Rolex Series: Audi teams 2013 season review

By Tarek Ramchani and Johan Laubscher

The Audi brand had a very mixed season in the demanding Rolex Series GT class this year. The American "R16" won the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona with a terrific 1-2 result.

Five teams represented the Four Rings in the 2013 Grand-Am season, but none of them competed at all of the rounds as full season entrants. Alex Job Racing and Rum Bum Racing only took part in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. APR Motorsport had two cars at Daytona and then a single car at Austin, before they withdrew from the series. Fall-Line Motorsports debuted their Audi at Watkins Glen and they entered all of the remaining races and performed very well. Audi also entered two rounds with a factory effort from quattro GmbH/Audi Sport customer racing, competing in the two endurance events at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis.

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: Rolex 24 at Daytona

The 2013 Grand-Am season got under way this weekend with the Daytona 24 Hours. Four Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were entered by three teams, APR Motorsport, Alex Job Racing and Rum Bum Racing. The teams showed good pace at the Daytona tests days and continued that form during the practice and qualifying sessions. The top Audi qualifier was the #24 AJR entry which originally qualified in sixth and was then upped to fifth place after another competitor was disqualified. The teams were ready for the race which started at 15:30 local time. The race got under way with the Audi teams maintaining their front running pace. All three teams ran at the front end during the afternoon and during the night. Audi held a 1-2-3 during the early evening until various problems, including penalties, dropped them back slightly, but all three remained in the top ten. As the race pasted half way the AJR Audi remained the highest placed Audi followed by the Rum Bum entry. The #52 APR suffered a crippling time penalty during the night. As the sun rose over Daytona both the AJR and Rum Bum cars were penalized and they dropped back. The #52 completed a tremendous comeback and was running in the leading group as the race headed into the afternoon followed by both the AJR and Rum Bum cars who were also completing great recovery drives. The race developed into a huge fight in the last thirty minutes as multiple cars stood a chance of winning. AJR managed to hold the lead after a splash and dash and lead a Audi 1-2-3 on the final lap. Tragedy struck as the Rum Bum car ran out of fuel on the last lap leaving the other two Audis to complete an Audi 1-2 with the #24 AJR winning ahead of the #52 APR. More details regarding the race can be read HERE.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (26-27/01/2013)

Round 2: Circuit of the Americas

Following the Daytona 24 Hours the second Grand Am round was held at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Four Audis took part at Daytona, however only one Audi was entered for round two. APR entered the black #52 Audi R8 GRAND-AM which was driven by Ian Baas and Matt Bell. They qualified seventh. During the race the team ran very well. Within the last half an hour they were battling in the top five until an incident with a Ferrari put the APR Audi out of the race.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (2-3/03/2013)

Rounds 3-6: 

APR Motorsport withdrew their Audi R8 GRAND-AM entry after round two at COTA. There were no Audi entries at Barber Motorsports Park, Road Atlanta, Belle Isle Park and Mid-Ohio, rounds 3-6 of the series. However, this was not the end of the Audi R8 GRAND-AM in the 2013 Rolex Series, as Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars returned to the grid for the Six Hours of Watkins Glen, round seven of the season.

Round 7: Six Hours of the Glen

The Six Hours of the Glen was held this weekend. This event was round seven of the Rolex Grand-Am Series, but it was also round two of the North American Endurance Championship. The latter series consists of the endurance Grand-Am events, namely: the Daytona 24 Hours, the Six Hours of the Glen and the three hour race at Indianapolis. For the first time since round two of the Grand-Am series Audi cars again took part. Two cars were entered this weekend. Fall-Line Motorsports debuted their R8 GRAND-AM in the series for the first time, whilst the second car was entered by Audi Sport customer racing. The #24 Audi Sport entry will be entered for the remaining two endurance events. Their drivers: Felipe Albuquerque, Eduardo Mortara and Dion von Moltke, are leading the standings following their victory at the Daytona 24 Hours. The two Audis showed well during the weekend with the #24 car qualifying in fourth and the Fall-Line entry in twelfth. It was an up and down race for the two Audis. The Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM lead the race for five laps during the pit stop sequences, but they eventually dropped back and finished fourteenth. The #24 Audi Sport customer racing entry also fell back during the event and ultimately finished within the top ten, placing in ninth.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (29-30/06/2013)

