Pirelli World Challenge: Positive debut for Compass360 Racing Audi TT RS at Sonoma

By Tarek Ramchani

Compass360 Racing debuted with the Audi TT RS in the Pirelli World Challenged at Sonoma Raceway last weekend. The car competed in the GTS class showing some positive performances.

The #78 Audi TT RS was driven by team's regular Paul Holton. He ended Satruday's opening race in twenty-second place overall. On Sunday he improved and finished the 50-minute sprint race in seventeenth place.

Compass360 Racing and the Audi TT RS will be back for Pirelli World Challenge season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: Podium for Mike Skeen Audi in Sonoma race 1

By Tarek Ramchani

Mike Skeen clinched a strong podium in the opening Pirelli World Challenge race at Sonoma, California. The driver of the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra from CRP Racing had a solid race.

The 2014 Pirelli World Challenge runner-up was among the fastest in a very demanding GT field. Mike Skeen finished the 50-minute event behind race winner Kevin Estre (McLaren 650S GT3) and second placed Renger van der Zande (Porsche 997 GT3 R).

The second Audi entry in the race driven by Drew Regitz finished in twenty-third place overall. The Cameron Racing run #19 Audi R8 LMS ultra competed in the GTA class.

Sonoma Race 1 Results

Pirelli World Challenge race 2 will be held on Sunday.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: Frustrating race 1 for Mike Skeen in Miller Motorsports Park

By Tarek Ramchani

The Miller Motorsports Park in Utah played host to the first Pirelli World Challenge race of the weekend today. It was one of the hardest rounds ever for the Audi R8 LMS ultra in Pirelli World Challenge.

Mike Skeen was not able to battle for the top spots in today's race. The CRP Racing driver of the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra pushed hard but that was not enough. He ended the 50-minute sprint race in thirteenth place overall.

The 2014 series runner-up had to battle against strong competitors but also against a penalizing Balance of Performance.

Another Audi driver facing an unlucky race was Drew Regitz. Behind the wheel of the #19 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Cameron Racing he had a crash and did not finsih the race.

Overall race victory went to Johnny O'Connel with the factory Cadillac ATS-V.R. James Davison was second with a Nissan GT-R ahead of his team-mate Bryan Heitkotter in third place.

Utah Race 1 Results

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: Four Audi R8 LMS ultras ready for Miller Motorsports Park

By Tarek Ramchani

The Pirelli World Challenge is moving to the beautiful and challenging Miller Motorsports Park in Utah this weekend. The Audi Sport customer racing squad will be represented by a total of four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars representing three different teams.

Two Audi R8 LMS ultras will compete in the upper GT division. Mike Skeen will be once again behind the wheel of the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The CRP Racing driver faced a frustrating Mid-Ohio round last time out and will try to challenge for the top spots in Utah.

GMG Racing team owner James Sofronas will drive the #14 Audi R8 LMS ultra. James Sofronas is having an unlucky season in Pirelli World Challenge, the 2013 series' runner-up will try to bounce back and collect big points.

As it is the case in GT, two Audis will enter the GTA class. Drew Regitz will drive the #19 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Stephen Cameron Racing. Brent Holden will drive the #44 Audi R8 LMS ultra from GMG Racing.

Miller Motorsports Park Entry List

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: Mike Skeen Audi qualified in seventh place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

By Tarek Ramchani

The North American based Pirelli World Challenge is at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. Three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars took part in the qualifying session today.

The GT and GTA teams took part in the qualifying session today. Best ranked Audi driver was Mike Skeen in seventh place overall. Behind the wheel of the #2 car from CRP Racing he set a personal best of 1:20.662.

James Sofronas qualified in fourteenth place overall with the #14 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The GMG Racing team-woner and 2013 runnerup in Pirelli World Challenge swith a personal best of 1:21.037.

Drew Regitz was twenty-fourth fastest with the #19 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Cameron Racing. Unlike both Mike Skeen and James Sofronas, Drew Regitz is competing in the GTA class.

The first Pirelli World Challenge race is set for today.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: Four Audi R8 LMS ultras will enter the Mid-Ohio round

By Tarek Ramchani

The Pirelli World Challenge entry list for the next round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has been published. The Audi Sport customer racing squad will be represented by a total of four Audi R8 LMS ultra cars representing four different teams.

Two Audi R8 LMS ultras will compete in the upper GT division. Mike Skeen will be once again behind the wheel of the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The CRP Racing driver performed very well last time out at Road America and will fight for the overall win.

GMG Racing team owner James Sofronas will drive the #14 Audi R8 LMS ultra. He will be eager to battle for the top spots after some ups and downs in this year's competition.

