Audi drivers top in Asia and Europe

Audi R8 LMS GT2

Most successful weekend of the season: Audi’s customers experienced their most successful weekend to date at the fourth event of the GT2 European Series in Portugal. A one-two-three and a one-two in the two races mean that a privateer team with the Audi R8 LMS GT2 is back at the top of the standings. In the first race on the Portimão circuit, Luca Pirri’s Italian team LP Racing managed a one-two-three. Henry Hassid/Anthony Beltoise won ahead of Stéphane Ratel/Mattia di Giusto and Michael Doppelmayr/Pierre Kaffer. While Hassid/Beltoise were leading in a commanding manner after setbacks by various opponents, Mattia di Gusto ousted a rival from second place three minutes before the end of the race. Audi Sport driver Pierre Kaffer, who was on the grid with Michael Doppelmayr, improved from ninth to third place, which he secured after a strong drive in the last of 27 laps. In the second race, Peter Guelinckx/Stienes Longin prevailed. It was the third win of the season for the Belgian driver duo from Team PK Carsport. Second place went to Henry Hassid/Anthony Beltoise, who are thus back at the top of the standings for the first time since the season opener at Monza. They now have a three-point lead in the Pro-Am standings over a driver duo from KTM, with Guelinckx/Longin third.

Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)

Series of successes in the TCR Europe continued: With a quadruple victory in the first race and a triple win in the second sprint at Le Castellet, Comtoyou Racing remains the benchmark. Jean-Michel Baert’s Belgian squad scored its eighth and ninth wins of the season with the victories of John Filippi and Kobe Pauwels. Filippi was delighted with an unchallenged start-finish victory in the first sprint with the Audi RS 3 LMS ahead of his teammates Nicola Baldan and Kobe Pauwels. Tom Coronel had dropped from second to fourth position after a weak start. In the second race, junior driver Kobe Pauwels celebrated his fourth win of the season after initially battling for the lead with Hyundai driver Levente Losonczy, as did teammate Viktor Davidovski. At the end of a race rich in overtaking maneuvers, Pauwels won by four seconds ahead of teammate Nicola Baldan. He was followed 3.4 seconds behind by Tom Coronel, who has a 37-point lead over John Filippi in the standings with two events to go in the season. With Pauwels and Davidovski, two more Audi drivers follow in the next ranks. Likewise, Comtoyou Racing leads the team standings while Pauwels is best of seven rookies.

Two trophies in Scotland: At the fourth round of the TCR UK, two Audi privateer drivers achieved podium results with the RS 3 LMS at Knockhill. In the first race, Rob Boston Racing’s Jac Constable was the best of six Audi drivers in the field in second place. In the third race, his teammate Joe Marshall recorded third position.

Two victories at the season opener: The Audi customer team Aikoa Racing was the best team on the first race weekend of the Coppa Italia Turismo Endurance. Tiziano Bergamasco/Tommaso Fossati in the Audi RS 3 LMS won the two 55-minute races at Misano. As the third-best team in the TCR category, Pierluigi Moscone/Tomas Apostoli from Calcagni Motorsport in another Audi RS 3 LMS completed the podium in the first race. In the second race, they finished in second place.

Second place in Lithuania: The Acitool.com by DMK Racing Team scored a podium result in the Aurum 1006 km Race on the Palanga circuit. Deividas Sakalauskas/Marius Kemešys/Tomas Urbonavičius/Leandras Stulpinas crossed the finish line in second place in the TCR class in the Audi RS 3 LMS.

Audi R8 LMS GT4

Two class wins in South Africa: Joseph Ellerine looks back on a successful weekend in the G&H Transport Extreme Supercars Series. On the fifth race weekend in East London, the privateer prevailed in both sprint races in his class in the Audi R8 LMS GT4.