Round 8: Indianapolis

The Grand-Am Rolex Series headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, for the Brickyard Grand Prix. This event was the eighth round of the Rolex Series, and more importantly, it was the third and final round of the North American Endurance Championship. Two Audi R8 GRAND-AM cars were entered, the factory #24 Audi and the Fall-Line Motorsports car. The factory Audi squad showed excellent pace all weekend, and qualified in third for the three hour event, followed by the Fall-Line Motorsports entry in ninth. Filipe Albuquerque took the green flag in the #24 Audi R8 GRAND-AM and remained within the front battle for the first hour. He was running as high as second for the majority of his stint and things were looking good. Unfortunately tragedy struck within the second hour. The #94 BMW M3 lost control in the in-field section and collected Albuquerque from behind. The resulting damage ended the #24 Audi’s race and their bid for the NAEC title. Further back the Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM soldiered on well and came home for a top ten result, finishing ninth within the GT class.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (27-28/07/2013)

Round 9: Road America

Road America hosted round nine of the Grand-Am Rolex Series this weekend. Fall-Line Motorsports was the only Audi entry at the event, with their #46 Audi R8 GRAND-Am driven by Charles Espenlaub and Charles Putman. The team took part in the opening three practice sessions, but ultimately they made the decision to withdraw the Audi from the Road America weekend. The reason behind the decision was that the team has not had sufficient time to test and develop their new Audi R8 GRAND-AM. They have completed two races with the Audi, but hardly any testing. They will now focus on testing with the Audi and getting up to speed to challenge effectively in the Grand-Am Rolex Series. The team’s official press release regarding the withdrawal can be seen HERE.

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

Round 10: Kansas Speedway

Fall-Line Motorsports was back in the Grand-Am this weekend, taking part in round ten at Kansas Speedway. A week ago they withdrew their Audi entry at Road America due to lack of testing time since acquiring the car, but they were back this week, and with two new drivers in the Audi: Mark Boden and Bryan Sellers. They qualified tenth for the two hour forty-five minute race and finished fifth within the GT class.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (17-18/08/2013)

Round 11: Laguna Seca

The eleventh and penultimate Grand-Am race weekend headed to Laguna Seca. The Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM was entered, driven by Al Carter and Bryan Sellers. The team was also allowed to use the original 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra rear diffuser, after it was cleared by the series organisers, but the car had to be fitted with penalty weight due to the change. They qualified sixth and finished the race in ninth place within the GT class.

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

Round 12: Lime Rock

Lime Rock Park played host to the twelfth and final round of the Rolex Grand-Am Series. Fall-Line Motorsports was again the lone Audi entrant with their #46 Audi R8 GRAND-AM, driven by Al Carter and Eric Lux this weekend. They qualified in twelfth and finished the 2 hour forty-five minute race in twelfth place as well.

Taken from Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (28-29/09/2013)

Special thanks to our friend Dion von Moltke. The South African rising sportscar star raced twice with Audi in the Rolex Series this year. The Daytona 24 Hours GT victory was certainly a tremendous highlight. You can read our interview with Dion von Moltke right HERE.

More about Dion von Moltke at his official website www.dionvm.com, his Facebook page www.facebook.com/Dionvm and Twitter www.twitter.com/Dionvmracing.

Photo credit:
Grand-Am
APR Motorsport
Audi Media
Fall-Line Motorsports / Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography

Rolex Series: Unfortunate end for the Audi R8 GRAND-AM in the NAEC

By Johan Laubscher

The Grand-Am Rolex Series headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, for the Brickyard Grand Prix. This event was the eighth round of the Rolex Series, and more importantly, it was the third and final round of the North American Endurance Championship. Two Audi R8 GRAND-AM teams were again entered in the GT class for this event.

