Audi Sport Team Phoenix has captured the top plum in the 40th running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Sharing driving duties for the winning Audi team in the new Audi R8 LMS ultra were German drivers Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock. Audi Sport Team Phoenix was followed by Team Mamerow Racing, comprised of drivers Christian Abt, Michael Ammermüller, Armin Hahne and Christian Mamerow. Like Audi Sport Team Phoenix, Team Mamerow Racing was also driving an Audi R8 LMS ultra, making it a one-two success for Audi. The victory came just eleven months after Audi celebrated its tenth victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its R18 TDI LMP sports prototype.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in June 2011 was followed by a July 2011 triumph of a customer racing R8 LMS race car at the 24 hour classic at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Audi’s latest Nürburgring success was not without a few incidents. Many leading teams in the competition, particularly in the GT3 class where Audi R8 LMS ultra is competing, were hit by technical defects and several accidents, bringing the number of participants down.
Teams driving Audi cars were also struck by accidents. An Audi R8 LMS ultra with start number ‘2’ driven by Christopher Mies was hit by an opponent in the rain while leading. It took his team around 53 minutes to complete the repairs, costing them precious time and Mies and teammates Marcel Fässler and René Rast have to settle for fifth place.
