Circuit Zolder in Belgium hosted the second round of the FIA GT Series last weekend. The main Championship Race on sunday saw an epic battle for the lead, which whent to the checkered flag. The battle was between the Audi R8 LMS ultra (Belgian Audi Club Team WRT) of local hero, Laurens Vanthoor, and the Lamborghini Gallardo (Reiter Engineering) of Slovakian driver Stephan Rozina. Audi didn't win in the end, but here is an extraordinary and very fair fight to the finish line, one of the most exciting GT battles in recent years.
The second round of the FIA GT Series took place at Zolder this weekend. Five Audi R8 LMS ultra cars from Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, Phoenix Racing and Team Novadriver entered the event, as was the case at round one in Nogaro.
The big news this weekend was that the Audis were all in their 2013 specification (minus the new rear diffuser). The Audis were fast at Nogaro and it was the case again in Belgium. The R8 LMS ultra cars were near the front during all the sessions and qualified well.
Race victory was achieved during the qualifying race when Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor took the win. Belgian Audi Club WRT scored a well deserved result with all three cars within the top five. The Phoenix Racing entry finished eighth and the Novadriver Audi in thirteenth, after a late race penalty.
This victory also marked the first race victory for a new 2013 specification Audi R8 LMS ultra. It will certainly be the first of many 2013 spec Audi victories around the world this year.
The #11 WRT Audi started the Championship Race from pole on Sunday. The Reiter Lamborghini managed to take the lead at the start perused by the #11 and #13 WRT Audis. The Audi positions stayed consistent during the opening stages with a good battle between the Phoenix #5 and WRT #12 Audis. The top three positions were maintained during the pitstop process, however Vanthoor put in the drive of the race to catch up to the leading Lamborgini. A terrific battle for the lead was seen with a clearly faster Vanthoor behind the defending Lamborgini. Vanthoor was unable to find his way past, but raced a very intelligent race, collected very valuable points and is now leading the FIA GT Series drivers points alongside Ortelli.
The #13 WRT Audi of Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler finished in third, followed by their teammates in #12 in fifth, ensuring a very good points haul for Belgian Audi Club Team WRT at their home event in Belgium.
The Belgian driver crewed Phoenix Audi R8 LMS ultra of Enzo Ide and Anthony Kumpen finished in sixth. Team Novadriver completed an excellent weekend for the Audi teams by placing in ninth. The #14 car driven by Cesar Campanico and Carlos Vieira completed the result so that all five Audis finished within the top ten.
The next round of the FIA GT Series will take place at Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Photo credit:V-Images / Endurance-Info
It’s time to enjoy racing in front of its many friends and fans for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, as the FIA GT Series heads to Zolder for its second round of the season. The home race has always a special taste and even more so when you come to it as the championship leaders. That’s exactly the case for Team WRT following its brilliant show in the season-opener at Nogaro, where it clinched a 1-2 in the Main race and another podium finish in the Qualifying race. Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler will fight hard to retain their lead in the Drivers’ standings, while Stéphane Ortelli and local hero Laurens Vanthoor, currently third, will try to futher climb up in the rankings. René Rast and Nicky Mayr-Melnhof lye 2nd in the Pro-Am category but may move into the Pro category over the weekend following their excellent start of the season. In the Teams’ ranking as well, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is the points leader and determined to stay in that position!
“Racing at home doesn’t add special pressure”, says Team Principal Vincent Vosse, “but it entails less travelling, and that’s always nice! We know there will be a lot of people at Zolder, the FIA GT race is one of the main events of the year for the circuit, and eventually, springtime also has arrived! All that should contribute to a very pleasant weekend. Most importantly for us, we aim at working well and at having again very good results, in order to retain or increase our leadership in both the Teams’ and Drivers’ standings. Last year, we also arrived at Zolder after a very successful first round at Nogaro and we had quite a difficult and disappointing weekend. That’s exactly what shouldn’t happen this time!”
The team had a very short turn-around time ahead Zolder, as the three cars were racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series last weekend at Monza. “There wasn’t much time to re-prepare the cars”, admits Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonné, “and we had also one of the cars needing more thorough repairs after the accident in pre-qualifying, but everything is ready and we feel quite confident.” This will be the first time the Audis R8 LMS ultra will race in the FIA GT Series in 2013 specifications, as the new kit was only very recently homologated by the FIA. “We need to see how the up-dates will work” explains Dieudonné, “and also check whether the Balance of Performance is not handicapping us. We all know how demanding Zolder can be, especially on brakes. Races at Zolder are never easy, but we’re always happy to go there.”