The North American Endurance Championship consists of the three endurance races within the Rolex Series, namely: The Daytona 24 Hours, 6 Hours of the Glen, and the Brickyard Grand Prix (3 Hours). The Alex Job Racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM won the Daytona 24 Hours in January, driven by Filipe Albuquerque, Oliver Jarvis, Edoardo Mortara and Dion von Moltke. This resulted in Audi drivers leading the NAEC standings. Thus a factory Audi R8 GRAND-AM was entered for the six hour event at Watkins Glen, entered under the name of Audi Sport customer racing, run by quattro GmbH and Kettler Motor Werks. The #24 factory Audi was driven by Filipe Albuquerque, Edoardo Mortara and Dion von Moltke, whilst Oliver Jarvis was taking part in the Blancpain Endurance Series that weekend. Watkins Glen also saw the debut of another new Audi team in the Rolex Series, Fall-Line Motorsports, who are entering a single Audi R8 GRAND-AM.

It was a difficult event at Watkins Glen, but even so, the #24 Audi Sport customer racing squad arrived at Indianapolis with a chance at clinching the NAEC title. The factory Audi would only be driven by two drivers this weekend, due to the shorter race duration. These two drivers were Audi Sport Team Rosberg's Filipe Albuquerque and Edoardo Mortara, but Dion von Moltke was on site supporting the team as well. The Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM was driven by Al Carter and Brett Sandberg.

The factory Audi squad showed excellent pace all weekend, and qualified in third for the three hour event, followed by the Fall-Line Motorsports entry in ninth. Filipe Albuquerque took the green flag in the #24 Audi R8 GRAND-AM and remained within the front battle for the first hour. He was running as high as second for the majority of his stint and things were looking good. 

Unfortunately tragedy struck within the second hour. The #94 BMW M3 lost control in the in-field section and collected Albuquerque from behind. The resulting damage ended the #24 Audi’s race and their bid for the NAEC title. The incident can be seen at 2:57 minutes in the highlights video embedded below.

Further back the Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 GRAND-AM soldiered on well and came home for a top ten result, finishing ninth within the GT class. The race was eventually won by the #61 Ferrari 458.

The Brickyard Grand Prix results can be seen HERE.

This event concluded the three-round North American Endurance Championship, but the Grand-Am Rolex Series will now head to Road America for round nine in August. 

Photo credit:
Audi of America

Screenshots from Grand-Am on YouTube

Rolex Series: Two Audi R8 GRAND-AM for Indianapolis

By Tarek Ramchani

The world famous Indianapolis Motors Speedway will host the eighth round of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series next week.The Indianapolis meeting, known as the Brickyard Grand Prix, will be a three-hour race supporting the NASCAR Sprint Cup and held on the road course.

The event itself is part of the special North American Endurance Championship. It will be the third and final race of this championship within the main Rolex Series. Audi will be represented by two R8 GRAND-AM cars from two different teams.

The #24 car is a full factory effort under the name of Audi Sport customer racing. The car will be shared by two Audi works drivers, Edoardo Mortata and Filipe Albuquerque, both of them racing in the DTM with Audi Sport Team Rosberg. The car will be directly supervised by quattro GmbH and Kettler Motor Werks. Audi Sport customer racing is currently third in the team's standings of the NAEC with 22 points. Both Edoardo Mortata and Filipe Albuquerque are fourth overall in the driver's standings with 22 points. At Indy Audi will fight hard to achieve a GT class victory after the main Daytona 24 Hours earlier this year, as well as trying to win the North American Endurance Championship.

The second Audi R8 GRAND-AM entry is a privateer effort from Fall-Line Motorsports. The customer team debuted with the car at Watkins Glen, with some positive performances, including leading the race. At Indianapolis their #46 Audi will be shared by drivers Al Carter, Charles Espenlaub and Brett Sandberg. At the Glen the three drivers finished twenty-seventh overall and fourteenth within the GT class. At Indy the Fall Line Motorsports team will try to learn more with the car and improve further.

Photo credit: Audi of America

Rolex Series: Fall-Line Motorsport Steps Up To GT With Audi-Customer Racing

Fall-Line Motorsport Press Release

Buffalo Grove (June 20, 2013)- Audi customer-racing is returning to the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series with Fall-Line Motorsports for the remainder of the 2013 season starting with the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International on June 28-30.

