baseline set by the manufactures. It will help teams run these cars at their maximum potential without having to spend a fortune in developing one off WC specific cars, which has been the case over the years in the series.

GMG Racing have been ALMS regulars in GTC and also in some Rolex Series races. What is your team’s view of the new unified ALMS and Grand-Am series for 2014?

I think it’s pretty exciting that this new series is being formed from what was GA and ALMS. There is no doubt that sports car racing has always been somewhat of a challenge in North America particularly with the different series running different specification cars whether its sprint racing in a series like WC or the endurance format found in GA and ALMS.

Sports car racing has never had the success of NASCAR or even Indy Car racing despite being the # 1 market place for many of the top manufactures in the world. Hopefully with the financial strength of NASCAR and its support, sport cars racing can rise to a level close to what NASCAR is.. You can’t argue the marketing, fan support and overall exposure of what NASCAR has become whether you like that form of racing or not.

What this means for teams like GMG? I think it will allow us to focus on a series and have some long term certainty with our plans as a racing team and a business. I know that both GA and ALMS are working closely to structure a series that is equitable for teams to run in this new series and I know they want to attract teams from Europe to race here as well. It won’t be perfect, it will take some time to iron out the detail so it’s fair for everyone. But, I am confident it will work itself out and sports car racing will flourish in North America. This new structure will also be very good for World Challenge because of its sprint race format and GA/ALMS endurance format there will be 2 premier series in North America for fans to follow and teams to participate in.

What do you think about the "American" R16, the Audi R8 GRAND-AM? Are there any plans to have a GMG entered R8 GRAND-AM as well?

The GT3 R16 WC spec is different in many ways than the Grand Am spec cars. We considered running GA in 2013 but felt that it would be in the best interests of our partners and Audi to focus on the World Challenge championship in 2013.

Depending on how the rules play out in the new series I would not count GMG out of potentially fielding a Audi program with a few R8's for the 2014 season.
We certainly have the experience (several GTC podium finishes) and team to run a front running program.

At the moment GMG has four of the older spec R8 LMS cars, are there any possibilities / possible gains within the series rules, to upgrade these cars into the newer specification "Audi R8 LMS ultra"?

GMG is in a unique position because we are the team working with the series ( World Challenge) and Audi Sport in developing the homologation of the R8LMS in WC.
There will be specific parts that we are developing in conjunction with Audi Sport for WC competition. The Ultra is a bit out of spec for WC competition as the rules stand today.
However with the series adopting the GT3 rules over the course of the next few years anything is possible, time will only tell.

Many Audi fans are in love with "Sophie," your S4 Competition, tell us more about the car.

Thank you… that’s very humbling to hear for such an old car to have such a loyal following.
Sophie is a very unique car, it was literally a rolling chassis that had been neglected and sitting storage when I purchased it over 4 years ago.

Sophie is Audi Sport North America Chassis #005 and it’s taken a long time to get the car to its current specification which in some ways is more developed than the S4 Competition EVO.
(GMG actually owned this car at one point S4 Competition EVO) Sophie was born out of many of the spare parts that were left over when the S4 Comp Evo was sold to a collector.. With a ton of parts sitting in the shop and the opportunity to purchase the chassis it made sense… It did take 6 months to acquire the chassis from the former owners . I wanted to build a special car that would capture the essence of what the s4 competition was originally intended to be all while improving certain parts of the car which would not be limited by series rule when the original cars were built.

Are there any possibilities that Sophie could be entered into any race events during the 2013 season?

The plan is to race Sophie in a few amateur series in 2013. Sophie is a little too old for World Challenge competition at this point but she may be at some west coast races on display. Nonetheless we will plan to race her and I will certainly share any video's, pictures of those events.

What are GMG Racing’s goals for the 2013 season?

Our goals are pretty simple.. As the lead Audi team in World Challenge we want to put a GMG Audi R8 LMS on the podium for every World Challenge race in 2013 and capture the Manufactures Championship for Audi as well.

It will be a very tough season for us there are a lot of great teams which are factory backed such as Cadillac and Volvo and with the addition of a few FIA GT3 cars the competition will be intense, this year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and competitive in World Challenge history.

