The second French GT Tour race at Val de Vienne gave the Audi Sport customer racing squad great satisfaction..
Sainteloc Racing took a sensational victory after a thrilling 1-hour sprint race. The winning #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra was shared by David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert. They took the win the last lap ahead of the second placed #1 Ferrari 458 GT3 from Team Sofrev ASP. David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert are now the new leaders in the drivers's standing with 110 points each.
Another Audi performing well was the #51 R8 LMS ultra from Sébastien Loeb Racing taking a strong fourth place with drivers Henry Hassid and Mike Parisy. Sébastien Loeb Racing is now leading the team's standing with 122 points.
The #44 entry from Sainteloc Racing finished in eleventh place with Gilles Lallement and Jean-Paul Buffin, they were third within the Coupe de France class open to gentlemen drivers.
Unfortunately two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars did not finish the race, the #50 car from Sébastien Loeb Racing and the #36 car from Team Speed.
The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT won a thrilling second race in the French GT Tour at Spa-Francorchamps. After an unlucky race 1 yesterday André Lotterer and Enzo Ide scored a fine victory beating the full season regulars.
André Lotterer crashed yesterday with the #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra at the very fast Raidillon corner, the three-time Le Mans winner finished the race in twelfth place. Today along with team-mate Enzo Ide it was a very different story. The WRT run Audi dominated the race and took the checkered flag victorious ahead of the second placed #76 Porsche 997 GT3-R from IMSA Performance Matmut.
Third place for the #51 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sébastien Loeb Racing. The car is shared by Mike Parisy and Henry Hassid and they finished 3.122s behind the winning Audi.
David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert ended in a strong fourth place with their #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing.
Two other Audis made it into the Top 10. The #50 R8 LMS ultra from Sébastien Loeb Racing was ninth and the #43 car from Sainteloc Racing was tenth.
Bad luck hit the second Belgian Audi Club Team WRT car. The #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra in the hands of Benoit Tréluyer and Yves Weerts was a lap down in fifteenth place.
A very positive day 1 for the Audi teams at Spa-Francorchamps, round 3 of the French GT Tour series. Pole postion and three cars within the Top 4 in Race 1
The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT took a great pole position earlier today. The car is shared by last weekend Le Mans 24 Hours winner André Lotterer joined by Enzo Ide.
Next, the Audi Sport customer racing squad performed very well in the 1-hour sprint event in the Ardennes. The #51 from team Sébastien Loeb Racing finished in a strong second with drivers Mike Parisy and Henri Hassid. The twi drivers ended right behind the winning #1 Ferrai 458 GT3 from Team Sofrev ASP.
The #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing was third overall, the car in the hands of David Halliday and Gregory Gulivert.
The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car had a strong race and narrowly missed the podium ending in a positive fourth place with Vincent Abril and Jérôme Demay.
Both Audis from the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT were outside the Top 10. The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra of André Lotterer and Enzo Ide was twelfth. The sister #6 machine driven by Benoit Tréluyer and Yves Weerts was thirteenth.
It was good weekend for the Audi teams at the Lédenon circuit in the second round of the French FFSA GT Tour. Pole position and a race win for the Audi R8 LMS ultra.
After dominating all the practice session and taking a pole position Freiday, the Audi squad had a hard and unlucky Race 1. Best ranked R8 LMS ultra was only fifth with #42 Sainteloc Racing of David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert. The two Sébastien Loeb Racing Audis were very unlucky, the #50 Audi ended in eighth place while the sister #51 car was forced to retire. Team Speed Car's Audis were unlucky too, with tenth (#30 Audi) and eleventh (#36 Audi) places in the end.
Things were much better for the Audi camp in the second race of the day. Sébastien Loeb Racing won the 1-hour sprint race ahead of Sainteloc Racing for a fine 1-2 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Race victory went to the #50 Audi driven by Anthony Beltoise and Romain Berville. The #42 Audi from Sainteloc Racing driven by David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert finished in third place but the car was promoted to second after the exclusion of #9 Ferrari 458. The #51 Audi from Sébastien Loeb Racing ended in seventh place with drivers Mike Parisy and Henry Hassid. Team Speed Car two Audis made it into the Top 10, the #30 car was ninth and the #36 car was tenth.
