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.
EDITOR’S NOTE
With less events to cover last week and Sauber’s remarkable 5th place points finish at the Spanish Grand Prix, the weekly motorsport update from Week 23 was skipped in favor of a total focus on F1 in Spain. As a result, this report will recap two weeks of Audi motorsport activities.
OPEN WHEEL RACING
FORMULA 1 ROUND #10, F1 PIRELLI GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 🇨🇦
Canadian Grand Prix Preview
For the tenth round of the 2025 season, the F1 machine picks up and heads to Montreal, Canada and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – a track known for challenge. Previous years have also seen adverse weather, something Sauber was keen to seize upon in Round 1.
No doubt the team will hope to further its more competitive performance as witnessed in Spain with Niko Hulkenberg’s fifth place points-scoring finish as well. F1 Unlocked sites much of the performance gains here due to Sauber’s aggressive development program focus on an all-new floor design that markedly improved the aerodynamics and drivability of the car.
How will this play in Canada? We’ll find out this weekend, but for those Audi fans watching Sauber’s challenges this season it is most definitely encouraging to see the team continuing to optimize the car with lessons that will no doubt carry some lessons forward into next year’s all-new design.
FORMULA 1 2026 SEASON
2026 Season F1 Calendar Announced
Formula 1 and the FIA have officially confirmed next season’s race calendar, one that boasts 24 races with an Abu Dhabi finale in December.
Notable changes include a shift for more efficient geographical flow that sees the Canadian Grand Prix now following Miami, followed by a focused collection of European races culminating in a new Spanish round in Madrid in September.
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.
IMSA MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE ROUND 5, O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 4 HOURS OF MID-OHIO 🇺🇸
Double Top Ten Finish for Precision Racing LA RS 3 LMS Squad
Though there were no podiums, it was a weekend of progress at Mid-Ohio for the two-car Precision Racing LA team that runs the #7 and #37 RS 3 LMS in America. The team walked away from the weekend with a pair of Top 10 finishes, including a run from 14th to 7th for the Tomlinson car.
For Megan and Ron Tomlinson in the #37, this was a new best performance. Consistency and pace were the name of their game as they made their way through the field, a highly encouraging result for this Am/Am father and daughter driver pairing.
For the #7 car, a gearbox issue required an extended visit to the garage, which set that car back almost 20 laps. However, once repaired, the team returned with competitive pace and clawed their way back to 10th overall.
GT WORLD CHALLENGE AUSTRALIA (GT3) ROUNDS 5 & 6, QUEENSLAND RACEWAY 🇦🇺
Best Weekend Yet in GT World Challenge Australia
Audi Sport customer teams in Australia put in their most dominant performance yet this season with rounds five and six at Queensland Raceway. Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher took their second win of the season in their Kelso Electrical Team MPC-fielded R8 LMS GT3, starting in pole and winning by 10.5 seconds in the first race.
In the second race, Audi R8s managed to sweep the podium. Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser led from the beginning, taking first. Second went to Brendon Leitch and Tim Miles in the Dayle ITM Team MPC R8, while third went to Feeney and Schumacher. In the meantime, in Pro-Am, Renee Gracie took two victories in her Only Fans Team MPC fielded Audi R8 LMS, while Gary Higgon and Paul Stokell in the KFC Team MPC R8 took the Trophy Class win in both races.
THAILAND SUPER SERIES (GT3) EVENT 3 BURIRAM 🇹🇭
Victory in Buriram for Audi Sport customer racing Asia
[source: Audi Sport]
A daring maneuver in the third round of the GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS resulted in another victory for Audi Sport customer racing. Cheng Congfu/Yu Kuai scored the first win of the season for FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom in Buriram, Thailand. Cheng Congfu drove the Audi R8 LMS in the first of two races at the start, touched an opponent and was in second place when he received a five-second penalty for a jump start. At the pit stop, the Chinese driver handed his car over to his compatriot Yu Kuai. Together with the leader, he pulled away from the chasing pack until the field was able to catch up again during a safety car phase. Twelve minutes then remained until the end of the race. On the final lap, Yu Kuai overtook the leader on the outside lane and won by around eight tenths of a second. The Chinese driver emerged from an Audi Sport Asia junior development program and has now demonstrated his talent in international competition. In the same race, Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom achieved third place in the Pro-Am class with Jinlong Bao/Markus Winkelhock. In the second race, the Uno Racing Team with Rio/Shaun Thong won the Silver classification ahead of Cheng Congfu/Yu Kuai, who have extended their lead in the Silver Cup standings to 29 points at the halfway point.
NORTH ISLAND ENDURANCE SERIES EVENT 1 TAUPO CIRCUIT 🇳🇿
Success in New Zealand for Audi R8 LMS
[source: Audi Sport]
At the season opener of New Zealand’s North Island Endurance Series, Sam Fillmore/Jonny Reid triumphed in the first three-hour race of the new season. The local driver pairing in the Audi R8 LMS from International Motorsport started fourth on the Taupo circuit. They took the lead in the middle of the race and finished 16 seconds ahead of a Lamborghini. Third place went to Steve Brooks/Bill Riding in an Audi R8 LMS from Wolfbrook Motorsport, who had led in the early stages of the race.
GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE ROUND 4 MONZA 🇮🇹
Podiums for Tresor Attempto in GT World Challenge Europe
[source: Audi Sport]
Tresor Attempto Racing achieved two podium results in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup. At the second race of the season in Monza, Riccardo Cazzaniga/Leonardo Moncini/Sebastian Øgaard in the German team’s Audi R8 LMS were the third-best driver combination in the Gold Cup. Their teammates Alex Aka/Alberto di Folco/Ezequiel Perez Companc crossed the finish line in third place in the Silver Cup and are therefore also third in the standings in this classification.
INTERNATIONAL GT OPEN (GT3) ROUND 3, HOCKENHEIM 🇩🇪
Two Podiums in International GT Open
[source: Audi Sport]
With two second places, Christopher Haase/Simon Reicher moved to within two points of Hungarian championship leader Levente Révész on the third race weekend of the International GT Open. In the first race at Hockenheim, the German-Austrian driver duo in the Eastalent Racing Audi R8 LMS made a remarkable comeback from 13th on the grid; the Austrian team started the second race from second place. Good class results rounded off the weekend: Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota won the Pro-Am class in the second race in Team ISR’s Audi R8 LMS. Petr Fulín/Jiri Navrátil achieved second place on Saturday and third place on Sunday in the Am classification for the Czech team FullinRace by Interaction in the Audi R8 LMS.
BRITISH GT CUP (GT3) ROUND 4, SNETTERTON 🇬🇧
Four Trophies for Team PB Racing in British GT Cup
[source: Audi Sport]
Team PB Racing with JMH returned from the third round of the British GT Cup Championship with four trophies from Snetterton. Peter Erceg finished third in the Audi R8 LMS in the first sprint and improved by one position in the second. In the 52-minute third race, he shared the cockpit with Marcus Clutton and was again second. The driver duo finished the final fourth race in third position.
P9 CHALLENGE (GT3) ROUND 4, SPA FRANCORCHAMPS 🇫🇷
Victory for R8 LMS in P9 Challenge
[source: Audi Sport]
Thomas Westarp won the first race in the Audi R8 LMS at the second round of the P9 Challenge in Belgium. The German led his class by one lap at the end of the one-hour competition in Spa.
SUPER TAIKYU SERIES (GT3) ROUND 3, FUJI 24 HOURS 🇯🇵
Podium for Hitotsuyama Racing in Super Taikyu Series
[source: Audi Sport]
In Japan, Hitotsuyama Racing achieved a podium result with the Audi R8 LMS in an endurance race of the Super Taikyu Series. At the Fuji 24 Hours, the third round of the series, Kenji Suzuki/Sota Ogawa/James Pull/Anna Inotsume/Shintaro Kawabata finished third overall in a field of 53 classified participants. After a courageous tire choice with slicks on a drying track, the Audi led after 50 laps with James Pull at the wheel. Many caution periods and two race stoppages due to fog and accidents repeatedly interrupted the race rhythm. The Japanese team remained focused even after a tire failure necessitating a suspension change and deservedly clinched a podium result in the end.
SOUTH AFRICAN ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP (TCR) ROUND 3, KILLARNEY 🇿🇦
Podium Result in South African Endurance Championship
[source: Audi Sport]
Charl Arangies/Arnold Neveling/Bradley Liebenberg achieved a podium result in the third round of the South African Endurance Championship. The driver trio drove the Stradale Motorsport Audi R8 LMS to third place overall after six hours of racing in Killarney.
TCR EUROPE (TCR) EVENT 3, HOCKENHEIM 🇩🇪
Strong Performance in TCR Europe
[source: Audi Sport]
Strong performances in top racing series: The Audi RS 3 LMS was also among the winners on the third weekend of the TCR Europe. After Jimmy Clairet in the season opener and his brother Teddy Clairet on the second weekend, Felice Jelmini popped the champagne corks in Hockenheim. The Italian won the second race for PMA Motorsport with a lead of 8.1 seconds. The Italian had started from eleventh place as the only participant on wet tires. On a damp track and with occasional showers, this was the right choice, so that Jelmini took the lead for the PMA Motorsport team on the second lap and never relinquished it. As in the first race, Jimmy Clairet finished third in the Audi of the Clairet Sport team. As a result, the Frenchman extended his lead in the standings over his brother Teddy to 24 points at the halfway point of the season.
TCR EASTERN EUROPE (TCR) EVENT 2, SALZBURGRING 🇦🇹
Five Trophies at Salzburgring for TCR Eastern Europe Customer Teams
[source: Audi Sport]
The Audi customer teams in the TCR Eastern Europe returned from the Salzburgring with five trophies. Czech driver Martin Kadlečik won the first sprint in an Audi RS 3 LMS for Aditis Racing by 5.9 seconds ahead of his Polish teammate Bartosz Groszek. Latvian Ivars Vallers followed around seven seconds behind in an Audi from LV Racing after two of his rivals had to pit with technical damage. In the second race, Groszek took second place ahead of Kadlečik after the duo had started from seventh and eighth place. The Czech is currently second in the standings ahead of the Pole and also leads the Junior classification. Audi customer teams were also successful in a third Europe-wide TCR racing series.
TCR EUROPEAN ENDURANCE (TCR) ROUND 2, SLOVAKIARING 🇸🇰
Second Place for BF Motorsport at Slovakiaring
[source: Audi Sport]
Yuri Brigliadori/Giuseppe Cartia took second place in the Audi RS 3 LMS from BF Motorsport at the second round of the TCR European Endurance at the Slovakiaring. They thus won the classification for second-generation racing cars with sequential gearboxes. The corresponding class victory for first-generation racing cars went to Ibrahim Okyay/Sinan Ciftci in the Audi RS 3 LMS of Texaco Team AMS. In the DSG classification for racing cars with dual-clutch transmissions, their teammates Berk Kalpak/Onat Telkenar achieved third place in another Audi.
BELCAR ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP (TCR) ROUND 2, SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS 🇫🇷
Second Victory in Belcar Endurance Championship
[source: Audi Sport]
Team VP Racing celebrated its second victory in a row in the Belcar Endurance Championship. Nick van Pelt/Olivier Bertels drove their Audi RS 3 LMS to class victory in the Supersport category on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Belgian driver duo had a one-lap lead after around two hours of racing.
CUP UND TOURENWAGEN TROPHY (TCR) EVENT 3, ASSEN 🇳🇱
Two Class Victories for RS 3 LMS at Assen
[source: Audi Sport]
Manfred Lewe returned from the second round of the Cup- und Tourenwagen-Trophy with two class victories. The German in the Audi RS 3 LMS won the first competition on the Assen circuit in the Netherlands with a one-minute lead and even had a 1.32-minute gap to his rival’s Seat at the finish of the second race.
ULTIMATE CUP SERIES (GT4) ROUND 3, PORTIMÃO 🇵🇹
Podium Results for R8 GT4 in Ultimate Cup Series
[source: Audi Sport]
Podium results in Europe: Pierre Arraou finished on the podium four times at the third round of the Ultimate Cup Series in Portimão. The Frenchman finished third in his class in the first sprint on the Portuguese Algarve. In the three subsequent sprints, the Herrero Racing driver in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 was second best in the UCS4 category.
DMV SUPER TOURING GT CUP (GT4) ROUND 3, NÜRBURGRING 🇩🇪
Multiple Trophies in DMV Super Touring GT Cup
[source: Audi Sport]
The DMV Super Touring GT Cup also held its third round. At the Nürburgring, Seyffarth Motorsport finished second in its class in the first race with driver duo Tobias Erdmann/Bernd Schaible in the Audi R8 LMS GT4. Schaible won the second race by a thousandth of a second ahead of Christoph Malbertz, who drove an Audi R8 LMS GT4 from the Georg Motorsport team.
UPCOMING ROUNDS WEEK 25 (JUN 14-JUN 22)
Sidenote: See full season calendar HERE.
13-15 – F1 Pirelli Grand Prix du Canada, Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Canada 🇨🇦 – F1
13-15 – GT World Challenge Asia, Japan Cup, Sportsland Sugo, Japan – GT3, GT4, TCR
14-15 – TCR UK, Croft Circuit, Darlington, UK – TCR
17-20 – Pike’s Peak International Hillclimb, Pike’s Peak, CO, USA 🇺🇸 – Hillclimb
19-22 – IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Sahlen’s 6 Hours of the Glen, Watkins Glen International, USA 🇺🇸 – TCR
19-22 – Intercontinental GT Challenge, Ravenol 24H Nürburgring, Nürburgring Nordschleife, Germany – GT3, TCR
20-21 – Extreme Supercars Driven by Dunlop, Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria, South Africa – GT3
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