Audi R8 LMS as title defender at Bathurst |  |
| Audi R8 LMS as title defender at Bathurst Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:00 AM PST Last years Bathurst 12 Hour was Audi’s maiden race of the 2011 season. With seven championship titles across Europe in the past 24 months, Audi was very confident in the Audi R8 LMS as they should have been. With a 1-2 in qualifying, Team Joest went on to finish the same and winning the 2011 Bathurst 12 Hour. Next weekend, Audi customer sport will once again take on the 3.8 mile circuit. This time Team Phoenix Racing will fill the shoes and again field two R8 LMS cars. Christopher Mies, Darryl O’Young and Christer Jons will share the no1 car with Mark Eddy, Craig Lowndes, and Warren Luff sharing the no2 car. A total of 33 cars will be on the grid for Sundays race. The Audi R8 LMS will compete at the 12-hour race at Bathurst on February 26 as the title defender. Audi customer sport celebrated a one-two result on the legendary Australian race track at the beginning of the 2011 season. This year, Team Phoenix Racing as well is set on battling for overall victory with two R8 LMS cars – and the two race cars fielded by the DTM-winning team from the Eifel are causing a stir even before the event. A kangaroo and a spider: The two Audi R8 LMS from Phoenix Racing unmistakably stand for Australia’s wildlife. The black GT3 race car designated as number “1” displays the typical yellow road sign with the marsupial on its flanks. And the graphics of the white number “2” show a Redback spider and its web. This brings back fond memories to Audi fans. On December 31, 2000, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish won the “Millennium Race” at Adelaide, Australia, in an Audi R8 sporting the now legendary crocodile design.
The entertaining exterior though is not designed to – and should not – mislead anyone about the high ambitions pursued by the run as two prominent driver teams supported by Audi Sport customer racing – Audi’s customer sport department – and Audi Australia are to drive for overall victory yet again. Like last year, the home round to the Australian trio is about fighting for a great honor. Mark Eddy, the current Australian GT Champion in the Audi R8 LMS, is sharing the cockpit of car number “2” with Australia’s touring car legend, the three-time V8 Supercar Champion Craig Lowndes, and Warren Luff. Lowndes set the fastest race lap last year in the Audi R8 LMS, Luff achieved the fastest time in qualifying. Two of the three winners from last year – the German Christopher Mies and Darryl O’Young from Hong Kong – are at the wheel of car number “1.” Their new team-mate Christer Jons (Germany) is making his debut in Australia. For Phoenix Racing, the fifth continent is new territory as well whereas the field of “endurance racing” is not. The German team proved its marathon qualities by achieving two overall victories at the Nurburgring 24 Hours and one at the Spa 24 Hours as well as numerous other podium places and class victories. In addition, Ernst Moser’s squad that has been part of the program from day one and a long-standing partner of quattro GmbH knows the R8 LMS inside and out. Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing: “The Australian market is very important for Audi. In view of this, we are very happy to be able to compete and make our mark at this prestigious race.” Phoenix Racing is meeting strong rivals in the GT3 class at Bathurst. A total of 33 cars will be on the grid, including an Audi R8 LMS from United Autosports. The Anglo-American customer sport team is competing for the first time with the native South African Mark Patterson, the Franco-Chinese Alain Li and Frank Yu from Hong Kong at the 12-hour race. For the fans and the drivers, the 6.213-kilometer race track at Mount Panorama is a dream. The roller-coaster circuit features a 170-meter vertical difference, includes 23 turns, makes for high suspense with its unusual radii and barriers close to the track and is considered the home of Australian motorsport. It is also the venue of the annual Bathurst 1000 race which Craig Lowndes has decided in his favor as many as five times. Fans around the world can watch the qualifying sessions and the race via live streaming provided by the organizer at Audi TV. Topics of the weekend
Track info
Warren Luff about Bathurst: “Bathurst is a very special race track, naturally that’s the way we Australians feel about it too. Even though the track is a public road when no races are run it is a permanent circuit. It is very fast and forgives no mistakes. The high vertical differences are typical for Bathurst. Last year we saw that the Audi R8 LMS is a perfect fit for the challenges at Mount Panorama. Its excellent aerodynamic balance is the key to good lap times.” Schedule (local times, CET +10 hours) Friday, February 24 Saturday, February 25 Sunday, February 26 Live broadcast of the race on Audi TV                 Related posts: You're reading Audi R8 LMS as title defender at Bathurst originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.
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| Skoda, Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia win at Rally Sweden Posted: 13 Feb 2012 12:31 PM PST Victory on ice and snow: the Volkswagen factory team successfully concluded the test outing in the Rally Sweden, round two of the FIA World Rally Championship 2012, and collected valuable experience for the future rallies with the Polo R WRC. Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia (F/F) took class victory with their Skoda Fabia, their team mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Floene (N/N) clinched third place. With more than 200,000 spectators looking on they regularly left more powerful WRC cars trailing in their wake on the way to eleventh and 14th in the overall standings. “The Rally Sweden is one of the real highlights of the World Championship season since it is only here that spiked tires are used on snow and ice throughout the entire event. The character is unique and it was equally important for our team to collect experience in order to be as well prepared as possible next year with the Polo R WRC,” explained Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen effectively controlled the Super 2000 class and were not only fast in the process, but also drove very reliably and within their limits – our two Fabias ran without problems, so many thanks to our team also for the excellent work.” The Rally Sweden, which consisted of over 350 kilometers run against the clock on 24 special stages in the Swedish province Varmlands Lan and in neighboring Norway, provided spectators with rallying in its most spectacular form. The high speeds, long drifts and big jumps on the icy tracks set the hearts racing of the many rally fans lining the stages. Compact special stages close to the service park in Hagfors and head-to-head duels around the floodlit horse racing course in the start and finish area in Karlstad also inspired the spectators. The two Fabias of group brand Skoda fielded by Volkswagen Motorsport numbered among the crowd’s favorites from the very beginning. Sébastien Ogier took the S2000 class lead on the opening stage. With eight top-ten results and much to the enjoyment of the many fans he repeatedly moved into the leading group of the more powerful WRC. “That was a very good rally for us. I’m very happy with our class win. The conditions on the stages were better than expected and it was great fun to drive here. Our pace was very good and because our team mates were also very fast the rally was interesting and informative for the entire team. After all is said and done and it was also the first rally on snow and ice with spiked tires for our team,” said the 28-year old Frenchman. Not even a puncture on the twelfth stage or changing the fuel filter after the 18th stage could slow Ogier/Ingrassia. The 22-year old current Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) Champion Andreas Mikkelsen enjoyed the stages through his homeland Norway on Friday was able to match his team mate’s pace throughout, before losing valuable time and a near certain second position in the class after suffering a puncture on the 22nd special stage. “My second rally with Volkswagen was a very, very good experience – it was obviously a great shame to lose second place within sight of the finish. Our first event together last year was the first WRC rally for the team. It was great to see just how much the team has developed since then. The teamwork is fabulous,” said the Skoda UK driver who, together with co-driver Ola Floene, contests selected rounds of the WRC for Volkswagen this year and otherwise aims to defend his IRC title. “When compared with the IRC events you must change your approach a little in the WRC. The rallies are longer, but at the same time you have fewer opportunities during the service breaks. You can’t drive so uncompromisingly, but want to be just as fast.”                       Related posts: You're reading Skoda, Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia win at Rally Sweden originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.
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