Lechner Racing entered their Audi R8 LMS for the Race Trophy Austria meeting at the Red Bull Ring. The team’s car had previously been seen at the 2010 Hungary 12 Hours, where they won the event. Its return to the track was marked by another race victory this year.
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 2: Red Bull Ring
The Race Trophy Austria series held round two at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. Lechner Racing competed at the event with an older Audi R8 LMS. The car was driven to victory in the one-hour endurance race by drivers Philip König and Niki Mayr-Melnhof. The team has previously won the 2010 Hungary 12 Hours with their R8 LMS.
The Japanese European Touring Car Challenge (ETCC) saw a surprise Audi R8 LMS ultra entrant during 2013.
K's Frontier, Team KRM, is a long-time Porsche entrant, fielding multiple cars in various different championships. During mid-2013 they debuted their Audi R8 LMS ultra. They had acquired the car from GAINER DIXCEL, who had used the R8 LMS ultra for the 2012 Japanese Super GT, before switching to a two-car Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 line-up for their 2014 campaign.
K's Frontier debuted their Audi R8 LMS ultra at round five of the ETCC at Fuji Speedway and they also took part in the thirteenth and final round. Their participation with the Audi was highlighted with a race victory on its debut in May.
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 5: Fuji Speedway
Round five of the Japanese European Touring Car Challenge (ETCC) was held at Fuji Speedway this weekend. K's Frontier (Team KRM) has acquired the ex-GAINER Audi R8 LMS ultra and took part in the ETCC Super Cars Battle, as a shakedown of their new car. The 2012 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra was seen in the 2012 Japanese Super GT, when it was entered by GAINER DIXCEL. K's Frontier entered the #32 R8 LMS ultra with Taiyo Iida as the driver. They qualified third and won the race. The long-time Porsche team has mentioned that they are evaluating the R8 LMS ultra and that it may be a possible race vehicle for them in 2014, for the Super Taikyu Endurance Series.
K's Frontier was back in the Japanese European Touring Car Challenge (ETCC) this weekend. It was round thirteen hosted at Fuji Speedway. K's Frontier, Team KRM, entered their ex-GAINER Audi R8 LMS ultra at the event. It was driven by Taiyo Iida in the Super Cars Battle race. They placed second during qualifying and finished the race in second position as well.
The 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup ventured out of China and into the rest of Asia for the first time this year. It was a very exciting season with a number of highlights.
A grid of twenty Audi R8 LMS cars toured through Asia for the six round calendar. A number of the Audi R8 LMS Cup cars and drivers also took part in other Asian events during 2013, including the MMER (Sepang 12 Hours) and the Macau GT Cup.
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: Zhuhai
The second season of the Audi R8 LMS Cup held its first round of the year this weekend. The event took place at Zhuhai in China. Twenty Audi R8 LMS cars are taking part in the championship this year. Alex Yoong and Andre Couto were the race winners at this round.
The second meeting of the Audi R8 LMS Cup headed to Ordos in China. An all-Audi R8 LMS grid was ready for the event. Alex Yoong was able to pass Lee and held the lead to the finish. Yoong won the race ahead of Lee, Fong and Cheng. Yoong was later penalized for a false start, which gave the race win to Marchy Lee. The second race again saw Yoong crossing the finish line in first place, this time taking the win ahead of Bamber, Fong and Frey.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup was in South Korea this weekend, debuting at the Inje Circuit. The series is an Audi one-make series, consisting of eighteen Audi R8 LMS race cars this weekend. The first race was won by Earl Bamber from New Zealand, and the second race saw the reigning champion, Marchy Lee, taking victory.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup was also at Sepang this weekend, running as a support event for the MMER. This completed a very busy week for Absolute Racing, who runs the entire Audi R8 LMS Cup grid, along with the addition of the four MMER entries. Alex Yoong took victory in race one, in front of his home crowd in Malaysia. He was joined on the podium by Marchy Lee and Cheng Cong Fu. Race two was again won by the local hero, Alex Yoong. He finished ahead of Cong Fu Cheng and Adderly Fong.
The Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (Sepang 12 Hours) was held this weekend. Four Audis took part, all run by Absolute Racing. Three Audi R8 LMS Cup team cars took part, entered in the GTC class. One Audi was entered in the top GT3 class, the #777 J-Fly Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra driven by Jeffrey Lee, Marchy Lee, Adderly Fong. Onda’s #888 Audi R8 LMS ultra was also entered and on site, but it was withdrawn from the event during the week running up to the race. The #777 Audi was the best placed during qualifying, having taken tenth spot. Alex Yoong took pole in the GTC class, behind the wheel of the #66 R8 LMS. The race began at midnight on Sunday morning and continued through the dark and into the daylight. The #777 Audi R8 LMS ultra progressed steadily and made it into the top three. An unfortunate issue with the brakes cost them time and they ultimately finished seventh overall. There was an 1-2 Audi finish within the GTC class, as the #66 Audi R8 LMS finished first in class, eighth overall.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup held its fifth and penultimate meeting at Shanghai this weekend. A total of twenty Audi R8 LMS cars took part, all prepared and fielded by Absolute Racing. Rahel Frey made her return to the series this weekend. Alex Yoong arrived at the event as the overall championship leader and he continued his good form. Yoong won both races at Sepang last time out and he qualified on pole for the first race at Shanghai. The grid for race one saw Yoong ahead of Rahel Frey and Marchy Lee. The first race concluded with Yoong getting his hat-trick, by winning ahead of Adderly Fong and Franky Cheng Congfu. The second race again saw Alex Yoong starting from pole. Rahel Frey came home to win the second race in Shanghai, taking victory ahead of Alex Yoong and Marchy Lee. Yoong remains in the lead of the championship points.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup headed to Macau for the season finale this weekend. One race was held as part of the first of two weekends making up the 2013 Macau Grand Prix. A total of twenty Audi R8 LMS cars took part this weekend. A number of additional drivers also took part, headlined by the return of “Mr Macau” Edoardo Mortara in the #5 BRT Audi R8 LMS. Mortara will be taking part in the Macau GT Cup next weekend, an event which he had won in 2011 and 2012. He was untouchable this weekend as he dominated practice, took pole position and race victory.
Behind him there was a championship battle at stake. Alex Yoong arrived at Macau as the championship points leader, leading ahead of Adderly Fong and Marchy Lee. Qualifying saw Mortara on pole ahead of Andre Couto and Adderly Fong. Alex Yoong suffered a very big crash during qualifying, he was luckily unharmed, but his R8 LMS was heavily damaged and he was out for the rest of the weekend. This resulted in the championship being blown wide open, as Fong was only 24 points behind Yoong in the standings. Fong only needed to finish first among the regular Audi R8 LMS Cup entrants and with his third on the grid he was already starting in the prime position, as both Mortara and Couto were guest drivers.
The race on Sunday got underway in wet conditions. Mortara led from the front and took a dominant victory ahead of Andre Couto and Adderly Fong. These results crowned Adderly Fong as the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup champion.
The 2013 Macau GT Cup was held as part of the annual Macau Grand Prix this weekend. The Macau GT Cup was held alongside the GT Asia season finale, running together on track this weekend. A number of GT Asia entrants were in the field. Four of the six Audi entries were also entered for the GT Asia finale.
The big news this weekend was the return of the reigning two-time Macau GT Cup champion, Edoardo Mortara, in his his #1 Audi R8 LMS Cup backed Audi R8 LMS ultra. He was joined by his teammate, Marchy Lee, in the #38 Audi Hong Kong Audi R8 LMS ultra, neither were entered as GT Asia competitors. Absolute Racing was also present with their regular three-car GT Asia team, along with another private Audi entry from IMS, all four entered in GT Asia. Absolute Racing, who competed with the team name of "Team R8 LMS Ultra," arrived as the leaders in the GT Asia teams' championship points standings and they were aiming to clinch the title this weekend.
Edoardo Mortara dominated practice on Friday by over two and a half seconds and he continued that form during the first qualifying session with a lap record setting provisional pole position, over half a second clear of the field.
The final qualifying grid was determined by the fastest times from the two qualifying sessions. The second session was dominated by Maro Engel in the Erebus Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3. Mortara was the highest Audi runner and qualified in second position on the grid. His teammate Marchy Lee qualified in eleventh, followed by Jeffrey Lee in seventeenth, Philip Ma in eighteenth, Francis Hideki Onda in twenty-sixth and Shim Ching in thirty-second.
