Dual podiums to start 2020

The first GT enduro race of 2020 got off to a wet start, with heavy rain causing the premature finish of the annual Dubai 24 Hours.  Just 7 hours and 17 minutes and a mere 168 laps of the enduro were completed before organisers decided to call an end to the race. 

Audi teams across the board performed strongly from the start, with three different R8 LMS cars leading the race at various times.

With conditions considered too dangerous to continue, last year’s outright winners, the Car Collection Motorsport team of Rik Breukers, Christopher Haase and Dimitri Parhofer, with new teammates Mike David Ortmann and Markus Winkelhock were sitting comfortably in second place, while MS7 by WRT with Rik Breukers, Christopher Mies, Mohammed Saud Fahad Al Saud, Dries Vanthoor and Michael Vergers rounded out the podium. 

In addition, two other Audi R8 LMS entries also finished in the top 10 (in fifth and ninth respectively), and the AM category, another Car Collection Motorsport entry in an Audi R8 LMS improved from ninth on the grid to third in its class and 11th overall. 

In the TCR class which Audi won on debut last year, the RS 3 LMS was again well represented with a total of 13 entries to the ever-growing class. In 2020 it was Arnaud Quédé’s AC Motorsport team from Belgium that took top honours, with the driver lineup of Tom Boonen, Gilles Magnus, Stéphane Perrin, Vincent Radermecker and Matthew Taskinen starting from fifth position in class and achieving a one lap advantage over the course of 155 laps. The victory marked the fourth win for an Audi RS 3 LMS in 24 hour racing, and a strong start to what promises to be another big year in motorsport for Audi Sport customer racing. 

“Sincere congratulations to our long-standing customer team on clinching this victory. AC Motorsport was first-class once again,” said Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “We were doing well in the overall classification, too. Unfortunately, in the end, we were lacking a little fortune in these unusual conditions. Otherwise the title defence with a third victory would no doubt have been possible.” 

Audi Sport customer racing will now turn its sights towards Australia for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour from January 31 to February 2nd.