British GT: Audi teams 2013 season review

By Tarek Ramchani and Johan Laubscher

The Audi brand had a very successful 2013 season in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Four Audi Sport customer racing teams represented the Four Rings in one of the most demanding - if not the best - national GT series worldwide.
The Audi teams were challenged by very strong rivals from Britain and beyond, which formed a very healthy and quality field. Some podiums and strong performances, but also bad luck for the teams all season long. In the end United Autosports came very close to taking the overall honours, narrowly missing the British GT crown by a mere 1.5 points.

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: Oulton Park

Oulton Park hosted the British GT Championship over the Easter weekend. Three Audi cars entered the event which included a R8 LMS and a 2012 and 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The United Autosports Audi R8 LMS ultra (2012) performed well this weekend and finished race one within the top ten. Race two saw the United Autosports entry battling at the front and they were part of the lead battle during the closing stages. The #25 UA entry finished in a well deserved second place during race two, after a dash to the flag following a late race caution.

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

Round 2: Rockingham

The British GT held round two of the championship over the long holiday weekend, running from Sunday until Monday. Three Audi teams were entered at Rockingham, an Audi R8 LMS from Blendini Motorsport, a 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra from United Autosports and a 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra from M-sport. By the end of the 2-hour race, two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars had made it onto the podium. M-Sport finished in a strong second ahead of United Autosports in third. The Blendini Motorsport R8 LMS finished in seventeenth place.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (4-5/05/2013)

Round 3: Silverstone 500

The Silverstone 500 was held this weekend, round three of the British GT Championship. The 500 was a special three-hour event and three Audi teams took part. M-Sport entered one 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra, United Autosports with one 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra and Blendini Motorsport with an Audi R8 LMS. The teams had performed very well at round two of the championship but they battled this weekend. None of the Audis qualified within the top twenty. The race itself saw M-Sport perform very well and they recovered to fourth place overall, the only Audi within the top ten. United Autosports finished seventeenth and Blendini twentieth. The M-Sport Audi was penalized during the week that followed the Silverstone 500. They dropped from fourth to eleventh overall in the final classification.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (25-26/05/2013)

Round 4: Snetterton

Following two endurance race meetings the British GT Championship arrived at Snetterton for two more traditional sprint races. Only two Audis competed this weekend, one Audi R8 LMS ultra each from M-Sport (2013 spec) and United Autosports (2012 spec). They performed well with M-Sport taking pole position for race one and United Autosports qualifying fourth for race two. The first race saw M-Sport taking another podium by finishing in second, followed by the UA Audi recovering up to fifth. United Autosports battled at the front during race two and finished in third, ahead of the M-Sport Audi which had moved up to tenth by the flag.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (15-16/06/2013)

Round 5: Brands Hatch

The British GT headed to Brands Hatch this weekend with three Audis on the grid. United Autosports entered their Audi R8 LMS ultra along with the Audi R8 LMS entry from Blendini Motorsport. The third Audi entry had a familiar driver line-up, but was represented by a new team. M-Sport had previously run the #10 Audi R8 LMS ultra driven by Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes. The M-Sport team will now be focussing their efforts on the test and development program for the new Bentley Continental GT3, thus WRT has been selected to run the Berg / Hughes #5 R8 LMS ultra for the remainder of the season. None of the Audis qualified within the top ten, the highest R8 LMS ultra was the United Autosports car in twelfth. By the end of the two hour race the best ranked Audi was the #25 United Autosports R8 LMS ultra in sixth place. Both the WRT and Blendini Audis dropped back due to problems. WRT managed to recover to fourteenth place.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (10-11/08/2013)

Round 6: Zandvoort (Holland)

The British GT headed to Zandvoort for the sixth and penultimate round of the season. Two Audi cars were entered: the #25 United Autosports Audi R8 LMS ultra and the #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team WRT. One Audi placed within the top ten of both qualifying sessions, WRT in the first session and United Autosports in the second session. The first race finished with both Audis finishing inside of the top ten. The second race turned out to be very difficult for the two Audis. The United Autosports R8 LMS ultra finished tenth, whilst the WRT entry retired from the race.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (7-8/09/2013)

Round 7: Donington Park

Donington Park played host to the British GT finale. Two Audis were entered this weekend: one Audi R8 LMS ultra from United Autosports and one R8 LMS from Blendini Motorsport. United Autosports arrived at the event with their drivers, Matthew Bell and Mark Patterson, still in the hunt for the driver’s title. It was a must win scenario, as they needed race victory and misfortune for fellow competitors. They qualified seventh for the two hour event. The race got underway with a terrific stint from Patterson, who was able to move up to the top three. Bell took over after the pit stop and stormed into the lead. During the closing stages the points stood at a mark which would have crowned the Audi drivers as champions, but unfortunately the final positions dictated that the Audi pairing would ultimately finish second in the points, missing out on the title by a mere 1.5 points. United Autosports may have missed the title, but they did win the final race of the year.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (5-6/10/2013)

Photo credit: British GT

British GT: Strong podiums for the Audi teams at Snetterton

By Johan Laubscher

Following two endurance race meetings the British GT Championship arrived at Snetterton for two more traditional sprint races. Two Audis took part this weekend, and both teams performed very well.

Only two Audis were entered, versus the usual three cars. One Audi R8 LMS ultra each from M-Sport (2013 spec) and United Autosports (2012 spec). The #10 M-Sport entry was driven by Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes, along with the #25 UA entry of Matthew Bell and Mark Patterson.

Qualifying went very well for both teams, each staring in one of the sessions. Qualifying for the first race saw M-Sport taking pole position with United Autosports in twenty-first. The session for the second race had United Autosports bouncing back and taking fourth place on the grid, while M-Sport qualified in fourteenth.

The first race saw M-Sport backing up their good performances, by taking another podium, finishing in second. United Autosports recovered brilliantly and came from  twenty-first all the way up to fifth. The Audi from UA continued to perform very well during the second race, also battling at the front. Ultimately the #25 UA Audi crossed the finish line for a well deserved third place. M-Sport moved up to tenth during race two.

The results from the Snetterton weekend can be seen HERE.

The next round of the British GT Championship will be at Brands Hatch in August.

Photo credit: British GT

British GT: M-Sport Audi R8 LMS ultra on pole at Snetterton

By Tarek Ramchani

Snetterton is hosting the fourth round of the British GT Championship this weekend. After two endurance race rounds, at Rockingham and Silverstone, the series is back to its usual two races format.

The qualifying session was held this afternoon, and gave great satisfaction to the Audi squad.

The #10 M-Sport Audi R8 LMS ultra earned a fantastic pole position for Race 1. The car shared by Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes was the fastest with a time of 2:05.866. The Audi drivers were ahead of the #888 BMW Z4 GT3 of 888 Optimum Racing and the #80 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Barwell Motorsport. Bad luck hit the other Audi R8 LMS ultra in the field. The #25 entry from United Autosports was only twenty-first. The car is shared by Matt Bell and Mark Patterson. The race 1 qualifying session results can be seen here.

The qualifying session for Race 2 was a lot better for United Autosports. Matt Bell and Mark Patterson ended in a very positive fourth place, whilst the M-Sport Audi only qualified in fourteenth place. Pole position for Race 2 went to the #32 Porsche GT3 R from Trackspeed, ahead of the two 888 Optimum Racing BMW Z4 GT3 cars. The race 2 qualifying session results can be seen here.

In the championship points standings Matt Bell and Mark Patterson are third with 42.5 points. Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes are ninth with 27 points. The two races are set for tomorrow, we wish the best of luck for the two Audi teams.

Photo credit: British GT

The story of the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra

By Johan Laubscher

The Audi R8 LMS was introduced in 2009 and almost instantly showed its potential. The cars then went on to claim multiple championships and victories during the next three seasons, until a newly updated version was introduced in 2012, the Audi R8 LMS ultra. This car also claimed much success during the 2012 season, after which further updates were announced for 2013, but the story turned out not to be so simple.