The race itself got underway at 9:20 on Sunday morning and saw Maro Engel in the #36 Mercedes-Benz leading the way as Mortara dropped from second to fourth, being passed by Alexandre Imperatori in the #99 Porsche and Renger van der Zande in the #63 Mercedes-Benz. A massive crash collecting a number of competitors occurred on the first lap, thus prompting the first safety car. The race restarted a few laps later and the top four remained stagnant with another crash bringing out the safety car on the restart lap.
Marchy Lee had a good start to the race and had moved up to sixth by the second safety car. The pair of Absolute Racing Audis of Jeffrey Lee and Philip Ma had progressed well up to tenth and eleventh, well poised for the teams' championship title.
The race restarted for a second time and went green to the flag with racing. The top four remained stagnant until the fourth last lap when race leader, Maro Engel, slowed on track. This promoted Mortara up to third. He then managed a brilliant overtaking manoeuvre to take second away from van der Zande in the infield section of the track. Mr Macau then had two laps to try and pass Alexandre Imperatori in the Porsche for the lead.
Traffic came into play coming out of the hairpin on the penultimate lap and Mortara was able to grab the lead as chaos broke out behind him. Mortara continued to lead as Imperatori collected van der Zande going into Lisboa. Mr Macau continued to lead and brought his #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra home for his third consecutive Macau GT Cup victory, finishing ahead of Watts' McLaren and Imperatori's Porsche. Mortara also set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, a 2:19.550, the only driver to drop into the 2 minute 19 second bracket during the race.
Mr Macau had it all do and he was able to recover from fourth to first for victory. Marchy Lee rounded out the top four in fourth, ensuring that two Audis finished within the top four. Jeffrey Lee and Philip Ma rounded out the top ten in ninth and tenth respectively. Francis Hideki Onda finished seventeenth and Shim Ching unfortunately retired.
It was another terrific Macau Grand Prix weekend for the Audi entrants. This win for Mortara also marked his sixth straight victory at Macau, as he had won the previous five races that he had been entered for: the 2009 and 2010 Macau Formula 3 races, the 2011 and 2012 Macau GT Cup and the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup round at Macau. Edoardo Mortara continues to deserve his title of “Mr Macau”.
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy season provided another great year of racing with a very wide variety of race cars. Many different Audi cars were among the large mixture of entrants, including some very potent Audi racing machinery.
The list of Audis included ex-factory Audi A4 DTM and Audi A4 quattro STW vehicles, Audi Sport customer racing cars such as the Audi R8 LMS ultra and the Audi TT RS and many other Audi race cars.
The STT is also another example of a smaller European championship which allows the full 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra to compete with the new more aggressive rear diffuser fitted to the cars.
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: Hockenheim
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (STT) got their season underway at Hockenheim. A large variety of Audi cars took part, including an Audi A4 DTM R11, two Audi TT RS SP4T VLN cars, Audi A4 STW, Audi 80 (ROC), Audi A3 and many more. Eddy Kamm in his Audi A4 DTM finished fourth in the first race and won the second race.
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (STT) was at the Nürburgring for the Euro Race weekend. This was round two of the championship and a total of five Audis competed. This included two SP4T VLN Audi TT RS cars, an Audi A4 DTM R11, an A3 and an ex-ROC Audi 80 touring car. Race one saw a trio of Audi placing in positions ten through twelve, with Franjo Kovac and Martin Tschornia tenth with their Audi TT RS, followed by René Freisberg’s Audi A3 and Joachim Duscher’s Audi 80. Race two again saw Franjo Kovac and Martin Tschornia as the highest Audi by placing fifth.
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy also took place at Hockenheim, and was run together with the AvD 100 Meilen. A number of Audi cars compete in the STT, including: Audi TT RS (SP4T), Audi A4 DTM R11, Audi A3, Audi 80 (ex-ROC) etc. The most notable addition this weekend was the Prosperia C.ABT Racing R8 LMS ultra, which was entered in the DMV TCC and the STT. Christer Jöns shared the R8 LMS ultra with Slobodan Cvetkovic for the STT races, and they topped free practice. Edy Kamm won the race in his Audi A4 DTM R11, finishing ahead of the Prosperia R8 LMS ultra, which finished second overall and first in its class.
