- Audi Sport Team WRT wins at first attempt at Mount Panorama
- Audi the most successful marque in Bathurst 12 Hour history with three wins
Bathurst, February 4, 2018 – Audi has added a third victory to its tally at Mount Panorama to become the most successful marque in the history of the Bathurst 12 Hour race. Belgian team Audi Sport WRT took the win – the team's first in Australia – with Robin Frijns at the wheel of the #37 R8 LMS GT3, in a race characterised by many dramatic turns.
The safety car was called upon on the very first lap. However the team of Robin Frijns, Stuart Leonard and Dries Vanthoor kept cool heads and maintained good pace, while managing to avoid problems throughout the day. They closed in on the lead throughout the race, and when the opportunity ultimately presented itself in the latter stages of the race, they were able to take advantage.
With only 12 minutes remaining, a major accident involving several cars including the Pro-Am class-leading #69 Supabarn Audi, caused officials to suspend the race. Such was the debris on the track and the risk it presented to the other cars, the race was ultimately declared, and the leading WRT declared the winner of its first Bathurst 12 Hour.
Although fast and consistent later in the race, early struggles hampered the #37 car early in the race said Stuart Leonard, including problems with the radio, before unlapping themselves later in the race allowed them to attack for the lead.
"Around the last third of the race, it just clicked together," said Leonard after the race.
"It's a tough track, with walls either side and for me and Dries it's our first time ... I think Robin only did seven laps last year, so for all of us we're pretty fresh."
But the significance of winning at Bathurst was not lost on Leonard.
"It's an incredible feeling. I've been watching it [the race] for years and its one of those races that you always want to win. It makes it all the more special to come here,
effectively as novices and win, particularly given the caliber of drivers who have more experience of the track and also the car."
Teammate Dries Vanthoor was likewise thrilled with the hard-fought result at such an iconic track.
"I think it's one of the best tracks in the world," Vanthoor said of the Mount Panorama circuit.
"You can compare it to the Nurburgring and Macau. It is definitely in the top three. For the mountain I had to learn a lot, but I had a good team and the Audi was very strong on the mountain where you need good downforce, good brakes and top speed."
Audi first won the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2011 (the first year the race was run under GT3 regulations). That year Christopher Mies, Marc Bessing and Daryl O'Young took the chequered flag over another Audi R8 LMS driven by local legends Craig Lowndes, Warren Luff and Mark Eddy.
In 2012, Audi returned to Mount Panorama and successfully defended its title, again with Christopher Mies and Daryl O'Young at the wheel, with Christer Jons rounding out the driver trio.
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In 2016, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.868 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,457 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 55,451 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2016 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €59.3 billion and an operating profit of €3.1 billion. At present, approximately 88,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.