We are confident that we have the team and the best partner Audi working with us to reach our goals.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all Audi fans to follow and be part of GMG Racing www.gmgracing.com throughout the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge season and if they are at an event to please stop by the paddock say Hi and I will personally give them a tour of the team transporter and show them the cars.

Were excited to grow the GMG family and share this exciting chapter with Audi fans around the world. You can also follow the Pirelli World Challenge series at www.world-challenge.com

Editor's note: A very special thanks to Mr Fabryce Kutyba and all GMG Racing team members for their great support.

Interview with Fabryce Kutyba part 1: The roots of GMG Racing

By Tarek Ramchani

GMG Racing is the only Audi team fielding the Audi R8 LMS in the Pirelli World Challenge series in North America. The team have been loyal to Audi and Porsche for a very long time. We were pleased to have an interview with Fabryce Kutyba, vice president of GMG Racing. A very interesting Q/A about the history of the team, the team's plans for the upcoming Pirelli World Challenge season, the future of North American sportscar racing and more. Here is part one, The roots of GMG Racing and how it all started at the Global Motorsport Group.

GMG Racing has been around for many years. How did GMG Racing come about?

GMG is sort of a Cinderella story , My business partner ( James Sofronas) and I met by chance back in 1997, believe it or not it was mostly due in part to the BMW CCA and a classified ad he placed in the magazine. He recently moved to California from back east and placed an ad selling some wheels off of his M3. I mis-read the advert and called him trying to sell him some wheels off of a customer’s M3 lightweight which I was preparing for track use. At this time I had a small BMW service and performance shop with my dad in Orange County Ca. I told James I was selling some wheels off the lightweight, he inquired what I was doing with the car, a short conversation later he came down to the shop and offered driver coaching for my customer who wanted to get started in racing. James had already begun his racing career back east on a pro level.

I think a lot of our friendship and seeing eye to eye was rooted around the fact that we lived in the same area back east. He being from NY and myself from NJ. It was good timing for everyone. Tragically my dad passed away that summer about 5 months after I met James.

That was tough for me but the race car was a place for me to focus my energy. That fall my clients son decided that he no longer wanted to race the car so he made us a once in a life time offer.
Much like a race horse a race car isn't worth much if it’s not raced and it doesn’t finish well. So he offered us an opportunity to race the car if we maintained it and took care of it.. So we did and over the course of the next 2 years we accumulated over 20 overall wins and 0 DNF's with the M3. We raced that car in the BMW CCA and NASA Pro Series along with various Porsche Owners Club Races on the west coast. We even managed to run the car at a than SpeedVision World Challenge race @ Pikes Peak Colorado Raceway. I have to admit that was an eye opener for me, we were in so far over our heads at this point, showing up to a pro race with a Open trailer and a tool box where other teams had been racing in the series for years and had semi's with full crews. Luck had it we even finished in the top 15 that weekend.

Sometime in 2000 we decided to put a name to our racing efforts having run them under my old shops name up until this point. So we came up with the name (GMG)one afternoon at James's house which was also our base of operations running the BMW since I closed the shop I had with my dad at this point. We wanted a name that would not limit us to the brand of car we would race or series where which we would compete in this the name Global Motorsports Group.

At this point I went to work for Ferrari and James maintained his corporate job, we decided to build a car and enter the United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) and built a BMW E36 Touring car with very limited budget and resources. We entered the car in the series and won 6 out of the 8 races overall winning the championship at the final race in Laguna Seca. We than sold that car to a client who raced it in the same series and with our support he won the championship the following year.

2002-2003 would find me working for a team that ran Audi B5 S4's and A4's in Grand Am (Intrax) and James was racing a BMW in World Challenge,we continued to race in the BMW CCA series on weekends so I found myself doing double duty on weekends. GMG was very small and still in its infancy operating out of a 1200 sq ft shop with 2 BMW's. I later went to work for Bentley right around the time the Continental GT was debuting in the USA. In late 2004 I made the decision to leave Bentley and take the plunge full time into GMG we found a shop in Santa Ana around 4000 sqft the BMW was now out and James invested in a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup that was built to World Challenge GT specifications this was a monumental risk on his part. We shifted from BMW and decided to focus on bringing race proven performance to road car customers our business model was built around Porsche /Audi vehicles and our business exploded because we were doing something other shops in the area weren't. We were taking the experience we learned in racing and applying it to customer cars that were dual purpose.

