All I want for Christmas

Just in time for Christmas, teams from Australia, America, China and Europe have taken delivery of their new R8 LMS GT4 race cars from Audi Sport’s headquarters in Neuburg.

The third racing car to be produced by Audi Sport along with the hugely successful R8 LMS GT3 and the RS3 LMS, the GT4 model R8 has broad appeal internationally and will add to the already strong offering from Audi Sport customer racing.

Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Audi Sport GmbH, and Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing, personally welcomed the customers at Audi’s Neuburg location. Five race cars went to customers from the USA and two each to customers from Asia, to Team Bourguignon from the Netherlands, to Phoenix Racing from Germany and one to an Australian customer.
“A new project always symbolises new beginnings. The first deliveries mark a special moment for our customers as well as for us. We wish the teams the best of success with the new Audi R8 LMS GT4,” says Chris Reinke. 

The race car delivers up to 364kW and has been directly derived from the production model. It shares 60 percent of the assemblies with its road-going ‘sibling’ and, like the road car, is built at the Böllinger Höfe site. The GT4 category in North America, Europe and Asia has become an established element as an overall classification or class in more than 15 racing series and major individual events. Additionally, from 2018 on, the new GT4 model will be fielded in the Audi R8 LMS Cup. 

Audi has successfully tested the R8 LMS GT4 this year on several occasions, including the 24- hour race at the Nürburgring and in the VLN Endurance Championship. Now the first purely private racing commitments of the Audi R8 LMS GT4 are coming up when Phoenix Racing contests the Dubai 24 Hours with two cars from January 12 to 13, 2018. Two weeks later, the season of the North American IMSA series will kick off at Daytona. On the first weekend in February, customers will contest the Bathurst 12 Hour before the Audi R8 LMS Cup starts its seventh season in March 2018.