“Go there” is not exactly the right expression for at least one of he Team WRT drivers, as Laurens Vanthoor leaves literally next door to the track. “The circuit is only 200 meters from my home, but as the paddock entrance is on the other side, I’ll still have to take the bike to get there”, he says with an amused smile. The young Belgian will be the focus of a lot of attention, but he doesn’t seem to care much about that: “It’s a race like any other else. I like the track, I like seeing more friends, family and fans than usual, but that won’t distract me or make me feel less relaxed. In 2012, we had a bad weekend here but we won the 24 Hours later in the year. Everybody in the team is determined to do better, and that will be the only objective of Stéphane and myself.”
The agenda is similar for the other driver pairs of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. Frank Stippler and Edward Sandström, the current leaders in the Drivers’ standings, want to confirm their strong start, and the same feeling is shared by Nicky Mayr-Melnhof and René Rast. The Austro-German pair crossed the line as winners in the Main Race but later incurred in a penalty for a minor issue during one of the pit stops. They are eager to repeat their excellent performance in France and will know at the beginning of the weekend whether their status will change from the Pro-Am into the Pro category.
Members of the Belgian Audi Club will have another local hero to cheer: Anthony Kumpen is also from the Limburg region and will share the Audi R8 LMS ultra of Phoenix Racing with Enzo Ide, perfectly motivated by the two 4th places they took at Nogaro. Kumpen will also drive an R8 LMS in the round of the Belgian Racing Car Championship (BRCC) taking place over the weekend.
Both races of the FIA GT Series will kick-off at 14:15 hours, one on Saturday and one on Sunday and the positive weather forecast should attract big crowds!
Our friends at lendurance.co.uk, in association with Dailysportscar.com, have produced a great guide of GT3 racing in Europe. A great preview and presentation for both the Blancpain Endurance Series and the FIA GT Series.
Audi is highlighted within this guide with the R8 LMS ultra, as well as the teams representing the Ingolstadt brand in the Blancpain Endurance Series: Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, Phoenix Racing and Sainteloc Racing.
Phoenix Racing achieved two fourth places in the new FIA GT Series’ inaugural event at Nogaro, France. In the qualification race on Easter Sunday and in the main race on Easter Monday, the Belgians Anthony Kumpen and Enzo Ide in the Audi R8 LMS ultra just barely missed the podium. In addition, Phoenix Racing was able to celebrate victory in the pit stop competition.
“The drivers and the team have to gel first after all a lot of things are new, including the racing series and the Pirelli tyres. The learning curve was very steep in the inaugural event. Fourth row on the grid after qualifying and fourth place at the end of both races – that’s really good we can build on that,” said Team Director Ernst Moser, positively summing up the outcome.
In the super pole across two fast laps as the third qualifying segment, Anthony Kumpen set the eighth-best time and put the red-white Phoenix R8 designated as car number five on the fourth row of the grid. In good conditions and in front of a remarkable crowd, Ide and Kumpen, after the mandatory pit stop, step by step advanced to fourth place, which at the same time amounted to third place in the Pro class. The main race on Monday, also held for one hour, took place in pouring rain though and was started behind the safety car. Kumpen and – subsequently – Ide did not take any more risks than necessary and were nonetheless heading for a podium finish up to the last lap before a competitor surprised Ide with his attack.
“We’re happy about the results. Given that this was our first joint race, the outcome was more than respectable. In three weeks from now we’re travelling to Zolder, which is Enzo’s and my home track. That’s where we aim to make the next step forwards,” Anthony Kumpen summed up the event. “The team did a great job right from the outset, as winning the pit stop competition confirmed too,” added Enzo Ide.
In the aggregate of the two pit stops on Sunday and Monday, Phoenix Racing was clearly the front runner. “Everything fit together: the perfect entry and exit by the drivers and the quick work of the mechanics,” said a pleased Ernst Moser.
The Phoenix team boss had even more reasons to be pleased: “This was a promising premiere of the FIA GT Series with 24 sports cars, an impressive variety of brands, an international field plus nice and thrilling races. Including the comprehensive TV coverage, including live airing of the event on RTL Nitro, it was brilliant
It was an exciting season-opener for the new FIA GT Series at Nogaro, and a terrific start of the 2013 season for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT as it took a fantastic 1-2 overall in today's Main Race, a second in Saturday's Qualifying Race and a win and a second in the Pro-Am category.