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy was at Oschersleben this weekend. This championships has a number of Audi cars taking part, including Audi A4 DTM R11, Audi TT RS (SP4T), ex-ROC Audi 80, Audi A3 and more. Prosperia C.ABT Racing again joined the championship this weekend with Slobodan Cvetkovic behind the wheel of the #49 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Eddy Kamm dominated the weekend in his Audi A4 DTM and took both race victories.
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (STT) was at Spa, hosting round five. A total of six Audis took part, including a 2004 Audi A4 DTM R11 and SP4T VLN Audi TT RS cars. Eddy Kamm and his A4 DTM dominated the weekend once again by taking both race victories in Belgium.
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy hosted round six at the Nürburgring. A total of five Audis took part this weekend. The entered Audis included: one Audi TT RS SP4T, one Audi A4 STW, one Audi A3, one new Audi R8 LMS ultra and one Audi A4 DTM R11. The Audi R8 LMS ultra in the field was that of Berthold Gruhn, who had previously driven an Audi TT RS SP4T. He debuted his new R8 LMS ultra in the STT this weekend. He had previously successfully debuted/rolled out the car in the Bördesprint Cup at Oschersleben during August. Race two of the weekend was won by Edy Kamm in his Audi A4 DTM.
The finale of the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy was held at the Nürburgring this weekend. A very large grid took part, including six Audi race cars.
The list of private Audi entrants included one Audi R8 LMS ultra. The R8 LMS ultra was the car of Berthold Gruhn, who debuted his #29 Audi R8 LMS ultra at the previous round. The car is run by Rotary Motorsport IG. The original entry list included two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. Gruhn’s R8 LMS ultra was alongside a single entry from Prosperia C.ABT Racing, as the #49 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Slobodan Cvetkovic, who had taken part in some of the STT rounds during 2013, was also listed, however they did not take part this weekend.
The Audi R8 LMS ultra was entered in the “Klasse 2” class. This class also included the #46 Audi S4 B5 driven by Ulf Ehninger and Jochen Ayasse.
The classes are split between divisions one and two. Division 1 includes “Klasse 2” as well as the “Klasse 11 STT Spezial,” which included one of the front runners and regular STT competitor, Edy Kamm, in his 2004 Audi A4 DTM R11. Three more Audis were included in two of the other classes within Division 2. “Klasse 7” saw the entry of Marc Roth in his #65 Audi A4 quattro STW. The final two entrants were in “Klasse 4,” the #33 Audi A3 of René Freisberg and the #12 ex-ROC French Supertourisme Audi 80 of Joachim Duscher.
Two STT races were held at the Nürburgring during the weekend. Qualifying for the first race saw Berthold Gruhn as the highest Division 1 qualifier, placing his Audi R8 LMS ultra in ninth place. All three of the Audis within the Division 2 ranks placed within their overall class top ten, with René Freisberg taking pole in his Audi A3, ahead of Roth in eighth and Duscher in ninth.
The grid for race two saw Edy Kamm back on the front row, as he put his A4 DTM in second position overall and within Division 1. A trio of Audis placed within the top four in Division 2. René Freisberg took second on the grid, ahead of Joachim Duscher in third, followed by Marc Roth in fourth.
Race one was the scene for a double victory by the Audi teams. Edy Kamm took the overall, Division 1 and Klasse 11 victory with his Audi A4 DTM. Berthold Gruhn and his R8 LMS ultra placed fifteenth within Division 1 and took third place within Klasse 2. The #46 Audi S4 unfortunately retired. René Freisberg was victorious with his A3 in Division 2 and Klasse 4. Joachim Duscher placed third within Division 2, also taking third within Klasse 4. Marc Roth finished fifth within Division 2 and took victory in Klasse 7.
Edy Kamm made it two from two by winning the final race in his A4 DTM. Berthold Gruhn finished twenty-first in Division 1 and third again within Klasse 2. The #46 Audi S4 was fourth in class. René Freisberg finished second within Division 2 and in Klasse 4, followed by Joachim Duscher in third. Marc Roth won Klasse 7 again and finished fourth within Division 2.
This weekend concluded the 2013 Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy season, a year which again saw multiple private Audi race cars taking part.
Team Novadriver successfully defended the Portuguese GT title during 2013. Their two-car team enjoyed much success during the season.
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: Cancelled
Team Novadriver were entered for the first Portuguese GT round, which was scheduled for this weekend. The Portuguese team have entered a two-car team this year, with both of their cars having been updated to 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification. The first round of the championship was however cancelled due to technicalities within their GT Cup rules, thus the Portuguese GT championship will only be getting underway in April. Team Novadriver have completed a number of tests in the last three weeks.
The Portuguese GT Championship, now known as the Supercars Portugal Series, took place alongside the Supercars International Series this weekend. The event took place at Aragon in Spain. One Audi R8 LMS team has entered the series for 2013, Team Nova Driver, who are once again fielding a two car effort. Both of the team’s cars are in the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification. The team qualified on the overall pole and finished the race second overall, and first in the Portuguese GT standings. The second Nova car unfortunately retired from the race.
Round two of the Portuguese GT Championship was held at Estoril this weekend. Team Novadriver took part with both of their Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. Both cars qualified within the top three, with the #1 Novadriver Audi taking pole. It was a very good two-hour race for the team. The lead had changed by the first pitstops with the #10 Novadriver Audi leading and their teammates in fifth. An Audi 1-2 had been established after the second pitstops and this was maintained to the flag. Victory went to the #1 of Cesar Campanico, Carlos Vieira and Mikko Eskelinen, followed by their teammates João Figueiredo, João Ramos and Manuel Gião in the #10.
The Supercars Portugal Series (Portuguese GT Championship) held its third round at Boavista in Portugal. This event was held together with round two of the Supercars International Series. Team Novadriver, who are contesting the Portuguese series, was entered with their two-car Audi R8 LMS ultra team. Both cars qualified within the top four and the race finished with another Team Novadriver victory, as the #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra won with their teammates finishing in third.
Portimão hosted GT Racing this weekend, in the form of the fourth Portuguese GT round and the third Supercars International Series round. These two series were once again combined this weekend. Team Novadriver were entered with their pair of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. They qualified second and third and finished the event with yet another victory for the #1 car, followed by the #10 in third. This victory for the #1 Novadriver driver squad clinched the Portuguese GT driver’s title for Cesar Campanico, Carlos Vieira and Mikko Eskelinen.
The Portuguese GT Championship, also known as the Supercars Portugal Series, held its fifth and final round at Braga this weekend. Team Novadriver had already been crowned as the Portuguese GT champions, as Cesar Campanico, Carlos Vieira and Mikko Eskelinen were crowned champions at Portimão last time out. They showed good form during practice, placing both of their cars within the top three in all three of the sessions. However, following practice the team noticed that their telemetry was reading abnormally high fluent temperatures. The team then decided to withdraw their cars from the event in order to investigate the abnormality and to prevent permanent damage to their car's engines. The team's press release regarding the matter can be seen HERE.
Multiple private Audi entries competed in the 2013 DMV Touring Car Challenge, including a number of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.
Nine rounds were held in Europe, with the majority of the races taking place in Germany. Two Audi R8 LMS ultra teams appeared in the series: Prosperia C.ABT Racing and RS Tuning.
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 4: Hockenheim The DMV TCC was at the Hockenheimring this weekend, alongside a number of other German series. For the first time this season an Audi was entered in the DMV TCC, an Audi R8 LMS ultra from Prosperia C.ABT Racing. The car was driven by team co-owner, Slobodan Cvetkovic, who also competed with a Prosperia R8 LMS during 2012. Interesting to note that the Audi R8 LMS ultra was in the full original 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification, this with the new diffuser which did not pass homologation. This is the first time that a full original 2013 spec Audi R8 LMS ultra has competed since April, as the new diffuser was disallowed in the final FIA homologation. Cvetkovic finished eighteenth in race one and sixteenth in race two.
The DMV Touring Car Challenge (DMV TCC) hosted round five at Hockenheim this weekend. This championship features a variety of race cars, including GT3 cars. A new Audi R8 LMS ultra team was present this weekend. The RS Tuning Audi R8 LMS ultra was the only Audi entered in this event, and was driven by Suzanne Weidt. The car was in the full original 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification, that with the original aggressive rear-diffuser. It was a learning experience for Suzanne Weidt, as she got to grips with the new Audi. She qualified twenty-third for race one and twenty-second for race two. She unfortunately dropped back in race one and finished the second race, after progressing well, in nineteenth.
