OTOMOTIVE

A weekend to forget for Audi at Zolder

By Tarek Ramchani

Circuit Zolder hosted the second round of both the FIA GT1 World Championship and the FIA GT3 European Championship last weekend. Audi teams are competing in both series, in the end it was some bad luck and disappointing results from a very rainy weekend.

FIA GT1 World Championship:

After dominating the opening round at Nogaro with double victories, the Belgian Audi Club WRT aimed high for their home race at Zolder. All started well on Satruday, with very strong qualifying sessions. The #33 of Oliver Jarvis and Frank Stippler was second, the sister #32 car of Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor, the double winners in France, were fifth.

Right before the qualifying race, the pole sitting Porsche GT3 R of Exim Bank Team China was penalized and that gave the #33 Audi the pole position. It was a wet start to the race and the second placed Lamobrghini Gallardo jumped the start, passing Oliver Jarvis. The track began to dry and the pit window opened for the mandatory pit stop. Jarvis had had placed the #33 in the lead before the pit stops. Most of the front runners opted for dry slick tires but the WRT team chose wet tires. It was later revealed that a communication problem had prevented the team from hearing the drivers ask for slicks on the clearly drying track. This resulted in both Audi struggling and dropping way behind. The #18 BMW Z4 GT3 of Vita4One Racing won the race. The R8 LMS ultra cars finished together but only eleventh and twelfth.

The main Championship Race, was a kind of revered deja vu. Tire choice was a gamble at the start of the race with possible rain. Many cars opted for wets while WRT chose slicks this time round. WRT got the gamble wrong and struggled for pace when it started raining shortly after the race start. The WRT team pushed the cars to their limits and as the track began to dry they began making up places. WRT was the last team to do their mandatory pit stops. This had allowed them to make up a lot of ground but when they rejoined the track their cold slicks were no match for the other cars that had pitted earlier and now had warm slicks. Both Audis dropped back in the field but were still running together. Stéphane Ortelli and Oliver Jarvis battled hard for positions on track, and collided, with the #33 Audi R8 LMS ultra spinning. In the end the #32 Audi of Ortelli and Vanthoor finished in sixth. The sister #33 with Jarvis and Stippler landed in tenth.

The Belgian weekend wasn't lucky for the WRT boys, however the team was able to keep the overall championship lead. Stéphane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor are the outright series leaders. Next time is at Portimao in Portugal. Last year WRT did very well there in the FIA GT3 European Championship by winning a race with their Audi R8 LMS.

FIA GT3 European Championship:

Things weren't different in the FIA GT3 European Championship. The same as in the World GT1 event, the Audis did very well in both qualifying sessions with great double pole positions but the races did not go as planned.

For Race 1, the new comers to the series Team Nova Driver were able to take their first pole position. The other two Audis from Sainteloc Racing were further back. Before the start the #14 Portuguese Audi was penalized and dropped to third. The race was very wet with the #14 involved in a titanic battle for the lead. The track began to dry and it came down to tire choice at the pit stops. The Audi team again opted for slick anticipating more imminent rain. The rain did not arrive and the three Audi cars weren't able to match the Ferrari and AMG SLS pace. The cars finished in lower positions, sixth was the #14 Audi of Team Novadriver, the Sainteloc cars were grouped in tenth and eleventh.

Race 2 was almost the same as Race 1. Sainteloc Racing's R8 LMS ultra had locked out the front row after a great 1-2 in the qualifying session. Again wrong tire choices combined with various spins resulted in the cars dropping back and they finished almost a lap behind the winning AF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3.

Overall it was a very difficult weekend for the Audi teams at Zolder. Next time both championships will head to Portugal and the challenging Portimao track. Belgian Audi Club WRT is leading in FIA World GT1 Championship and Sainteloc Racing is chasing the leaders in the FIA GT3 European Championship. We are hoping for better performances at the Algarve track, the Audi R8 LMS ultra is clearly among the best GT3 racers around, if not the best.