Original CAD image released by Audi Sport customer racing. Photo from Audi Media

At the end of 2012 Audi Sport announced that an upgraded Audi R8 LMS ultra would be available for the 2013 season, with the option for existing teams to purchase upgrade kits for their current R8 LMS / ultra cars. The differences between the original Audi R8 LMS ultra (2012) and the original 2013 version can be seen HERE. 

Team Novadriver testing their newly updated Audi R8 LMS ultra (2013). Photo from Team Novadriver

The new 2013 upgrades were initially shown in CAD designs released as press photos, but the actual new parts were yet to pass final homologation. Much was said about the new 2013 ultra, and many photos appeared online of the first teams taking delivery and testing their new cars, most notably Hitotsuyama Racing (Japan) and Team Novadriver (Portugal).

2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra on display at Geneva. Photo from Fourtitude.com

The new 2013 ultra also made an appearance on the Audi stand at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It was a silver ultra which was also fitted with the facelifted Audi R8 road car front and rear lights, but it should be noted that the cars that compete in competition are fitted with the older R8 road car lights, to lower the cost and damage of the parts in racing.

Audi R8 LMS ultra cars retrofitted to 2012 spec at Nogaro FIA GT Series. Photo from Endurance-Info.com

It all looked set for the new ultra in 2013, as the start of most of the national and international GT Championships approached. However, the ultra was to face major issues during homologation, causing problems for some of the teams who had acquired new ultra cars / upgrade kits. The Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (all in 2013 spec) which were entered for the opening round of the FIA GT Series at Nogaro, had to be altered back into their 2012 specification, due to the homologation discrepancies as the car had not yet passed the process.

The original 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra rear diffuser. Photo from Audi Media

Eventually the homologation issues, which centered around the lavish new aerodynamic upgrades on the ultra, were sorted out. The 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra was allowed to keep almost all of its parts, the notable omission being the new aggressive rear diffuser. All of the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are now required to run with the older specification Audi R8 LMS / ultra rear diffuser, as per the final homologation.

With the “homologation saga” completed, the 2013 cars have been allowed to compete internationally, but amongst all of the confusion regarding homologation, there were five Audi R8 LMS ultra cars which did indeed race in the full original 2013 specification.

The 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra cars which had competed before final homologation:

The Absolute Racing team at Sepang MSS. Photo from Audi Media

The race debut for the new ultra took place in Malaysia, at round one of the Malaysian Super Series, a support event for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang that weekend (23-24 March 2013). Absolute Racing entered the three cars which were driven by Jeffrey Lee (J-Fly Racing #7 blue), Philip Ma (Team Hong Kong Racing #98 orange) and Francis Hideki Onda (Tunewear Racing #77 red). The weekend was highlighted by a class podium finish for Jeffrey Lee.

M-Sport #10 Audi R8 LMS ultra competing at Oulton Park. Photo from British GT

The second appearance of a 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra came one week later, in Great Britain. M-Sport, a new Audi Sport customer racing team, entered their 2013 car in the opening round of the British GT Championship at Oulton Park (1 April 2013). It should be noted that this was the same weekend that all the cars at Nogaro (FIA GT Series) were disallowed to compete in the 2013 specification. For M-Sport’s entry the series organisers allowed them special dispensation to compete with the new car, as the team wanted to get use to their new machine. The dispensation included that they run penalty weight and thus they finished lower down in the order. The team’s drivers were Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes. Despite the result they gathered valuable experience with the car, as they demonstrated at round two, running the then fully allowed 2013 specification, finishing second overall at Rockingham.  

Hitotsuyama Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra at Okayama. Photo from Hitotsuyama Racing

The third and final competitive appearance of the full original 2013 specification was seen in Japan at Okayama, the opening round of the Japanese Super GT Series (7 April 2013). This was one week after the British GT and FIA GT Series weekend. The homologation was still not finalised by this point, and again the local series organisers allowed the car to compete, but with restrictions and weight due to its homologation status. Hitotsuyama Racing had entered the Audi R8 LMS ultra, driven by Akihiro Tsuzuki and Richard Lyons, and they finished lower down the field due to the restrictions handicapping the Audi.

