Audi R8 LMS wins 24-Hour race at Spa-Francorchamps

24-hour Spa-Francorchamps winners : Matthias Ekström / Greg Franchi / Timo Scheider - #33 Audi R8 LMS - Audi Sport Team WRT

INGOLSTADT/SPA : July 31, 2011 – The Audi R8 LMS won the most important endurance race for GT cars ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Audi Sport Team WRT overcame the strongest competition during the 63rd running of the 24 hours of Spa (Belgium). The two DTM stars Mattias Ekström (Sweden) and Timo Scheider (Germany) and the Belgian endurance specialist Greg Franchi shared driving duties in the victorious mid-engine sportscar.

24-hour Spa-Francorchamps winners : Matthias Ekström / Greg Franchi / Timo Scheider - #33 Audi R8 LMS - Audi Sport Team WRT

Experts agreed before the race started that the endurance classic, held since 1924, had never fielded so many potential winners as this year. A total of 62 cars representing 13 different manufacturers joined the grid, including no less than 57 cars of the worldwide booming GT3 category.

The opening stages of the endurance classic in particular fulfilled expectations. Spectators lining the 7.004 kilometer track and in front of television screens enjoyed tough battles for position, countless overtaking maneuvers, retirements and small and big dramas which are typical for a 24-hour race. The Audi R8 LMS was the fastest car in the field from the very beginning. After just a few hours it was clear that the V10 powered R8 sports cars where the favorites for the victory.

The race of the victorious #33 R8 LMS fielded by Audi Sport Team WRT was particularly impressive. The car driven by Mattias Ekström, Greg Franchi and Timo Scheider ran like clockwork for 24 hours, while many other GT3 cars were no match for the stresses and strains of the hard fought endurance race. The brake discs and pads were changed twice as scheduled. Apart from this, the R8 LMS only entered pit lane to refuel, change tires and to swap drivers. At the start of the tenth hour Ekström/Franchi/Scheider took the lead which they duly held all the way to the checkered flag. At the finish the trio had a two-lap lead over the closest rival.

Audi led 22 of the 24 hours. Just after midnight three R8 LMS actually occupied the first three positions. However, while Audi Sport Team WRT also celebrated fourth overall for the #32 car, Audi Sport Team Phoenix was struck by bad luck.

Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase and Frank Stippler led convincingly for many hours in the #99 R8 LMS and had eked out an advantage of almost an entire lap. Just after 1 a.m. Haase lost first place due to a faulty air jack system. Only an hour later the youngster slid off the track on a damp patch at Turn 9 and had to retire the car.

The #98 sister car was hit by a slower car on the left rear wheel while fighting for the lead towards the end of the third hour. Shortly afterwards second gear was lost. Although they had to continue without second gear as a result and lost additional time due to a puncture, Marcel Fässler, Andrea Piccini and Mike Rockenfeller worked their way back up to third from 13th before a gearbox change was required just after midnight. The change cost 1 hour 36 minutes. The trio still managed to battle their way through the field from 36th to 14th thanks to consistently quick laps and in the process recorded the absolute fastest race lap (Mike Rockenfeller / 2m 20.286s).

The second Audi R8 LMS entered by Audi Sport Team WRT put in two exciting comeback drives. After an accident in qualifying, Stéphane Ortelli scythed spectacularly through the field from 41st to second in the opening 90 minutes, before a drive-through-penalty for contact cost almost a lap. Changing the front left suspension components took 24 minutes and threw the #32 car back to a seemingly hopeless 42nd position. However, Filipe Albuquerque, Bert Longin and Stéphane Ortelli had other ideas, overtook car after car and finished the race in an almost sensational fourth overall. This was the icing on the cake for Audi Sport Team WRT which celebrated an important victory in its first outing as "factory” team for Audi.

"Vincent Vosse’s team really did a fantastic job during its home race,” explained Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "Mattias (Ekström), Greg (Franchi) and Timo (Scheider) drove fast and without mistakes – and it was exactly this that was the key to victory this weekend alongside the reliability and speed of the R8 LMS. Unfortunately out other three cars were rather unlucky and especially Ernst Moser’s squad. That’s why it was almost like Le Mans at the end: After just a few hours we only had one iron still in the fire – but we won with this car. This shows our strong nerves and team spirit because everybody helped to take the win with the only remaining car.”

The Audi R8 LMS, which is supplied to customers by Audi Sport customer racing since last year, notched up win number 96 this weekend. "After three class victories in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and the one-two in the 12-hour race at Bathurst at the start of the year, this is without doubt the most important victory for the Audi R8 LMS and our still relatively young customer racing program,” said Werner Frowein who is responsible for the company’s customer racing program as Managing Director of quattro GmbH. "I’d like to thank everybody who worked so hard and with so much commitment to make this victory possible. After Le Mans, Audi now stands in the winners list of another great 24-hour race. We were able to show that the R8 is a fantastic sportscar. Our increasing number of customer teams also confirms this.”

One of these customer teams, United Autosports, contested the 24 hours Spa with three R8 LMS. Following an eventful race with drivers Richard Dean, Zak Brown, Stefan Johansson and Johnny Herbert can be delighted with 13th overall and sixth place in the Pro-Am category.