Overall it was a very strong weekend for the French Audi Sport customer racing teams at the Lédenon. The Audi R8 LMS ultra proving again to be one of the strongest and most successful cars in GT3 racing.
The Lédenon is hosting the second round of the FFSA GT Tour series this weekend . A record number of eight Audi R8 LMS ultra cars entering the event.
The cars are coming from three Audi Sport customer racing teams. Sainteloc Racing is fielding no less than four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. Both Sébastien Loeb Racing and Team Speed Car with two Audis each.
The Audi squad performed very well today in all free practice sessions and did the same in the two qualifying sessions.
In the first qualifying session the #42 Audi from Team Sainteloc qualifing in a very strong place with drivers David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert. The #51 Audi from Sébastien Loeb Racing made it into the Top 5 with a fifth place in the end for Henry Hassid.
Even better results came from the second qualifying session. Sébastien Loeb Racing scored a sensational 1-2 in the session after an emotional in house battle for pole. Anthony Beltoise with the #50 Audi took a great pole position ahead of his team-mate Mike Parisy with the sister #51 R8 LMS ultra.
The two races are set for tomorrow at the Lédenon circuit. Race 1 at 13:00 and Race 2 at 18:35 local time.
A perfect start for the Audi Sport customer racing squad in the 2014 French GT Tour Series. The Audi teams performed very well today at Le Mans in race 1 with a sensational 1-2 victory.
The short permanant Bugatti circuit hosted a great GT race today. New comers to Audi from Sebastien Loeb Racing took a great race win ahead of another Audi team, Sainteloc Racing.
Both teams battled very well for race win. After an amazing 1-hour sprint event, the #50 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sebastien Loeb Racing won the race. The car in the hands of Mike Parisy and Heni Hassid took the race lead only five mintues before the checkered flag.
In a very strong second the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing. David Hallyday and his team-mate Gregory Guilvert were impressive. Both drivers are familiars with the Audi R8 LMS ultra.
Race 2 is set for tomorrow. We wish the best of luck to all Audi teams and their drivers.
The 2014 FFSA French GT Tour series kicks off this weekend at Le Mans. The Audi Sport customer racing squad is very well represented with no less than seven R8 LMS ultra cars.
The seven Audis came from three diffrent teams. Sainteloc Racing a regular in the French GT will field three cars. One in the main "Championnat de France" with a very strong driver line-up made. fans' favourite David Hallyday is sharing the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra Gregory Guilvert . The other two Audis are competing in the lower "Coupe de France" open for old spec GT3 cars and Gentlemen drivers. The #43 Audi will have Jean-Paul Buffin and Jacques Wolf as drivers. The #44 Audi will be shared by Gilles Lallement and Fabrice Rossello.
Team Speed Car is back with Audi and a two-car effort. The #30 Audi with drivers Pascal Destembert and Rémy Deguffroy. The #36 car will be driven by Mathieu Lecuyer and Vincent Abril. Last year Team Speed Car scored three race wins all of them with Vincent Abril.
But the main story this year in GT Tour is all about Sebastien Loeb Racing. The team managed by the WRC legend switched to Audi and is fielding two very strong Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. The #50 Audi shared by Anthony Beltoise and Roland Berville. The sister #51 Audi is driven by Mike Parisy and Heni Hassid.
19 cars will enter the Le Mans opener. The Audi teams will have to fight against a field of six Ferrari 458 GT3s, three Porsche 997 GT3 Rs, a McLaren MP4-12C, a BMW Z4 GT3 and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
GT Tour teams will have two races at the short Bugati circuit. Race 1 will be on Saturday at 18:20, Race 2 will be on Sunday at 14:10. We wish the best of luck to all three Audi teams and their drivers.