The six hour endurance race at the historic Watkins Glen track marks the return of the Audi R8 GRAND-AM to the series after its GT Class Rolex 24 win at Daytona during the first round of the 2013 championship.

"Audi's many global motorsports programs act as a showcase for our, 'truth in engineering' campaign," stated Brad Kettler, Audi Sport USA director of operations and engineering. "It is therefore imperative Audi aligns itself with apex performing teams to execute its racing programs. Fall-Line is such a high-performing professional race team and Audi is excited to launch what will hopefully be a successful and long-term partnership."

Audi is in their second season as an official automotive partner of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series adding its R8 GRAND-AM GT race car to its long-line of successful prototype sports cars dominating Le Mans and American Le Mans racing in recent years.

"This year alone Fall-Line has earned podium finishes in both SCCA and the Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge Series events so expanding up the ladder and adding Rolex GT to our schedule is a natural progression," said Fall-Line Motorsports team principal Mark Boden. "Audi's sports car legacy and its knowledgeable and experienced support staff are an obvious choice for us to help further evolve our team and we're proud to represent the 'four rings' synonymous with sports car victory!"

Piloting the car at Watkins Glen will be current Fall-Line drivers Al Carter, Charles Espenlaub, and Charlie Putman, all whom drive currently in the Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge Series for the team. The successful Fall-Line trio has worked together for several years and has won many races including Fall-Line's team and drivers' 2010 Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge Series championship with Espenlaub and Putman. The #46 will be carrying sponsorship from the beloved charity that Al Carter and all of Fall-Line have supported over the years with B+ Racing featured prominently on the car. Additional partners will be announced in the coming weeks.

Fall-Line will be competing with the Audi R8 in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series for the remainder of the 2013 season with a varied driver lineup throughout the year. Looking ahead Fall-Line is excited for 2014 and the inception of the newly formed United Sports Car Racing series. The class structure is still shaking out, and the classification for the Audi R8 has yet to be determined but a Fall-Line Audi R8 will be there.

Photo credit: Fall-Line Motorsport

Rast Narrowly Misses top-10 for APR Motorsport in Stacked GT Qualifying

APR Motorsport Press Release

Team will run Live Blog throughout Rolex 24 at Daytona

January 25, 2012 (Daytona Beach, Fla.) – A strong qualifying session highlighted a busy day for the APR Motorsport team at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.
In the stacked thirty-four car GT field Rene Rast drove to 11th place in the day’s qualifying session in the no. 52 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am. Such was the depth of the GT field at the Rolex 24 at Daytona that Rast’s time was less than a second behind the pole sitting car. Rast, a defending GT-class winner at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, will partner with Ian Baas, Marc Basseng, and Frank Stippler in the no. 52 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am.

“I am pretty satisfied with the car and with qualifying the APR Audi R8 in 11th position,” said Rast. “It isn’t as fast in qualifying as we would like, but. I think we have a good car for the race. On Saturday, we will see.”

In the sister no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am, Matt Bell qualified in 27th position as he and the team continued to work on the setup of the Audi. Bell will be partnered with David Empringham, Alex Figge, John Farano and Dave Lacey for the twenty-four hour contest.

“We went in a certain direction for qualifying and it didn’t work out for us,” said Bell. “The car was really good, except for in a couple of spots on the track. As strong as this field is, you can’t really have a weakness anywhere and hope to be competitive. But now we know which direction to go and we have plenty of practice to get it right before Saturday.”

To give fans behind-the-scenes access throughout the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the team will run a Live Blog throughout the race. Stephen Hooks, team owner of APR Motorsport, will be online throughout the race from APR’s pits on the front straightaway of Daytona International Speedway to answer questions from Audi fans around the world. APR’s Live Blog will be available at SPEED2.com, starting at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, January 26.

About APR Motorsport
APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance campus in Opelika, Ala. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence and Innovation. APR’s sole mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly-engineered aftermarket performance parts available for Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda vehicles. Learn more at facebook.com/APRMotorsport, and on twitter (@GoAPR).