The German DMV Touring Car Challenge was in Austria this weekend, hosting round six at the Red Bull Ring. The RS Tuning Audi R8 LMS ultra was entered at the event. Suzanne Weidt was again behind the wheel of the #8 Audi in Austria. The car continues to run with the original 2013 rear diffuser, as has been the case for all the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra cars which have competed in the DMV TCC this season. In Austria there was more than just one Audi on the DMV TCC gird. Two more Audi teams joined the series for this event. The first entrant was Joachim Duscher, a regular STT competitor, in his ex-ROC Audi 80. The second team was Christoph Düpré in the Düpré Motorsport Audi RS 5, which has also been seen in the VLN and Nürburgring 24 Hours this year.
The DMV Touring Car Challenge headed to France this weekend, hosting round seven at Dijon. RS Tuning added a second Audi R8 LMS ultra to their arsenal for the event in France. The wet races saw the RS Tuning squad achieving their best DMV TCC Audi results yet. Suzanne Weidt finished race one in sixth overall, taking third place in class 8. Her teammate Dietmar Haggenmüller repeated her success in race two, as he also scored sixth overall, again taking a third place in class for the team.
The DMV Touring Car Challenge headed to Monza for its eighth and penultimate round of the season. RS Tuning was entered with their two-car Audi R8 LMS ultra team. A third Audi joined the gird this weekend, the ex-ROC French Supertourisme Audi 80 of Joachim Duscher. During qualifying for the first race the highest Audi was that of Haggenmüller, who qualified twelfth overall and seventh in class. Weidt qualified seventeenth overall and eighth in class. The Audi 80 of Duscher was twenty-eighth overall, sixth in class. Qualifying for race two again yielded Haggenmüller as the highest Audi, this time placing thirteenth overall, eighth in class. Weidt qualified nineteenth overall and ninth in class. Duscher was thirtieth overall, fifth in class. Race one ended with Haggenmüller finishing fifth in class, placing tenth overall. Weidt finished sixteenth overall and seventh in class, whilst Duscher was unfortunately not classified as a finisher and also did not take part in the second race. Race two saw Haggenmüller finishing eighth overall, fifth in class and Weidt in fifteenth overall, seventh in class.
Round 9: Hockenheim The finale for the DMV Touring Car Challenge took place at Hockenheim this weekend. RS Tuning again performed well with their pair of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. Originally three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were included on the provisional entry list, as YACO Racing had entered their R8 LMS ultra, along with RS Tuning’s two cars. However, YACO Racing did not take part this weekend. RS Tuning again entrusted their two cars to their drivers: Dietmar Haggenmüller (#8) and Suzanne Weidt (#88). Both cars have competed in the full 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification during the 2013 DMV TCC and AvD 100 Meilen seasons, the full specification with the addition of the original 2013 rear diffuser. Qualifying for the first race yielded two class top ten results for the Audis, as Weidt qualified seventh in class followed by Haggenmüller in eighth. The grid for race two saw Haggenmüller fifth in class and Weidt was seventh again. The first race on Saturday concluded with the Audis finishing in their class starting positions, with Weidt seventh ahead of Haggenmüller in eighth, both finishing nineteenth and twentieth overall respectively. The second race marked the final race of the 2013 DMV TCC season. Haggenmüller finished the race by placing sixth in class and ninth overall. He was followed by his teammate in thirteenth overall, taking eighth in class.
The 2013 Bördesprint Cup saw the participation of the Rotary Motorsport IG team, who entered Audi TT RS and Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.
The Rotary Motorsport IG team entered an Audi TT RS for Berthold Gruhn in the 2012 Bördesprint Cup and they later debuted the car in the 2013 Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy. They also debuted their Audi R8 LMS ultra at round five of the 2013 Bördesprint Cup and took part in three of the rounds this year.
The Bördesprint Cup is also another example of a smaller European championship which allows the full 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra to compete with the new more aggressive rear diffuser fitted to the cars.