The final 2013 homologation with older diffuser, as seen at Monza BES. Photo from Stefano Ciabettoni

The week that followed (8-14 April 2013) saw the appearance of many teams testing 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, but with the older diffuser. It then emerged that the car had indeed finally been homologated and all of the cars since, in 2013 spec, have been seen with all of the new 2013 components, minus the new diffuser, as they were running the older diffuser. The first cars in the “new and final” 2013 spec were seen competing at the opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza and VLN round two at the Nürburgring (13-14 April 2013).

The Audi R8 LMS ultra Race-Taxi at Hockenheim DTM. Photo from cubebikes369 on Youtube

Since the final homologation, the new diffuser as all but disappeared. The only Audi R8 LMS ultra cars seen with the new diffuser are some of the display cars and the Audi Race-Taxi at the DTM events. The red/black Race-Taxi is also sporting the facelifted Audi R8 road car lights.

For now it remains uncertain if the full original 2013 specification will ever be seen in competition again, however the current 2013 cars (as per the final homologation) are beautiful and proving to be very successful so far this season. The R8 LMS ultra remains one of the best GT3 race cars currently available.   

Photo credit: (in order of appearance)

Audi Sport Communication / Media

Team Novadriver

Fourtitude.com

Endurance-Info.com / 86400.fr

British GT

Hitotsuyama Racing

Stefano Ciabettoni - Mr Monza

cubebikes369 on Youtube

British GT: M-Sport Audi R8 LMS ultra recovered well at Silverstone

By Tarek Ramchani

As expected the Silverstone 500 was a very close event. Round 3 of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship had a special 3-hour endurance race, with fantastic performances from the M-Sport Audi

The qualifying session was very hard for the three Audi cars. For the race there were fears that the R8 LMS cars would not be able to recover and fight for top spots. However M-Sport, with their #10 Audi R8 LMS ultra, was able to improve and bounced back. The car shared by Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes recovered very well against a world class field of GT3 machines. They started down from twenty-second and they finished in a very strong fourth position. The Scottish based team again doing well after their great second at Rockingham last time out.

Less luck for the other Audi R8 LMS ultra entry from United Autosports. The #25 car of Mark Patterson and Matt Bell finished way down in seventeenth place after they had started from twenty-first position on the grid. A very hard result for the Anglo-American team in the chase for points and the championship title. The #11 PE Group Blendini Motorsport Audi R8 LMS ended in twenty-second place with drivers Dom Evans and Tom Roche.

The race win went to the BMW Z4 GT3 of Ecurie Ecosse. The Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 of Beechdean AMR was second and the BMW Z4 GT3 of Optimum Racing was third.

The next stop for the British GT Championship will be at Snetterton, with a two race format on June 15th and 16th.

Photo credit: British GT Championship

British GT: Extremely hard qualifying for Audi teams at Silverstone

By Tarek Ramchani

The qualifying session for the Silverstone 500 was held this afternoon. A very difficult session for the Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars.

Three Audi cars have been entered for the third round of the British GT season. Unfortunately none of them made it into the top 10 during qualifying. The best ranked R8 LMS ultra is the #25 machine from United Autosports. Mark Patterson and Matt Bell were only able to qualify in twenty-first position. The other R8 LMS ultra entry from M-Sport was right behind them in twenty-second, the #10 Audi is shared by Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes. The third Audi is the #11 R8 LMS from PE Group Blendini Motorsport, which qualified further down the field. Dom Evans and Tom Roche, drivers of the #11, ended in thirtieth place. Disappointing results for the Audi squad compared to the stunning performances shown last time out at Rockingham.

Pole position went to the #79 BMW Z4 GT3 of Ecurie Ecosse. Second was the #31 Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R and third the sister #32 Trackspeed car. The qualifying session results can be seen here.