Photo credit: APR Motorsport

APR Motorsport Sets Driver Lineup for Rolex 24 at Daytona

APR Motorsport Press Release

Matt Bell, John Farano, Alex Figge and Dave Lacey will team up in no. 51 APR Audi R8; Ian Baas will join no. 52 APR Audi R8

January 2, 2013 (Opelika, Ala.) – Not only is APR Motorsport unveiling a new-look testing livery for this weekend’s Roar Before the 24, but the team is proud to announce its driver lineup for the 51st Rolex 24 at Daytona. Americans Matt Bell and Alex Figge will join Canadians John Farano and Dave Lacey in the no. 51 APR Audi R8.



Additionally, APR Motorsport driver Ian Baas will compete in the Rolex 24 in the no. 52 APR Audi R8, joining Marc Basseng, Frank Stippler, and Rene Rast.

Competing in his fourth Rolex 24 at Daytona, Matt Bell, from Los Altos, California, will join APR Motorsport for the first time. A veteran in Daytona Prototypes and GT cars, Bell has also scored several wins in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to race with APR, after racing against them for so many seasons,” said Bell. “My first year in GRAND-AM was also their first year, so since day one they’ve been sort of the enemy. But they wouldn’t be if they weren’t doing things right so you respect them for what they’ve been able to do. I also work for the Audi Sportscar Center at Sonoma Raceway so the combination is pretty cool – and I probably have more miles in an Audi R8 than anyone else on the team, though not in an R8 race car! We have a strong driver lineup – I have competed against Dave this season and I truly trust driving alongside him – and I’m excited to see how our test goes this weekend.”

John Farano, from Toronto, Ontario, is the reigning Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS-class champion and Rookie of the Year and will be taking part in his third Rolex 24 at Daytona. Farano’s racing history includes the Grand-Am Ferrari Challenge series, Rolex Daytona Prototypes and GT class, as well as the Canadian Tire NASCAR Series. Farano will be busy during the Rolex 24 weekend, as he will also drive in the Ferrari Challenge races as well as the CTSCC season opener with co-driver David Empringham.

“I am very excited to be driving with APR alongside Alex, Dave, and Matt,” said Farano. “I can’t wait to be on track amongst this strong driver lineup and the rest of the APR team. It is my hope that this will be the beginning of a solid relationship between Tower Events and Grandstand Seating and APR Motorsport that will allow this association to continue to race together for years to come.”

Currently competing in the World Challenge GT class, Alex Figge, from Denver, Colorado, is a veteran of GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, American Le Mans, and ChampCar competition. He has scored numerous podiums and wins in his sports car career, and looks to pick up where he left off after competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2008.

“I am extremely excited to be back at the Rolex 24,” said Figge. “I last did the race in 2008 and I’ve been dying to do it again. Obviously in a 24 hour race you’ve got to have reliability and spot-on teamwork. Knowing that, I couldn’t be more positive about being with APR and Audi. I know from reputation and seeing with my own eyes that APR is a first class organization and I can’t wait to get started with them. The test can’t come soon enough.”

Lacey, from Toronto, Ontario, brings 20 seasons of GT-class racing to APR Motorsport. Twice a podium finisher at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Lacey is also an Audi enthusiast – owning both an S5 as well as an R8 V10 – and is understandably excited about the APR relationship.

“I’ve known John Farano as a fellow Canadian and a competitor for a number of years, so I’m thrilled to join APR, Matt, Alex and John in what I think will be a very strong entry for the Rolex 24 at Daytona,” said Lacey. “Clearly APR has learned a great deal about the R8LMS platform over the last season and I believe that the car will be very competitive not only for the 24 Hours, but for the entire season.”

The four drivers will join APR for the first time in this weekend’s Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

As the fourth member of the no. 52 APR Audi R8, Baas, from Indianapolis, Indiana, is thrilled to rejoin APR for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. A former GT-class winner at the race, Baas also drove the no. 51 Audi R8 at both the Rolex 24 and Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen last season.

“Being asked to be a part of the Rolex program is an honor and I’m really excited to drive with Marc, Frank, and Rene,” said Baas. “APR has learned so much in the past year about the R8 and I’m really excited to put all of that experience to use at this year’s Rolex 24. After last year’s two races in the car, I have some unfinished business.”

The Roar Before the 24 begins this Friday, with practice sessions scheduled throughout Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

About APR Motorsport
APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance campus in Opelika, Ala. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence and Innovation. APR’s sole mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly-engineered aftermarket performance parts available for Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda vehicles. Learn more at www.goapr.com, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/APRMotorsport, and on twitter (@GoAPR).

Super Weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be Super Busy for APR Motorsport

APR Motorsport Press Release

July 25, 2012 (Opelika, Ala.) – It will be a quick, one-day, in-and-out event for APR Motorsport as the team travels to Indianapolis, Indiana for the historic first sports car race in the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.



Part of the Super Weekend, this Friday will see Grand-Am’s Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge take part in a one-day event at the world famous Brickyard. With a total of six cars competing, it will be a very busy day for the team.

Fielding two cars for the first time in the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen, the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am will be back at the hands of regular drivers Dr. Jim Norman and Dion von Moltke, who took part in a recent tire test at the Speedway. After a practice accident at Watkins Glen left the car starting last on the field, it advanced as high as tenth before losing several laps with a mechanical issue. After a frustrating result, the team is anxious to get back on track at the Brickyard.

“Finally, the Indianapolis race day is almost here!” said von Moltke. “The track has two different surfaces – going from high grip on the oval to low-grip in the infield. This presents a really tough challenge for the drivers and engineers to find the right compromise on a setup to get the best overall car throughout the lap. The guys at APR Motorsport have tried to learn as much as possible throughout the last few weeks and we hope to show up with the right compromise. It is even more vital than ever to have a good setup right away as we will only have one one-hour session to really learn the track!”

“After having only two ST cars at Watkins Glen, it’s nice to get all four cars back on track for Indy,” said Hurley, the lead driver for APR’s CTSCC ST program. “All of the drivers have been progressing very well and we all had a big boost after David and Aleks got their win at Road America. Watkins Glen was a challenge for all of us, but we are hoping for good things at Indy.”

While the team has been busy preparing for the Super Weekend, they’ve had other events to keep busy with. This past weekend, APR Motorsport attended Waterfest, the largest VW/Audi car show and Motorsport event in North America, at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.

Over 20,0000 attendees had the opportunity to see the no. 51 and no. 52 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am, the no. 41 APR Audi S4, and the team’s ST-class Volkswagen GTI’s and Jetta GLI’s, on display. Owners were also able to purchase track-tested performance parts for Audi’s and VW’s and have them installed, including computer reflashes, exhaust systems, and other hardware.

“Waterfest is a great opportunity to showcase the proof of performance of our products,” said Stephen Hooks, owner of APR. “We also have the opportunity to let our customers get an up-close look at our Rolex Series and Continental Series cars, and not only expose them to Grand-Am racing, but show them how we test and derive the products we sell for their street cars. All the race cars, especially the R8's, were a hit with the crowd.”

The Brickyard Grand Prix, the ninth round of the 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series, will go green at 4:00 PM ET and will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel. The Brickyard Sports Car Challenge, the eighth round of the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, will go green at 1:00 PM and will be shown live on SPEED2.com. The race will also be shown on Sunday, August 5 at 12:00 PM ET.

APR Motorsport’s Audi R8 Grand-Am Just Misses First Top-10

APR Motorsport Press Release

April 2, 2012 (Birmingham, Ala.) – With Dr. Jim Norman and Dion von Moltke at the helm of the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am, APR Motorsport – from nearby Opelika, Ala. – put on a strong show in front of its home crowd at Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday afternoon and narrowly missed the team’s first top-ten in Rolex Series GT action. At the end of the two hour and forty-five minute race, von Moltke took the checkered flag in 11th place.

When von Moltke’s qualifying run to seventh was disallowed because of a ride-height infringement – a bolt on the Audi R8 Grand-Am’s front splitter was too low – the team started from the back of the GT field with Norman at the wheel. From shotgun on the field, Norman made up six positions before turning the car over to von Moltke. The team went on an alternate strategy to the leaders, pitting for splashes of fuel during the early caution periods of the race. By extending the pit stop window, the team would be in great shape for the end of the race.

In the middle part of the race, von Moltke was able to stay on track longer than the bulk of the GT field, getting the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am as high as second during pitstops. After the APR Motorsport team executed a perfect pitstop with under 45 minutes remaining, von Moltke was back in the hunt and thrust into a battle with the Marsh Racing Corvette of Eric Curran. However, a full course caution period with under ten minutes remaining negated von Moltke’s fuel advantage. A frantic restart with only minutes remaining saw von Moltke get past Curran for good when the Corvette slipped off course, putting him in eleventh at the finish.

“It’s clear to see the progression of the Audi R8 from Daytona to now,” said von Moltke. “On new tires and over a single lap, we are just as fast as any other car out there. But Barber is so hard on tires, and you lose so much grip when they fall off, that you really need to be patient. It’s the same for everyone. Our car was great over a stint at Daytona, but we have definitely found more speed. We enjoyed a bit of a home town advantage here and had a great time with all of our supporters who came to cheer for us, and thanks to Parathyroid.com, PR Newswire, and South Africa Airways for their support.”

The abrasive surface of the Barber circuit also posed a challenge for Norman, who drove a strong opening stint in the no. 51 APR Audi R8.

“We had a solid weekend, and we learned a lot about our Audi,” said Norman. “The car is great on new tires, but Barber is extremely tough on tires and you must be extremely patient to save them – especially the rears. After twenty laps they fall way off. But thanks to the team, the car was great and we showed we can be competitive.”

Team owner Stephen Hooks was thrilled to see the Audi perform well in front of the hometown crowd.

“To have a strong result here at our home track, with Dr. Jim and Dion battling all day long, putting on a show in front of all of our friends, family, and staff is a great feeling,” said Hooks. “Everyone has worked very hard since Daytona and it is great to have progress and get a good result. We will take what we learned here and build some momentum for Homestead. We aren’t where we want to be yet, but we are getting there.”

The next round of the Rolex Sports Car Series is the Grand Prix of Miami, on April 27-29, at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., which will be shown live on SPEED Channel on Sunday, April 29 at 1:00 PM ET.

More Informations:

APR Motorsport official website

APR Motorsport official Facebook

APR Tuned official website

Photo Credits: APR Motorsport

Oryx Racing unlucky Rolex Series round 2 at Alabama with the Audi R8 GRAND-AM

Oryx Racing Press Release

Oryx Racing recorded an unrepresentative 15th placing in the “Porsche 250” at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. A handling imbalance frustratingly restricted the pace of the Oryx Racing #74 Audi R8 GRAND-AM throughout the 165-minute race, neither Humaid Al Masaood or Steven Kane confident of pushing hard in the mid-engined sportscar.

Al Masaood, having posted the 12th best GT class time in the 28-car field comprising of 19 GT cars during the black flag interrupted 15-minute qualifying session on Saturday morning, began the race around the picturesque, undulating 2.3-mile, 17-corner track with high hopes. But while Al Masaood was content and happy with the Audi’s handling in qualifying, Humaid’s feelings were the exact opposite for his 54mins stint from the green flag – lack of rear end grip heavily restricting the UAE driver’s pace.

Kane took over from Al Masaood during the race’s second full course yellow and was posting times comparable with the top-six in class before the outright race leading Daytona Prototype class car of Memo Rojas forced Kane wide and off the track. The Ulsterman rejoined without hitting anything but the Audi now had steering damage – Rojas subsequently penalized for avoidable contact for the manouvre.

