Bathurst 12 Hour: Audi Phoenix Racing leads after Q1

Bathurst 12 Hour: Audi Phoenix Racing leads after Q1
Audi confirms 2012 DTM driver lineup
2012 Bathurst 12 Hour practice no1 report

Posted: 24 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST

Phoenix Racing's Christopher Mies, Christer Jens and Daryl O'Young in the Audi R8 LMS

The way qualifying works for the Bathurst 12 Hour can be a bit tricky to figure out but positions are an aggregate of the drivers in that car. With that said, Phoenix Racing’s Christopher Mies, Christer Jons and Daryl O'Young had a combined time of 6:28.65. This put the no1 Audi R8 LMS at the top over a 6:29.61 from the Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia.

Phoenix Racing's Christopher Mies, Christer Jons and Daryl O'Young had a combined time of 6:28.65

Skipping over the third placed Ferrari, the Lago Racing JBS Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 reeled in a 6:29.73 for forth.

The 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour started with two Lamborghini Gallardo’s. Unfortunately, in the qualifying session Ted Huglin managed to take out the Consolidated Chemicals Gallardo resulting in very heavy damage. Peter Kox confirmed its retirement shortly thereafter. Huglin was ok.

In fifth was the no2 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS with United Autosports Audi R8 LMS in seventh.

Two of the Class-B Porsches were able to crack the top ten.

Provisional Qualifying Order
(Aggregate times following Qualifying One)

1 – no1 – Phoenix Racing – Audi R8 LMS – 6:28.65
2 – no17 – Maranello Motorsport – Ferrari 458 Italia – 6:29.61
3 – no33 – Clearwater Racing – Ferrari 458 Italia – 6:29.63
4 – no23 – JBS – Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 – 6:29.73
5 – no2 – Phoenix Racing – Audi R8 LMS – 6:32.25
6 – no20 – Erebus Racing – SLS AMG GT3 – 6:39.68
7 – no22 – United Autosport – Audi R8 LMS – 6:45.41
8 – no3 – Hunter Sports Group – (B) Porsche 997 GT3 – 6:54.20
9 – no65 – Southern Cross Lubes – (B) Porsche 997 GT3 – 7:10.39
10 – no21 – Black Falcon Racing – SLS AMG GT3 – 7:11.39

2012 Bathurst 12 Hour practice no1 report

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Audi confirms 2012 DTM driver lineup

Posted: 24 Feb 2012 05:27 AM PST

ONEIGHTURBO

Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider, Rahel Frey, Edoardo Mortara, Miguel Molina, Filipe Albuquerque, Mattias Ekstrom

At Audi, the current DTM Champion, the “title defense” project is running at full stretch. A week before the homologation of the new Audi A5 DTM on March 1 the drivers and their assignment to the total of three Audi factory teams have been confirmed.

New car, new technology, new rules – particularly because the season opener at the Hockenheimring on April 29 is bringing a lot of changes to the most popular international touring car racing series and ringing in a completely new era in the DTM, Audi, the 1990, 1991, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 DTM Champion, is banking on continuity. The long-standing partner teams, ABT Sportsline, Phoenix Racing and Team Rosberg, are fielding the seven Audi A5 DTM cars and the drivers taking the wheel of the seven Audi A5 DTM vehicles at the Hockenheim season opener on April 29 are well-known quantities too.

Audi A5 DTM IAA

Proven teams and drivers for the new Audi A5 DTM
Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich banks on continuity
Season opener at the Hockenheimring on April 29

Spearheading the Audi squad yet again will be the two-time DTM Champions Mattias Ekstrom (Sweden) and Timo Scheider (Austria) who will compete for Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline as in the past. In the 2011 season, Hans-Jürgen Abt’s team won four of the ten DTM races and clinched the DTM team title for Audi as well. Ekstrom’s and Scheider’s new team-mate will be the young Swiss Rahel Frey, who will be tackling her second DTM season in 2012.

Audi Sport Team Phoenix that provided the DTM Champion last year will be competing with an all new formation. After a one-year absence from the team, Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) is returning to Ernst Moser’s squad for which he successfully competed as early as in the 2010 season. Rockenfeller’s new team partner will be the Spaniard Miguel Molina.

Audi A5 DTM debut at IAA

Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s line-up has remained unchanged. Like last year, the Portuguese Filipe Albuquerque and the Italian Edoardo Mortara, who were the two strongest rookies in 2011, will be running for Arno Zensen’s squad.

All three Audi factory teams and the seven drivers were involved in the development of the Audi A5 DTM from the outset and reeled off an intensive test program with the new race coupé in the winter months. “We wanted all of our teams and drivers to start into the new DTM era with the same prerequisites,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “I’m convinced that with our three long-standing partner teams and the proven drivers we’re extremely well set for the new DTM season which promises to become particularly thrilling due to the battle between the three German premium manufacturers, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and will be a tough competition. Not least due to the tightened regulations even the minutest details will count. That’s why continuity with the teams and drivers was important to us. Mattias (Ekstrom) and Timo (Scheider) know how to win the DTM and each of them is drawing on experience from more than 100 DTM races. Mike (Rockenfeller) won his first DTM race in 2011, Filipe (Albuquerque), Edoardo (Mortara) and Miguel (Molina) all mounted the podium for the first time last year. And I also believe that Rahel (Frey) is able to cause some surprises in her second DTM season. During the winter tests she showed that she has a lot of potential.”

The Audi teams in the 2012 DTM

ABT Sportsline
Mattias Ekstrom (Sweden)
Rahel Frey (Switzerland)
Timo Scheider (Austria)

Phoenix Racing
Miguel Molina (Spain)
Mike Rockenfeller (Germany)

Team Rosberg
Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal)
Edoardo Mortara (Italy)

Audi reveals 2011 DTM livery schemes

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2012 Bathurst 12 Hour practice no1 report

Posted: 23 Feb 2012 04:12 PM PST

ONEIGHTURBO

Audi Sport, Phoenix Racing R8 LMS, Bathurst 12 Hour

With the first practice session kicking off early this morning, Audi dropped the lead foot from the word go. Warren Luff hit a 2:08.647 in the no2 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS. Just under a second back was Dominik Farnbacher in the no17 Ferrari 458 GT3 with a 2:09.279. Cam McConville pulled the Consolidated Chemicals Lamborghini Gallardo into third with a 2:09.860.

Lamborghini Gallardo's 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour

Darryl O’Young would just miss the 2:09 mark with a 2:10.674 in the no1 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS.

The no23 JBS Lamborghini of Roger Lago and David Russell ended the session in sixth (2:16.229), with Mark Patterson in the United Autosports Audi R8 LMS seventh (2:16.4933).

Photos: Audi AG | Bathurst 12 Hour