As it is the case in GT, two Audis will enter the GTA class. Drew Regitz will drive the #19 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Stephen Cameron Racing. Jeff Courtney the team owner of JCR Motorsports will drive the #99 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Entry List

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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PHOTOS: Audi teams in Pirelli World Challenge round of Road America

A selection of great photos featuring the Audi teams in last weekend's Pirelli World Challenge round at Road America.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: Mike Skeen narrowly missed the podium in Road America race 3

By Tarek Ramchani

Mike Skeen had another strong race at Road America. The Audi driver took a strong fourth place overall in the third and final Pirelli World Challenge race at the famous Elkhart Lake circuit.

Behind the wheel of the #2 Audi R8 LMS from CRP Racing, Mike Skeen was among the strongest in the demanding GT field. He battled well for the top spots and narrowly missed the podium.

Another driver who performed well in the Road America third race was James Sofronas. The GMG Racing team owner finished the in eleventh place overall driving the #14 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Jeff Courtney was sixteenth with the #99 Audi R8 LMS ultra from his own team JCR Motorsports.

Three Audis did not finish the race. Drew Regitz (#24 Audi) and Walt Bowlin (#30 Audi) were taken out right after the start. The it was the turn of Alex Welch, his #76 Audi R8 LMS ultra from GMG Racing went off the track and caught fire. Fortunately, Alex Welch was unharmed.

Race victory went to James Davison with a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. Ryan Dalziel was second with a Porsche 997 GT3 R. Olivier Beretta was third driving a Ferrari 458 GT3.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: Podium for Mike Skeen Audi in Road America race 1

By Tarek Ramchani

Mike Skeen has clinched a great podium in the first of three Pirelli World Challenge races today at Road America.

The CRP Racing driver was behind the wheel of the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra. He ended behind race winner Tomas Enge with a Lamborghini Gallardo and James Davison with a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.

More to come.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Challenging weekend for North American Audi teams - Watkins Glen and Road America

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi brand will have a very busy and challenging racing weekend in North America. Audi teams will compete in three different series on two different locations, Watkins Glen and Road America.

The Watkins Glen event will feature two races. The famous 6 Hours of the Glen, one of the stellar events in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

An Audi R8 LMS from Paul Miller Racing will compete in the 6-hour endurance race. The #48 Audi R8 LMS will fight for GT Daytona class victory with drivers Dion von Moltke, Christopher Haase and Bryce Miller.

The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will feature two Audi S3 Sedans. The cars will be entered by Compass360 Racing and they will compete in the ST (Street Tuner) class.

The #74 Audi will be shared by Jim McGuire and Nico Rondet. The sister #75 S3 will be driven by Paul Holton and Kyle Gimple.

The other major event for Audi will be held at Road America. The famous Elkhart Lake circuit will play host to no less than three Pirelli World Challenge races this weekend. A total of six Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will take part in the event.

Mike Skeen will be behind the wheel of the #2 R8 LMS ultra from CRP Racing. James Sofronas the GMG Racing team owner will drive the #14 Audi. Both Skeen and Sofronas will compete in the upper GT class.

The lower GTA class will feature four Audis. Drew Regitz will drive the #19 car from Stephen Cameron Racing. Walt Bowlin will race the #23 R8 LMS ultra from M1 Racing LLC. Alex Welch will be behind the wheel of the #76 car from GMG Racing. Jeff Courtney will enter the #99 machine from JCR Motorsports

Photo credit: IMSA / Pirelli World Challenge

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PHOTOS: Audi teams in Pirelli World Challenge's Grand Prix of Detroit

A selection of great photos featuring the Audi teams in last weekend's Pirelli World Challenge round at Detroit.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Pirelli World Challenge: GMG Racing Audi and David Welch heading to Detroit Grand Prix

GMG Racing Press Release

With the tricky bumps of Detroit’s scenic Belle Isle playing host to this weekend’s 10th and 11th rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge GT championship, Global Motorsports Group (GMG) will put their efforts behind experienced racer David Welch for the upcoming Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. After a banner event for the driver at the most recent street race in Long Beach, the team saw a natural fit to put their resources behind the veteran. Additionally, in a last minute change of fortune, team owner James Sofronas will be forced to miss the event due to a shop injury suffered this past weekend.

“David adds considerably to our program, and it will be great to have him on for Detroit,” stated GMG team owner James Sofronas. “Long Beach was a great result for him and the team, and I think he’ll represent our team, as well as everyone at Numerix, very well. I’m personally very disappointed that I won’t be able to make it, we had a little bit of a SNAFU at the shop this weekend and sadly my foot took the brunt of the punishment. These things happen and hopefully I’ll be recovered in time for the next round.”