Photos hosted at Endurance-Info.com

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Watch LIVE FIA GT1 from Zolder

By Johan Laubscher

Round 2 of the FIA GT1World Championship at Zolder in Belgium. Today sees the main championship race for the FIA GT1 weekend. You can watch the race live, right here:

Watch LIVE

For German viewers please follow this link for a live stream you can watch in Germany. Watch the race HERE

Live Timing here:

Official FIA GT1 website

Photo by Jean-Baptiste Lassaux from www.autorennsport.ch

It's "home race" time for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

For the third weekend in a row, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be competing in a major international GT event this coming Saturday and Sunday. Under the spotlight this time is the FIA GT1 World Championship, but the second round of the season won't be just another round for the Belgian squad, as Zolder means, of course, ‘home race'... The season-opener at Nogaro marked the team's debut in the world's GT gotha and brought a dream result, two double one-two wins, for the Belgian Audis R8 LMS ultra! While it is going to be extremely difficult to match that score, Laurens Vanthoor-Stéphane Ortelli and Frank Stippler-Oliver Jarvis are committed to do well in front of the team's fans, friends and family, and most of all, to take another tally of heavy points in order to maintain the lead in the championship standings. Among the four drivers, young Vanthoor will of course feel twice at home ...

"Nogaro was just fantastic, but it's behind us", says, almost as a warning,Team Principal Vincent Vosse. "We did it, we took a lot of points, and now we have to approach the second round as if we are starting all over again. In a way, we have to ‘forget' Nogaro and remain focused on our objective, which is to do as best as possible and take as many points as possible, while keeping in mind that the season is still long. And if we see that we can aim at winning, we'll go for it. We have been successful in Zolder in the past, we have won there both the 24 Hours and the 10 Hours, so it would definitely be nice to add a sprint race to the collection."

As always, the team has carried out with great care the re-preparation of the Audis R8 LMS ultra, and worked on data and simulations. Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonné comments: "On paper, Zolder is not the most favorable circuit to the Audis, and on top of that, some of our rivals will benefit from adjustments in their performance balance, but we feel calm and confident. We know Zolder well and we have tested there during the pre-season. Weather conditions may play in our favor also. For once, we may not dislike seeing the rain, as the Audis perform very well on the wet. In those conditions, too, our drivers are a definite plus, as we really have a terrific line-up."

Talking about drivers, it is needless to say that the one bound to attract most attention next weekend is Laurens Vanthoor. In his case, the expression ‘home race' takes its fullest meaning. "The distance between Zolder circuit and my home can be measured in hundreds of meters rather than in a few kilometers", says the 20-year-old Belgian with a smile, "I will certainly be sleeping in my bed each night!". Life, as we know, is full of paradoxes, and not the least is the fact that Laurens will make next weekend ... his race debut in his home track! "Believe it or not, it's true", he explains, "This is of course the circuit where I have watched races for the first time and where I have done many test sessions, taxi-driving, etc, but I have never competed in an official event in Zolder, simply because it has never been on the calendar of the championships I have raced in so far! Of course, I expect a lot of people to be around, and that will be special, but that will not distract me from my work and the team's objectives." Neither is Laurens distracted by the statistics that some Belgian journalists have dig out: following the two wins in Nogaro that have given him and his team mate Stéphane Ortelli the provisional leadership in the Drivers' standings, Vanthoor is the first Belgian to be leading a FIA World series since motorsport legend Jacky Ickx was in the élite of Sportscar racing in the early ‘80s. "That's cool, but that makes not much sense after Round 1 of the championship...", says Laurens.

On the team's other R8 LMS ultra, Frank Stippler and Oliver Jarvis will seek to reconfirm the excellent form shown at Nogaro, where they took two second places but proved to have the same winning pace than their team mates.

The two one-hour races in Zolder are scheduled on Saturday at 13:45 and Sunday 16:15 hours respectively.

