The Audi R8 LMS Cup will present itself in its seventh season in a fundamentally new way. For the first time, amateur drivers will exclusively compete in the one-make cup. In addition, rounds will be held at two national highlight events in Australia and Germany for the first time. The season will close with a night race in Malaysia.
“In the 2018 season, we’re offering our customers dynamic and varied events on challenging tracks,” says Martin Kühl, Head of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. “The Audi R8 LMS Cup continues to be the only one-make cup to which GT3 race cars are admitted.” The provisional calendar will commence on March 3 and 4 with two races in Adelaide, Australia. On May 11 and 12, the Audi R8 LMS Cup will visit the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The two sprint races will be held on the 5.148-kilometer Grand Prix circuit in the Eifel. On September 1 and 2, the one-make cup will be racing on the newly opened track at Ningbo, China. As another date in China, the fourth event at Shanghai from October 5 to 6 will be on the calendar. The first night race in the history of the Audi R8 LMS Cup will close the season at Sepang (Malaysia) from November 24 to 25. In addition, Audi will offer its customers an invitation race, the SIC 888, on October 7 at Shanghai. By participating in in this endurance race entrants will have ten additional points credited to their championship tally.
The audience is going to experience a field that will be as varied as never before. In addition to the first and the second generation of the Audi R8 LMS, the new Audi R8 LMS GT4 will also be admitted to the Cup for the first time. New as well will be the circle of drivers. For the first time, only privateers can apply. “For them, the series will become even more attractive due to a driver mentoring program and a policy of open data,” says Martin Kühl. The drivers will benefit from a mentoring program with guidance provided by motorsport pros. Furthermore, in 2018, all data generated by the GT sports cars in the practice sessions and the races will be available to all participants. This policy promises to deliver substantial learning effects in terms of driving skills.
At the end of the year, the overall winner of the one-make cup will receive a Cup Edition of the Audi R8 Coupé (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 12.3 – 11.4; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 287 – 272; figures depend on the engine/transmission/wheels/tires used). Four participants who score the largest number of points in each of the four countries on the calendar, respectively, will be able to compete in the 2019 Spa 24 Hours in a team entered under the name of the Audi R8 LMS Cup. In the GT4 class, the best three drivers will receive parts packages at the end of the year. Here, the overall winner can look forward to a volume worth 50,000 euros.
“The Audi R8 LMS Cup has been a valuable element of our customer sport program for many years,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “With the new approach for 2018 we’re going to focus on the wishes of our customers even more intensively than before and continue to strengthen the position of the one-make cup in Asia and beyond.”
