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Eleven Audi R8 LMS in the 2019 24 Hours of Spa

The 24 Hours of Spa from July 25 to 28 is a GT3 event of mammoth proportions: 72 race cars from eleven manufacturers are going to battle for victory in the most important GT3 endurance race of the year. The elite of endurance racing will be assembled in Belgium, plus many drivers from the DTM, the FIA WEC and other international racing series.

Audi Sport customer racing, Audi R8 LMS
Audi Sport customer racing, Audi R8 LMS

Audi Sport customer racing will be on the grid of the iconic race for the eleventh time and since 2011 has clinched four overall victories and won the Coupe du Roi as the best manufacturer on three occasions.

As many as eleven Audi R8 LMS cars will be on the track when the starting lights go off on July 27 at 4.30 PM. The range of customer teams extends from purely professional squads to amateur drivers and encompasses 35 race drivers from 14 nations, including eight drivers from Audi Sport customer racing and four of Audi’s DTM factory drivers. “We haven’t been represented at Spa with so many race cars as this year since 2016,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “For us, the event will be about clinching our fifth overall victory and for the teams and drivers, about scoring further good results in the championship classifications that are associated with this race.” 

This year, the competition again involves the pursuit of several big aims. The teams supported by Audi Sport customer racing – WRT with two race cars and Saintéloc Racing with another Audi R8 LMS – have set their sights on overall victory. DTM drivers Robin Frijns/Nico Müller/René Rast will be at the wheel of one car from WRT while Alex Riberas will share the second one with Audi Sport drivers Frank Stippler and Dries Vanthoor, who scored victory in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in June. Vincent Vosse’s Belgian WRT team triumphed in its home round at Spa in 2011 and 2014 while Sébastien Chetail was successful there with Saintéloc Racing in 2017.

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Like last year, Saintéloc Racing relies on Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock – the 2017 Spa winners – and on Frédéric Vervisch, another winner of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in June. The competition, as the third of five rounds, is also part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. In addition to the three race cars entered by the Audi Sport teams, Team Montaplast by Land-Motorsport has been nominated to score points for this only worldwide GT3 series. Wolfgang Land’s squad in third position was the best Audi team at Spa last year and this year relies on DTM driver Jamie Green, Audi Sport driver Christopher Mies and up-and-coming driver Ricardo Feller. 

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