Unfinished business

Although most are happy to see the end of 2021, there was still one important item left for Audi Sport customer racing to take care of before the year could at last be put to rest. With the final race in the 2021 Intercontinental GT Challenge postponed from December to this month, there was still the little matter of the championship to be decided.

Audi Sport customer racing needed to finish on the podium to clinch its fourth manufactures title in the all-GT series which is exactly what Kelvin van der Linde, Patric Niederhauser and Markus Winkelhock did in the #25 Audi Sport Team Saintéloc R9 LMS at Kyalami. 

One of three Audi customer teams and two privateer Audi entries to compete at the South African circuit, the third-place result was the belated culmination of a another dominant GT season for the the team, starting in Spa all the way back in July in what was a meteoric fight back drive in appalling conditions to finish second. From there, the three-race series moved to the United States and the famed Brickyard in Indianapolis in October. Here the #25 Audi went one better, winning the eight hour classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and taking a share of the championship lead with just one race remaining.

All was primed for the season finale in December when once again the pandemic cast its shadow over international sport and the race was held over until February 5th this year. The wait though caused no issues to the seasoned team as Wilkelhock, Niederhauser and van der Linde put the championship beyond doubt with their podium result. Just outside the top three at Kyalami, the #32 Audi Sport Team WRT car of Mattia Drudi, Christopher Haase and Charles Weerts finished fourth.

“Audi was and remains the most successful manufacturer in the Intercontinental GT Challenge with the R8 LMS. A big thank you to our teams and drivers who clinched a 36-point advantage with us this year,” said Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing.

“After the season opener at Spa with a fabulous recovery from 54th place to second and our subsequent victory in the thrilling second round at Indianapolis, a podium in the final round at Kyalami was enough to win the championship.”

The result was the fourth IGTC for Audi Sport customer racing in six years, the brand having also won in 2016, 2017 and 2018. With season 2021 now officially – and successfully – wrapped up, Audi Sport customer racing can concentrate on 2022 in earnest and look to build on the 1-2 victory at the Dubai 24 Hours that kicked off the new year.