More informations:
Belgian Audi Club official website
WRT official website
WRT official Facebook
FIA World Championship official website

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Video: Belgian Audi Club WRT Monza Report

By Johan Laubscher

The Belgian Audi Club WRT team have competed in their second major event of 2012, the first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza. The team very nearly won the event but due to various factors finished in the second and sixth positions.

As has become tradition WRT prepares a video of each of their race events. Here is the latest video, featuring the team at Monza. Enjoy:

WRT Monza video trailer

WRT Monza video

More Information:

WRT youtube channel

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Second place finish for WRT and Audi at Monza

By Tarek Ramchani

The opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza was really fought. Audi with Belgian Audi Club WRT finished in a very strong second overall.

A very wet wetaher at Monza, and the race started with the safety car leading the pack for many laps. Very difficult track conditions and after more than 30 minutes behind the safety car, the race "really" started. Right from the start it was a Porsche vs Ferrari affair. Best Audi car started from seventh on the grid, yet the two R8 LMS ultra were among the fastest on track passing the rivals. After the first waves of pits stops the Audi cars improved a lot, the two Belgian run cars were able to move up to second and third overall chasing the ProSpeed Porsche. Christopher Haase driving the #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra was almost the fastest putting great pressure on the Belgian GT3 R. Mean time the other Audi in hands of Edward Sandstrom was really flying. The second waves of pit stops started. The #1 lost too much time with a problem changing a wheel, that dropped the car in sthe standing while being in P2 right before. The #2 did better returing on track in third overall in hands of Laurens Vanthoor. The young Belgian, passed the second placed Porsche but couldn't catch the new leaders from Marc VDS BMW. Instead he was busy defending from Anthony Kumpen's assaults with his very quick AMG SLS. In the end the #2 of Vanthoor/Bonanomi/Sandstrom took the second place overall, while the sister #1 with Ortelli/Mies/Hasse landed in seventh.

The other Audis finished respectevly in 23rd with the #40 Sainteloc Racing, in 36th with #30 GT3 Racing, in 41st with the #41 Sainteloc Racing and in 51st with the #98 from JB Motorsport.

Round 1 of the Blancpain Endurance Series was quite good for the Audi squad. Finishing second overall is quite good in this world class GT3 entry list. Next round will be at Silverstone, and we expect another great battle on track with Belgian Audi Club WRT again among the big favorites.

Photo Credits: Markus Berns Blancpain Endurance Series

LIVE Right now - Blancpain Endurance Series Round 1 at Monza

By Johan Laubscher

It is round 1 of the Blancpain Endurance Series today. The race starts right now in Italy. A very large grid including 6 Audi R8 LMS cars from Belgian Audi Club WRT, Sainteloc Racing, GT3 Racing and JB Motorsport.

Enjoy the 3 hour race LIVE right here:

More on the Blancpain Endurance Series at the official Website

Photo by Blancpain Endurance Series

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Belgian Audi Club WRT qualified 7th at Monza's Blancpain Endurance Series

By Tarek Ramchani

The 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series season has started. The opening round is at Monza, Italy with no less than six Audi R8 LMS race cars on the entry list.

Leading the Audi squad is of course is the Belgian Audi Club WRT. The 2011 series champions are back in the top Pro-Cup class with a pair of Audi R8 LMS ultras and a very strong driver line-up. For the qualifying session the best ranked Audi ended in seventh overall, the #1 car of Christopher Mies, Christopher Haase and Stephane Ortelli. The sister #2 car of Marco Bonanomi, Laurens Vanthoor and Edward Sandstrom is far behind landing in 43rd place out of 56 cars. Pole position went to the #71 Ferrari 458 Italia from Kessel Racing, just followed by the #8 Porsche GT3 R from the Haribo Racing Team.

The other Audi cars are in both the Pro-Am class and the Gentlemen Trophy classes. The #30 Audi of the new comers “GT3 Racing” did a nice job with 27th place for their debut with the R8 LMS. The #98 Swedish run car from JB Motorsport was 33rd, while both Sainteloc Racing cars are grouped together with the #40 Audi which will start from 39th position and the sister #41 a further spot back in 40th position.

