Audi R8 LMS Cup: Series returns to Shanghai

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

• Rounds 7 & 8 to be held in China at the Shanghai international Circuit
• Alex Yoong tops close leaderboard ahead of Rahel Frey and “Franky” Cheng Congfu
• Cheng to challenge for overall lead on his home turf

Shanghai, China, October 16, 2014 — This weekend, the Audi R8 LMS Cup heads to China, where the Cup was launched in 2012. Rounds 7 and 8 of the sprint race series will be held on October 18-19 at the Shanghai International Circuit, the venue for the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.  Alex Yoong tops the championship ahead of Rahel Frey and local favourite “Franky” Cheng Congfu. Only five points separate the top three drivers, with fourth placed André Couto only a further four points behind.

“The leaderboard shows that this year’s championship is extremely competitive. Every point in every race counts. To win the 2014 title, from now on, the top drivers certainly need to secure podium places and finish their races,” commented Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia.
Chinese motorsports star, “Franky” Cheng Congfu heads to Shanghai on the back of a victory in the last round in Malaysia. He is currently third in the overall championship (79 points), narrowly behind Swiss GT specialist Rahel Frey (82 points), who had her first win in the Audi R8 LMS Cup in Shanghai last year. Both will try to topple former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong (84 points) from the top spot.

André Couto in fourth has 75 points. 2012 and 2013 champions Marchy Lee (65 points) and Adderly Fong (47 points) lie in fifth and seventh positions respectively, and will try to get their campaigns back on track in Shanghai. In between them is Korean driver K.O. You in sixth (49 points) waiting for his chance to climb the leaderboard with a strong performance this weekend.

Gentleman driver Steven Lin is currently leading the amateur championship with 142 points. The Chinese driver picked up back-to-back victories last time out and will be expecting to further increase his lead at the top in front of the home crowd in Shanghai.

Qualifying and Round 7 will be held on Saturday, October 18 and Round 8 will be held on Sunday, October 19, alongside the Volkswagen Group’s Sports Car Champions Festival in Shanghai. The Shanghai International Circuit is 5.5 km long, and features a long back straight followed by a sharp hairpin turn. The track has hosted the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix since 2004.

The Audi R8 LMS Cup is the first brand cup in the history of Audi. After its successful maiden season in China in 2012, the sprint race series expanded to Malaysia and South Korea in 2013, and added Japan and Abu Dhabi in 2014.

2014 Audi R8 LMS Cup
Rounds 7 & 8, Shanghai International Circuit, China
Provisional Entry List (v 1.04)

Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website: www.audir8lmscup.com

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup