~ Auto Buzz ~: Other Audi Racing
Showing posts with label Other Audi Racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Other Audi Racing. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Audi News: Motorsport Twitter updates - 11 November 2013




By Tarek Ramchani

Updates on Twitter today about the Audi brand in racing from teams, drivers, official series and the media.


































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Monday, 11 November 2013

Audi News: Motorsport Twitter updates - 10 November 2013




By Tarek Ramchani

Updates on Twitter today about the Audi brand in racing from teams, drivers, official series and the media.































Publication de Armageddon Designs.



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Wednesday, 23 October 2013

Forza Motorsport 5: New screenshots featuring Audi cars




By Tarek Ramchani

Forza Motorsport 5 is coming soon exclusively for the upcoming Xbox One console. Turn 10 the studio developing the series has released a series of new screenshots. Here some photos featuring Audi cars and the world famous Top Gear test track.





Photo credit: Forza Motorsport

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Sunday, 8 September 2013

Audi endurance experience: The online game




By Tarek Ramchani

Audi France has been organizing the Audi race experience for the previous two years. An all-Audi A1 1.4 TFSI field with 5 meetings annually on the most prestigious French circuits. The cars are really production based and the competition is open for Audi customers.

Now Audi France is launching this experience on the net. A very nice online strategy racing game where you manage your own virtual Audi A1 racer and compete against other players. Please note the game is only available in French.

You can subscribe to the Audi endurance experience online game right here: www.audi2echallenge.fr


Photo credit: Audi France

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Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Audi in F1 - a fan's point of view




By Tarek Ramchani

There are no doubts that Audi is one of the most successful brands in motorsport. The four rings has already won almost everything in rallying, touring cars and sportscar racing. Audi is still winning with all of their factory built race cars: the R18 e-tron quattro, RS 5 DTM and the R8 LMS ultra. Yet many fans still dream about the ultimate move, to see Audi in Formula One.

Way back in the 1930s Audi's predecessor, Auto Union, had competed in Grand Prix racing. The Silver Arrows from Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz dominated that golden era. Legendary cars from Auto Union like the Type C and Type D cars. But what about seeing Audi in what is seen as the pinnacle of motorsport?


Here is my very personal point of view about all of this, so you have to expect subjective thoughts. As said earlier Audi has won almost everything around the world, mainly at Le Mans. Many believe that the time has come for the big move into the F1 circus. The idea is great no doubts. Who would not want to see Audi cars at Monaco, Monza and around the world in F1? A lot of rumors in recent years have been developed and heard regarding this. And on many occasions Audi officials have always denied this, and argued that F1 is not a target for Audi. These rumors and speculations increased with Porsche's announcement that they would return to Le Mans in LMP1 with a full factory effort. But if Audi was ever to enter F1, it would most likely push Audi AG and the Volkswagen Group to end Audi's Le Mans and WEC program. It's very hard, if not impossible to see the brand doing a triple and very expensive set of programs: F1, Le Mans and DTM. The DTM is very important for the German market, thus Le Mans would probably be sacrificed in that case.


To be honest, if I had to choose between Formula One and Le Mans for Audi, my choice will go immediately to Le Mans. I do follow Formula One, the races, the drivers and the teams. Yet there is always something missing in F1 compared to my enthusiasm for Le Mans and sportscar racing in general. Formula One has a bigger audience and is more popular than Le Mans, no doubts about that. However, Le Mans is something unique, all the tension at La Sarthe for a race that only happens once a year. FIA WEC is very important, but Le Mans is Le Mans. All the tension and all of the passion from the fans. A place for top and elite manufacturers to battle in the upper LMP1 and GT division as well. 365 long days of waiting, then you win or you lose at the mother of endurance races. A single outright win gives any victorious brand great satisfaction. Formula One is a succession of Grand Prix races in a 20 race calendar. Excluding Monaco, and maybe Monza with all the passion from the Ferrari tifosi, all the other races are nearly identical and similar.


The format is different as well, here it is not about endurance versus sprint, but a talk about drivers. F1 is a sport about drivers and individuals, no matter that many argue that it is a team sport. People remember the drivers who won Monaco, Monza and the overall World Championship title more than the teams they raced for. Therefore fans do care a lot more about the drivers, than for the teams or the engine suppliers. In contrast Le Mans has always been a battle of the brands and less about the drivers. The Le Mans cars are also always remembered by the fans. Cars like the Audi R8, Porsche 962, Porsche 917, Mazda 787B, Toyota GT-One and many more, will forever be in the hearts of racing fans the world over. Unfortunately that's not the case for F1 single seater cars, and excluding some of the die-hard F1 followers, it is hard to remember the various different F1 cars.


There is also the technology. Let's be honest, F1 cars are so sophisticated now that they are more related to aeronautics than the automotive industry. Sportscars are also sophisticated, but they have always been more closely related to the world of production cars. The engine power at Le Mans is very open, you see cars with hybrid, diesel, petrol and even electrical in the years to come. At Audi the transfer of technology from the Le Mans Prototypes to the Audi road cars is very frequent, if not crucial. Audi Sport itself is part of the Audi Research and Development department. Audi races to win championships, but they also use all of the data and experience learnt from the track, to transfer this into their road cars.

The cars themselves are also different, F1 is increasingly looking like a spec formula now, the cars look very similar to each other. LMP1 cars on the other hand are different in their designs. An Audi R18 e-tron quattro is way different from a Toyota TS030 Hybrid or a Lola B12/60 Coupe. In 2014 all of the LMP1 cars will have to be closed prototypes, but before that specification the brands were fully free to choose between open top spiders and closed cars. Unfortunately you don't have that freedom of choice in Formula One.

For all the reasons given, I fully believe that Audi racing at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship does make a lot more sense than Audi competing in Formula One. To see an Audi LMP1 car taking the overall win at Le Mans is more glorifying than an Audi F1 car, or worse, a F1 car that is only powered by Audi. Anyway, only time will tell about any possible move into F1.

Photo credit: Fourtitude

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Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Video: APR Motorsport ready for Waterfest 2013




By Tarek Ramchani

Waterfest 2013 is fast approaching, taking place this weekend at Raceway Park in the state of New Jersey. A place to be for all Audi and Volkswagen enthusiasts in North America. Our friends from APR are not only the main sponsor of the event, but will also have many Audis on site. A massive presence from the Alabama based company. The Rolex Series Audi R8 GRAND-AM racer will be among the stars. Other Audi street-legal performance cars from APR will also be on site, including the Audi R8, Audi RS 5, Audi S5 and Audi RS 4.

Check out this brilliant video embed below, from the talented in-house APR Films.


Photo credit: APR Motorsport


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Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Video: The Alm brothers, Audi madness from Norway




By Tarek Ramchani

In Norway the Alm brothers are true heroes. Kenneth and Flemming Alm are true die-hard Audi enthusiasts. They race across of Scandinavia with their Audi S4 and Audi S2 cars in drift competitions.

Here are three great videos featuring the Alm Audi cars from the Hesleskaug Video channel on Youtube. No commentary, no music, just the lovely sound of the monstrous Audis.

More information about the Alm Racing team can be found on their official Facebook Page here.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:




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Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Victorious return for the Doug Gore ABT-Audi TT-R in Jamaica




By Johan Laubscher

This weekend marked the return of Doug “Hollywood” Gore in and the ATL Automotive ABT-Audi TT-R in Jamaica. The ex-ABT Sportsline DTM race car arrived in Jamaica during 2011 and competed successfully until an accident at Dover last May. The accident caused a lot of damage to the car’s chassis. The damage put the car out for the rest of the 2012 season as it went back to Germany for repairs. It was uncertain if the car would return to Jamaica, but luckily at the beginning of 2013 it was confirmed that the car would return. It had undergone a thorough ABT rebuild and received new bodywork from the SVC team in the Czech Republic, more can be read HERE and HERE. 

The car was re-launched at an ATL press conference last week, shortly after clearing customs upon its arrival back in Jamaica. The new look and livery were revealed at the press conference, more can be read HERE. Following the launch, the ATL Racing team was hard at work as the first race meeting was only a few days away. Jamwest, a new racing facility in Jamaica, played host to the first motorsport event of the year. Jamaica now has two race tracks, Dover and Jamwest. Shortly after the launch Doug Gore made it clear that the ATL team aims to rule both circuits by reclaiming the lap record at Dover and beating the existing record when they debut at Jamwest. 

The team was out testing at Jamwest before the race weekend, the day after the launch. No official times were shared, but the Audi was reported as being very fast on the new track. The existing lap record was held by Mr Zoom Zoom, Peter Rae, in his Mazda at 1 minute and 10 seconds.

Admittedly, there was a small entry list at Jamwest, but the headliner was that Doug Gore would face off against Peter Rae in his Mazda, one of the top competitors in Jamaica. David Summerbell and his Mitsubishi Evo, the current Dover lap record holder, did not attend this event.

The big news began in qualifying when Doug Gore took pole position by setting a new lap record at 1:08.396. Peter Rae had been experiencing problems during the morning and would start from the back of the grid. The first race began with Gore leading the field off the line, but Rae was the big mover by moving from seventh to second on the first lap. Rae then continued to set a tremendous pace and began reeling in Gore, setting a fastest lap of 1:08.450. This lap time stunned everyone at the track. Gore may still have held the overall record, which he set in qualifying, but Rae had put in a stormer during the race and was knocking on the door of reclaiming it. Doug Gore maintained the lead, despite Rae’s pace, and won the first MP class race of the day. Gore did win the race, but in contrast his fastest lap was 1:09.256, nearly a second slower than Rae, which became the talking point at the circuit.

