- Jimmy Clairet leads the TCR Europe standings in an Audi RS 3 LMS
- Worldwide podium results for the Audi R8 LMS in GT3 racing
- Audi R8 LMS GT4 with class win in Italy
In European touring car racing, an Audi Sport customer team put in a convincing performance at the highest European level. At the TCR Europe season opener in Portugal, Team Clairet Sport took the lead of the standings after a victory. Further successes for the Audi RS 3 LMS as well as the GT3 and GT4 versions of the Audi R8 LMS on several continents rounded off the results in April.
Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)
Successful start to the European season: TCR Europe is very well positioned for the 2025 season debut in Portimão. With 21 drivers, eleven teams and five manufacturers, the pan-European racing series has a strong grid. Audi is one of the most popular brands in the field with six RS 3 LMS cars from the customer teams Clairet Sport, Aikoa Racing and PMA Motorsport. Jimmy Clairet already showed a bold performance in qualifying: The Frenchman secured pole position with a lead of 46 thousandths of a second over fellow Audi driver Felice Jelmini from PMA Motorsport. While Jelmini retired after a collision, Clairet built up a 3.7-second lead over the course of 15 laps to become the first winner of the season. In the Youth category, Canadian Nicolas Taylor finished second for PMA Motorsport, while Nicola Baldan from Aikoa Racing won the Diamond category in another Audi.
In the second race, the Italian Baldan was the second-best Diamond driver. Jimmy Clairet leads the overall TCR Europe standings by three points from Cupra driver Jenson Brickley, with Teddy Clairet in an Audi a further twelve points behind in third. After the first of six events, Team Clairet Sport leads the team standings by 22 points, while Nicola Baldan is second in the Diamond classification. At the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, the Audi RS 3 LMS was once again among the fastest touring cars in different categories. Møller Bil Motorsport from Norway won the TCR classification with Håkon Schjærin, Atle Gulbrandsen and Kenneth Østvold with a one-lap lead ahead of Team Goroyan RT by sharky-racing with Nathanaël Berthon/Danny Brink/Artur Goroyan.
In the AT 3 class, Max Kruse Racing with Benjamin Cartery/Timo Hochwind/Nicholas Otto came out on top with a gap of 3m37s in another Audi RS 3 LMS. In the TCR Asia Series in Shanghai, Zhang Qianshang from RevX Racing won the first race in an Audi RS 3 LMS ahead of Liu Zichen in an Audi from the 326 Racing Team. In the second race, victory went to Liu Zichen, while Zhang Qianshang finished third. In the TCR China Championship, which was also held in Shanghai, Wu Yifan took second place in the first sprint in an Audi RS 3 LMS entered by the Zhejiang 326 Racing Team. In the second sprint, second place in the Am classification went to his teammate Lai Jinwen.
Audi R8 LMS GT3
Podium results on three continents: In the International GT Open, last year’s champions Christopher Haase/Simon Reicher made up ground in the first race at the season opener in Portimão. From twelfth on the grid, the German-Austrian driver duo in the Eastalent Racing Audi improved to second place overall. Haase was eighteenth after the driver change, but made up a total of 16 positions over the course of 18 laps on his way to the podium.
After the first of eight race weekends, the two drivers are third in the standings. At the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, two GT3 customer teams won their class in the Audi R8 LMS. Team Juta Racing won the SP9 Pro-Am category with ‘Selv’/Frank Stippler/Alexey Veremenko, after the black Audi R8 LMS had started from pole position, as it did in the season opener. Michael Heimrich, Lorenzo Rocco and Arno Klasen won the SP9 Am class for the équipe vitesse team. The China GT Championship began with two podium results for Audi’s customer teams in Shanghai.
Yu Kuai/Liu Kaishun finished the first race in the Audi R8 LMS of Team 610 Racing as winners of the GT3 Pro classification in third place overall. Other customer teams were also successful with the Audi R8 LMS: David Pun/Wang Yibo from Uno Racing Team won the GT3 Am class in the first race ahead of Jason Gu/Min Heng from Origine Motorsport. In the GT3 Masters class, Xing Yanbin/Ray Wu finished second for Incipient Racing. In the GT3 Pro-Am classification, David Chen/Liu Hangcheng crossed the finish line in third place for Winhere Harmony Racing. In the second race, Yu Kuai/Liu Kaishun improved by one position to second overall ahead of Jason Gu/Ming Heng, winning the Pro classification yet again.
In the Am classification, the order was Pan Deng/Yang Xiaowei from Team 610 Racing ahead of Dennis Zhang/Lu Zhiwei from 33R Harmony Racing and Jason Gu/Min Heng. Xing Yanbin/Ray Wu were once again second in the GT3 Masters class. In the GT America powered by AWS racing series, last year’s champion team SKI Autosports returned to the series on the third race weekend. Memo Gidley drove the team’s Audi R8 LMS to third place in the first 40-minute race at the Austin circuit in Texas. The British team Steller Motorsport finished the second race weekend of the British GT Championship as class winners. Matt Topham/Darren Burke won the GT3SA class in the Audi R8 LMS at Silverstone by 41 seconds.
Audi R8 LMS GT4
Success in Europe and Asia: At the second round of the XGT4 Italy racing series, the Lema Racing team achieved a class victory in Imola. Jodi Lambrughi overtook a rival’s Lotus in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 on the fifth of 13 laps during the FIA WEC event. In the end, the Audi privateer driver won his class by one second. At the DMV Goodyear Racing Days in Zolder, Bernd Schaible/Tobias Erdmann celebrated overall victory in the two-hour DMV NES GP race in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 from Seyffarth Motorsport.
In the two DMV ST GT sprint races at the same event, both drivers also secured victory in the Cup 4 classification. The Ultimate Cup Series held its second round in Mugello. Pierre Arraou from Team Herrero Racing in his Audi R8 LMS GT4 finished third twice in his class in the four sprint races, followed by two victories. In the China GT Championship, Air Tong Yu/Chen Sitong won the GTS-Am classification in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 in both races at the season opener in Shanghai.
Coming up in the next weeks
02–04/05 Sydney (AUS), round 2, GT World Challenge Australia
02–04/05 Sydney (AUS), round 2, GT4 Australia
02–04/05 Navarra (E), round 2, Campeonato de España GT
02–04/05 Misano (I), round 1, TCR Italy
03–04/05 Hockenheim (D), round 1, Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy
03–04/05 Brands Hatch (GB), round 1, GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
09–10/05 Nürburgring (D), round 3, Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie
09–10/05 Aldo Scribante (ZA), round 3, Extreme Supercars Driven by Dunlop
09–11/05 Dijon (F), round 2, GT4 France
09–11/05 Laguna Seca (USA), round 3, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
09–11/05 Mandalika (RI), round 2, GT World Challenge Asia
