April 15, 2012
Source: Audi Motorsport
· DTM presentation in the capital of Hesse
· Audi named most successful motorsport brand in readers’ survey
· Audi R18 TDI lends its name to a chair construction
Ingolstadt, – Audi will be making a grand appearance at the DTM presentation next weekend. All eight Audi drivers, the new Audi A5 DTM, and 13 fascinating production cars will be on show.
A show in the city: Next Sunday, the roaring V8 sounds of the Audi A5 DTM will be heard in the heart of Wiesbaden at the official DTM presentation a week before the start of the season. The event will feature taxi trips that are just as exciting as the lightning-quick pit stops. The event will also feature Mattias Ekstrom’s new Red Bull Audi A5 DTM, a show car in the designs of Timo Scheider’s A5 DTM, and an A4 DTM taxi in the colors of last year’s winning car. The spectators at the show venue will also be treated to parades featuring a wide range of sporty production vehicles like the A1 Sportback, the Q3, the A4, the A6 allroad, the A5 Coupe, the S5 Cabrio, and the RS 5.
A taster: To gear the media up for the third DTM presentation in Wiesbaden, there will be a pre-event press conference in the ‘Fjodor Dostojewski’ hall of the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden on Monday (April 16), starting at 11:00. Rahel Frey will be attending the press conference for Audi. Afterward, the speakers, including the Mayor of Wiesbaden Dr. Helmut Muller, will be available for a photo opportunity together with DTM vehicles in front of the Kurhaus.
Motorsport recognition: The Audi brand stands for success in motorsport – and that’s not just according to the company itself. The special-interest magazine Auto Zeitung performed a survey among its readers and 58.7 percent of them said they associated Audi with motorsport success. The company therefore has a comfortable lead over Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche, and BMW.
In the heart of Austria: Mattias Ekström of Sweden presented an Audi DTM show car in central Vienna on Thursday. He was one of the top attractions for the public at the opening of the 16th Styrian Spring Festival on the square in front of Vienna’s city hall, where he was advertising the DTM race on the Red Bull Ring on June 3.
Motorsport-mad ski jumper: Gregor Schlierenzauer was given the opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. The Austrian ski jumper and winner of the Four Hills Tournament sat in an Audi DTM racing taxi and was absolutely delighted, and will no doubt turn up as a guest at one of this year’s DTM races.
A race car as a namesake: Audi is presenting its forward-looking project “R18 Ultra Chair – Public Beta” at the Salone del Mobile furnishing fair in Milan. Visitors to the fair are invited to try out this seat made of aluminum, carbon fiber, and a carbon-rubber compound at the Palazzo Clerici, while a thermal imaging camera visualizes the energy it emits. The chair takes its name from the Audi R18 TDI. A specimen of the ultralight Le Mans winner of 2011 will also be on show at the Salone del Mobile fair.
Podium finish in series opener: Edward Sandstroem (Sweden), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), and Marco Bonanomi (Italy) came second in the first weekend of racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series in Monza. Starting in 37th place, the trio put in an impressive comeback in their Audi R8 LMS ultra for the WRT team, ultimately finishing a mere 17.5 seconds behind the winning BMW after the race’s 77 laps.
Double victory in the Eifel: The journalist team racing for the special-interest magazine sport auto, Anja Wassertheurer, Daniela Schmid, and Adam Osieka, scored a victory in the second race of the VLN Endurance Championship. Gearing themselves up for the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring, the threesome won the SP4T category in an approximately 380 hp Audi TT RS entered by the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. A second TT RS racing for Raeder Motorsport finished in second place.
A word from … Oliver Jarvis
You got off to a good start in the FIA GT1 World Championship last week, coming second twice. How happy were you with your performance?
The WRT team celebrated 1-2 victories in both the qualifying session and the main race with the new Audi R8 LMS ultra. The team was excellently prepared and this was the perfect start to the season. In the second race, my team colleague Frank Stippler and I were even leading for a while, but we had a little difficulty with getting the front wheels up to the right temperature. I think we will have to expect some very strong competitors in the course of the year. Due to individual mistakes, it was difficult to gauge their performance. But that will change at the second race in Zolder.
You have also been signed up for the Nürburgring 24-hour race. What can you tell us about your first time there in 2010?
It’s a unique and quite simply crazy race. I will be lining up for WRT together with Andrea Piccini, Edward Sandström, and Allan Simonsen. When there are four drivers on such a big track, you perhaps only get the chance to put in two or three training laps before the actual race. It’s incredible, and also very demanding!
There’s also a major premiere looming on the horizon – you will be racing in the new Audi R18 ultra for the very first time in Spa on May 5. Are you excited?
I can’t wait! I drove that circuit quite a while ago in a Formula 3 car. And I have familiarized myself with and come to appreciate the R18 ultra during testing. Marco Bonanomi and I are both new and will be competing in our first race for the Audi sports car team. We need to try to learn as much as we can from our more experienced team colleagues. And I’m very much looking forward to that.
Coming up next week
16.04. Wiesbaden (D), DTM press conference with Rahel Frey
22.04. Wiesbaden (D), DTM presentation
22.04. Zolder (B), FIA GT1 World Championship and FIA GT3 European Championship, round 2
|
