Archive for the '2011 24-hour Spa-Francorchamps' Category

Audi R8 LMS wins the most important endurance race for GT cars

  • Audi Sport Team WRT triumphant at the 24 Hours Spa
  • Victorious against GT cars from twelve other manufacturers
  • DTM stars Ekström and Scheider in winning car

The Audi R8 LMS won the most important endurance race for GT cars ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Audi Sport Team WRT overcame the strongest competition during the 63rd running of the 24 hours of Spa (Belgium). The two DTM stars Mattias Ekström (Sweden) and Timo Scheider (Germany) and the Belgian endurance specialist Greg Franchi shared driving duties in the victorious mid-engine sportscar.

Experts agreed before the race started that the endurance classic, held since 1924, had never fielded so many potential winners as this year. A total of 62 cars representing 13 different manufacturers joined the grid, including no less than 57 cars of the worldwide booming GT3 category.

The opening stages of the endurance classic in particular fulfilled expectations. Spectators lining the 7.004 kilometer track and in front of television screens enjoyed tough battles for position, countless overtaking maneuvers, retirements and small and big dramas which are typical for a 24-hour race. The Audi R8 LMS was the fastest car in the field from the very beginning. After just a few hours it was clear that the V10 powered R8 sports cars where the favorites for the victory.

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Audi R8 LMS faces stiff competition at Spa

  • 13 brands at 24-hour race in Belgium
  • Audi Sport Teams Phoenix and WRT field four factory cars
  • Customer team United Autosports with former Formula 1 stars

Premiere in the Belgian Ardennes: the GT3 class is the top tier for the first time at the 63rd running of the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps. Audi uses the opportunity to send four factory backed R8 LMS into the battle for overall victory on July 30/31. On top of this come three customer cars with high-caliber driver line-ups.

The Belgian endurance classic was staged for the first time in 1924 and, as a result, is almost as old as the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans and is currently the world’s only 24-hour race in which GT cars compete exclusively. This includes the Audi R8 LMS which has recorded almost 100 victories since its debut in 2009 and is one of the most successful GT3 sports cars and thus automatically numbers among the candidates for overall victory.

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