Audi impressive in Dubai

For the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, 2016 has started in similar fashion to the way 2015 ended – with another win in a major international endurance race.

At the end of 2015, the Belgian team battled tough competition in difficult weather conditions to win the Sepang 12 Hour race in Malaysia, and now the team has added the Dubai 24 Hour Race to their impressive collection of victories.

Drivers Stuart Leonard and Laurens Vanthoor were both on the winning team in Malaysia and again in Dubai, joined by Michael Meadows and Alain Ferté for this latest win – the first for the Audi  R8 LMS in the middle east.

Also finishing the race on the podium, the R8 LMS of C.Abt Racing with drivers Daniel Abt, Matias Henkola, Christer Jöns, Isaac Tutumlu Lopez and Andreas Weishaupt, while another two Audis finished the race in the top 10.

It was a strong showing from the Audi teams from the very start, with dominant performances in qualifying seeing two of the new R8 LMS cars starting at the Dubai Autodrome on the front row of the grid. With a large field of 98 competitors, the starting position was crucial to get away cleanly and put some distance between the Audis and the rest of the traffic, and for the bulk of the race, that’s exactly the way things played out. Indeed for 517 of the total 588 laps, an Audi was out in front of the field, with the lead changing 22 times throughout the race.

Last year’s Australian GT Champion, Christopher Mies was also back behind the wheel of an R8 LMS in Dubai, but was able to manage another podium on this occasion, despite some spirited driving.

By the 15th hour of the race, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT took the lead and over the next nine hours defended their position and built a comfortable lead to win the race five laps ahead of their nearest rivals.

This impressive performance marked the third major international victory for the Belgian team and the new R8 LMS, having claimed both the aforementioned Sepang 12 Hour race and the coveted  24-hour race at the Nürburgring last year.

Head of Audi Sport customer racing, Romolo Liebchen was thrilled with the result in the UAE and the start to 2016. 

“On clinching today’s success, our GT3 sports car has won all renowned endurance races and been victorious for the first time in the Middle East. This is a great way to set the stage for the market launch of the new Audi R8 in this region in March,” he said.

For Australian motorsport enthusiasts, the countdown to see the new R8 LMS in action is well and truly on, with the Bathurst 12 Hour race only weeks away. Audi will be looking to reclaim the Australian 12 hour title in won so convincingly in 2011 and 2012, and with some strong driver line-ups set to pilot the new car, the race promises to be a standout.