Driving the No. 21 Numerix Audi R8 LMS ultra, Welch will head to Detroit after a very successful run at the most recent Grand Prix of Long Beach. Gaining 16 spots en route to a fifth place finish, the veteran’s execution of pace and patience have proven a great commodity on street courses, which should show well at the tricky Belle Isle course.

Welch most recently visited the event in 2012, where he finished sixth.

“It’s great to be back with GMG for Detroit,” stated Welch. “Our last race together at Long Beach definitely showed the potential of our program, hopefully this weekend will run with less yellows. Regardless, the team has done an excellent job getting me up to speed and I’m confident ahead of the weekend. I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone at Numerix for bringing me here, I’m sure we’ll show well.”

David and the team will once again carry the colors of Numerix, the market’s leading provider of risk analytics technology for the pricing, structuring, modeling and valuation any derivative instrument, or portfolio. Numerix risk solutions enable global financial institutions to understand performance, analyze and anticipate future derivatives risks with unparalleled speed and accuracy.

Practice for the event begins this Friday, May 29, with Race 10 taking place on May 30 at 9:50AM ET, with Sunday’s race taking place the next day at 12:10PM. MOST NOTABLY, Sunday’s race will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network at 12PM ET. The team will provide continuous updates via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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Busy weekend for Audi Sport customer racing North America at Detroit

By Tarek Ramchani

A busy weekend ahead for Audi Sport customer racing North America at Detroit this upcoming weekend. The Motor City is hosting the two premier North American sportscar series, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Pirelli World Challenge.

The two events are sharing the weekend with the IndyCar Series and will feature a great selection of Audi R8 LMS and ultra race cars.

In TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Audi will be represented by a single car from Paul Miller Racing. The #48 R8 LMS will be driven by Christopher Haase and Dion von Moltke. The two drivers will fight for GTD class victory following strong performances last time out at Laguna Seca. The Paul Miller Racing drivers are leading GTD overall drivers' championship standing.

No GTLM cars at the Detroit round, GTD will be the single GT class in the event. The TUSC race will be held on Saturday.

In Pirelli World Challenge, four Audi R8 LMS ultras will enter the event. Mike Skeen will be behind the wheel of the #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra. GMG Racing team-owner James Sofronas will drive the #14 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Both Mike Skeen and James Sofronas will compete in the upper GT class and will fight for the top spots overall.

The remaining two Audi R8 LMS ultra are competing in GTA class. Drew Regitz will drive the #19 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Stephen Cameron Racing. David Welch will be behind the wheel of the #21 Audi R8 LMS ultra from GMG Racing.

Photo credit: Audi Media

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Pirelli World Challenge: Top 10 in qualifying for Mike Skeen's Audi at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

By Tarek Ramchani

The Pirelli World Challenge has crossed the border this weekend, up north to Canada. The beautiful Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - former Mosport - is hosting rounds eight and nine of the 2015 season. Only three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are taking part in the Canadian event.

The qualifying session held yesterday was a mixed one for the Audi Sport customer racing squad. A single Audi R8 LMS ultra qualified inside the Top 10.

The best ranked Audi driver was Mike Skeen with the #2 R8 LMS ultra qualified tenth overall. The 2014 series runner-up set a personal best of  1:15.968. The CRP Racing driver will be eager to bounce back on race day.

The remaining two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars who took part in the qualifying session were further behind, both competing within the GT-A class. JCR Motorsport team-owner and driver Jeff Courtney qualified twenty-sixth place with his #99 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Drew Regitz was twenty-eighth driving the #19 Audi R8 LMS ultra from Stephen Cameron Racing.

Pole position went to Johnny O'Connell with his factory #3 Cadillac ATS-VR GT3 from Cadillac Racing. Series points leader Olivier Beretta was second driving the #61 Ferrari 458 GT3 from R.Ferri Motorsport. Butch Leitzinger quailified his Dyson Racing run #20 Bentley Continental GT3 in third place.

The first Pirelli World Challenge race will be held on Saturday.

Photo credit: Motorsport.com

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Pirelli World Challenge: Strong fifth place for Mike Skeen Audi in Barber race 2

By Tarek Ramchani

Mike Skeen just took a strong fifth place overall in the Pirelli World Challenge race 2 at Barber Motorsport Park.

The 2014 runner-up was among the fastest in the field with his #2 Audi R8 LMS ultra from CRP Racing. Mike Skeen ended right behind the Ferrari of series points leader Olivier Beretta.

Up ahead it was a 1-2 McLaren win with two cars from K-Pax Racing Flying Lizard Motorsports. Kevin Estre victorious ahead of his team-mateRobert Thorne. Third place went to Porsche driver Ryan Dalziel.

More to follow.

Photo credit: Pirelli World Challenge

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