Two French Audi Sport customer racing teams recently tested at the Ledenon circuit preparing the upcoming French FFSA GT Tour series.
Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car were present at Lédenon with a single Audi R8 LMS ultra each. At Team Speed Car, Matthieu Lécuyer took charge of driving the silver livered Audi. This was the first test for Matthieu Lécuyer with the R8 LMS ultra, he will partner with team's regualt Vincent Abril this season in GT Tour.
At Sainteloc Racing, two drivers tested the Audi R8 LMS ultra, Renaud Derlot and Grégory Guilvert. Sainteloc Racing is expected to field Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in both GT Tour and the Blancpain Endurance Series.
The French GT Tour gets underway at Le Mans (short Bugatti circuit from 26-27 April.
Team Speed Car debuted last year the in the Fench FFSA GT Tour series with the Audi R8 LMS ultra. The Audi Sport customer racing team had a great 2013 season and collected three race wins.
The team is about to return to the ORECA managed series with at least one Audi R8 LMS ultra. The first car will be in the hands of Vincent Abril and Matthieu Lecuyer.
Vincent Abril raced for Team Speed Car last year and was among the fastest drivers in the field. He had some impressive performances including Spa-Francorchamps and Magny-Cours sharing the car with Dino Lunardi. In addition to the GT Tour series, Vincent Abril will also compete with the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in the Blancpain GT Series.
Team Speed Car will test their Audi R8 LMS ultra car at the Lédenon circuit. The 2014 GT Tour will start at Le Mans, the short permanent Bugatti circuit, April 26th and 27th.
The French GT Tour saw a number of Audi R8 LMS and ultra entries during 2013. Saintéloc Racing and Team Speed Car both fielded multiple cars during the season, which was highlighted by a number of Audi race victories.
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: Le Mans - Bugatti
The French GT-Tour got underway at Le Mans this weekend. The series competed on the permanent Bugatti circuit. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars (all in 2013 specification) took part, three from Saintéloc and one from Team Speed Car. The cars performed well with a fourth in the first race and seventh in the second race. The top placed Audi in both races was the #42 of David Halliday and Gregory Guilvert.
The French GT-Tour held its second round at Imola, a support event for the ELMS. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars took part in what turned out to be a very difficult weekend for the Audi teams. The highest Audi finisher this weekend was the Sainteloc entry who finished ninth during race one, this was the only Audi top ten finish this weekend.
The French GT-Tour was in Belgium, running round three at Spa. It was a weekend to remember for the Team Speed Car squad, as they claimed pole position and a dominant race one victory, with Vincent Abril and Dino Lunardi behind the wheel of the #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Only two Audis placed within the top ten during race one. The Team Speed Car squad was in top form again during race two, as they recovered to another podium finish, this time in third place.
The French GT-Tour was at Val de Vienne this weekend, with four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the grid. Qualifying saw good results for the Audis, two within the top three for race one, and also a third for the race two grid. During the first race the highest Audi was the #42 Sainteloc car which was battling for third, and ultimately finished fourth, the only Audi inside the top ten. Two Audis entered the top ten during race two, with the #42 as the highest Audi once again, finishing in sixth, ahead of the Team Speed Car Audi in seventh.
French GT Tour headed to Magny-Cours for round five this weekend. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were originally entered for the races, three from Sainteloc and one from Team Speed Car. The majority of the Audis were running in the 2012 specification, to take advantage of the improved performance within the current BoP regulations. A second Audi R8 LMS from Team Speed Car was also present, but it was only intended to take part in the sessions for testing. However, Team Speed Car's #007 Aston Martin blew its engine, thus the team used their second Audi R8 LMS to replace that car. Qualifying yielded a race one pole position for the #42 Sainteloc Audi, leading two Audis within the top ten. Three Audis qualified within the top five for race two. The first race finished with Team Speed Car taking a sensational win, their second victory of the season, leading home three Audis within the top ten. Race two saw Team Speed Car taking victory once again, leading home an Audi 1-2 finish, with Sainteloc finishing second with the #42 car. Three Audis placed within the top ten during race two.
