World dominance

Audi sport customer racing was omnipresent and supremely successful in 2018, with no less than 256 individual races contested across several categories. In all, the brand secured 634 podiums, 21 overall drivers’ titles and 38 class titles.

The result was Audi Sport customer racing’s most successful and came in its tenth anniversary year, the overall number of victories up a staggering 63 percent on 2017.

The results were across each of the brand’s racing categories, with the Audi RS 3 LMS, Audi R8 LMS GT3 and GT4 categories all sharing in the tremendous success. 

The Audi R8 LMS GT3 won a total of 138 races and 13 drivers’ titles, including championship wins in Australia, China, Germany, Eastern Europe, New Zealand and Sweden. In the manufacturers’ classification of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the car also remained unbeaten for the third consecutive year.

The Audi RS 3 LMS TCR produced 92 victories plus one overall title each in North America, the Benelux and Russia, while the Audi R8 LMS GT4 scored 26 race victories and three championship successes in North America, one in France and another one in a European classification – all in its first season of competition.

In world endurance racing, Audi took its third Bathurst 12 hour race to become the most successful brand at ‘the Mountain’, as well as its second successive California 8 Hours.

Even off the track Audi Sport recorded even more success, producing 563 race cars in six model ranges – breaking the 500 car mark for the first time.

“A big thank you and sincere congratulations to all our customers,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Right in time for our anniversary we’ve achieved our biggest annual tally of victories, trophies and championship classifications to date. This motivates us to give our best again in an even more fiercely competitive environment in the 2019 season.” 

Audi Sport customer racing will be back in force at Mount Panorama in February to defend its title and looking to add to its record three victories in the Bathurst 12 Hour race. This iconic race continues to grow in status and attracts the finest local and international teams to Australia. In addition, the globally successful TCR series will make its Australian debut, with the Audi RS 3 LMS in the midst of the action and looking to emulate the great success the sports sedan has enjoyed around the world in the various TCR competitions.