The race is set for tomorrow. We hope that the Audi cars will be able to recover and improve on track against a very healthy and strong field of GT3 rivals.

Photo credit: Endurance-Info

British GT: Audi teams eager to do well at Silverstone 500

By Tarek Ramchani

Silverstone is hosting the third round of the British GT Championship this weekend. A very special 3-hour endurance event and an impressive entry list. Three Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars will be there aiming to do well.

United Autosports drivers Mark Patterson and Matt Bell, the drivers of the #25 Audi R8 LMS ultra, are now second overall in the points standings. The two drivers have 42.5 points, only half a point behind the series leaders David Ashburn and Nick Tandy, with the Trackspeed Porsche. Last time out at Rockingham Patterson and Bell ended in a strong third place after the two-hour race.

The second Audi R8 LMS ultra car is from M-Sport. The World Rally Championship specialists had a very strong Rockingham round. Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes finished the race in second with their #10 Audi. At Silverstone the Scottish based team will again fight for strong points. Rembert and Hughes are now fifth overall with 27 points, not bad as they were not classified for points in the first round at Oulton Park.

PE Group Blendini Motorsport will field the third Audi, an older specification R8 LMS. Dom Evans and Tom Roche will be the drivers of the #11 R8 LMS. At Rockingham they finished in seventeenth place.

The Silverstone 500 event will have live coverage on Motors TV. No less than 48 cars will enter the race, with a format similar to the one used in the Blancpain Endurance Series. As was the case in the first two rounds, the Audi squad will have to fight hard against a great quality field of GT3 cars. The Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R cars will be the ones to beat.

Photo credit: British GT Championship

British GT: M-Sport Racing claims first podium at Rockingham

M-Sport Press Release

M-Sport Racing drivers Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes took the team's first podium in the second round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Rockingham last weekend. Thanks to a strong team effort, the pairing finished second in the two hour endurance race.

Following a good test at the venue, M-Sport Racing started well by claiming the fifth fastest time in both the first and second practice sessions. However problems with traffic and a small mistake on the final lap of qualifying saw them starting from 11th on the grid.

A strong start from Berg vaulted the team well into the top-ten and slick team work in the pits - as soon as the pit window opened - gave Hughes a clear track and fresh tyres to maximise the chance to improve the result.

An aggressive strategy on fresh tyres enabled Hughes to continue the good work and push for a podium position. A technical problem for Phil Keen enabled Hughes to climb to second, a position he held to the chequered flag to take M-Sport Racing's first podium.

In addition to taking the podium, a superb drive from Berg also resulted in the Swiss-based Dutchman taking the coveted ‘Blancpain Driver Award'.

Rembert Berg said: "It has been a great day and I am delighted to be part of the M-Sport Racing team on their maiden podium. It was a tough race, but the car has been fast and reliable and Warren did a great job to finish the job in style. Winning the Blancpain Award was a nice bonus"

Warren Hughes said: "Rem did a great job off the start to get us through the first session in a strong position. The team made a really slick pit stop to give me the best chance to push for a podium position. It was then a case of controlling the tyre wear and bringing the car home in one piece. It was great to see all the hard work the team has been doing in the past few months and the lessons learned from testing pay off with this first podium."

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said: "It has been a good solid performance from all the team this weekend. Rem and Warren did a fantastic job in the car and the M-Sport Racing team supported them well over the course of the weekend. It all certainly looks to be moving in the right direction which is good. It is hard to believe the team have only been racing for six weeks!"

Photo credit: British GT

British GT: United Autosports Audi R8 LMS ultra sixth in qualifying at Rockingham

By Tarek Ramchani

The British GT Championship is at Rockingham this weekend, for the round two of the series. Three Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars from three different teams have entered the event

As seen at Oulton Park last time out, United Autosports is clearly the leading Audi entry in the British GT. The #25 Audi R8 LMS ultra (2012), shared by Matt Bell and Mark Patterson, qualified in a very positive sixth place for the 2-hour event tomorrow. They qualified with a time of 1.23:288, the car was only 0.711 slower than the pole setting Trackspeed Porsche GT3 R. Both Patterson and Bell are fifth in the overall points standings.

