Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 2016Podium finishes for Audi Sport customer racing teams in Europe and AustraliaTom Kristensen swung the wood in DenmarkA word from WEC driver Lucas di Grassi
The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT claimed several top three finishes in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup in Budapest, GT Motorsport produces a fantastic comeback drive in the Australian Endurance Championship.
Good result for WRT in Hungary
At the penultimate round of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint in Budapest, the R8 LMS cars of Audi Sport customer racing team Belgian Audi Club Team WRT clinched four podium results. To start, Christopher Mies and Enzo Ide won the qualification race. Their team mates Laurens Vanthoor and Frédéric Vervisch finished third. In the main race at the Hungaroring, Mies/Ide were second and also took the lead in the drivers’ classification. René Rast and Will Stevens were third in another Audi R8 LMS fielded by WRT.
Third place for Audi R8 LMS in Australia
Greg Taylor and Nathan Antunes claimed a podium finish in the Audi R8 LMS fielded by GT Motorsport in the second of four Australian Endurance Championship race weekends. The duo started the 101 lap race around the Sydney Motorsport Park from seventh place before fighting their way up to third place.
Tom Kristensen contests high-caliber golf tournament
Nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen competed in the European Tour golf tournament ‘Made in Denmark’ as part of a high-caliber team. The former Audi driver’s team was completed by HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Søren Kjeldsen who is currently Denmark’s top golfer, as well as Lars Larsen, the owner of the Himmerland Golf & Spa Resorts in Farsø – the venue of the tournament. Playing in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators, the quartet was delighted about fifth place in the ‘Royal Pro/Am’ class.
A word from ... Lucas di Grassi
As Brazilian, you are the only Audi driver from an American country. The FIA WEC makes its debut shortly in Mexico, where you have already raced in another series this year. What are you expecting from next weekend?
We were in Mexico with the FIA Formula E in March. The event was just amazing. There were an enormous amount of spectators, but I think that even more spectators will be there for the FIA WEC. However, it’s not just about the sheer numbers. The fans are extremely enthusiastic. The Mexicans love motorsport and are looking forward to the WEC, in which a Mexican team also competes. The spectators bring a huge amount of energy with them to this race. I’m sure that we’ll have an unforgettable weekend together with them. And we also want to reward them with a great race.
What’s special about the track?
The sector through the stadium is unique. It’s unbelievable for us drivers to race through such a fabulously built spectator backdrop. I expect there to be many exciting maneuvers in the race, which will impress the fans. With the exception of one corner and the pit lane, the circuit is however completely different to the Formula E track we used six months ago. We use the entire facility and race on the 4.3 kilometer long version. At one point we reach around 300 km/h.
What will be the biggest challenge in Mexico?
The track is at an altitude of almost 2,300 meters. This alone makes it a challenge for our technicians because the air is much thinner. The aerodynamics, engine power and the cooling system are affected the most. It will also be physically more demanding for us drivers. Even so, I’m really looking forward to our debut in Mexico.
Coming up next week
02–04/09 Mexiko (MEX), round 5, FIA WEC03/09 Nürburgring (D), round 7, VLN02–03/09 Zolder (B), rounds 11 and 12, DMV GTC02–04/09 Barcelona (E), round 6, International Endurance Series, 24-hour race02–04/09 Sepang (MAL), round 3, Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup02–04/09 Shanghai (CN), rounds 9 and 10, GT Asia