The race is a 3 hour event, exclusively open for GT3 spec cars. The Belgian Audi Club did dominate last weekend’s FIA GT1 World Championship round in France, but the team will face a larger entry list in Italy, mainly in the Pro-Cup class. With very well driven R8 LMS ultra cars, WRT will be among the big favorites for the overall win tomorrow. The same goes for the other Audi teams in both the Pro-Am and Gentlemen Trophy classes.

Photo Credits : Markus Berns Blancpain Endurance Series

#40 Audi R8 LMS - Sainteloc Racing

#98 Audi R8 LMS - JB Motorsport

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT determined to defend their ‘Blancpain’ titles

Belgian Audi Club Press Release

Only a couple of days after the season’s triumphal debut in the FIA GT1 World Championship at Nogaro, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is heading to Italy and to the legendary Autodromo Nazionale di Monza for the season-opener of the Blancpain Endurance Series, the other championship on the team’s busy 2012 agenda.

The Audis R8 LMS ultra of the Belgian squad have a key mission to accomplish in this highlycompetitive endurance series: to defend the Driver and Team titles conquered last year. To be the reigning champion gives the Belgian Audis the privilege to carry the most

coveted numbers, #1 and #2, on their doors but also entails new responsibilities that will be entrusted to two high-level driver line-ups: Ortelli-Haase-Mies and Bonanomi-Sandström-Vanthoor.

After the very successful debut in the FIA GT1 World Championship on Easter weekend at Nogaro, where Ortelli-Vanthoor and Stippler-Jarvis posted a double 1-2 victory, there is a logical sense of satisfaction in the team. As team manager Pierre Dieudonné explains, “to start the season well is always positive, because it eases the pressure a bit and gives reassurance about the work done. We have to take the good results as an encouragement to keep up the momentum, as it just the beginning of a very long season…”

This said, the Blancpain Endurance Series is a totally different challenge, as it is an endurance championship and this year’s level is expected to be unprecedentedly high. No less than 57 cars are entered for the full 6-event season, proving that the series format put together by Stéphane Ratel and his SRO team is a huge success.

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT team principal Vincent Vosse is conscious of the challenge ahead: “We are anxious to be back at Monza, because every motorsports fan loves Monza, and to the Blancpain, which has given us so many satisfactions last year, but it is obvious that defending the titles against such a competition won’t be an easy task. Our first challenge at Monza is to reset the cars and ourselves to endurance mode and get back to the Michelin tires, which we know well since last year. For the rest, it is clear that 57 cars on the track pose a number of challenges, in terms of traffic and strategy. We will have to be very careful with race management and all our strategic choices.”

Special attention has been given to the driver line-ups for the B.E.S., which see a perfect blend of competences, backgrounds and nationalities. In the number #1 car, Stéphane Ortelli will share the wheel with Germany’s two Christophers, Haase and Mies, a pair that was crowned FIA GT3 European Champions in 2009 and who have already driven for WRT. In the #2 car,

Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor, the “kid” of the team, will share driving duties with Italy’s Andrea Bonanomi and Sweden’s Edward Sandström, who are at their first race with WRT. For Bonanomi, an Audi Sport official driver, who gained experience with the R8 LMS in the Italian GT championship, this will really be what can be called “home race”, as he was born in Lecco, a few kms away from the circuit.

The B.E.S. season-opener is scheduled on Sunday at 14:15 hours, on the 3-hour race

traditional format.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Brilliant FIA GT1 video from Belgian Audi club WRT

By Johan Laubscher

The Belgian W Racing Team, also known as Belgian Audi Club Team Team WRT have become known to make some excellent videos documenting their motorsport activities. Last year they brought us breathtaking videos from the Spa 24 Hours, their debut in the Malaysian 12 Hour race at Sepang and many other races.