Lédenon played host to the sixth and penultimate French GT-Tour round. Five Audi cars were entered this weekend: Sainteloc entered three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, along with Team Speed Car entering two cars, one Audi R8 LMS ultra and one older R8 LMS. Sainteloc suffered a hard crash with their lead car during the sessions, resulting that their #42 car was out for the remainder of the weekend. Team Speed Car was the only Audi within the top ten during the first qualifying session, their #36 R8 LMS ultra qualified sixth. Qualifying for race two saw the #82 Sainteloc entry taking third on the grid. The first race concluded with the #36 Team Speed Car Audi R8 LMS ultra finishing in ninth, the only Audi within the top ten. The second race again only saw one Audi within the top, the #36 Audi which finished sixth.
Paul Ricard played host to the French GT Tour finale this weekend. A total of six Audi cars were entered. Sainteloc entered four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars and Team Speed Car entered one R8 LMS ultra and one older R8 LMS. The fourth Sainteloc car was the #43 Audi R8 LMS ultra, a once-off entry which included Stephane Ortelli as one of the drivers. The #009 Team Speed Car R8 LMS was on site, but did not take part. Qualifying for the first race only had one Audi within the top ten, with the #43 Sainteloc car placing tenth. The grid for race two saw two Audis within the top ten, as the #43 and #82 Sainteloc cars qualified ninth and tenth respectively. The first race got underway on Saturday and concluded with Team Speed Car as the highest Audi in fourth with their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Two Audis made it into the top ten, as the #82 Sainteloc car finished eighth. The second and final race was very hard for the Audi teams. Only four cars started the race, as the #42 Sainteloc car did not take part. Only one of the four cars finished the race. The #83 Sainteloc Audi R8 LMS ultra finished twenty-first, whilst all three of the remaining cars retired.
The final race of the season in GT Tour at Paul Ricard turned to be a very difficult event for Audi teams. All the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from both Team Speed Car and Sainteloc Racing were outside the top 20.
Yesterday the Audi teams performed very well in race 1. Team Speed Car narrowly missed the podium ending in a strong fourth. Today it was another story, best ranked Audi ended in twenty-first position. The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing was shared by drivers Frank Zattera and Fabrice Rossello. They were followed by Vincent Abri and Dino Lunardi driving the #36 Audi from Team Speed Car in twenty-second place.
The remaining cars from Sainteloc Racing were also hit by bad luck. The # 43 Audi R8 LMS ultra finished in twenty-third place. The #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra was forced to retire after only 4 laps and finished in twenty-eighth position. Unfortunatelly, the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra did not start the race.
Race victory went to the BMW Z4 GT3 from TDS Racing. Seconf the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 from HTP Motorsport. Third the McLaren MP4-12C from Sebastien Loeb Racing.
French GT title went to Ferrari drivers Fabien Barthez and Morgan Moullin-Traffort driving for Team SOFREV-ASP.
Paul Ricard in southern France is hosting the season finale of the French GT Tour series. Five Audi R8 LMS ultra are on site from Team Speed Car and Sainteloc Racing.
Race 1 already held this afternoon gave the Audi squad satisfactions. Team Speed Car finished the 1-hour event in a strong fourth overall. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra shared by Vincent Abril and Dino Lunardi started from fifteenth place and was able to fight for the top spots. In the closing stages of the race the Audi had a great fight with the Hexis Racing McLaren MP4-12C.
Sainteloc Racing is entering no less than four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars at the Castellet this weekend. Best of the Sainteloc Racing Audis was the #82 car. Matthieu Jaminet and Marc Sourd recovered very well on track. They started from position twenty-five and finished in a positive eigth place.
The #43 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing had a very special guest. Stephane Ortelli joined the team sharing the car with Romain Monti. The two drivers finished the race in seventeenth place. Unfortunately the #83 and the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra did not finish the race.
Race victory went the the #5 BMW Z4 GT3 from TDS Racing. Second the #62 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 from HTP Motorsport. Third the #17 McLaren MP4-12C from Hexis Racing.
