October 4, 2012
Source: Audi Media
· Second place finish for the APR Audi R8 GRAND-AM
· Dr. Jim Norman and Dion von Moltke battle until the last lap
· Team strategy plays important role at Lime Rock Park
The 13th round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series at Lime Rock proved successful for the Audi R8 GRAND-AM race car. The car placed second in the GT category after 2 hours and 45 minutes of racing on the 1.5 mile road course. The podium appearance is the team’s first since Audi joined the 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series for a full season commitment.
APR made a driver change early in the race, after a flawless effort by Dr. Jim Norman in extreme traffic on the short 7-turn course. Von Moltke battled back from 12th position after pushing very hard to make up ground causing him to spin-out early during his first stint. A great strategy decision midway through the second stint allowed the Audi R8 GRAND-AM to conserve fuel for a shorter final pit stop. This tactic helped APR and von Moltke move up the field to 3rd position on the final re-start. Resisting pressure from behind for the final 30 minutes of the race, the Audi R8 GRAND-AM had a firm hold on 3rd place. With less than 2 minutes to go, the race leader in the GT class was forced to pit to take on fuel, securing 2nd place for the APR team.
“The result was a complete team effort. Everyone performed to the best of their ability and gave us the right car to battle,“ said APR race driver Dion von Moltke. “Thanks to great strategy calls and pit stops, we were able to move into 3rd position on the final re-start. And thanks to the engineering efforts from APR and Audi, we were able to move up to second position just before the checkered flag. The support from the Audi fans at the trophy presentation was amazing.“
“There were a few very good strategic calls made by APR during the race and strong heads up play by the team,“ commented Brad Kettler, Director of Operations for Audi Sport customer racing, USA. “The strategy for track position gave Audi the opportunity to stay on the lead lap, which was critical for the final pit stop and improving our position. The race car was also quite competitive at Lime Rock Park and Dion held off significant pressure from behind during the final minutes of the race. We are very proud and hope for more success in the future“.
Live timing and scoring is available during every event weekend on GRAND-AM.COM or from your mobile device on M.GRAND-AM.COM. Please click on the links below for more information about Audi Sport customer racing teams.
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