With this recurring column, ooooIYKYK aims to summarize activities of Audi racing campaigns and competition endeavors. This weekly series brief updates of results, preparation, happenings and rumors pertaining to on track activities. See a full calendar of motorsport activities involving Audi Sport factory, customer and Sauber F1 teams maintained HERE.
OPEN WHEEL RACING
FORMULA 1 ROUND #3, F1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 🇧🇭
Bahrain Grand Prix Recap
Following the third round of the 2025 season, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber continues to push to learn new developments on the car and working with new drivers. Both driver teams tried different approaches to tires and race strategy, though the pace of the Saubers continues to be at the back of the pack. Hulkenberg finished P15, though was moved forward to P13 following penalties with drivers in front of him.
Unfortunately the FIA’s Post-Race scrutineering checks weren’t kind to the team. Hulkenberg’s car was found to be non-conforming with the regulations. In the end, a skid plank wear in excess of the limit caused it to be disqualified from the Bahrain Grand Prix entirely.
The team shares that there will be a thorough internal review. They also recognize that the their C45 racecar still needs further development.
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal
“Today was a long afternoon on the pit wall. We tried different strategies and compounds, but none of them seemed to provide Gabriel with the pace advantage we needed to get through traffic. Nico, on the other hand, delivered a very consistent race – despite a collision – and with a few penalties for competitors ahead of him, he managed to secure a P13 finish. While ending the race close to the points, we also recognise the factors that led to this outcome. Now, it’s time to regroup, refocus, and analyse the weekend to uncover any untapped performance.”
Nico Hulkenberg (Cảr #27)
Race result: 13th
Fastest lap: 1:37.338 (Lap 30)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Soft) – Lap 5 (New Medium) – Lap 27 (New Medium)
“It has been a difficult weekend, overall, and tonight was not different. The start wasn’t the best – I was on the inside for turn one but then got pushed wide in turn two and lost all my drive heading down to turn four. I ended up last by the time we arrived there, which obviously made things not easier, especially as we were starting on the soft tyre. We pitted early and aggressively, which meant running two very long stints: getting something out of this race was always going to be a long shot after that. This track really exposed some of our car’s weaknesses, so there are important lessons to learn. Over one lap, I think we’re pretty decent if we get everything together, but our long-run pace needs improvement.”
Gabriel Bortoleto (Car #5)
Race result: 19th
Fastest lap: 1:38.006 (Lap 38)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Medium) – Lap 13 (New Hard) – Lap 32 (New Medium)
“It’s been a tough afternoon, but we did see some improvements in pace at times. Overtaking was definitely a challenge – as soon as I got close to the car ahead, I just couldn’t find the grip to make a move, especially through the corners. It’s obviously frustrating, especially after the Safety Car restart when I was on mediums against the hard tyres of the car in front but still couldn’t find a way through. Overall, it’s crucial to take time to analyse everything and understand how we can improve our performance. In the short term, the goal is to move on from a challenging weekend, take the learnings with us, and focus on Jeddah to finish off this triple header.”
NEXT ROUND F1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 🇸🇦
Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Saudia Arabia (Apr 18 – Apr 20)
SPORTSCAR RACING – GT3, GT4 & TCR CUSTOMER RACING
Worth noting, Audi Sport has begun publishing weekly customer racing race summaries. As a result, the race updates on ooooIYKYK will become even more inclusive now that updates on all customer racing activities are emanating from the team itself. Thanks to Audi Sport customer racing for continuing to keep fans up to date on Audi Sport customer racing activities around the world.
DEUTSCHE TOURENWAGEN MASTERS (GT3) DTM PRE-SEASON 🇩🇪
Land Motorsport Reveals Livery for their Lone DTM R8 LMS GT3
The DTM has shared the 2025 livery for Land Motorsport’s R8 LMS GT3. Land represents the only Audi on the grid in this season of the DTM, and the look of its car is decidedly factory. The design utilizes a lot of more recent factory presentation car elements such as the red and black striping on a silver body or the prominent Audi Sport rhombus logo on the roof.