Last weekend saw WRT's debut in the FIA GT1 World Championship with the perfect result. The team scored a 1-2 finish in both the weekend’s races. Now this calls for celebration and a nice way to celebrate it with their fans is with another race video from WRT.

Here it is: An exciting fifteen minute video compilation which encompasses this brilliant WRT triumph.

Enjoy the video bellow:

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT dominate the opening weekend of FIA GT1

More Information:

WRT youtube channel

Cover photo by Jean-Baptiste Lassaux from www.autorennsport.ch

Monday, April 9, 2012

Belgian Audi Club WRT 1-2 victory at Nogaro's FIA GT1 main race

By Tarek Ramchani

The Belgian Audi Club WRT dominated today's main race at Nogaro, round 1 of the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship. Another perfect 1-2 victory for the brand new Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Great sunny weather for the championship race with the two Belgian run Audi cars starting from position one and two as they finished in yesterday's qualifying race. Right from the start, the two Audis faced strong competition from the #3 AF Corse Ferrari with Toni Vliander driving. The Finnish driver was able to pass the #33 Audi of Frank Stippler and put great pressure on the leading #32 R8 of Stephane Ortelli. The three leading cars pulled away for the rest of the pack with a great gap over the chasing group. Minutes later and a drive through penalty hit the Ferrari, Toni Vilander had jumped the start. This made it a lot easier for the Audi squad leading and waiting for the pit window to complete the mandatory pit stops. The #32 pitted first with Stephane Ortelli out handing the car to Laurens Vanthoor. A lap later it was the turn of the sister #33 with Frank Stippler letting in Oliver Jarvis. The #33 car was able to rejoin the track right in front of the #32. No team orders at Belgian Audi Club WRT and a great battle for the lead started between Jarvis and Vanthoor. The young Belgian did pass the British Audi works driver at the hairpin but Jarvis succeeded to retake the lead. A few laps later and Vanthoor again made it to the lead, while behind Markus Winkelhoc with his All-Inkl AMG SLS started hunting the two Audis. The Mercedes was clearly faster in the closing stages of the race, but that was too late, the Audis crossed the finishing line victorious. The same #32 of Stepahne Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor made it a double after yesterday's win. Yet again their team mates Oliver Jarvis and Frank Stippler finished in the second spot.

The 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship season has started really well for Belgian Audi Club WRT. Double victories in both races at Nogaro and the championship points lead in both the teams and drivers’ standings. The next round will be at Circuit Zolder in Belgium, the home round for team WRT.

Watch the full champiosnhip race here:

Photo Credits: Markus Berns and SRO www.gt1world.com

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Belgian Audi Club WRT domination at Nogaro FIA GT1 Qualifying Race

By Tarek Ramchani

The Belgian Audi Club WRT had the perfect start to its 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship campaign. A great 1-2 victory in the Qualifying Race at Nogaro.

The two Belgian run privateer Audi R8 LMS ultra cars started from positions two and three, after a strong qualifying session yesterday. A rainy race and right from the start the two Audi cars battled with the pole sitting Ferrari 458 GT3. The #32 car with Laurens Vanthoor faced strong attacks from the chasing cars but he resisted well, being either in second or third during his stint. Right behind Vanthoor the sister #33 R8 suffered a little bit in hands of Oliver Jarvis, but was always in the lead pack. Later a real threat appeared in the form of the Reiter Engineering run Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 with GT ace Tomas Enge driving. The Czech was able to pass the entire leading pack and pull away far ahead. The Audi cars were in second and fourth before the mandatory pit stops. The pit window opened and the seventeen cars jumped in for drivers and tire changes. The WRT crew did an amazing job with very fast pit stops which was enough so send both cars to third and fourth. Shortly after the pit stops the two cars overtook the Hexis McLaren and started chasing the leading Lamborghini. Ortelli was able to put in very fast lap times to pass the Reiter car, and quickly afterward Frank Stippler passed as well. The two Audis held their position of 1 and 2 until the end of the race. A perfect debut for the Belgian team in world class GT racing.

