In Australia, Audi will be battling for overall victory seven days later. In 2011 and 2012, customer teams supported by Audi Sport customer racing won the 12-hour classic on the Bathurst race track with the Audi R8 LMS. The challenging roller coaster circuit 200 kilometers west of Sydney will open the 2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge. Rounds in Europe, Asia and North America complete the calendar. Audi in 2016 and 2017 was the overall winner in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ classifications. This year, the four rings are tackling the defense of both titles.
Eight GT3 race cars are taking on the challenge in Australia. Team Valvoline Jamec Pem Racing will be on the grid with five Audi Sport drivers, Kelvin van der Linde, Frédéric Vervisch, Christopher Haase, Christopher Mies and Markus Winkelhock, plus local touring car ace Garth Tander. Audi Sport Team WRT is contesting a race in Australia for the first time. One of the two cockpits will be shared by Audi Sport campaigners Robin Frijns and Dries Vanthoor with Blancpain GT Sprint Champion Stuart Leonard. At the wheel of the second WRT Audi will be last year’s FIA WEC GT Am Trophy winners Mathias Lauda, Paul Dalla Lana and Pedro Lamy together with local hero Will Davison. Three privateer teams from Australia and one from New Zealand are completing the circle of Audi’s customer teams at Bathurst. “This puts us in a good position in America and in Australia for the next two endurance races,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing.
Driver lineups
Daytona GT3
Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS
Andrew Davis/Andy Lally/John Potter/Markus Winkelhock (USA/USA/USA/D)
Montaplast by Land-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS
Kelvin van der Linde/Sheldon van der Linde/Christopher Mies/Jeffrey Schmidt (ZA/ZA/D/CH)
Daytona GT4
GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4
Daren Jorgensen/Cameron Lawrence/Rick Parfitt Jr. (USA/USA/USA)
GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4
Andrew Davis/George Kurtz/James Sofronas (USA/USA/USA)
CarBahn Motorsports Audi R8 LMS GT4
Sameer Gandhi/Tyler McQuarrie/Mark Siegel/Jeff Westphal (USA/USA/USA/USA)
Daytona TCR
eEuroParts Audi RS 3 LMS
Lee Carpentier/Kieron O’Rourke (USA/USA)
Compass Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Rodrigo Sales/Kuno Wittmer (USA/CDN)
Compass Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Roy Block/Pierre Kleinubing (RA/BR)
Compass Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Britt Casey Jr./Tom Long (USA/USA)
JDC Motorsports Audi RS 3 LMS
NN
Murillo Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Matt Fassnacht/Justin Piscitel (USA/USA)
RS Werkes Audi RS 3 LMS
Don Istock (USA)
Bathurst GT3
Valvoline Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 LMS
Kelvin van der Linde/Garth Tander/Frédéric Vervisch (ZA/AUS/B)
Valvoline Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 LMS
Christopher Haase/Christopher Mies/Markus Winkelhock (D/D/D)
Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS
Robin Frijns/Stuart Leonard/Dries Vanthoor (NL/GB/B)
Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS
Paul Dalla Lana/Will Davison/Pedro Lamy/Mathias Lauda (CDN/AUS/P/A)
Supabarn Audi R8 LMS
James Koundouris/Theo Koundouris/Duvashen Padayachee/Ash Walsh (AUS/AUS/AUS/AUS)
Hallmarc Audi R8 LMS
Marc Cini/Dean Fiore/Lee Holdsworth (AUS/AUS/AUS)
ASR Audi R8 LMS
Daniel Gaunt/Ash Samadi/NN (NZ/AUS)
International Motorsport Audi R8 LMS
Richard Bagnall/Matt Halliday/Jonny Reid (NZ/NZ/NZ)
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