GT AMERICA POWERED BY AWS (GT2, GT3) ROUNDS 3 & 4, LONG BEACH 🇺🇸
📺 Watch Race Here: Race 1, Race 2
Strong GT3 Performance from GMG but No Podium This Time
Longtime Audi Sport customer racing team owner and driver James Safronas put in a strong showing in Long Beach despite not having netted a podium result. At Long Beach, Safronas proved to be the fastest car on the track, putting his #14 Audi R8 LMS GT3 in the SR03 Class at the top of the provisional results in Practice 1. He set the pace again in Practice 2 as well.
James was just barely edged out of pole, missing it by just 0.15 seconds. He would end up starting settle for second on the grid for the start.
When the starting flag dropped for Race 1, the GMG Audi took first place on Lap 1 and held it the whole race until the final lap when Safronas rolled to a stop.
While it’s a shame GMG and Audi weren’t victorious at Long Beach, the team looks poised to mount a dominant campaign in America this season.
In Race 2, Safronas mounted another dominant performance. Unfortunately another car making contact with the GMG Audi R8 at the hairpin caused Safronas to go wide, ceding positions in the process and placing him back in 7th place at the finish.
GMG Racing Nabs Second Place in GT America Long Beach GT2 Class
In the second round of the GT America powered by AWS series, CJ Moses took second in the GT2 class. His R8 LMS GT2 is operated by longtime Audi customer team GMG Racing.
GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA (GT3) ROUNDS 1&2, SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT 🇲🇾
📺 Watch Race Here: Race 1, Race 2
Podium Finish for FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom
FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom nabbed a podium finish in the overall standings along with two class victories. The duo of Franky Cheng and James Yu won the Silver class in both races in Sepang, finishing third overall in the second race. What’s even more remarkable about this performance is that they started in P15.
Cheng and Yu now lead the Silver class points standing with 17 points accrued.
Three R8 LMS GT3 Entries for 2025 GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS
Joining the previously announced Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom entires for the full 2025 GT World Challenge Asia season is UNO Racing Team that will compete for the series’ Silver Cup. The UNO car will be piloted by Shaun Thong and Rio.
In the meantime, FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom’s driver teams Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai will also vie for the Silver Cup, while Markus Winkelhock joins Bao Jinlong will contest Pro-Am.
GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE (GT3) ROUND 1, CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD 🇫🇷
Saintéloc Racing on Podium at Le Castellet
In Europe, the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup round at Le Castellet resulted in a podium finish for Saintéloc Racing. The trio of Lorens Lecertua, Lucas Légeret and Ivan Klymenko finished third in the Silver classification following six hours of racing.
NÜRBURGRING LANGSTRECKEN-SERIE (GT3 / TCR) ROUND 1, NÜRBURGRING NORDSCHLIEFE 🇩🇪
Second Place for Juta Racing in Nürburgring Pro-Am Class
Lithuanian-based Juta Racing scored a podium result of their own in the first round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie season. Drivers Frank Stippler, “Selv” and Alexey Veremenko took second in the Pro-Am class after starting from pole position in their Audi R8 LMS GT3.
TCR Victory in Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie Season Opener
Goroyan RT by sharky-racing won the TCR Class in the season opener of the all of the all Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie with the driver team of Danny Brink, Artur Goroyan and Roman Mavlanov. Max Kruse Racing won in the AT3 class with Peter Hansen and Lars Nielsen. Finally, there was a second place for the Audi from Max Kruse Racing ahead of Goroyan RT by sharky-racing in the SP3T category completed the results after four hours of racing.
ADAC GT MASTERS (GT3) PRE-SEASON 🇩🇪
Land Motorsport Announces 2025 Lineup for ADAC GT Masters Series
Already on the DTM grid with one Audi R8 LMS Evo2 GT3 car, Land Motorsport has announced that it will also be returning toe the ADAC GT Masters series. Carrie Schreiner (26 / Völklingen) and Alain Valente (28 / Switzerland) will share the team’s sole R8 assigned to the ADAC campaign. The pair will see their debut together for the first time at the Lausitzring.
When it comes to the ADAC GT Masters, Land Motorsport is one of the most successful teams in the history of the series. With twelve outright wins and nine pole position starts, the team is the fifth on the series’ all-time record books. In addition to that, Land has also claimed two team championships and two drivers’ titles during its time in the ADAC GT Masters.
24H SERIES (GT3) 12 HOURS OF MUGELLO 🇮🇹
📺 Watch Race Here: Part 1, Part 2
Third Place for Continental Racing by Simpson Motorsport in 12 Hours of Mugello
In the 12 Hours of Mugello, Continental Racing by Simpson Motorsport netted yet another podium for Audi in the Am classification. Drivers David Pogosyan, Andrey Solukovtsev and Vasily Vladykin finished third.
BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP (GT3) ROUND 1, DONINGTON PARK 🇬🇧
PB Racing with JMH Podium in Donington
Following a switch to the British GT Cup Championship, PB Racing with JMH managed to nab another podium for Audi at the season opener in Dongington. Drivers Peter Erceg and Hugo Cook finished third in the third race of the weekend.
EXTREME SUPERCARS DRIVEN BY DUNLOP (GT3) ROUND 1, KILLARNEY 🇿🇦
Liebenberg Sweeps all Three Races of Extreme Supercars Opening Round
Bradley Liebenberg swept all three races at the opening round of the Extreme Supercars Driven by Dunlop series in Killarney. The dominant opening places his team at Stradale Motorsport and their R8 LMS GT3 strongly at the top of the points.
He also won the first race at the second round in Kyalami. In that round, Paul Hill also won two third place finishes in Class A in another Audi R8 LMS GT3.
SOUTH AFRICAN ENDURANCE SERIES (GT3) ROUND 2, ALDO SCRIBANTE 🇿🇦
Marius Jackson Third in Second Round
This past week marked the second round of the South African Endurance Series held in Aldo Scribante. There, Marius Jackson netted a third place finish in the one-hour race.
SPANISH CAMPEONATO DE ESPAŇA RESISTENCIA (GT2) ROUND 2, NAVARRA 🇪🇸
R8 LMS GT2 Takes Second at Navarra
Daniel Carretero and Pablo Yeregui drove the Team C.D. Dago Audi R8 LMS GT2 to a third place finish. This two-hour race in Navarra helped them finish second in the standings.
GT4 EUROPEAN SERIES POWERED BY RAFA (GT4) ROUND 1 & 2, CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD 🇫🇷
📺 Watch Race Here: Race 1, Race 2
Team Speedcar Victorious at GT4 Europe Season Opener
Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche won the second race at Le Castellet in their Audi R8 LMS ahead of a field of 41 other GT4 class contenders. The race amounted to a contest of slipstream skills at the high-speed Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France.
The victorious Team Speedcar Audi won by just o.076 second ahead of a Toyota and are now second in the standings. Their sister car with teammates Julien Ripert and Philippe Thalamy driving contributed to another podium result as third in the amateur classification in the first race.
DMV SUPER TOURING AND GT CUP (GT4) ROUND 1, HOCKENHEIM RING 🇩🇪
Three More Class Victories for Erdmann and Schaible in Hockenheim
GT4 dominance continues for Erdmann and Schaible. The team recorded three more class victories in the Audi R8 LMS GT4, with the victories spread over two sprints and a two-hour race.
NORDDEUTSCHER ADAC TOURENWAGEN CUP (GT4 / TCR) ROUND 2, OSCHERSLEBEN CIRCUIT 🇩🇪
Multiple Victories for Audi Teams in NATC
In the Norddeutscher ADAC Tourenwagen Cup NATC German club racing series, three overall victories and two class wins went to the private drivers at round 2 in Oschersleben. In the TCR Class, Manfred Lewe won twice in his Audi RS 3 LMS.
TCR EUROPEAN ENDURANCE (TCR) ROUND 1, MUGELLO CIRCUIT 🇮🇹
📺 Watch Race Here: Stage 1, Stage 2
Audi RS 3 LMS Teams with 1-2 Win at Mugello
Italian Audi customer teams recorded a one-two victory at the season opener in Mugello. Franco Girolami and Sandro Pelatti took the checkered flag in an Audi RS 3 LMS from PMA Motorsport. Alessandro Alcidi and Yuri Brigliadori followed, grabbing second for BF Motorsport. After almost two hours of driving with a thrilling battle in the final phase, the two crossed the line with just 3.6 seconds separating them.
In the meantime, the Gen1 class for older cars saw victory go to another Audi operated by the Turkish driver team of Sinan Çiftçi and Ibrahim Okyay from Texaco Team AMS. In the DSG classification for cars with dual-clutch transmissions, Emilio Damante and Edoardo Maccari finished second in an Audi RS 3 LMS from Tuder Racing.
COPPA ITALIA TURISMO (TCR) ROUND 1, AUTODROMO PIERO TARUFFI DI VALLELUNGA 🇮🇹
RS 3 TCR Dominant in Coppa Italia Turismo Series
The Italian club racing series Coppa Italia Turismo kicked off it season at Autodromo Vallelunga. There, Ramazan Kaya took second place in the first sprint in the BF Motorsport Audi RS 3 LMS. In the second race, Adriano Visdomini from Next Motorsport finished second ahead of Koray Kamiloglu from the Erven Madem H2K Racing Team. Elsewhere, in the DSG Class, the Audi RS 3 LMS took two 1-2-3 victories with Giacomo Orioli, Davide Nardilli and Sebastian Gavazza in the first contest and Gavazza ahead of Kamil Cat and Tiziano Bergamasco in the second sprint.
TCR Eastern Europe (TCR) ROUND 1, RED BULL RING 🇦🇹
📺 Watch Race Here: Race 1, Race 2
Multiple Trophies Scored with Audi at Red Bull Ring
Audi Sport customer racing team Aditis Racing won three trophies at the Red Bull Ring. Bartosz Groszek took second place in the first sprint ahead of Martin Kadlečik. In the second sprint, Kadlečik was again the fastest Audi driver, finishing in third place.
UPCOMING ROUNDS: WEEK 17 (APR 20-APR 27)
Sidenote: See full season calendar HERE.
18-20 – 24H Series Europe Michelin 12H of Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – GT3
18-20 – F1 STC Saudia Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Saudia Arabia – F1
18-20 – FFSA GT Championnat de France, Nogaro Easter Cups, Nogaro, France – GT3, GT4
25-27 – British GT Championship, Silverstone 500, Silverstone Circuit, UK – GT3
25-27 – DMV Super Touring and GT Cup, Circuit Zolder, Belgium – GT4
25-27 – DTM, Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Germany – GT3
25-27 – GT America, Circuit of the Americas, USA 🇺🇸 – GT3
26 – TCR Europe, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal – TCR
26-27 – International GT Open, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal – GT3
Editor’s Note: Do you appreciate the premium Audi-focused content you’re finding via ooooIYKYK? This is a new content platform project in the Audi space, and its growth is critical in assuring its survival and growth. If you like what you see, please consider doing the following.
1.) Tell your friends.
Getting the word out to other Audi aficionados is key, and I’m trying to avoid spamming up online groups and forums in a painful display of self promotion. If I’ve earned your appreciation though, perhaps you can help the spread via word of mouth or recommendations by fans to other fans.
2.) As an Individual, Consider Subscribing.
Whether as a free subscriber or one who chooses to pay for a subscription to help fuel this platform’s existence, this is a notable way you can help. A newsletter distribution is managed via Substack HERE, where you can subscribe or pay for subscription even without being a member of Substack.
3. As a Company, Consider Sponsoring.
If you’re a business operating in the Audi space and open to underwrite quality content promoting the Audi brand, its cars and its owner enthusiasts, then consider underwriting ooooIYKYK. Elevating this project to a higher level of operation will not only augment the coverage and capabilities, they will directly and authentically associate your business as a patron of the Audi enthusiast space. If interested, please email george.achorn@ooooIYKYK.com.