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While Mattia Drudi/Ricardo Feller managed a victory in the GT World Challenge Europe, Audi Sport driver colleague Max Hofer celebrated his fourth success in the Australian offshoot of the series.
The Audi R8 LMS also won races in China and New Zealand while the Audi RS 3 LMS made its mark on the highest European TCR category with its third victory in four races.
Audi R8 LMS GT3
Victory and lead in the standings at the start of the season: Team Tresor Orange1 took the lead in the Sprint Cup right at the start of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS season. The two Audi Sport drivers Mattia Drudi and Ricardo Feller finished second in the first race at Brands Hatch after Drudi had improved from fourth to third position at the start.
During the pit stops, Feller took over the cockpit of the Audi R8 LMS and returned to the track in second position. He came closer and closer to the leader. After 42 laps, the Swiss was just 0.616 seconds short of victory. In the second sprint, the Italian-Swiss driver duo stormed to the front from seventh on the grid.
Feller sat in the cockpit at the start of the race, gained a position on the track and made an early pit stop. The team’s strategy paid off: Drudi crossed the finish line with a 3.7-second lead after the Saintéloc Junior Team with Christopher Mies had led for a long time before increasing tire degradation left the team with no chance.
Drudi and Feller lead the sprint table after the first of five events with a 6.5-point advantage. At the same time, they have an 11.5-point lead in the combined overall standings from Sprint and Endurance.
Fourth victory of the season in Australia: Audi Sport driver Max Hofer continues his winning streak in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia. After two victories at the season opener and another success at the second event, the Austrian was again at the top of the podium on the third race weekend.
Hofer, who had previously shared an Audi R8 LMS with Liam Talbot, competed for the first time on the Phillip Island circuit with Geoff Emery in the Jamec Racing team. In the second race, Hofer was initially in third place. After the pit stops, teammate Emery returned to the track on lap 20 as the new leader.
The Australian, who was Australian GT Champion three times in a row with Audi between 2017 and 2019, won by 3.4 seconds after 36 laps. Second place went to Liam Talbot/Fraser Ross in an Audi R8 LMS fielded by Team Shannons Insurance.
Max Hofer now leads the Pro-Am standings with 115 points, second is Geoff Emery with 103 points and third is Liam Talbot with 101 points.
Dominant performance in China: Team Absolute Racing stamped its mark on the second round of the GT Super Sprint Challenge at Shanghai with two victories. The Chinese Hu Bo proved once again that the move from the GT4 variant to the GT3 version of the Audi R8 LMS was not difficult for him this season.
He secured pole position and won the first sprint by 1.2 seconds. His toughest opponent was his own teammate, who competed under the pseudonym Vincent in an identical model and was in the lead several times fighting against Hu Bo. In the second sprint, Hu Bo beat Ruan Cunfan in a BMW by 3.7 seconds, while Vincent took third place.
Title success in New Zealand: Team IMS secured its third title success in the North Island Endurance Series with the Audi R8 LMS after 2016 and 2017. Jonny Reid and Sam Fillmore won the 3-hour race at Taupo in the Audi R8 LMS of the tradition-steeped team. Reid edged out Mercedes driver Ant Pedersen in the closing stages after the final pit stop to win by 17 seconds. Bill Riding and Steve Brooks secured another title for Audi in the island nation: The two privateer drivers won the Trophy for pure amateur driver combinations in the Audi R8 LMS fielded by Team Wolfbrook.
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Victory and championship lead for Team Tresor Orange1 at Brands Hatch