The French FFSA GT Tour headed to Ledenon this weekend, for the penultimate round of the 2013 season. A total of five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars were on site, coming from Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car.
Audi teams dominated last time out at Never-Magny-Cours, pole position for Sainteloc Racing and double race victories for Team Speed Car in both race 1 and race 2. The two Audi Sport customer racing teams were eager to perform well again, however it was a difficult weekend for the Audi R8 LMS ultra.
Race 1
The victorious duo at Nevers Magny-Cours last time out, Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril, were the best ranked Audi drivers during the first race at Lédenon. Their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car finished in ninth place after an eventful 1-hour race. Their sister car #009 finished twelfth with Pascal Destembert and Jimmy Antunes.
It was a much harder race 1 for Sainteloc Racing. The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Emmaunel Rodrigues and Gilles Lallement finished in sixteenth place, third in the Coupe de France GT class, open for Gentlemen drivers. The #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Marc Sourd and Mathieu Jaminet failed to finish. Unfortunately the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert was damaged and did not start the race.
Up ahead it was a 1-2 Ferrari 458 GT3 finish. The #20 car from Sofrev ASP won the race in front of the #27 machine from Sport Garage. Third was the #8 McLaren MP4-12C from Sebastien Loeb Racing. Race 1 results can be seen here.
Race 2 The second race, held on Sunday, was slightly better for Team Speed Car. Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril battled very well against their rivals from McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche. The two drivers came home in sixth place, driving their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The two drivers finished fourteen seconds behind the race winning McLaren.
The two Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were outside of the top 10. The #83 car of Emmaunel Rodrigues and Gilles Lallement finished in nineteenth place. The sister #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Marc Sourd and Mathieu Jaminet again failed to finish. The car retired after only two laps into the race.
The #009 Audi R8 LMS from Team Speed Car, driven by Pascal Destembert and Jimmy Antunes, did not start the race. The same case for the #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra of David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert, the Sainteloc Racing car was not able to take part in either of the two races.
Race victory went to the #8 McLaren MP4-12C from Sebastien Loeb Racing. Second was the #1 Porsche 997 GT3 R from Pro GT By Almeras, ahead of the sister #2 car. Race 2 results can be seen here.
The GT Tour series will head to Paul Ricard in southern France for the season finale, October the 26th and 27th.
Perfect second race for Audi at Nevers Magny-Cours today. A fine 1-2 victory for the Audi R8 LMS ultra, with a second straight win for Team Speed Car in a chaotic race.
Already winners yesterday, the #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Vincent Abril and Dino Lunardi took another sensational race win today. Youngster Vincent Abril had a heroic stint in the second part of the race. In the closing stages Vincent Abril passed several rivals on a slippery track with heavy rain. With only a few minutes left in the race, Abril made the winning move passing the leading Porsche 997 GT3 R. A great result for Team Speed Car, their third race win in the demanding French GT series this season.
In second place was another Audi, the #42 R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing, with drivers David Hallyday and Gregory Gulivert. Just like Vincent Abril, David Hallyday was able to finish the race very strongly. The popular French singer overtook a lot of rivals on track to reach a great second place in the end.
Another Audi also made it into the top 10, the #82 R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing. The car shared by Marc Sourd and Mathieu Jaminet finished in ninth place. The debuting #007 Audi R8 LMS (ex-Abt Sportsline) from Team Speed Car was nineteenth. The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing did not take part in the race.
Audi had a great first race at Magny-Cours in the French FFSA GT Tour series today. A sensational race win for Team Speed Car and their #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra.
The Audi squad performed very well earlier today in the two qualifying sessions, with a fine pole position for Sainteloc Racing. In the race the Audis were strong again. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car crossed the finish line victorious. A great race from their drivers Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril. They started from position nine on the grid and had impressive pace in the 1-hour sprint race. Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril took their second victory of the season, after their race win at Spa-Francorchamps a few weeks ago.
