Audi 1-2 in GT at Daytona

After a more than successful 2012, Audi has starting 2013 as it means to go on by achieving a 1-2 finish in the GT class at the 24 Hours of Daytona last weekend.  Audi is definitely a master in the art of dominating24-hour races.  Following victories at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Spa and Le Mans in 2012, the German FIA World Endurance LMP1 Champions succeeded in the Florida endurance classic for the first time in its history with Audi R8s entered by privateer teams.

Spectators were treated to a breathtaking finale at the Daytona oval, both in the DP category (overall victory) with three cars on the same lap, and in the GT class as only a scant second separated the two victorious Audis at the finish.  In the end it was AJR (Alex Job Racing, a competitor for many  seasons in the ALMS) who had the upper hand over APR Motorsport.  Filipe Albuquerque / Oliver Jarvis / Edoardo Mortara / Dion von Moltke finished 1.4 seconds ahead of the quartet of Ian Baas / René Rast / Marc Basseng / Frank Stippler, the latter having also lifted the winner’s trophy in the most recent Nürburgring 24 and the Spa 24 Hours.

A Ferrari 458, the car with which the Italian manufacturer won the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Manufacturers World Cup in 2012, completed the podium in the category. One has to go to fourth place to find a 2012 WEC driver, Olivier Beretta, winner at Daytona in 2000 with the Oreca Viper, while Porsche chalked up fifth and sixth positions in GT.

Sixth position (overall) was also the result for the Starworks Motorsports team, best FIA WEC LMP2 team ​​in 2012. Ryan Dalziel, Allan McNish, vice-world champion, and Sebastien Bourdais were at the front for much of the race, but had to surrender position after their teammate Alex Popow had a tyre problem.  The leaders then drove away, the pack including a Corvette DP which finished second.

Cécile Bonardel (translated by Fiona Miller)