2011 Total 24-Hour Spa-Francorchamps : Race result

Pos	Car	Class	Drivers	Car	Time	Laps	Gap
1	33	PRO	Matthias Ekström / Greg Franchi / Timo Scheider	Audi R8 LMS	24:01:22.333	545
2	76	PRO	Dirk Werner / Edward Sandström / Claudia Hürtgen	BMW Z4	24:02:11.126	543	48.793
3	35	PRO	Kenneth Heyer / Thomas Jäger / Stéphane Lemeret	Mercedes SLS AMG	24:02:07.328	535	44.995
4	32	PRO	Filipe Albuquerqe / Bert Longin / Stephane Ortelli	Audi R8 LMS	24:01:22.579	534	0.246
5	29	PRO	Matteo Bobbi / Frank Kechele / Giacamo Petrobelli	Ferrari 458 Italia	24:02:08.636	531	46.303
6	20	PAM	Ludovic Badey / Franck Morel / Guliaume Moreau / Jean-Luc Beaubelique	Ferrari 458 Italia	24:02:08.095	530	45.762
7	90	PAM	David Jones / Godfrey Jones / Mike Jordan	Mercedes SLS AMG	24:02:48.174	529	1:25.841
8	3	PRO	Yann Clairay / Julien Rodrigues / Pierre Brice Mena	Aston Martin DBRS 9	24:03:03.486	527	1:41.153
9	50	PAM	Jack Gerber / Matt Griffin / Nicola Cadei / Marco Cioci	Ferrari 458 Italia	24:01:24.005	526	1.672
10	43	PAM	Jeroen der Boer / Simon Knap / David Hart	BMW Z4	24:02:22.158	521	59.825
11	41	PRO	Jonathan Hirschi / Markus Palttala / Antoine Leclerc	Ford GT	24:03:36.902	521	2:14.569
12	38	PAM	Andril Lebed / Bret Curtis / Peter van der Kolk / Jeroen van der Heuve	Mercedes SLS AMG	24:03:54.298	518	2:31.965
13	23	PAM	Richard Dean / Zakary Brown / Johnny Herbert / Stefan Johansson	Audi R8 LMS	24:01:21.702	512	0.631
14	98	PRO	Marcel Fässler / Andrea Piccini / Mike Rockenfeller	Audi R8 LMS	24:01:22.799	510	0.466
15	4	PRO	Frederic Makowiecki / Henri Moser / Stef Dusseldorp	Aston Martin DBRS 9	24:02:22.579	510	1:00.246
16	16	PAM	Raf Vanthoor / Marius Ritskes / Bernard van Oranje / Dennis Retera	Mercedes SLS AMG	24:03:15.492	504	1:53.159
17	19	GEN	Brody / Christoff Corten / Mathijs Herkema / Kurt Dujardin	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S	24:01:48.253	493	25.920
18	124	GEN	Martin Rich / Tim Bergmeister / Sebastian Asch / Jochen Krumbach	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S	24:03:26.615	493	2:04.282
19	12	PAM	Arie Luyendyk / Alain Li / Richard Meins / Henri Richard	Audi R8 LMS	23:34:45.942	490	26:36.391
20	79	PAM	Oliver Bryant / Alasdair McCaig / Andrew Smith / Joe Twyman	Aston Martin DBRS 9	24:03:49.698	489	2:27.365
21	888	PAM	Richard Westbrook / Christian Menzel / Mike Stursberg / Hans Guido Riegel	Porsche 997 GT3 R	22:16:18.386	485	1:45:03.94
22	63	GT4	Alex Buncombe / Jordan Tresson / Christopher Ward	Nissan 370Z	24:03:19.826	476	1:57.493
23	116	GEN	Patrick Chaillet / Thierry de Latre du Bosqueau / Benoit Galand / Christoph	Dodge Viper GT3	24:03:59.442	473	2:37.109
24	56	Cup	Marc Faggionato / Thierry Stepec / Thierry Prignaud / Franck Racinet	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	23:10:05.068	470	51:17.265
25	60	PAM	Adam Christodoulou / Glynn Geddie / Phil Quaife / Roger Wills	McLaren GT	24:02:44.783	469	1:22.450
26	82	GEN	Domenique Nury / Bernard Salam / Jean-Marc Merlin / Guy Clairay	Dodge Viper GT3	24:04:12.854	467	2:50.521
27	100	GT4	Christophe Legrand / Raffaelle Sangiuolo / Guiseppe De Pasquale / Wolfgang	BMW M3 GT4	24:02:01.694	465	39.361
28	92	PAM	Marc Duez / Jean Michel Martin / Eric Bachelart	Ford Mustang FR500	24:03:00.210	444	1:37.877
29	57	Cup	Manuel Nicolaids / Fabio Spirgi / Richard Feller / Olivier Baron	Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	24:02:13.627	442	51.294
30	85	GEN	Benjamin Bailly / Julien Schroyen / Jose Close / Raphael van der Straten	Ford Mustang FR500	24:03:00.289	437	1:37.956