The result on the track was even better, as René Rast and Nicky Mayr-Melnhof, who came a close second on Saturday, crossed the line first overall today, making it a 1-2-3, but the Pro-Am pair received a 30" penalty after the race for not having switched off the engine on time at the pit stop. This brought them down to sixth overall (and second in Pro-Am) but did not erase the excellent impression they left throughout the weekend. The overall win in the Main race went to their team-mates Frank Stippler-Edward Sandström, who had already taken the win points in the Pro category, while Stéphane Ortelli-Laurens Vanthoor finished second. These two cars concluded the weekend on a high note after an unlucky Race 1.
"What a great and emotional weekend", says Team Principal Vincent Vosse, still stunned by the results, "It's hard for me to put words to my feelings at this very moment, but I know three things were key to this success. First, the competitiveness of the Audis R8, for which we have to thank Audi Sport. Second, the job done by the entire team, especially at pit-stops which were critical to get in front of our competitors. And third, the wonderful performance of our drivers, all of them, who have done some great things, especially today. As always and as in any other formula, when races are wet, drivers make a difference, and we saw that today. The final stints of Edward and Laurens were outstanding, Nicky has had an incredible weekend, and it has to be recalled that he is not a pro, René was super fast and Frank and Stéphane perfect as always. It is really a privilege to have such drivers and such a good team spirit."
Things had started nicely for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT since qualifying, with the three cars making the top 10 and going into the final session awarding the pole, according to the new qualifying format. In the Superpole final session, René Rast was fastest with Stippler third and Ortelli fourth.
The Qualifying race saw Rast taking the lead, although being always under close attack from Parente, while Laurens Vanthoor was sent into the gravel at first corner by one of the BMWs and had to rejoin the race in last position. With Rast in permanent fight ("tough but always fair") with Parente and managing to keep him at bay, Sandström in third and Vanthoor climbing back positions up to fifth, thanks also to a safety-car period, things looked quite good. The pit stop, unfortunately, resulted fatal for car #13 as a fuse problem provoked its retirement. Soon after, car #11 was hit again by another competitor, with Ortelli spinning and suffering a puncture. He rejoined the race to finish 16th. In the lead, Mayr-Melnhof had some breathing space, thanks to the very fast pit stop of Team WRT, but got caught by Sébastian Loeb in the closing laps, with the rally legend passing the Austrian in the last minutes.
Main race on Sunday was definitely a wet race, with the start given behind safety-car. Mayr-Melnhof would keep P2 throughout his stint, while Ortelli and Stippler had to charge from the back of the grid and stabilize in P10 and P12, respectively. The pit-stop proved crucial, as Rast goes back to the track first, Sandström is fourth and Vanthoor eighth. The leader will be attacked, touched and sent into a spin by Parente, but the drive-through imposed on the McLaren gave back first place to Rast, who took the win (only provisionally, alas, before before the 30-second penalty after the race). The closing laps saw a festival by Sandström and Vanthoor, who were in an incredible form and managed some breath-taking moves to take a second and a third respectively that later became the definitive 1-2. "It was one of the best drives of my life", commented Vanthoor after crossing the line while an elated Sandström admitted: "The Scandinavian weather conditions suited me perfectly!".
Having collected two fourths, it was also a good weekend for the other Belgian Audi Club members, Anthony Kumpen and Enzo Ide, with the Phoenix Racing R8.
Following this excellent start, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT can head to the second round of the FIA GT Series, at Zolder in three weeks time, with the assurance that fans will flock to support the squad at its home race. Before that, on 13-14 April, the team will visit Monza for the season-opener of the Blancpain Endurance Series.
The Audi teams continued their good form at Nogaro today. The first FIA GT Series main Championship Race of the year yielded very good results, in what was eventually coined as an Audi procession.
The main Championship Race got underway in wet condition on Monday afternoon. Sebastian Loeb lead the field in his McLaren closely followed by Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof in the #12 WRT Audi, who remained in contention during the entire first stint.
During the pitstops Rast was able to leapfrog the Loeb entry which was then driven by Parente. A battle ensued which saw Parente touching Rast into a half spin. Rast recovered and began chasing down the leading McLaren. Parente was eventually called into the pits due to a pitlane infringement. This left Rast out in the lead with plenty still happening behind him.
