Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release
Beijing, October 17, 2014 – The season calendar for the 2015 Audi R8 LMS Cup has been announced and includes 12 races over six race weekends. The season will kick off on March 21-22 at the Zhuhai International Circuit in South China’s Guangdong province, followed by races in South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan and the season finale in Shanghai, China.
"We have put together an attractive calendar and upgraded the cars with new technology for the 2015 Audi R8 LMS Cup. With Taiwan, we add a completely new location. The technical upgrades for our Cup car will further improve its aerodynamics and performance, not only for our sprint race series but also for entries in endurance racing. I also expect a lot of excitement for drivers and fans with the introduction of a standing start with launch control", says Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia.
The race weekends in Fuji, Japan and Shanghai, China will be held alongside the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Rounds 5 & 6 of the season will see the first ever brand cup of Audi debut in Taiwan.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup car will receive a technical upgrade package for the 2015 season of the Asia-based GT series. The new launch control technology enables improved traction from a stationary position, as the Cup will have both flying and standing starts in 2015.
The upgraded car also features improved aerodynamics. The rear wing will be positioned further back to achieve greater downforce for increased handling and control, without affecting the top speed. From the Audi R8 LMS ultra, the Cup car will be equipped with a new and lighter clutch for improved engine response and a new brake system with an optimized brake bias setting. The upgrades will further improve the car’s performance for both sprint races and endurance races.
Launched in 2012, the Audi R8 LMS Cup will head into its fourth season in 2015. The GT3 sprint race series has established itself as one of the leading motorsport competitions in Asia. The current field of competitors includes renowned professionals like former F1 driver Alex Yoong, Swiss GT-specialist Rahel Frey, Macau GP winner André Couto and China's motorsport star "Franky" Cheng Congfu, as well as aspiring talents and ambitious amateurs.
The Cup is part of the Audi Sport customer racing Asia program and is operated by Audi China. The brand with the Four Rings offers racing enthusiasts in Asia a full range of services, from sports car experiences to race training, racing licence courses and race-ready Audi R8 LMS cars. The Audi R8 LMS Cup car is a specially developed GT3 race car and shares about 50 percent of its technological base with the road version Audi R8.
Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup
