Audi Sport customer racing announces largest entry in brand history for Daytona Rolex 24

2018-Audi Sport customer racing-TCR-GT4-GT3-Group-1--678
  • Audi to provide a globally homologated, stair-step customer racing offering in TCR, GT4 and GT3, totaling 13 entries
  • Audi Sport GT3 customer racing teams – Magnus Racing and Land Motorsport – will compete in the 56th running of the 24-hour endurance race
  • Competing in IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge with RS 3 LMS and R8 LMS GT4, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with R8 LMS GT3

HERNDON, VA –  January 19, 2018 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Audi of America announces a three-class offering for the 2018 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opening races hosted at the Rolex 24 Daytona race weekend, January 26 – 28. With a line-up of seven RS 3 LMS, four R8 LMS GT4 and two R8 LMS GT3, it’s the largest Audi presence for the annual Daytona event, in the brand’s history.

2018 Audi Sport customer racing TCR GT4 GT3 Group 1

Audi Sport customer racing
In 2009, Audi Sport launched the customer racing program with the Audi R8 LMS GT3 race car, offering customers vehicles designed to compete in international GT3 racing. Redesigned in 2015, the Daytona-winning car continues to dominate in GT3 class having won every major endurance race around the world including a Magnus Racing GTD victory at its inaugural race in the U.S. at Daytona in 2016. Land Motorsport will strive to build on its second place finish last year, just .0293 seconds from the win.

Joining the ranks of the R8 LMS GT3, the Audi R8 LMS GT4 was derived from the production R8 V10 Plus coupe and shares 60 percent of its parts with the road car. The GT4’s performance and value make it ideal for amateur teams. Following its global debut at last year’s New York International Auto Show  and its test in the SPX class at the 2017 24 Hours Nürburgring, the GT4 will make its official U.S. race debut at the 2018 Rolex 24 at Daytona race weekend in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge January 26.

Introduced in the 2017 season, the new Audi RS 3 LMS puts Audi Sport customer racing on an even broader base with an entry point to the brand’s motorsport efforts. The Audi RS 3 LMS was developed by Audi Sport customer racing for the new TCR touring car category globally and part of the 2018 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge in the U.S.

2018 Audi Sport customer racing TCR GT4 GT3 Group 3

“Through tremendous growth over the past three years, the Audi Sport customer racing organization has worked tirelessly to provide the outstanding support for the customer racing teams,” said Tristan L. Herbert, senior manager, Motorsport & Customer Racing Audi Sport. “Success of the Audi R8 LMS effort worldwide built a strong foundation, which we’re excited to see the new GT3, GT4, and TCR platforms grow from in race seasons to come.”

The driver line-up features multiple 24-hour race winners. The teams/drivers are made up as follows:

DAYTONA GT3
ModelSeriesTeamDriversTeam Social
R8 LMS GT3IMSA WeatherTechMagnus RacingJohn Potter (USA) (full season)
Andy Lally (USA) (full season)
Andrew Davis (USA) (NAEC)
Markus Winkelhock (USA) (Daytona)
Facebook: RacingMagnus
Twitter:@magnusracing  Instagram: @magnusracing
R8 LMS GT3IMSA WeatherTechLand MotorsportChristopher Mies (Germany)
Sheldon van der Linde (South Africa)
Kelvin van der Linde (South Africa)
Jeffrey Schmidt (Switzerland)
Facebook: landmotorsport

 

DAYTONA GT4
ModelSeriesAllocated to DriversSocial
R8 LMS GT4IMSA ContiGMG Racing

Daren Jorgensen

No. 13
Daren Jorgensen (USA)
Cameron Lawrence (USA)
Rick Parfitt Jr. (USA)
Facebook: @TeamGMG
Twitter: @gmgracing
Instagram: @gmgracing
R8 LMS GT4IMSA ContiGMG Racing

James Sofronas

No.14
James Sofronas (USA)
George Kurtz (USA)
Andrew Davis (USA)
Facebook: @TeamGMG
Twitter: @gmgracing
Instagram: @gmgracing
R8 LMS GT4IMSA ContiGMG Racing

Daren Jorgensen

#DriveProgress

Gosia Rdest (Poland)

Ashley Freiberg (USA

Facebook: @TeamGMG
Twitter: @gmgracing
Instagram: @gmgracing
R8 LMS GT4IMSA ContiCarBahn Motorsports

Steve Dinan

Tyler McQuarrie (USA)
Jeff Westphal (USA)
Mark Siegel (USA)
Sameer Gandhi (USA)
Facebook: @CarbahnAutoworks
Instagram: @Carbahn_Autoworks
DAYTONA TCR
RS 3 LMSIMSA ContieEuroParts

Matt Moran

Lee Carpentier (USA)
Kieron O’Rourke (USA)
Facebook: @eeuropartscom
Twitter: @eeuroparts
Instagram: @eeuroparts
YouTube: eEuropartsTV
RS 3 LMSIMSA ContiCompass Racing

Karl Thomson

No. 74
Rodrigo Sales (USA)
Kuno Wittmer (Canada)
Facebook: @C360R
Twitter: @compassracing
Instagram: @compassracing
RS 3 LMSIMSA ContiCompass Racing

Karl Thomson

No. 75
Roy Block (Argentina)
Pierre Kleinubing (Brazil)
Facebook: @C360R
Twitter: @compassracing
Instagram: @compassracing
RS 3 LMSIMSA ContiCompass Racing

Karl Thomson

No. 77
Britt Casey Jr. (USA)Tom Long (USA)
Facebook: @C360R
Twitter: @compassracing
Instagram: @compassracing
RS 3 LMSIMSA ContiJDC Motorsports

John Church

No. 54

Michael Johnson

Stephen Simpson

Facebook: JDCMotorsports1

Twitter: @jdcmotorsports

Instagram: @jdcmotorsports

RS 3 LMSIMSA ContiMurillo Racing

Matt Fassnacht

Matt Fassnacht (USA)
Justin Piscitel (USA)
Facebook: mattfassnacht
Twitter: @mattfassnacht
Instagram: mattfassnacht
RS 3 LMSIMSA ContiRS Werkes

Don Istook

Don Istook (USA)
Second driver TBA
Facebook:  RS Werkes
Instagram: RSWerkes


Television Viewing Schedule (all times EST):

Friday, Jan. 26
2018 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge at Daytona
12:50 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., IMSA.TV

2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Television – Rolex 24 at Daytona
Saturday, Jan. 27
2 p.m. – 5 p.m., FOX
5 p.m. – 10 p.m., FS2
10 p.m. – 11 p.m., *FSGO
11 p.m. – 1 a.m., Sunday, FS1

Sunday, Jan. 28
1 a.m. – 8 a.m., *FSGO
8 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., FS1
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., *FSGO
1 p.m. – 3 p.m., FS1

ABOUT AUDI OF AMERICA

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands, delivering about 1.878 million vehicles globally in 2017. In the U.S., Audi of America sold nearly 227,000 vehicles in 2017 and broke all-time company sales records for the eighth straight year. Visit audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.

Source: Audi of America, Inc.

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