Audi wins in Dubai

On its debut at the Dubai 24 Hour Race, the R8 LMS GT4 has claimed an historic 1-2 just a month after Audi Sport customer teams took delivery of their cars. Indeed Audi cars across all three classes contested by the brand with the Four Rings delivered a powerful performance in Dubai, heralding in what promises to be a big year of motorsport.

Team Phoenix Racing with Audi Sport customer racing celebrated the first 24-hour victory of the new Audi R8 LMS in the GT4 class. The GT4 version of the Audi R8 LMS has only been available since December, but it has certainly made a big impression in its debut at Dubai.

The winning team of Philip Ellis/John-Louis Jasper/Joonas Lappalainen/Gosia Rdest also celebrated a milestone in Dubai, as Briton Philip Ellis and Finn Joonas Lappalainen enjoyed their promotion to GT4 racing after winning titles in the Audi Sport TT Cup. Their fellow driver, Gosia Rdest from Poland, also transitioned into GT4 – the next Audi race category – following her own outstanding performances in the TT Cup competition.

The quartet were followed by their Phoenix Racing teammates Adderly Fong/Charles Kwan/Marchy Lee/Darryl O’Young/Shaun Thong from Hong Kong, Audi leading the GT4 classification from the sixth hour of the race. 

It was another premiere victory for Audi in Dubai, this time last year the RS 3 LMS won the TCR class on debut, Team Bonk Motorsport contributing another podium place for the RS 3 LMS in 2018. 

In the GT3 class, Audi was less fortunate with the R8 LMS this year. Vincent Vosse’s team that competed under the name of MS7 by WRT this year, were dogged by vehicle contacts and ongoing race repairs, and as a result, Mohammed Bin Saud Al Saud, Christopher Mies, Dries Vanthoor and Michael Vergers had to settle for seventh place in the end. The honour of being Audi’s best GT3 team went to BWT Mücke Motorsport – contesting its first 24-hour race. Ricardo Feller/Christer Jöns/Mike David Ortmann/Andreas Weishaupt/Markus Winkelhock celebrated position five in the overall classification. 

Car Collection Motorsport finished the race with both Audi R8 LMS cars as well. Wiggo Dalmo/Gustav Edelhoff/Elmar Grimm/Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff/Ingo Vogler achieved fifth place in the A6-Am classification. Their teammates, Dimitri Parhofer/Dirg Parhofer/Frank Stippler/Rémi Terrail/Isaac Tutumlu Lopez, took ninth place in this class.  In two weeks, Audi Sport customer racing will once again line up for another iconic race, with the running of the 24-hour race at Daytona.  All three of Audi Sport customer racing’s race car models (R8 LMS GT3, R8 LMS GT4 and RS 3 LMS) will be on the grid for the first time in North America. Then, at the start of February, Australian motorsport fans will again get to see the the R8 LMS cars (both GT3 and a GT4) at the gruelling Bathurst 12 Hour Race (February 3-5).