It was literally race on Sunday and sell on Monday for us. We also started to develop parts on the race car which we refined for road car use, this would become what is now the GMG World Challenge line of performance parts for Porsche and Audi vehicles. At this time World Challenge was using the Toyo R888 as the spec tire so the data we learned on the track we could directly translate to road cars as many of our customers used that same tire for weekend track days. We raced as much as we could in World Challenge and Porsche Owners Club and PCA. We even surprised a lot of the more established teams. We were running our race program out of a 28 foot single car trailer and towing it around with a pick up all over the U.S. 1 tech in the shop, 1 guy driving the car and our car chief was actually working for a ALMS team and he would come over and help with the car in between sessions. Todd has now been with us since about 2006 full time running the race program as crew chief. Our epic race that put GMG on the map had to be the World Challenge race @ Lime Rock where James out raced 2 factory backed Porsche drivers running cup car ( Wolf Henzler and Robin Liddell) finishing in 3rd and on the podium right behind the 2 factory Cadillac entries.. This race was literally a 60 minute commercial on GMG because veteran announcers were so impressed with our performance and James's driving. Our relationship started to develop with Porsche Motorsport and our street business took off, we out grew our 4000 sqft facility in a matter of 18 months.

In 2007 we ended up in our present facility which is located directly across the street from Porsche Motorsport North America 15,000 sqft was a huge undertaking our company was growing we were racing Porsche's in World Challenge , IMSA GT3 Cup and Pirelli Drivers Cup as well as Club Racing. We were building a lot of dual purpose road cars and our parts were being recognized globally as we were selling parts to Porsche owners and teams globally.

In 2009 GMG was the team that secured the Manufactures Championship for Porsche in World Challenge winning the most races for Porsche. As the economy took a dip in the states our business continued to grow both on the street side and the racing side. Our product offerings also grew for both Porsche and Audi cars.
Our goal was simple build the highest quality products that were proven in motorsport and refined for the street

In late 2011 we were at the Rennsport Reunion in Monterey and one of our customers who was running a Porsche RSR and I were talking.. I mentioned he should get a R8 race car.. He said well if something comes up let me know.. Out of sight out of mind I really didn’t think we would ever have an opportunity to get a R8 LMS, a few months passed and I was notified that a car was in fact available in Germany and it wasn’t just a car from a no name team but from the Factory Audi Sport backed Phoenix Racing, needless to say the car was flawless and in late 2011 the first R8 LMS GT3 R16 showed up in North America and was now at GMG. We tested the car and found the performance to be very impressive and that started the ball rolling with the Audi program. After a relationship was established with Audi the second Phoenix car was acquired in spring of 2012. As the relationship grew with Audi Sport Customer racing a 3rd Factory car was offered to James and he purchased it. Most recently we acquired a 4th LMS GT3 R16 which we will also campaign in 2013. With 4 total cars that makes a very strong contingent from GMG in racing the R8 LMS in the USA.
It’s important to note that with the addition of the Audi Sport Customer racing program at GMG we have now grown from a 15,000 sqft to a 30,000 sqft state of the art facility housing all aspects of race support, performance tuning, service, fabrication, 4wd dyno test cell, race car sales and global parts distribution under one roof.

I am probably missing a few highlights over the years but that’s a pretty good recap of our history.

Editor's note: A very special thanks to Mr Fabryce Kutyba and all GMG Racing team members. Part 2 about GMG Racing's plans for 2013 to follow.

Dion von Moltke Interview - Driver of the APR Audi R8 GRAND-AM

By Johan Laubscher

It is always special for motorsport fans to support drivers from their own country in international motorsport. Even more so when one of those drivers is part of one of your favourite teams and manufactures. For South African Audi and general motorsport fans alike, Dion von Moltke is proudly flying the South African flag on the international scene. It was a very proud sight when the first images of the APR Audi R8 GRAND-AM livery emerged with the car wearing the colours of South African Airways on the rear wing.

Dion and Dr Jim Norman 

Dion has had a very busy season during 2012. The fulltime university student has been competing in the Rolex Grand-Am series with APR Motorsport. The team is armed with the new Audi R8 GRAND-AM driven by Dion and Dr Jim Norman. It has been a season of ups and downs for the team as they continue to develop the new car. Dion recently took the chance to head home to South Africa during a mid-season break. One of our writers/admins who lives in South Africa unfortunately did not get a chance to meet up with Dion, but arrangements were made to get in touch for a short interview with the young driver from the Rainbow Nation.

Interview with Dion von Moltke

AM (Audi Motorsport blog)

DM (Dion von Moltke)

AM: A quick rundown about yourself: who is Dion von Moltke in one paragraph?

DM: I am a highly active, and adventurous person. I absolutely love being outside in nature, that's a big reason why I love going home to South Africa so much! For me being home out in the bush is my favorite place in the world to be (Outside of being in our PR Newswire / Parathyroid.com / South African Airways APR Audi R8 that is!) I also absolutely love all sports, I always have them on the t.v. and anytime I can take a break from my training to go out and play a sport, especially tennis, I go for it!

AM: How does it feel racing under the South African flag?

DM: For me it's a very special thing. Although I was born here in the States and have been racing here for me South Africa is still home. Almost all my family still lives there and the second I step off the plane in Johannesburg I know in my heart that I am home. We are a very passionate and hard working nation and I try to bring those ideals into all areas of my life and especially my racing.

I also love introducing South Africa to people who do not know much about our country. In fact this year I am leading a tour to South Africa! Together with South African Airways and Flysaavacations we will be taking close to 20 people for an adventure tour of South Africa that will include 4 days in Johannesburg where we will also go watch some local racing at the Zwatkops track. Then we will spend 3 days in Cape Town and then 3 days in the Kruger National Park at Lion Sands game lodge, I can not wait!

AM: How has it been for you balancing being a full time student and a full time driver in a top class series such as Grand-Am?

DM: It is definitely a very difficult task but a challenge I enjoy. I know how important a good education is in life especially when you are representing multi million dollar companies. I have had to learn very quickly how to manage my time efficiently, well I should say I am still actually learning that part haha. I have to take Online classes at Florida International University which makes it a little harder because you end up having to teach yourself a lot of the material which is especially hard for the math classes!

AM: What types of race cars/categories have you competed in before driving the Audi R8?

DM: I started my career in Go-Karts when I was 14, I raced in many different national championships and even went to two World Championships during my three years of racing in karting. From there I decided I would make the move up to cars so I went to the Skip Barber Racing School which is where I really learnt about driving proper race cars. After a year of racing there I decided I wanted to start racing in Sports Cars, so my Dad and I decided while watching a Koni Challenge race in the stands, that is where I needed to be racing. I joined APR Motorsport for the first time to race their Volkswagen Golf GTI in the Koni Challenge in 2008. I raced with APR Motorsport there for two years and I was able to get the teams and my first professional wins!

From there I moved into the Grand-Am Rolex Series in the Daytona Prototype class with Doran Racing. After one year of racing in Grand-Am's top class I left to race a Porsche GT3 cup car last year for TRG in the American Le Mans Series. Last December I heard about APR's plans to run an APR Audi R8 Grand-Am and I knew right away I wanted to be apart of that program!

AM: Ahead of the final Grand Am round, what is your take on the 2012 season so far, a quick summary?

DM: The 2012 season has been a year of development. The work from everyone at Audi Customer Racing and APR Motorsport has been amazing, we have come such a long way since Daytona. While we still have yet to have the results we are looking for we are pushing as hard as we can right up until this last race is over so that we can be in the best position possible to hopefully end this season of strong!

AM: How would you describe the APR family, how it functions, and how it feels to be part of it?

