Audi R8 LMS hits the RING this weekend!

[bz888]

Great find Bodhii!! That is awesome!! What a car! What a driver!!

[Styler50]

What an awesome result!!! This is just the begining! R8 LMS will dominate!!!

Hey does anyone know where we can watch the race online? Or download it?

Ditto!!!

Great Pics and video.

[Bodhii]

Ultimate endurance test for new Audi R8 LMS

* GT3 sports car competes in Nurburgring 24-hour race
* Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing with two cars each
* High-caliber driver line-ups featuring four DTM Champions

Ingolstadt - In the course of the further development of the Audi R8 LMS, an ultimate endurance test is on the agenda for the new GT3 sports car of AUDI AG at the end of May: On May 23/24, Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing, with "factory" support by Audi, will field a total of four vehicles in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.

"The 24 Hours is not only one of the biggest motorsport events in Germany," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is considered one of the world’s toughest and most demanding race tracks. Similar to Sebring for the sports prototypes, it is superbly suited for revealing the final improvement potential of any new race car. This is exactly what we’re planning to do at the 24-hour race before delivering the R8 LMS to customers, starting this fall."

The Audi R8 LMS delivering some 500 hp has so far completed two "test" races as part of the BFGoodrich Endurance Championship on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and already clinched a podium result in the process. Another "test" race is planned for May 2. On that day, the 14 drivers scheduled to contest the 24-hour race will be at the wheel of the four vehicles.

Teams ABT Sportsline and Phoenix Racing managed to form high-caliber driver squads consisting of five current Audi "factory" drivers, four DTM Champions, four Le Mans winners and five drivers who have won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring at least once. All 14 drivers are regarded as outstanding endurance racers who are intimately familiar with the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.

They include the reigning DTM Champion Timo Scheider, who - together with his DTM teammate Mattias Ekström and three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner - will compete for Team ABT Sportsline. On the occasion of the Audi brand’s 100th anniversary, their Audi R8 LMS will contest the event as car number 100. The second ABT Sportsline R8 will be driven by Christian Abt, Jean-François Hemroulle, Pierre Kaffer and Lucas Luhr.

Marc Basseng, Mike Rockenfeller and Frank Stippler will drive one of the two cars of Team Phoenix Racing. With the multiple Le Mans winners Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Hans-Joachim Stuck as well as Marcel Fässler at the wheel, the second R8 LMS fielded by Phoenix Racing has a particularly prominent ****pit crew.

With three overall victories under his belt so far, Hans-Joachim Stuck, who has been the Motorsport Representative of the Volkswagen Group since January 2008, is one of most successful drivers of the 24-hour race. Lucas Luhr, Emanuele Pirro, Timo Scheider and Mike Rockenfeller have entered their names on the winners’ list of the endurance classic as well.

Also Team Phoenix Racing has already won the Nürburgring 24 hours. It triumphed at its home race in the Eifel region in 2003. The best result (second place) achieved by ABT Sportsline so far dates back to 2003 as well.

The 37th edition of the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race will start on Saturday, May 23, at 4 p.m. (local time). Practice sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday. The sports channel DSF will air extensive live coverage from the Nürburgring.

The Audi teams at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring:

Audi R8 LMS #97 (ABT Sportsline)
Christian Abt (D)
Jean-François Hemroulle (B)
Pierre Kaffer (D)
Lucas Luhr (D)

Audi R8 LMS #98 (Phoenix Racing)
Marc Basseng (D)
Frank Stippler (D)
Mike Rockenfeller (D)

Audi R8 LMS #99 (Phoenix Racing)
Frank Biela (D)
Marcel Fässler (CH)
Emanuele Pirro (I)
Hans-Joachim Stuck (A)

Audi R8 LMS #100 (ABT Sportsline)
Mattias Ekström (S)
Timo Scheider (D)
Marco Werner (D)

[Bodhii]

In a warm-up race prior to the big 2009 24 hr. Nurburgring, Audi R8 LMS cars finishes 2nd and 3rd at Nurburgring today in the ADAC H&R Cup



Rennwertung "51. ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup" nach Plätzen | Seite 1
Platz Start-Nr. Sponsor
Bewerber
Fahrer Fahrzeug
Sponsorcard Runden
Gesamtzeit Rückstand
Intervall Schn. Runde
Zeit
1 117 Manthey Racing ...
Porsche 911 GT3..
Tiemann, Marcel
Lieb, Marc 27
4:00:04.371
2
8:25.064

2 77 Phoenix Racing ...
Audi R8 LMS
Basseng, Marc
Fässler, Marcel
Rockenfeller, Mike
Stippler, Frank 27
4:00:05.352 00.981
00.981 26
8:30.481

3 81 Abt Sportline,
Audi R8 LMS
Abt, Christian
Hemroulle, Jean Francois
Kaffer, Pierre
Luhr, Lucas
27
4:00:08.206 3.835
2.854 23
8:29.345

[Bodhii]

Suday's results at Silverstone FIA GT3
Results: 2009 Round 1 - Silverstone
Result
Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg

1 M Martin/Lesoudier Morgan Aero Super Sport 1:00:18.827
158.56
2 AU Haase/Mies Audi R8 LMS 1:00:37.531 31 18.704 157.74
3 AU Campanico/Armindo Audi R8 LMS 1:00:41.922 31 23.095 157.55
4 AM Rodrigues/Accary Aston Martin DBRS9 1:00:42.103 31 23.276 157.54
5 AM Makowiecki/Rodrigues Aston Martin DBRS9 1:01:01.774 31 42.947 156.70
6 P Bergmeister/Jirik Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 1:01:05.055 31 46.228 156.56

[bz888]

Awesome results!!! The R8 IS the track MONSTA we all want it be!

[ozmunky]

Would love to see the R8 at Bathurst .....

[riverflyer]

Bodhii, nice vid, thanks