Sandström in the #13 Audi muscled his way into second place and in doing so took the lead of the Pro class, as the #11 was the overall and pro-am leader. A battle for third had developed between the #5 Phoenix Racing Audi of Ide and Kumpen and a Mercedes-Benz. Vanthoor put on what could be described as the drive of the race as he caught the third place battle and passed both cars to claim third place. This resulted in a WRT 1-2-3 which was held to the line. This result saw WRT winning both classes with Phoenix Racing finishing fifth overall and Team Novadriver claiming second in the Pro-Am class, a 1-2 finish for Audi in the two classes.
However, following the race the #11 WRT car of Rast and Mayr-Melnhof received a thirty second penalty, dropping them to eighth overall and second in class. The penalty was given due to their engine not having been switched off during the entire re-fueling process. The overall and pro class race winners were thus the #13 WRT entry of Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler. The penalty also promoted the Team Novadriver Audi to the pro-am victory with drivers Cesar Campanico and Carlos Vieira.
The next round of the FIA GT Series will take place at Zolder in Belgium. Championship Race results can be seen HERE. Photo credit: Laurent Chauveau/Endurance-Info/86400.fr
An action packed qualifying race at Nogaro has started the 2013 FIA GT Series. The five Audi R8 LMS ultra cars who all qualified well yesterday faced different fates today.
The #12 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Belgian Audi Club Team WRT finished in a very strong second place after titanic battles for race lead with the winning McLaren MP4-12C of Sebastien Loeb Racing. The car shared by fast Rene Rast and Niki Mayr-Melnhof started from pole position. Rene Rast had a great start and battled hard with McLaren factory driver, Alvaro Parente, in some of the most exiting battles in recent years of GT racing. After the wave of pit stops the Belgian team was able to send Niki Mayr-Melnhof out in front ahead of Sebastien Loeb. The Austrian Audi driver held onto his lead for many laps, as he resisted the WRC legend, before ultimately loosing the lead. Not bad for a car listed as a Pro-Am car. Phoenix Racing #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Belgians Anthony Kumpen and Enzo Ide finished in a strong fourth place. The Portuguese #14 car of Cesar Campanico and Carlos Viera were right behind in fifth. The #11 WRT car of Laurens Vanthoor and Stépahne Ortelli were a lap down in sixteenth, due to contact for Vanthoor with a BMW Z4 in the first lap. Later a tire issue sent Stéphane Oretlli's R8 into the gravel trap. The #13 machine of Edward Sandstrom and Frank Stippler had a very disappointing DNF.
The Championship race is set for tomorrow afternoon. The starting order will be the same as in today's championship race standings. Fingers crossed for the three Audi customer teams.
The new FIA GT Series starts this weekend in France at Nogaro. Five Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are there and things started very well for the Audi squad. A sensational pole position for Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and Rene Rast.
All the five Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were with "old" 2012 specifications. The brand new 2013 upgrades are not homologated yet by the FIA. Still the Audi squad did really great in a very close qualifying session. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT put their three cars in the top five. Even better, the outright pole was from a Pro-Am car, the #12 Audi R8 LMS ultra of René Rast and Niki Mayr-Melnhof. Rast the double Porsche Supercup champion was able to beat the quick pair of McLaren MP4-12C cars from Sebastien Loeb Racing. Frank Stippler and Edward Sandstrom ended in fourth with the #13 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Stéphane Oretlli the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series champion and Laurens Vanthoor the new Audi works GT driver were fifth with the #11 R8.
The other two teams did well too. The Portuguese from Team Novadriver landed in a very strong sixth with Cesar Campanico and Carlos Viera driving the #14 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Phoenix Racing entering a single R8 LMS ultra at Nogaro finished in ninth with Belgian duo Anthony Kumpen and Enzo Ide.
Day 1 at Nogaro was more than positive for Audi. The qualifying race is set for tomorrow with a live stream available on the official series website www.fiagtseries.com. We wish the best of luck to the three Audi Sport customer racing teams.
Three Audi R8 LMS ultra in the FIA GT Series and in the Blancpain Endurance Series
The Nürburgring and Zolder 24 Hour races also in the team’s diary
Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor joined by international stars
The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT invited the press today at its premises in Baudour to present its 2013 sporting programme. Not a short one, it must be said!