“It was very hot today and we struggled but we finished the race so the reliability is there.” Commented Steven Kane “There were brief phases when the Audi allowed me to set good, fast lap times before the handling deteriorated rapidly again. Overtaking was difficult with no long straights and no big braking zones. Like Daytona, Birmingham was again completely new to us and the complete opposite of the Florida track with Barber having an undulating nature. The team worked hard on achieving a good balance with the R8 and they did a great job for qualifying. But for whatever reason, the car’s handling was not right in the race – from the start to the finish. Oryx Racing is a great team and everyone is working exceptionally hard on what is a very new GT programme for us, and for that matter, Audi, in GRAND-AM. We knew it would be a steep learning curve but with every lap and mile we clock up, our databank of knowledge increases. It’s a challenge but one that we look forward in cracking as the season progresses.”

Humaid al Masaood, who had qualified the car, noted “The set-up wasn’t ideal for qualifying but overall I was happy. I only managed seven laps and data showed I was up by at least two-tenth’s of a second on my fastest lap but I spun after pushing too hard on my final lap. It actually marked the first time I’ve ever qualified myself for a race in the US since racing here for almost a year. I was very optimistic for a good race but immediately from the green flag the handling was poor with just no rear grip. I was not prepared to be aggressive due to the unpredictable handling – I’m bitterly disappointed. But it’s a case of each race we are learning about the R8 GRAND-AM and improving. The entire team is working very hard which makes it doubly frustrating and depressing but we’ll go away and come back stronger at Homestead.”

Follow Oryx Racing's USA adventure at the next race in the 13-round schedule is at the Homestead Miami Speedway on April 29 – a 2.3-mile combined speedway and road course.

Oryx Racing Audi R8 GRAND-AM: Progress to Barber

Oryx Racing Press Release

Oryx Racing is gearing up for the second race of the 2012 Grand-AM Rolex Sports Car Series this weekend at the Barber Motorsports Park circuit in Birmingham, Alabama.

The team with just one race behind them in the all new, Audi R8 Grand-AM, will come up against some of America’s most renowned and competitive sports car teams. Commenting on the upcoming race, Al Masaood said, “The first race at Daytona was all about gathering as much performance data as possible which gave us a good knowledge base to develop the car throughout the season.  We hope to be more competitive at Barber, but as always our goal is always to run without mistakes at a consistent pace and work with the Audi engineers to further develop the car.”

The 2.4 mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit is considered, one of North America’s finest road courses.  “I’ve never raced at the Barber Motorsports Park.” said Al Masaood. “I have friends who live in the lovely state of Alabama and I know how much they love their racing, it should be a thrill to race the challenging circuit in front of an enthusiastic and well informed crowd”

"I can't wait to get back in the car" Steven Kane commented, "we learned a lot about the car at Daytona and had stong lap times but we were hampered by the clutch problems.  I am confident we can run near the pace of the quickest GT cars at Barber and I am looking forward to mixing it with the front running teams."  

Oryx Racing fans can now follow the team direct from the pit box via the twitter feed below or by following the team @OryxRacing

More Information:

Oryx Racing official website

Oryx Racing official Facebook

APR Motorsport's Audi S4 Challenging Daytona

By Tarek Ramchani :

The new Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season kicks off this weekend at Daytona. APR Motorsport is entering no less than 5 cars. The Audi S4 in the upper GS (Grand Sport) class, all the others are VWs in the lower ST (Street Tuner) class.

Last year the team raced the Audi S4 in the first rounds of the season. The car being damaged, the team built a new S4, and only returned for the final rounds with some strong performances. It raced also the finale of the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge at Road Atlanta, doing  very well against the series regulars.

For the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season, APR Motorsport is fielding the only Audi racer of the series. Team's star and regular Ian Baas will share the #41 machine with new comer and rookie Nelson Canache. Last year Baas raced for APR but in the VW Golf GTI in the ST class, with a fantastic 2011 season. The AWD quattro B8 racer will face strong competitors from Ford, Chevrolet, BMW, Porsche and Subaru. Most of them are factory backed cars, while the Audi S4 is a fully privateer effort and built racer. An amazing 81 cars field is entring the 200 miles round at the world famous Speedway. 40 cars in the top GS class, so hard fight and great battles on track ahead for the Audi S4.

The race is set for this Friday, a day before the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona. Best of luck for APR Motorsport.

Photo Credits: APR Motorsport