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 5: Oschersleben
Round five of the Bördesprint Cup was held at Oschersleben this weekend. Rotary Motorsport IG debuted their 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra with Berthold Gruhn and Andreas Schmidt behind the wheel. The R8 LMS ultra was in its all black carbon colours. Gruhn had also driven an Audi TT RS entered by the team in the Bördesprint Cup during 2012 and the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy so far during 2013. Berthold Gruhn finished fifth in race one and Andreas Schmidt finished second in race two.
Oschersleben hosted round six of the Bördesprint Cup this weekend. Rotary Motorsport IG entered two Audis at the event, their Audi TT RS and Audi R8 LMS ultra. Berthold Gruhn and Andreas Schmidt alternated between the two cars during the weekend. Andreas Schmidt won both races. He was behind the wheel of the R8 LMS ultra. Berthold Gruhn finished second with the TT RS in the first race and third in the second race.
Round eight of the Bördesprint Cup was held at Oschersleben this weekend. Rotary Motorsport IG entered their Audi R8 LMS ultra for Berthold Gruhn. He finished second during race one and fourth in race two.
The 2013 Japanese Super GT Series was a difficult season for the Audi teams, but Hitotsuyama Racing never gave up and continued to push with their Audi R8 LMS ultra. Two Audi teams committed to the series at the beginning of the year. Hitotsuyama Racing entered a 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra, along with äpr racing who entered one 2012 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Hitotsuyama Racing competed at all of the rounds this season, however äpr racing made a mid-season change to run with a Nissan GTR GT3 vehicle.
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:
Super GT Test: Okayama
The official Super GT test days were hosted at Okayama in Japan. Hitotsuyama Racing and äpr racing each had one Audi R8 LMS ultra at the test, with the former being a brand new 2013 car. The latest generation car proved to be very competitive at the tests.
The Japanese Super GT got underway at Okayama. Two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were entered. A 2013 spec car from Hitotsuyama Racing and a 2012 spec car for äpr racing. The organisers added a 40kg penalty to the 2013 car during the week leading up to the event. It proved to be a difficult weekend as the cars qualified in the lower half of the field and finished fourteenth (äpr) and sixteenth (Hitotsuyama).
Round two of Japanese Super GT Championship took place at the Fuji Speedway. The two regular Audi R8 LMS ultra teams took part. Hitotsuyama Racing with a 2013 R8 LMS ultra and äpr racing with a 2012 R8 LMS ultra. Both teams qualified outside of the top ten for the race held on the Monday following the weekend.
Sepang in Malaysia hosted the third Japanese Super GT round. Two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars took part, one Audi R8 LMS ultra each from Hitotsuyama Racing (2013 spec) and äpr racing (2012 spec). The Audis again struggled in this round, Hitotsuyama were unable to qualify after suffering clutch problems and äpr qualified twenty-second. During the races the difficult weekend continued, but the Hitotsuyama Racing entry was able to improve to fourteenth and the äpr racing car up to seventeenth.
The Japanese Super GT held a two-day test at Suzuka this week. Hitotsuyama Racing took part in the test, fielding their 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra. This was also the first event where the äpr racing team fielded their new Nissan GT3 car, having switched from their 2012 R8 LMS ultra which they fielded during 2012 and the beginning of 2013. Hitotsuyama Racing did well during the test, placing within the top ten during some of the sessions.
Round four of the Japanese Super GT was at Sugo for a 300 km event. Only one Audi was entered, the 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Hitotsuyama Racing. It has proven to be a difficult year in Super GT. The Hitotsuyama R8 LMS ultra qualified in nineteenth. The race itself saw the team progressing steadily. A good call on strategy, which saw them running on slicks in difficult weather, netted them a good top ten result by finishing in eighth (within the GT300 class). A very positive result for the team in a very testing season.
The Suzuka 1000 km was round five of the Japanese Super GT Series this weekend. The Audi R8 LMS ultra of Hitotsuyama Racing was entered with their two regular drivers: Akihiro Tsuzuki and Richard Lyons. They qualified twelfth and finished the grueling endurance event in eleventh place within the GT300 class.