DM: I think family is the best word to describe it. My teammate Jim has been a mentor to me, he really wants to see me succeed and to have someone like him giving me advice has been really special this year. We all know how hard each of us is working and how bad we all want to win and when you go through rough times or have a rough weekend that is what helps get you straight back up and straight back to work!

AM: What are your impressions of the R8 Grand-Am and have you had the opportunity to drive a GT3 specification R8 LMS as of yet?

DM: At Laguna Seca our R8 Grand-Am really came to life, this car has a ton of potential and we are just starting to uncover it! Every time we go to a track it is the first time ever that our car has been on that track, so every weekend has been a massive learning curve. Grand-Am has been working with us really well throughout the season and we are getting very close to challenging the top teams in Grand-Am. We are racing against cars that have purposed built tube framed race chassis, while our Audi R8 actually has the street car chassis, in fact is built on the same line that the street car R8's are! That just shows you how well built this car is!

I have not driven the R8 LMS yet but I hope to change that sometime in the near future!

AM: How has the support been from Audi’s customer racing department towards customer teams such as APR?

DM: Audi Customer Racing comes to every single race to support us and that partnership is vital to our success. They are the ones that fight to get our car faster by the rules and they also listen to what we have to say about the car and take that information back to Germany to help continue developing our car.

AM: What was it like racing alongside some factory Audi drivers? Firstly with Pirro at Daytona and later with Stippler and Basseng at Watkins Glen?

DM: It was an amazing experience, Emanuele Pirro is one of the biggest names in motorsport and Stippler and Basseng are two drivers that are completely on top of their game and are some of the best drivers in the world. Emanuele is one of the nicest guys in the world, having him as a teammate really helped guide our program in the right way back in Daytona. He is a very calm and calculated driver in the car and in the meetings but away from it he is a fun and energetic guy; I am lucky to call him a friend now.

Frank Stippler and Mark Basseng were amazing to work with. They get everything out of the car they drive and also have immense experience so to be able to go toe to toe with them on the track was a great learning experience.

AM: In the discussions with Stippler and Basseng, which major differences did they mention between the normal R8 LMS and the R8 GRAND-AM?

DM: The R8 LMS and the R8 Grand-Am are actually immensely different cars. The Grand-Am car has a smaller front splitter, no rear diffuser, a smaller rear wing, the wing is closer to the rear of the body, no traction control, no abs, and only RWD. With all of that taken away on the Grand-Am it amounts to around 70% less downforce! So the cars drive very differently and puts more emphasis on mechanical grip over the aero grip.

AM: For South Africans the top Audis competing in SA are the Audi S4 race cars in the Production Car series. You have driven a car very similar to this before. You once raced the APR Audi S4 during 2010. What does the APR S4 feel like versus the Audi R8 Grand AM?

DM: The production based cars are very different cars than the GT based R8. Everything is just a little closer to stock in the production based S4's so it feels a little more sloppy, it rolls a little more in the corners, it dances around a little more on braking which makes them actually very difficult to drive. The S4 is also all wheel drive, so the driving style for a fast lap is very similar to how you drive a front wheel drive car, and if it rains watch out because the S4 will be flying!

AM: You have already driven in a large variety of cars and series, what are your dreams and goals moving forward with your career?

DM: I want to race and win at Le Mans. I have developed a very special relationship with Audi this year and I hope to be able to achieve my dreams and have a long term career with them.

AM: The Grand-Am and the ALMS have recently announced the merger for 2014. What are you views on the Grand Am and ALMS merger and the future of American Sports Car Racing?

DM: This news is absolutely fantastic!! It will be a great thing for our sport. While there are still a lot of unknowns about what the future will really hold and there is still a lot of work to be done, I could not be more excited. It will be great for the fans, the drivers and the teams 2014 will be a very interesting year.

We thank Dion for taking the time to complete these questions for Audi Motorsport Blog. We wish Dion and APR the best for the remaining Grand-Am round at Lime Rock.

More information:

Dion von Moltke wesbite

Dion von Moltke on twitter

Dion von Moltke FB page

APR website

Dion also thanks his sponsors for their continued support

We have included a selection of videos and photos of Dion in the Audi below:

Photo credits: APR Motorsport, Vickie Miller and Dion von Molkte.