For race two Gore and Rae were both on the front row, and the scene was set for the race of the day. The two drivers ran in close proximity during the opening laps with Doug maintaining the lead. Both drivers improved their best laptimes during the second race. Rae dropped to a 1:07.723 whereas Gore pulled out a flyer by setting the new lap record at 1:06.946. The pace was clearly very fast at the front but Gore maintained the lead and took his second race win on the day. It was later reported that Rae had developed a puncture during the closing stages of the race.

The day’s proceedings came to a close with a staggered race, where the fastest cars started at the back with time delays based on pace. Only four cars competed the race with Rae suffering a retirement and Doug ultimately finishing third, but he was lapping almost ten seconds a lap faster than the cars in front of him.

It was a successful return for Doug Gore and the ATL Automotive ABT-Audi TT-R. Two race wins and the new lap record meant it was a case of mission accomplished, but the real test will come at the next event. The Jamaican motorsport brigade will next compete at Dover, the annual Carnival of Speed. All the top contenders, including Gore, Summerbell and Rae, will be there, all aiming for the top spot and the lap record. 

More information:
Jamaican Tuner on Facebook
D_MONTii Motography on Facebook
ATL Automotive on Facebook
Doug Gore on Facebook


Photo credit: D_MONTii Motography N More / Jamaican Tuner



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Friday, 1 March 2013

ABT-Audi TT-R has a new face in Jamaica




By Johan Laubscher

The ATL Automotive TT-R was re-launched in Jamaica yesterday. The team held a press conference at ATL where they revealed the car’s new look and the new livery. During the early 2000s the ABT-Audi TT-R race cars were a formidable force in the German DTM championship. The cars were finally replaced at the end of 2003 when the Audi A4 DTM R11 was introduced, however one TT-R made one final DTM start at the 2004 Shanghai DTM event. Along with the TT-R’s DTM career the cars also competed at the 2003 and 2004 Nürburgring 24 Hours, these cars being built to a more robust endurance specification. 

ATL team launch 2011
After the cars were officially retired a number of the TT-Rs were sold to private teams, all in the endurance specification. They have been seen racing all over the world from Brazil to Europe and even Hillclimb racing. During 2011 one of these ABT-Audi TT-R cars was sold to the ATL Automotive group in Jamaica. They acquired the car to compete in both Jamaica and the Caribbean. Doug Gore was, and still is the driver for the ATL TT-R. The team achieved much success during 2011 and were allowed special dispensation to run in the 2012 Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC). The car was not allowed to compete in the CMRC during 2011 due to being lighter than the minimum weight of the championship. 

The scene was set for a tremendous 2012 season with Doug Gore and the Audi competing in the CMRC. However tragedy struck at the first corner of the very first race. Doug was involved in an accident which sent the car hurtling off the track, causing damage to the chassis. The damage resulted in the car being out for the season as it headed back to Germany to be repaired at the ABT Sportsline workshops.

2012 SVC ABT-Audi TT-R 
At the beginning of 2013 it was confirmed that the car would be back and that the repairs had been finished. Read more about that HERE. Many photos of the repair appeared online which revealed new bodywork for the TT-R. The new bodywork resembles the appearance of a Mk2 Audi TT. The new design was developed by the SVC Vitver Racing team from the Czech republic. During 2012 the Czech team developed the new bodywork and competed in the FIA Hillclimb Cup with their TT-R driven by Vitver Vláďa, more can be read HERE. The ATL team purchased the new front end and rear wing from SVC and had them fitted by ABT in Germany.

As was the case with ATL the SVC also experience a large crash during 2012. The crash occurred whilst the team was testing for the final 2012 Hillclimb event, and also caused a lot of damage to their car, more can be read HERE. However the SVC team have worked very hard and the car will be ready for the 2013 Hillclimb season.

The ATL Automotive car was revealed yesterday ahead of its first 2013 race meeting this weekend. The team will be competing at the Jamwest Speedway Circuit Attack. We have included more photos from the launch below, showing the new car’s new look. It is great news to hear that both the ATL and SVC TT-Rs will be back in 2013 following their accidents in 2012.

More information:
ATL Automotive on Facebook
SVC Vitver Racing on Facebook


Photo credit: ATL Automotive and race-action.com


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Thursday, 28 February 2013

Doug Gore Audi TT-R back in Jamaica and ready for Jamwest




By Johan Laubscher 

 

The ABT-Audi TT-R of Doug Gore is back in Jamaica. The ATL Automotive sponsored machine has undergone a thorough rebuild at the ABT Sportsline workshops in Germany. The rebuild was necessitated after a crash at the Dover Circuit in Jamaica last year. The crash occurred during the first Carribean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) round of 2012. The car suffered a lot of damage, especially to the chassis. The damage meant that the car was out for the rest of the 2012 season as it needed to go home to Germany for repairs. More can be read about the repair HERE.