The Belgian team will enter three Audi R8 LMS ultra – in 2013 specifications – in both the Blancpain Endurance Series and the FIA GT Series. In the new sprint series launched by SRO, Swedish driver Edward Sandström will partner with Germany’s Frank Stippler, while another car will be driven by Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor and Monaco’s Stéphane Ortelli. «These two line-ups composed of drivers who are already part of the WRT family will be joined by a third duo, entered in the Pro-Am category, composed of Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof from Austria and Germany’s René Rast», explains Belgian Audi Club Team WRT team principal Vincent Vosse. «René has repeatedly confirmed in recent years that he is a top GT driver and Nikolaus has done an excellent season with Vita4One last year. The pair can certainly aim at the Pro-Am title! Our objective as a team is to do better than the third place conquered in 2012.»
The FIA GT Series will kick-off this weekend with the traditional ‘Coupes de Pâques’ at the Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro, in South-West France. Saturday’s qualifying session will give a first glimpse of the 2013 hierarchy, while the one-hour Qualifying Race will start at 2:30 pm on Sunday. The Championship Race, also of one hour duration, will start at 2:15 pm on Easter Monday, following the Easter Cup tradition. ./..
As in the FIA GT Series, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will enter three cars also in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Once again, the driver line-ups have been carefully selected, in cooperation with Audi Sport. «We have been the Drivers’ and Teams’ Champions for two years in a row, in 2011 and 2012 », reminds Vincent Vosse, «and we hope to do as well this year!»
To that end, the team has called in some of the drivers involved in the FIA GT Series. René Rast will partner Laurens Vanthoor and Stéphane Ortelli while Edward Sandström and Frank Stippler will be joined by German driver Christopher Mies, a member of the Champion trio last year. Another of the FIA GT Series drivers, Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, will team up with the fast New-Zealander Matt Hallyday, who shone in GT1 last year, and Switzerland’s Rahel Frey, who joins straight from the DTM. This year, the three Audis R8 LMS ultra of the Belgian squad will be included in the Pro Cup category.
This double programme, which includes the Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, will be complemented with two other one-day races : the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on 19-20 May and the 24 Hours of Zolder on 31st August-1st September. At both instances, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be present with a single car entry. «It’s still too early to announce the names of the drivers at the wheel of WRT’s cars in those two races», says Vincent Vosse, «but what I can say is that we won’t go there just to fill the grid.»
No doubt: the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is committed defend Audi’s nametag in the GT scene and the 2013 season promises to be busy and exciting !
2013 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Driver Line-ups
FIA GT Series #11 Stéphane Ortelli (MC) - Laurens Vanthoor (BE) (Pro) #12 Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof (AT) - René Rast (DE) (Pro-Am) #13 Edward Sandström (SE) - Frank Stippler (DE) (Pro)
Blancpain Endurance Series #1 Stéphane Ortelli (MC) - Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) - René Rast (DE) (Pro) #2 Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof (AT) – Matt Halliday (NZ) - Rahel Frey (CH) (Pro) #13 Edward Sandström (SE) - Frank Stippler (DE) – Christopher Mies (DE) (Pro)
Phoenix Racing will compete with two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the Blancpain Endurance Series (BES). The current GT1 World Champion Markus Winkelhock (D) together with the two Belgians Anthony Kumpen and Enzo Ide will be driving one of the two 560-hp GT3 sports cars whereas the BES title defender Christopher Haase (D), the Briton Oliver Jarvis and the Swiss Harold Primat will take turns at the wheel of the second Phoenix cockpit. In addition, Ernst Moser’s team will participate in the newly formed FIA GT Series. Kumpen/Ide will be driving the Phoenix R8 at the season opener at Nogaro, France, on 01 April.
"Over the past few years the Blancpain Endurance Series has evolved into a fiercely competitive and popular endurance racing series in Europe,” says Phoenix Team Director Ernst Moser. More than 50 GT3 sports cars of all makes will be on the grid at the five rounds, causing plenty of action that RTL will now be reporting about as part of their Formula One coverage as well. “Endurance racing has always been a Phoenix domain and therefore it’s practically a must for us to run in the Blancpain Endurance Series and to take on the enormous competition in this huge field of entrants," affirms Ernst Moser.
During the two official test days at Le Castellet no less than 62 GT3 sports cars made for a lot of on-track traffic. Phoenix Racing, based at the industrial park in Meuspath, was in Southern France as well for testing with the R8 LMS ultra that Audi Sport has again subjected to further development in many details for the 2013 season and that not least thanks to a massive rear diffuser delivers notably improved aerodynamic efficiency.
