Audi R8 LMS GT2
Audi customers dominate at season opener: The two customer teams LP Racing and PK Carsport prevailed with one victory each at the GT2 European Series opener in Monza. In the first race, Henry Hassid – last year’s champion in the amateur category – now achieved overall victory with teammate Anthony Beltoise. In their first race together for LP Racing, the French driver duo prevailed from sixth on the grid over the course of 50 minutes of racing. Beltoise took the lead from KTM driver Jan Krabec after the pit stop on the 18th race lap. Stéphane Ratel and Mattia di Giusto improved from ninth on the grid to third in another Audi. In the second race, PK Carsport gained revenge after last year’s champion team had retired in the first race due to an accident. Peter Guelinckx and Stienes Longin had started from position one but lost two places in slipstream duels on the high-speed circuit. However, after a penalty for an opponent, the Belgian Audi was back in second and ended up winning the race after the leading KTM was given a 51-second penalty. Guelinckx/Longin thus recorded their first joint success. Second place went to Hassid/Beltoise, who now lead the standings with a 16-point advantage over Guelinckx/Longin. Pierre Kaffer/Michael Doppelmayer in another Audi are tied for third place with 27 points, as are Štefan Rosina/Nicolas Saelens in a KTM.
Audi R8 LMS GT4
European success in Monza: Team Speedcar won the first race of the GT4 European Series by a razor-thin margin. After Benjamin Lariche and Robert Consani in the French team’s Audi R8 LMS GT4 were fastest in all practice sessions, they also decided the one-hour race in Italy in their favor. The two Frenchmen did not let a 25-minute race interruption after the accident of an opponent throw them out of their rhythm. Although Gaël Castelli in an Audi of the CSA Racing team briefly took the lead, Robert Consani regained the lead after the pit stop. In the end, he won by half a second ahead of two BMW cars.
Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)
Eight trophies in one weekend: The first round of the TCR Italy was a true festival for Audi’s numerous customer teams. In the first sprint race at Imola, Franco Girolami from Team Aikoa Racing in second place was the best of a total of 13 drivers who relied on an RS 3 LMS. In the second race, last year’s European champion took the lead after a safety car phase and won by just under one and a half seconds. After the opening event, he is second in the standings, three points behind. The number of TCR race cars was so large that teams with models equipped with DSG gearboxes held two separate races. Carlotta Fedeli led an Audi one-two-three in the first event ahead of Vedat Ali Dalokay and Paolo Palanti. Dalokay won the second race ahead of Fedeli and Filippo Barberi, who also drove an Audi. Fedeli and Dalokay share the TCR DSG standings lead with 75 points each.
Podium at the Nürburgring: A privateer driver duo achieved third place in the Audi RS 3 LMS as the best result in the TCR class at the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers. Artur Goroyan/Roman Mavlanov from Team MSC Sinzig e. V. im ADAC achieved the result with the DSG variant of the touring car in the second, four-hour race on Sunday.
Third place in club racing: Team Sheard Autosport returned from the second round of the British Endurance Championship with a trophy. Jonathan Beeson/George Heler steered the Audi RS 3 LMS to third place in their class over the course of two hours of racing at Brands Hatch.
Termine der nächsten Woche
28–30/04 Hockenheim (D), round 1, ADAC TCR Germany
28–30/04 Hockenheim (D), round 1, GTC Race
28–30/04 Portimão (P), round 1, TCR World Tour
28–30/04 Portimão (P), round 1, TCR Europe
28–30/04 Perth (AUS), round 2, GT World Challenge Australia
28–30/04 Avondale (USA), round 3, GT America
28–30/04 Avondale (USA), round 2, GT4 America
29–30/04 Hockenheim (D), round 1, Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy
29–30/04 Hungaroring (H), round 2, Eset Cup
29–30/04 Hungaroring (H), round 2, TCR Eastern Europe
29–30/04 Río Hondo (RA), round 3, TCR South America
29–30/04 Portimão (P), round 1, International GT Open
30/04 Mugello (I), round 1, Coppa Italia Turismo Endurance