The absence of Doug Gore and the Audi was a disappointment for the 2012 season, as the ever present clash of the titans between Doug Gore and David Summerbell could not take place. The Carribean fans are delighted to know that Doug and the Audi are back in 2013. The car arrived in Jamaica this week and will soon be on display. The car will be on show on Thursday 28 February ahead of its first 2013 race meeting. The 2013 Circuit Attack at Jamwest Speedway is taking place this weekend, and the ATL Automotive TT-R will be there.

The car will be featuring new bodywork, similar to that used by SVC Vitver Racing from the Czech Republic, which resembles the appearance of a Mk2 Audi TT. More can be read about the SVC TT-R HERE:

 

The scene is set for the highly anticipated return of Doug Gore and the Audi. We wish the best of luck to Doug Gore and the ATL Automotive team for the Jamwest race meeting.

 

 

   
Thanks to Mr Rory Daley for the photos from Jamaica.


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Monday, 25 February 2013

Gallery: Audi cars at Race Retro 2013




By Tarek Ramchani

Coventry in Britain hosted the 2013 International Historic Motorsport Show, or simply "Race Retro," this weekend.

Very iconic and legendary race cars were on display at Stoneleigh Park, from single seater Grand Prix cars, to sportcars, rally and touring cars. Among the stars there were some Audi quattro racers. Our friend Phil Laughton was on site and took some beautiful photos. You can see his full photo gallery from the event right here.

More information:
Race Retro official website
Phil Laughton Photography official Facebook













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Friday, 22 February 2013

Red Camel Audi R8 at Hungary 12 Hour




By Tarek Ramchani

 After two great endurance events, the Dubai 24 Hour and the Bathurst 12 Hour races, the next 24H Series event is the Hungary 12 Hour race in Budapest. 

A single Audi car is so far listed on the provisional entry list. An Audi R8 from the Dutch team, Red Camel-Jordans.nl. The car is not a factory built Audi R8 LMS from quattro GmbH. This R8 racer from Holland was privately built by Creventic, and named the CR-8. Two of these cars have been built and competeting since 2008. The car will be in the SP2 class. The driver line-up will be announced later.



An Audi won the event overall back in 2010. The victory came with an Audi R8 LMS from the Austrian based team, Lechner Racing. The 2013 Hungary 12 Hour race is set for April 6th. We wish the best of luck to Red Camel Racing and their R8 effort.

Photo credit and more information:
24H Series official website



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Friday, 15 February 2013

Awesome A1 quattro video starring DTM Champion Timo Scheider




By Johan Laubscher

The new Audi Gebrauchtwagen Zentrum Müchen will be the largest Audi used-car dealership in Germany, set to open during the summer of 2013. This week Timo Scheider, Audi factory race driver and two-time DTM Champion, starred in a new promotional video.

The video was released on Facebook and also promoted by the Official Audi Sport Facebook page. It features Timo, armed with a limited edition Audi A1 quattro, blasting through the dealership construction site. Beautiful visuals coupled with an exciting soundtrack makes for a must watch video.

More information: 
Audi Gebrauchtwagen :plus Zentrum München Facebook page
Original video post on Facebook


Photos by Audi Media


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Thursday, 14 February 2013

First win for the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra…in slotcars




By Johan Laubscher

The new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra has already taken its first victory, but not quite where you would expect. The 2013 Shell Carrera Cup, a slot car series, got underway with the Shell 20 Minutes in Hamburg, Germany. Slotcar racing is a very popular activity amongst the Audi Sport personnel, who often take part in these events.

Their weapon of choice is normally the 1:24 scale Audi R8 LMS slot car. These R8 LMS slot cars have been upgraded with the new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra style rear exhausts and rear wings, featuring the swan-neck design. Thus for all intents and purposes, these 1:24 slotcars are representing the appearance of the new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

It was a victorious debut for the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra as well, with the victory coming down to the very last minute of the event. The driver pairing of Mr Thomas Voigt and Mr Helmut Schmid emerged victorious with their new R8 LMS ultra in the recognisable green and yellow livery. This certainly marks, unofficially in a fun way at least, the first victory for the new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra design. Furthermore the victory comes only a day after the first 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra was spotted in public, you can read about that HERE.

We hope that this victorious start to the new R8 LMS ultra will continue when the new cars debut in reality later this season.

More photos from the event can be seen on Speedpool’s flickr page via the link HERE.

More information:
SpeedPool flickr page
RCCO Series Facebook page
Event results


Photos linked from SpeedPool on flickr



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