The second Audi R8 LMS ultra (2013) in the field is from M-Sport. The #10 entry of drivers Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes will start eleventh on the grid. The 2013 R8 LMS ultra, which is now fully homologated by the FIA, will able to score points.

The third Audi R8 LMS entry is E Group Blendini Motor. / Dom Evans. An older specification R16 in the hands of Dom Evans and Tom Roche. The car qualified in twenty-seventh.

The qualifying session results can be found here.

The two-hour race is set for tomorrow. The event will have very special coverage by the talented team from Radio Le Mans. We wish the best of luck to all three Audi teams

Photo credit: British GT

British GT: Three Audi R8 LMS ready to fight at Rockingham round 2

By Tarek Ramchani

The second round of the British GT Championship will be at Rockingham next monday. A healthy 30-car grid is expected for the two-hour endurance event, including three Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars, from three different teams.

Leading the Audi squad will be United Autosports, the Anglo-American team had a great season opener at Oulton Park last time out. Both Matt Bell and Mark Patterson finished in a strong second place in race two with their #25 Audi R8 LMS ultra (2012 spec). In the championship points standings both drivers are fifth overall and ahead of their teammates with the McLaren MP4-12C cars.

The second Audi R8 LMS ultra is from M-Sport. The Scottish based team entered a full 2013 spec car at Oulton Park, when the car was not yet homologated by the FIA, meaning they were not allowed to score points. The team competed in an individual class, with special dispensation from the organisors, due to the non-homologated status. The drivers of the #10 M-Sport entry are Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes.

PE Group Blendini Motorsport will field the third Audi, an older specification R8 LMS. Dom Evans and Tom Roche will be the drivers of the #11 R8 LMS.

As seen at Oulton Park the British GT Championship is clearly one of the strongest national GT series worldwide. Close racing with hard battles on track for the top spots. The three Audi teams will have to fight against a very strong field from Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren cars.

Photo credit: British GT Championship

M-Sport Racing sign-up to British GT with Audi power

British GT Press Release

Leading WRC squad, M-Sport Racing will race in the 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship as it prepares itself to engineer the return of famous British brand, Bentley the following year.

The Cumbria-based team will run a single Audi R8 LMS ultra in the 2013 season with reigning British GT GT4 Champion, Warren Hughes and Dutch driver, Rembert Berg taking on driving duties. With vast experience of off-track motorsport and a solid engineering background, the M-Sport team will compete in British GT to gain real world experience of the GT racing scene.

Developed by Audi in 2008, the R8 LMS is a worthy competitor and, since launching in 2009, has taken no fewer than 157 victories from 579 races. The vehicle used by M-Sport Racing will be a 2013 'ultra' evolution boasting upgrades to the engine, brakes, chassis and aerodynamics for the new season.

According to an article in Autosport magazine today, the team are due to receive the car this week ahead of a first test next week at Oulton Park. Reportedly the team has another day of testing planned at Oulton Park before the season opener at the same circuit over the Easter weekend (30/3 - 1/4).

Quotes
Warren Hughes, Driver: "I'm delighted to be joining M-Sport Racing and I am more excited about this programme than I have been for a long time. The people and facilities at M-Sport give this project fantastic potential and my aim will be to impress as I look forward to what may hopefully lead to a successful partnership. I'm also really looking forward to working with my new team mate, Rembert Berg, and hoping that we will make a very good team."

Malcolm Wilson OBE, M-Sport Managing Director: "Since the announcement at the end of last year that M-Sport will make a new venture into circuit racing, the team has been working tirelessly to ensure that we are as fully prepared as possible for this new project. Running the Audi R8 LMS in the British GT Championship will allow the team to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience and be as fully equipped as possible for the exciting challenges ahead."

Photo credit: Audi Media