The Japanese Super GT hosted round six at Fuji Speedway. The single 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Hitotsuyama Racing was on the grid. Their regular drivers were back in the car this weekend: Akihiro Tsuzuki and Richard Lyons. It has proven to be a difficult 2013 season for the team and this continued in qualifying, as they qualified in twenty-fourth place within the GT300 class. Despite coming from twenty-fourth on the grid, the team was able to move up through the field. They stormed into the top ten and got as high as eighth. Unfortunately lady luck did not smile upon the team, as a gearbox issue lost them time with only four laps to go. They ultimately finished thirteenth in GT300.
The Japanese Super GT held an official test sessions at Twin Ring Motegi this week. The tests took place on Monday and Tuesday. Hitotsuyama Racing was present and took part with their 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The team’s regular two drivers, Akihiro Tsuzuki and Richard Lyons, were joined by Oliver Jarvis for the test day. The first day was cancelled due to severe weather conditions. The #21 Hitotsuyama Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra placed seventh during the morning session and eleventh during the afternoon session. Jarvis, who has competed in Japan for many years, was included in the test to assist Hitotsuyama Racing. Audi Japan and Audi Sport customer racing made the decision to add Jarvis to the test day line-up, however it has been mentioned that Jarvis will not be competing in any of the Super GT races.
Round 7: Autopolis Autopolis hosted round seven of the Japanese Super GT. Hitotsuyama Racing was entered with their 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra and their regular two drivers: Akihiro Tsuzuki and Richard Lyons. They qualified very well by taking seventh place within the GT300 class. The final race result was twenty-first position and five laps down, after a race with many incidents.
The finale of the Japanese Super GT was held at Twin Ring Motegi this weekend, the eighth round of the year. Once again Hitotsuyama Racing was the only Audi R8 LMS ultra entrant with their 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra entry. The #21 Audi was driven by their regular driver line-up of Akihiro Tsuzuki and Richard Lyons. It has been a difficult year for the team. They placed twenty-first during practice and qualified fifteenth within the GT300 class. The race itself saw the Hitotsuyama Racing team coming home for a twenty-first place finish. This event concluded the 2013 Super GT season, but many of the teams will be competing at the special non-championship event in November, the Fuji Sprint Cup.
Hitotsuyama Racing concluded their 2013 season at the JAF Grand Prix Fuji Sprint Cup this weekend, a special non-championship event for the Japanese Super GT and Super Formula. It has been a long and difficult season, but the team never gave up and that was the case again this weekend. As was the case during the bulk of the 2013 Super GT season, the sole Audi entry in the GT300 class this weekend was the #21 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Hitotsuyama Racing. Their regular two-man driver line-up of Akihiro Tsuzuki and Richard Lyons were behind the wheel. They had a season of ups and downs as they worked against bad luck and a negative Balance of Performance, but they never gave up and worked hard all season long, despite the setbacks. The Fuji Sprint Cup was split into two sprint races per category. Each car had two drivers and each driver took part in one of the two sprint races individually. The two Super GT classes were also split for the races, running GT500 and GT300 separately in the sprints. Qualifying was held on Friday, with each driver qualifying for his own respective race. In the Hitotsuyama Racing camp it was Richard Lyons in the R8 LMS ultra for the first race and Akihiro Tsuzuki took the wheel for race two. It was a difficult qualifying session which saw the R8 LMS ultra relegated to the rear of the field, as has been the case in Super GT all season long. Richard Lyons qualified nineteenth for the first race and Akihiro Tsuzuki qualified twenty-first for the second race. The first GT300 race got underway on Saturday morning. Hitotsuyama Racing pushed hard with Richard Lyons and the race concluded with the #21 Audi R8 LMS ultra having recovered up to thirteenth place by the finish, up from the nineteenth starting position. The second and final GT300 race concluded the JAF Grand Prix Fuji Sprint Cup weekend and the 2013 season for Hitotsuyama Racing. Akihiro Tsuzuki piloted the #21 R8 LMS ultra to nineteenth position.
2013 was a long and difficult season for Hitotsuyama Racing, but they never gave up and continued to give their all at every single event. It remains to be seen what the team’s plans are for 2014, following a post on their Facebook page on 4 November: “Thanks to our drivers Akihiro and Richard, mechanics, and everyone who supported us this season. We will be back with a new package next year. Please stay tuned.”
Round 2: Red Bull Ring