“All of them are great, tradition-steeped circuits,” says Ernst Moser and adds, “At Spa, Phoenix has clinched an amazing two overall victories and at the finale in front of a home audience it would obviously be a dream to clinch a podium position.”
Phoenix Racing has entered the newly created FIA GT Series with an Audi R8 LMS ultra for Anthony Kumpen and Enzo Ide. “We want to support SRO, the organiser of this new championship, especially as we find the format with two one-hour races interesting and because RTL will not only cover the Blancpain Series but also report about the new FIA GT Series,” says Ernst Moser. “On top of this come economic considerations because thanks to the largely identical regulations and without clashing dates the cars can be entered in both the BES and the FIA GT. We’re eager to see how this new racing series will develop.”
The calendar of the FIA GT Series features six rounds. After the opening round at Nogaro (F) on 01 April races at Zolder, Belgium (21 April), Zandvoort, the Netherlands (07 July), at the Slovakiaring near Slovakia’s capital Bratislava (13 October) and at Navarra, Spain (13 October) will follow. The venue of the final round (16 or 23 November) is yet to be determined.
Phoenix Racing has been relying on the R8 ever since it made its racing debut in 2009 and has celebrated numerous successes with the customer sport race car from Audi. In 2012 alone the team based in the Eifel region won three classic endurance events: the Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia plus the two 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.
Ever since the company was founded in 1999, putting Phoenix Racing GmbH on two supporting pillars has been part of Managing Director Ernst Moser’s business philosophy. The DTM and GT racing form these two key areas in which Phoenix has been consistently pursuing its ambitious aims with highly motivated employees.
“Phoenix is at home in the DTM and in GT racing. This is where we feel comfortable and are able to fight with the competition for victories and titles on an equal footing,” says Ernst Moser. “Our two squads, DTM and GT, by and large work autonomously and are focused on their particular tasks. In the DTM, as Audi Sport Team Phoenix with Mike Rockenfeller and Miguel Molina, we’re going to leave no stone unturned to bring the title back to Audi with the Audi RS 5 DTM. And in the GT3 the new Audi R8 LMS ultra and our seasoned campaigners give us all the prerequisites we need for clinching further successes in 2013.”
Team Novadriver from Portugal have completed their second 2013 pre-season test this week. The team were testing their two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars at Estoril following their test at Braga last week. Both cars are being upgraded to the new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra specification.
One of the team’s two cars has already been upgraded to full 2013 specification and the second car is in an intermediate state of the upgrade. Visually the second car already has the new exhaust set up and now only needs the new rear wing and diffuser to be installed.
It was announced earlier that the Novadriver team will be competing in the FIA GT Series and the Portuguese GT Championship. The final driver combinations were also announced at the end of the Estoril test. The FIA GT Series entry will be driven by Cesar Campanico and Carlos Vieira. The Portuguese GT Championship will see a two-car entry driven by Cesar Campanico / Carlos Vieira / Mikko Eskelinen and João Figueiredo / João Ramos / Antti Buri.
The team states: “Ambition? Winning!” and we wish the team the best of luck for another sensational motorsport season.
Two Audi teams were seen testing at Zolder on Thursday, Phoenix Racing and PK Carsport. The big news on the day was the presence of the car from Phoenix Racing, a 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra (car #5 on the day). It was revealed this week that Anthony Kumpen and Enzo Ide will be driving for Phoenix in the Blancpain Endurance Series and the FIA GT Series. Kumpen will also be diving an older Audi R8 LMS (car #7 on the day) for PK Carsport in the BRCC this year, thus both cars were testing at Zolder. The Phoenix R8 LMS race-taxi (car #3 on the day) also took part in the test session.
This was not the first publically known test for a new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Hitotsuyama Racing was the first when they tested at Fuji Speedway last weekend. A number of pitlane photos were posted by the team and RacerLink, which can be seen HERE. However, no on-track photos were posted from the Fuji test, thus the photos from the test at Zolder are some of the very first on-track photos available of a new 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra.
The Phoenix Racing car looks beautiful, and these testing photos give us a glimpse into the future, as a number of these new specification cars will be racing all over the world this year. The new car looks very much the same as the previous ultra, but various alterations have been made, you can read more about that HERE.
Exciting times lie ahead as more new Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are expected to emerge as the 2013 season finally begins to pick up speed.