The Qualifying Race is setting the starting grid from tomorrow's main Championship Race. Audi has locked out the front row of the grid and with the very fast pace in both the qualifying sessions and qualifying race, Team WRT and their Audi R8 LMS ultra will be the big favorites for race victory tomorrow.

Race results:

1 - #32 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra

2 - #33 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra

3 - #24 Reiter Engineering - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600

4 - #2 Hexis Racing - McLaren MP4-12C GT3

5 - #3 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 GT3

Watch the full qualifying race here:

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Belgian Audi Club WRT strong qualifying at Nogaro's FIA GT1

By Tarek Ramchani

The FIA GT1 World Championship qualifying session for tomorrow's Qualifying Race was really fought. Belgian Audi Club did very well taking second and third with their Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.

Seventeen cars were entered the qualifying session. Right from the start the Belgian Audi Club was among the very fastest competitors in the first two segments. The two cars made it to the final Q3 session. Both #32 Audi of Stephane Ortelli and the sister #33 car of Frank Stippler battled hard with the #3 Ferrari from AF Corse. In the end it was the 458 GT3 that took pole position for tomorrow's round in hands of Ferrari works driver Toni Vilander. The two Audis are just after the Ferrari showing great pace. All good for the 60 minutes sprint race which will determine the starting grid of the "Main" Championship Race on Monday.

The Qualifying Race set for tomorrow will be really fought on track. No doubts the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be among the teams fighting for the win.

Qualifying Result:
1- #3 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 GT3
2- #32 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra
3- #33 Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra
4- #38 All-Inkl.com - Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 AMG
5- #37 All-Inkl.com - Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 AMG
6- #24 Reiter Engineering - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600

Watch here the full qualifying session:

Photos hosted at FIA GT1 World Championship Facebook page

WRT team manager Vincent Vosse speaks to Endurance-Info: "Proud to represent Audi in World GT1"

By Endurance-Info

With two successful seasons in GT, the Belgian Audi Club will again be present on several fronts this year, with the GT1 World Championship, the Blancpain Endurance Series, the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and a new campaign under the GT Tour banner Audi Team France for the tandem Ortelli / Hallyday. The team of René Verbist, Yves and Vincent Vosse Weerts are to be counted among the favorites in World GT1, the two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars being driven by Ortelli / Vanthoor and Stippler / Jarvis. Before the kick off this season which promises to once again be well-stocked, Vincent Vosse’s winter period was very busy: "Every year the winter was rather long. We had to make choices and find the necessary funds to mount the different programs. We always say that we must be very careful about the third season because it has a lot of dangers. The first two seasons we have contributed so much that we could quickly be disappointed. The team continues to grow. This is our pride to represent Audi in GT1 World Championship. I think we were not the only team to compete for this championship application. I am very pleased with both crews. "

The weekends will once again be fully charged: "This year we organized it a little differently, especially for the GT Tour. The whole team will not make as many meetings as last year and we know there is still work. To prepare ourselves better, we have implemented a team-building to strengthen cohesion. In most teams, only the drivers are present, while we brought the whole team. We lived together for three days with varied activities. We had set goals and always improved. "

In less than a week, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be hard at work in Monza for the opening of the Blancpain Endurance Series where the goal is to keep the title: "The championship promises to be even more extraordinary than last year. This is the major GT endurance series. I have known Stephane Ratel since 1996 and the time at OPI. To make something work, it takes passion. If Stephane returned home quietly every night at 18 o'clock, it would be pointless. There is all the passion and desire behind his work. He listens and moves to take care of his work. He and his dedication is the success of the championship, which will highlight once again the 24 Hours of Spa. The 2012 edition promises to be magical. It was unthinkable that the GT3 class cannot be fully expressed at Spa. "Like last year where the team of Vincent Vosse had won the race in the hands of Greg Franchi, Mathias Ekström and Timo Scheider, the entity will be the team Audi Sport Team WRT in the Belgian Ardennes. Whether it is Blancpain Endurance series or GT1 World series, Audi's support is the same, with two engineers present within the team. The customer service competition from Audi takes on each track with a mobile workshop where teams, including Belgian Audi Club Team WRT can stock up on spare parts.

