Mike Rockenfeller the Audi factory driver will race the 12 Hours of Sebring. The 2013 DTM champion and 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours winner will join team Spirit of Daytona.
Mike Rocknefeller raced with Spirit of Daytona earlier this year at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with a fine fourth place overall in the end. At Sebring Rocky will share the #90 Corvette Daytona Prototype with Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante.
The 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race is no stranger to Mike Rockenfeller. The German driver entered the Florida classic many times with both Porsche GT cars and Audi LMP cars. The last appearance for Rocky at Sebring was in 2011 when he finished fifth overall with an Audi R15 TDI plus.
Green-yellow Audi RS 5 DTM designated as car number one
Dieter Gass, Head of DTM: “Dream team is retained for DTM”
Ingolstadt, December 13, 2013 – Motorsport fans can look forward to the DTM’s dream team again in 2014. Audi, champion Mike Rockenfeller and sponsor Schaeffler will again form a unit in the coming season. Audi Sport and Schaeffler have now extended the agreement by three years.
With two titles in three years to its credit, the Audi sporting Schaeffler colors has been the most successful car in recent DTM history. In the coming season, Mike Rockenfeller will again be racing in the RS 5 DTM with green-yellow graphics. The only change: As champion, ‘Rocky,’ for the first time in his DTM career, will be competing in car number one when the ‘title defense’ mission begins at the Hockenheim season opener in early May 2014.
“The Schaeffler Audi has become an absolute crowd-pleaser with the DTM fans in recent years and, what’s more, was our best-placed car three times in succession. Therefore, we’re delighted in more ways than one that we’ve been able to conclude a long-term extension of this partnership and that this dream team is retained for the DTM,” says Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich is pleased as well: “Mike (Rockenfeller) has been a valuable and indispensable member of the Audi family for many years. Not only because he’s an experienced and fast race driver but also because he’s a very special person. He’s a perfect fit for us. And considering that he’s only 30 years old, the future belongs to him – both in the DTM and at Le Mans.”
Mike Rockenfeller is happy about the extension of the agreement. “Audi and Schaeffler are simply two fantastic partners,” says the 2013 DTM Champion. “In both companies, motorsport evokes a lot of emotions. I can really feel the enthusiasm of the employees whenever I visit any of the locations. To represent these brands on the race track and to be so successful – that makes me proud.”
For the Schaeffler Group, the partnership with Audi has been nothing but a success story so far. In 2011, Martin Tomczyk celebrated the title; in 2012, Mike Rockenfeller was the best Audi driver and won the Championship a year later. “Schaeffler, Audi and Mike Rockenfeller – this combination is simply a perfect fit,” says Schaeffler Board Member for Development Prof. Dr. Peter Gutzmer, not only referring to the successes achieved on the race track. “Motorsport emotionalizes and unites – particularly in success: Many of our more than 77,000 employees couldn’t relate to this topic a few years ago and, today, are big Audi and DTM fans. We’re delighted that this success story will continue in the next years.”
The new DTM season will start at Hockenheim on May 4, 2014. The ten races will include visits to China and Hungary. In 2013, Mike Rockenfeller won the drivers’ title and his squad, Audi Sport Team Phoenix, the team classification.
Two very special cars have arrived at Audi Forum Ingolstadt today. Both cars are on display for visitors to view and admire.
The two cars include none other than the Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS 5 DTM used by Mike Rockenfeller during the 2013 DTM season, and an Audi R18 e-tron quattro from Audi Sport Team Joest, which features the #2 Le Mans winning livery. The vehicles have been displayed alongside the 2013 DTM and Le Mans trophies.
These two cars combine to form an awesome display at Audi Forum Ingolstadt, two extremely successful vehicles from Audi Sport this season.
• DTM Champion is “ADAC Motorsportsman of the Year 2013” • Judges recognize sporting success and fair conduct • Rockenfeller: “I know how valuable this accolade is”
Ingolstadt, October 24, 2013 – On the race track, Mike Rockenfeller has already been ‘number one’ this year. And Europe’s largest automobile club has now made the Audi factory driver its number one as well: A panel of expert judges voted the DTM Champion “ADAC Motorsportsman of the Year 2013.”
Walter Röhrl, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel: This list of leading lights of German motorsport now includes Mike Rockenfeller as well, who, following his victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the 2010 season, has made another dream come true on winning the DTM title at the wheel of an Audi RS 5 DTM. “When I joined Audi, my aims were to win Le Mans and the DTM – and I’ve achieved both,” says the 29-year-old. “Now, being ADAC Motorsportsman of the Year on top of that is incredible. I know how valuable this accolade is and can only thank the judges – and of course all who have helped me win the DTM this year.” Among other things, the judges, in their supporting justification, recognized Mike Rockenfeller’s success, fair conduct and the fact that he stood his ground and prevailed in an extremely difficult sporting environment.
Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich was delighted about the selection of Rockenfeller who will be celebrating his 30th birthday next week: “I think there’s no one in the DTM paddock who begrudged ‘Rocky’ the title this year. Mike not only drove a really superb season. He was also always fair in the duels with his rivals. I think this was exactly what impressed the judges, too.”
“I can only congratulate ADAC on this choice as well,” says Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi Sport. “Mike is a worthy DTM Champion, a driver who epitomizes motorsport in Germany – and simply a nice guy. At Audi, we value this trait just as much as the fans in the paddock do for whom ‘Rocky’ always finds time.”
The DTM celebration continued today. Mike Rockenfeller was in Neckarsulm today, taking part in post-DTM season celebrations.
Rocky and his #19 Phoenix Racing Audi RS 5 DTM were on display in Neckarsulm, with many PR activities and victory laps around the Audi Neckarsulm facilities. The newly crowned champion was also on hand to sign autographs inside of Audi Forum Neckarsulm. The celebrations were organised in order to say thank you to all of the Audi Sport staff responsible for the developed at Audi Sport in Neckarsulm.
It has been a terrific year for Audi in the DTM, as the drivers’ and teams’ titles were returned to the family of the Four Rings, with Rocky and Phoenix Racing as the champions.
A selection of photos from the Audi Forum Neckarsulm Facebook page have been included below:
Audi Sport is getting closer to their fans. At each DTM round this season one factory Audi driver was online answering the fan's questions on Twitter. At Hockenheim it was the turn of Mike Rockenfeller. The new 2013 DTM champion had a lot of fun answering the different questions from the fans. If you missed it on Twitter, here is a complete round-up:
@Audi_Sport_Fan DTM is a very competitive racing series and well known especially in Germany. But we are growing internationally #askrocky — Audi Sport (@Audi__Sport) October 18, 2013
@Audi_Sport_Fan Many small details which are important are combined in this team. I'm happy to be part of it #askrocky — Audi Sport (@Audi__Sport) October 18, 2013
@Audi_Sport_Fan DTM is a very competitive racing series and well known especially in Germany. But we are growing internationally #askrocky — Audi Sport (@Audi__Sport) October 18, 2013
For the eighth straight season Phoenix Racing will be partnering with Audi as a works entry in the DTM. In 2011 they had a magical season by winning the driver's title with Martin Tomczyk, who was driving an older specification Audi A4 DTM R14. This season the Ernst Moser managed squad is aiming high and wants to take the DTM title.
Audi Sport Team Phoenix is fielding two Audi RS 5 DTM cars this year, and they will again count on their 2012 drivers, Mike Rockenfeller and Miguel Molina.
Mike Rockenfeller has been a regular at Phoenix for many years now, both in the DTM and long distance races with the Audi R8 LMS. Last season "Rocky" finished fourth overall in the points standings, the best ranked Audi driver in a very hard season for the Four Rings. A big change for Rockenfeller this year, as he will not race with the Audi LMP1 squad in WEC and at Le Mans. He will focus solely on the DTM and try to fight for the title. Rocknefeller is driving the #19 Schaeffler supported Audi RS 5 DTM.
Miguel Molina from Spain is in his second season with team Phoenix, the fourth with Audi in the DTM, after two years at Abt Sportsline. Last year was a very hard year for him, he finished in a very disappointing eighteenth overall. The Spanish driver wants to bounce back and prove he is still fast and capable of challenging the big names in the demanding German touring car series. Molina is driving the #20 all red Audi RS 5 DTM.
Audi Sport Team Phoenix will aim to improve their position in the team's standing as well, last season they finished seventh overall.