The #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing did really well during race one. The car finished in a very strong fifth, having started way back from sixteenth on the grid.
The pole-sitting #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing faced bad luck. The car driven by David Hallyday and Gregory Guilvert finished in seventh place, after a very eventful race.
Race 2 is set for tomorrow with live stream coverage available at www.gt-tour.fr.
After the long summer break the French GT Tour is resuming at Nevers Magny-Cours this weekend. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are taking part in the event, with great results so far for the Audi squad.
The #42 Audi R8 LMS from Sainteloc Racing had a great first qualifying session. A maiden pole position with the popular David Hallyday, with a fastest time of 1:57.881. Hallyday is sharing the car with Gregory Guilvert. The #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car qualified in ninth place, with drivers Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril. The remaining two Audi cars, both from Sainteloc Racing, were outside of the top 10. The #82 car was sixteenth and the #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing was twenty-fourth. The first qualifying session results can be seen here.
In the second qualifying session the Audi cars did well again. Mathieu Jaminet took a surprising and sensational third place with the #83 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Sainteloc Racing. Fourth was the #36 car from Team Speed Car with Dino Lunardi, who qualified the car this time. The #42 machine from Sainteloc Racing was fifth fastest in the hands of Gregory Gulivert. Only the #82 Audi R8 LMS ultra was outside of the top 10, the car qualified way back in twenty-fourth position. Up ahead it was a 1-2 Ferrari 458 GT3 front row. The second qualifying session results can be seen here.
The Audi teams performed well in France yesterday, GT Tour race 1 at Val de Viennes. For race 2 today there were hopes for strong performances from both Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car. Unfortunately that was not the case for the four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the field.
Race 2 today was harder compared to race 1 yesterday, for the Audi R8 LMS ultra teams. The best ranked Audi car was the #42 from Sainteloc Racing, which was classified sixth. The car is shared by drivers Gregory Guilvert and David Hallyday, yesterday they finished in fourth position. In seventh was the #36 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team Speed Car. The car driven by Dino Lunardi and Vincent Abril improved compared to their results yesterday in race 1.
The two Audis were fast, but unable to fight for podium positions today. Up ahead race victory went to the #8 McLaren Mp4-12C from Sebastien Loeb Racing. Second was the #1 Porsche 997 GT3 R from Pro GT by Almeras and third was the #16 Ferrari 458 Italia from Sofrev ASP.
The other remaining Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from Sainteloc Racing were further behind. The #83 Audi ended in fifteenth place and the sister #82 was in twenty-first position. The race 2 results can be seen here.
The next round of the French GT Tour will be at Magny-Cours, following a two month break, September 7th and 8th.
Val de Vienne is the home of the third French GT-Tour meeting this season. Four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are entered in the event, from Sainteloc Racing and Team Speed Car.
Race 1 has already been held this afternoon, after a very strong qualifying session earlier today. The Sainteloc Racing #42 Audi R8 LMS ultra, shared by Gregory Guilvert and David Hallyday, finished fourth. Both drivers battled really well on track, all race long, against the McLaren MP4-12C cars. Guilvert was hit by bad luck, whilst fighting for third place the McLaren in front of him, from Sebastien Loeb Racing, had a puncture, the Audi avoided it but let another McLaren from ART Grand Prix through. Overall it was an impressive race with good pace from the leading Audi car in the French GT series.
Bad luck also hit the single Audi R8 LMS ultra entry from Team Speed Car. Dino Lunardi ended in the gravel trap, whilst running in a strong sixth position with only a few laps before the checkered flag. The #36 Audi ended in fourteenth position. The other two Sainteloc Racing Audi cars were further down the order. The #83 R8 LMS ultra in seventeenth place and the #82 Audi was nineteenth.
Race victory went to the #16 Ferrari 458 GT3 from Sofrev ASP. Second the #27 Ferrari 458 GT3 from Sport Garage. Third the #12 McLaren MP4-12C from ART Grand Prix.
Race 2 is set for tomorrow. Best of luck for both Audi teams and their drivers.