More informations:
WRT official website
WRT official Facebook
Endurance-Info

Vincent Vosse team manager of Belgian Audi Club Team WRT

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Ready for FIA GT1 World Debut

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Press Release

Competition is back! As the long winter break ends, the Easter weekend will see the kick- off of the FIA GT1 World championship, in its new shape, i.e. open to GT3 cars. It is the Circuit Paul Armagnac of Nogaro, in South-Western France, which will host the season- opener and a race that will mark the debut of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in a World Championship, in what is only its third season of racing. Strong of last year's successes, which include the Driver and Team titles in the Blancpain Endurance Series and the overall success at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the Audis R8 LMS (in their latest "ultra" version) start the 2012 campaign in the FIA GT1 World with two top-level line-ups: Ste´phane Ortelli-Laurens Vanthoor and Frank Stippler-Oliver Jarvis.

Like always at the eve of a new season, and even more so when a new championship is about to be launched, anxiety but also expectations are running high. "We all know that the launch of the new FIA GT1 World has been a challenge", comments Team Manager Vincent Vosse, "but it is a first satisfaction to see that everything is almost in place, after a true race against time. As far as we are concerned, almost everything is unknown to us, and we will have to wait at least after the qualifying session, to have an idea where we stand. We haven't had much time to work with the new R8 ultra, but I trust Audi has developed a competitive machine as usual, and we will have to discover the Pirelli tires. I'm confident in the work we have done and I believe we have one of the strongest, if not the strongest, driver line-up. We know the value and the expertise of Ste´phane Ortelli and Frank Stippler, we have been extremely pleased with the quick adaptation and the professionalism shown by Laurens Vanthoor, our youngest recruit, and the curriculum of Oliver Jarvis speaks for itself. We are definitely ready to take the track."

As a matter of fact, the Belgian Audis are in Nogaro since the beginning of the week and have participated to the two-day testing session ahead of the event. "These two days, foreseen to finalize the balance of performance, but also devoted to testing, were very useful", reckons sports director Pierre Dieudonne´, "we have been in the top end of the time sheets throughout all the sessions, although this doesn't mean much as we all know, and the new Pirelli tires have shown good consistency."

Among the drivers of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, it is rookie Laurens Vanthoor who has posted the best lap time, confirming his trouble-free switch to GT cars. "Of course, GT cars are different from single-seaters", says the 20-year-old from Hasselt, "Roofed cars have another kind of volume and weight, and also they have features such as ABS, traction control and power-steering that a Formula 3 does not have, but the first phase of adaptation took me only a few laps. I am perfectly aware, though, that I still have many things to learn, in order to be able to reach the limits of the full potential of the car, and that I have to get acquainted with the specificities of GT racing, such as pit stops, driver changes, race strategy, etc".

As for the venue hosting this first event of the FIA GT1 World, Nogaro, it is certainly not the least difficult and technical circuit, but it is one that is equally appreciated by drivers and fans, as Ste´phane Ortelli, who knows it well, explains: "Nogaro is a track of the old school, a natural circuit that has remained unchanged throughout decades, except for one corner, and has not been de-natured with chicanes. It is not a big track, but has a good combination of long straights, where you can overtake, fast and slower corners. It's a track where it is essential to find the right pace, and where you have also to be careful. Like all older circuits, the walls are not too far, and some of the braking zones can be treacherous. In any case, it's a circuit I love and with a very nice atmosphere. The track offers many spectacular watching zones, and fans come in large numbers. In French racing, it is a tradition to start the season here, and being here at this time of the year sounds certainly familiar to me!"

The event will respect the traditional schedule of the Coupes de Paques, with free practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the two one-hour races held on Sunday and Easter Monday, respectively.

More Informations: