The Vehicles Earth

Home » Posts filed under Australian GT

Showing posts with label Australian GT. Show all posts

Video: Australian GT Round 2 at Adelaide

Posted by just sharing Thursday, March 7, 2013 0 comments

By Johan Laubscher

Round two of the Australian GT Championship took place at Adelaide, acting as a support event for the Clipsal 500. Two Audis took part: The Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon and the R8 LMS of Minda Motorsport. Ultimately it was a double top ten for Minda Motorsport as they finished eighth in both races. The weekend was over for Rod Salmon during the first race, a crash on the exit of turn eight resulted in the car being out for the weekend.

Other Side Productions has put together a very nice highlights video from the Adelaide weekend. It features a lot of footage and interviews with the drivers, including a video of the Salmon incident. Enjoy the race footage from the streets of Adelaide down under.

More information:

Other Side Productions

Photo credit: EquityOneMotorsport on twitter

Australian GT: Minda Motorsport Audi R8 LMS in eighth place at Adelaide race 2

Posted by just sharing Sunday, March 3, 2013 0 comments

By Tarek Ramchani

Adelaide hosted the second race of the Australian GT Championship Clipsal 500 weekend today. Whilst two Audi R8 LMS cars were entered at Adelaide, only one started the second race. Race 1 on Saturday was a fatal event for the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon. The Melbourne Performance Centre car was heavily damaged and couldn't take part in race 2. Thus meaning that only a single Audi R8 LMS took part in race 2, the #71 car from Minda Motorsport.

Yesterday the Equity-One Motorsport car finished race 1 in eighth place. Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes shared the car in the one-hour race. Today it was a kind of deja vu in race 2. The white and red Audi R8 LMS again finished in eighth place after the 30-minute sprint race. Race victory went to Craig Baird with the SLS AMG GT3, his second win of the weekend. Klark Quinn's Porsche GT3 R was second and Christian Klien's Mercedes was third.

The third round of Australian GT will be at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this coming May. We hope that Rod Salmon's R8 will be there again and that other Audis will also join.

Photo credit: EquityOneMotorsport Twitter

Mixed race 1 for Audi teams in Australian GT at Adelaide

Posted by just sharing Saturday, March 2, 2013 0 comments

By Tarek Ramchani

Adelaide is hosting the second round of the Australian GT Championship this weekend. Two races are planned supporting the Clipsal 500, the V8 Supercars season opener. Race 1 took place today with mixed results for the Melbourne Performance Centre supported Audi Sport customer racing teams.

Two Audi R8 LMS cars took part of the event. The #71 Audi R8 LMS from Minda Motorsport shared by drivers Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes, the car started from ninth place. The second car, the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon, started from eleventh.

Close battles on track around the famous temporary Adelaide street course. Two major incidents brought the safety car out onto the course twice during the race. Unfortunately the second safety car was caused by Rod Salmon in the #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Following a touch from behind in turn 14 the "Orange" R16 with Rod Salmon was a passenger as he hit the wall whilst exiting turn 8. Due to the damage he was forced to retire from the race, and the rest of the weekend.

The #71 Minda Motorsport car completed a strong first race. Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes finished eighth overall, sixth in the " GT Championship" class. The race win went to Craig Baird with his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMS GT3 ahead of Roger Lago's Lamborghini Gallardo and Klark Quinn's Porsche GT3 R. Race 1 results are here.

Race two is set for tomorrow, a 30-minute true sprint race format. We wish the best of luck for race 2.

Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Center

Two Audi R8 LMS in Australian GT round 2 at Adelaide

Posted by just sharing Thursday, February 28, 2013 0 comments

By Tarek Ramchani

After a thrilling first round at the Bathurst 12 Hour, the Australian GT is now at another iconic track, the famous Adelaide street course. Two Audi Sport customer racing teams are entering the event.

At Bathurst four Australian Audi cars competed in the Mount Panorama enduro event, with two of them being entered for the first Australian GT round. For Adelaide only two Audi cars will been entered. Minda Motorsport debuted with the Audi R8 LMS last time out and finished in an excellent fourth place. The #71 white and red car will be driven by Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes. The other Audi car will be the #6 R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon. At Bathurst the "Orange" R16 was classified sixth in the Australian GT segment of the 12 hour race. Both cars will be supported by Melbourne Performance Centre.

Two free practice sessions have already taken place on Thursday. The #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Rod Salmon was 11th in the first session and sixth in the second. The #71 Audi R8 LMS of Dean Koutsoumidis and Andrew McInnes was tenth in the first session and eighth in the second. During qualifying the #71 placed ninth and the #6 in eleventh.

Two races are planned this weekend. A one hour race on Saturday and a second race with a 30-minute sprint format on Sunday. The competition is becoming fierce in Australian GT. The Audi entries will be up against all-pro line-ups at the front, however we hope that both teams will be able to fight for top spots and big points for the overall standings.

Photo credit: Bathurst 12 Hour

Video: Australian GT Round 1 at Bathurst

Posted by just sharing Friday, February 15, 2013 0 comments

By Johan Laubscher

The Australian GT Championship got underway at the Bathurst 12 Hour. Other Side Productions have produced a brilliant event video, which has been embedded below. The first round took place during the first 50 minutes of the Bathurst 12 Hour. A number of teams were Australian GT entrants during the Bathurst 12 Hour, including two Audi teams. The two Audis entered at the first Australian GT race were the MPC Rod Salmon Audi R8 LMS ultra and the Minda Motorsport Audi R8 LMS. At the end of the 50 minute race both cars placed within the top 6. More can be read about the race HERE.

The Other Side Productions Bathurst event video offers some excellent insight into this event with various driver interviews. The video is well worth the watch for the beautiful sights and sounds of these GT3 race cars racing on one of the most beautiful tracks in the world.

More information:

Other Side Productions

Photo by Audi Sport Media

Positive Australian GT round 1 for Audi teams at Bathurst

Posted by just sharing Sunday, February 10, 2013 0 comments

By Tarek Ramchani

The Bathurst 12 Hour was a special race this year. Not only was it a stand alone international endurance event, but it was also round 1 of the 2013 Australia GT Championship.

The Australian GT segment consisted of the first 50 minutes of the Bathurst 12 Hour race. Three Audis were originally entered for round 1 of the Australian GT. A total of seven Audis were entered for the Bathurst 12 Hour which included the three Australian GT entered Audis, who were also entered for the 12 Hour. Great action on track with a full field of GT3 cars mixing local and international teams. The battles were so fierce that the safety car had to came out twice and regroup the pack during the first hour. At the end of the Australian GT race two Audi R8 LMS cars had entered the top 10. The #71 Minda Motorsport entry finished in fourth place, the Melbourne Performance Centre supported team debuting with the car. Rod Salmon with their #6 R8 LMS ultra ended in sixth place. The car was shared during the 12 hour race by Rod Salmon and V8 Supercars aces and Audi regulars, Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff. Victory in the Australian GT went to the VIP Petfoods Porsche GT3 R ahead of the Bello Rosso Ferrari 458 in second and the Trofeo Motorsport Corvette Z06 in third.

The next stop for the Australian GT will be at Adelaide. The series will support the famous Clipsal 500, the V8 Supercars season opener.

Photo credit: Bathurst 12 Hour

Australian GT 2013: High hopes for Audi teams

Posted by just sharing Saturday, February 2, 2013 0 comments

By Tarek Ramchani

Down under, the 2013 Australian GT Championship season will kick off next weekend at Bathurst. Round 1 of the series will be shared with Bathurst 12 Hour endurance event. No less than seven Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars have been entered for Mount Panorama enduro event. In total five R8 LMS ultra and two R8 LMS. The Aussie based Audi squads will be represented by four cars with massive support from Melbourne Performance Center. Two new R8 LMS ultra specification cars for both Rod Salmon and Mark Eddy/Marc Cini. Both Peter Conroy Motorsport and Minda Motorsport will have older specification R8 LMS cars.

In the last couple of years the series has had positive growth with a great quality field and some big names joining in selected events. During 2011 Audi took the overall drivers championship title with Mark Eddy in his R8 LMS, we hope that the 2013 season will bring the title to the Inglostadt brand again. 2013 will have six rounds across Australia with the finale set in New Zealand. The series will have Pirelli as the new and exclusive tire supplier.

Here is a quick look the four Aussie based R16 teams along with the drivers line-ups of each car for the Bathurst 12 Hour race. As of yet the full season entries are to be confirmed, but rest assured that Audi will be well represented.

Peter Conroy Motorsport
Car: #14 Audi R8 LMS
Drivers: Peter Conroy/Rob Huff/James Winslow

Rod Salmon
Car: #6 Audi R8 LMS ultra
Drivers: Rod Salmon/Craig Lowndes/Warren Luff

Mark Eddy/Marc Cini
Car: #9 Audi R8 LMS ultra
Drivers: Mark Eddy/Marc Cini/Dean Grant/Christopher Mies

Minda Motorsport

Car: #71 Audi R8 LMS
Drivers: Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes/Simon Middleton/Darryl O’Young

2013 Australian GT Championship calendar
Round 1: Feb 8-10 Bathurst 12-hour
Round 2: Feb 28-Mar 3, Clipsal 500, Adelaide
Round 3: May 24-26 Phillip Island
Round 4: July 12-14 Sydney Motorsport Park
Round 5: Aug 2-4 Queensland Raceway
Round 6: Nov 8-10 Highlands Motorsport Park, NZ

Photo credit and more information:
Melbourne Performance Center official Facebook

Audi R8 LMS at Bathurst 12 Hour media launch

Posted by just sharing Sunday, January 20, 2013 0 comments

By Tarek Ramchani

In just a couple of years the Bathurst 12 Hour has become a popular event in endurance racing. Audi dominated the event in 2011 and 2012 with two overall wins using the older spec Audi R8 LMS. In 2011 the winning team was Audi race experience Team Joest and 2011 it was the turn of Phoenix Racing.

For 2013 no less than seven Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars have been entered for the challenging Aussie enduro. The 2012 champions from Phoenix are set to come back to defend their title. The two previous Audi wins seemed really easy to many. However this year an impressive entry list and world class competitors are awaiting the Audi squad. For the second year the 2013 Bathurst won't be a stand alone event as it is part of the 24H Series, and for the first time it will also be the season opener of the growing Australian GT Championship.

The organizers have done a great job so far by promoting the event in Sydney harbor week. Among the cars on display there was the #14 Audi R8 LMS from Peter Conroy Motorsport, an Australian GT regular team who will debut at the Mont Panorama classic. Here is a selection of great photos from the event.

Photo credit and more information:
Liqui-Moly Australia Facebook Page

Eddy and Cini get Macau winning Audi R8 ultra for Bathurst 12-Hour

Posted by just sharing Tuesday, January 8, 2013 0 comments

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

Eddy and Cini get Macau winning Audi R8 ultra for 12-Hour

Melbourne Performance Centre/Mark Eddy Racing
7 January, 2013

Towards the closing stages of 2012, reigning Australian GT Champion Mark Eddy looked like he was all but finished with GT competition after a tough start to the year that saw crashes at both the Bathurst 12-Hour and the Clipsal 500.

Whilst his championship winning R8 LMS was being rebuilt, Mark had second thoughts about rejoining the series, and put his Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC) prepared Audi onto the market for sale.

The decision also saw Bathurst team-mates Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff looking for a replacement ride - the two announcing just recently that they would join MPC stablemate Rod Salmon for the 2013 12-Hour - before Eddy too made his own announcement; he was back..!

Just prior to Christmas, MPC took delivery of the Audi R8 LMS ultra that took victory at the Macau GP in the hands of DTM star Edoardo Mortara, the car getting a ‘freshen’ prior to its debut in Australia at the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12-Hour.

“Initially we were looking to buy a brand new ‘ultra’ from the factory,” Eddy’s team-mate and co-owner of the new car, Marc Cini confirmed. “We made the decision to get the new car late in the year, so we were really pulling out all stops to get it here in time, so Audi rang us and told us there was one sitting on the docks in Hong Kong..

“It’s essentially brand new having been built specifically for Macau, where Mortara drove it to victory, so it’s only done 200 kilometres of racing. Really it’s only just been ‘run-in’..

“Mark [Eddy] and I have been talking for a while about doing more endurance events together, and whilst I have a couple of Porsche Cup-S’s and he has his Championship winning R8 at our disposal, we wanted something that was unused and ready to go,” the Carrera Cup regular added.

“I’ve never raced an R8, but I like what they do as a company, and MPC in Australia have a terrific relationship with the factory, and the car is almost the perfect endurance racing weapon, so it was really a no-brainer.

“At Bathurst we’ll also have Dean Grant - who has a terrific background in endurance racing - and reigning [dual] Bathurst 12-Hour champion Christopher Mies onboard as well, so I expect we’ll be pretty competitive.”

“Like any car that comes from the Audi factory, it is basically new when it reaches us,” MPC’s Troy Russell added. “They go right over any car that is sold back through the factory, and return it to new, so this is basically one of the last factory 2012 ultras built. All we need to do is prep it for painting and stickers, and make any adjustments we need to be ready for Bathurst.

“The car is just about ready for it’s new red and black Network Clothing/Hallmarc livery, and our first test session of the year at Winton on January 24, where they’ll join the Rod Salmon/Craig Lowndes/Warren Luff R8 which has also just been refreshed ahead of Bathurst.”

For Eddy and Cini, the 12-Hour will reunite the Melbourne-based sporstcar stars ahead of what they expect will be an ongoing endurance relationship.

“Neither of us have decided whether we’ll contest the Australian GT Championship just yet,” Cini confirmed, “we’ll see how things pan out after Bathurst. Our goal at this stage is the big endurance races, starting with Bathurst. Beyond that, we’d like to do the Sepang 12-Hour later in the year, and beyond that, we’re not sure at this early stage - we’ll just play it by ear.”

Opening practice for the 2013 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour gets underway on Friday, February 8, with qualifying set for the following Saturday with the 12-Hour on Sunday, February 10.

Photos by Audi Media

The heat was on for the MPC Audi R8 LMS cars in Sydney

Posted by just sharing Thursday, December 6, 2012 0 comments

photo MelbournePerformanceCenter_zpsa0f15eb0.png

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

The heat was on for MPC in Sydney

REVIEW: Melbourne Performance Centre, Sydney Telstra 500

Rnd#7 Australian GT Championship (Nov 30-Dec 2), Homebush, NSW

Despite the limited entries into the final round of the 2012 Australian GT Championships at Sydney’s Olympic Park, the competition for the twin Audi R8 LMS GT3s of Rod Salmon (OneWorld Bar) and Peter Conroy (Hankook) was no less intense, but it did provide both Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC] supported drivers with a great opportunity to attack for a podium result in the stifling conditions.

“That was the plan at least,” Rod Salmon reflected post race. “We were on target early, and in fact the lap before my hiccup, MPC’s Lee Burley told me the podium was mine, so I must have gotten over excited (laughs).

“I was on a solid pace and battling with Tony Quinn early, but in the process out-braked myself into one of the blind left-handers. That was okay, I shot down the escape road and as I tried to swing the car around, I ended up nosing into the wall and coming to a heavy stop. What’s worse was that of all the parts of the circuit my family could be on, they were all parked right there waving at me.. I didn’t see them fortunately.. it was one of those things, I thought it would come around quicker than it did.

“I got it going again, because the damage was mostly superficial, and after the race I sold the car on to Dean Koutsoumidis, so I didn’t want to do it any harm and pulled out of race two.

“Honestly, the team would have had the car right for Sunday, but I wasn’t in the championship hunt, and it’s a tricky circuit, with a lot of blind corners, and I didn’t want to do what Peter Hackett did, so I elected to be a spectator instead.”

“The damage is only superficial, we could certainly have fixed it,” MPC’s Troy Russell confirmed, “but Rod wanted us to bring it back to base and go over it in preparation for Dean and Andrew [McInnes] to take over, so he felt happier sitting out Sunday’s race.

“Both Rod and Peter’s cars performed faultlessly all weekend, and they both got through the weekend without serious damage. The track is very bumpy for the GT cars, bumpier than the Gold Coast, so it becomes pretty hard work for the drivers, they just had to get their lines right, because it didn’t take much to throw them off line.”

“I was actually surprised how bumpy it was,” Salmon added. “I often wondered why the cars would run through the ‘bus stop’ chicane when I watched it on TV, now I know. If you’re out just inches on the way in, the bumps can unload the wheels and therefore affect your braking, and around a circuit like that, braking is one thing you don’t want dramas with. In the end I think I went straight on at that part of the circuit four times..”

Audi team-mate Peter Conroy concurred with his view of the circuit, but like Salmon, loved his weekend on the streets of Sydney.

“Whilst we weren’t initially entered for the weekend, I’m so glad we decided to run because we learnt so much about the car. We came in to get miles in the car and tick a few boxes, and in the end we ticked all the boxes we wanted, and a few more in the process.

“Our only slip for the weekend was an equipment failure. After they started race one, officials reduced the time to 20-minutes instead of 30-minutes, so the pit stop window occurred at a different time. My engineer had a broken wire on his headset, so didn’t hear race control’s call, and therefore never told me when I should be pitting, so I just kept circulating till our originally planned window, and found myself excluded as a result. I was a bit disappointed they would do that given that things changed during the race, but the rules are the rules, and we did have a drama with our comms.

“In the end though I was very pleased with how we went. Across the weekend I improved my lap times significantly compared to where they were at the start, and we learnt more about the car ahead of the 12-Hour. I kept pretty clear of the kerbs all weekend, because I didn’t want to do any suspension damage ahead of the 12-Hour which is a very important event for me.”

For the Melbourne Performance Centre team, it’s back to their south-east Melbourne base to prepare for the opening round of the 2013 season at the Bathurst 12-Hour in early February [8-10] where the team will support up to seven Audi R8s, with assistance from the Audi factory in Germany.

“Each year Audi sends not just crew, but all the parts we need to keep the cars running, regardless of what gets thrown at us,” Russell confirmed. “With victory in 2011 and 2012, they will be keen to three-peat and will have some very strong entries in place to do that, including a number of very competitive local teams.”

Rnd#7 Australian GT Championship
Qualifying - Friday, November 30, 2012
1. Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 1:40.1102
2. John Bowe (Ferrari 458 Italia) - 1:41.8429

3. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 1:41.8805
4. Klark Quinn (Porsche Type 997 RSR) - 1:42.9643

5. Rod Salmon (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:45.1267
6. Peter Conroy (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:48.0485
7. Tony Quinn (Ferrari 458 Italia) - 1:48.8496
8. Nicholas McBride (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup) - 1:49.8559

9. Scott Taylor (Porsche Type 997 GT3 Cup) - 1:52.5094

10. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes (Lamborghini LP520) - 1:53.7305

Rnd#7 Australian GT Championship
Race One - Sunday, December 1, 2012
1. Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 11-laps
2. Klark Quinn (Porsche Type 997 RSR)
3. Edwards/Bowe (Ferrari 458 Italia)

4. Tony Quinn (Ferrari 458 Italia)
5. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes (Lamborghini LP520)
6. Rod Salmon (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 10-laps

7. Scott Taylor (Porsche Type 997 GT3 Cup)

DNF. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 2-laps
DNF. Nicholas McBride (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup) - 2-laps

EXC. Peter Conroy (Audi R8 LMS GT3)

Rnd#6 Australian GT Championship
Race Two - Sunday, December 2, 2012
1. Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 17-laps
2. Klark Quinn (Porsche Type 997 RSR)
3. Edwards/Bowe (Ferrari 458 Italia)

4. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG)
5. Tony Quinn (Ferrari 458 Italia)
6. Peter Conroy (Audi R8 LMS GT3)

7. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes (Lamborghini LP520) - 16-laps
8. Scott Taylor (Porsche Type 997 GT3 Cup)

DNF. Nicholas McBride (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup) - 9-laps

DNS. Rod Salmon (Audi R8 LMS GT3)

2012 Australian GT Championship - calendar
Rnd#1, 1-4 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA
Rnd#2, 25-27 May - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#3, 22-24 June - Winton, Victoria
Rnd#4, 13-15 July - Eastern Creek, Sydney, NSW
Rnd#5, 21-23 September - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#6, 19-21 October - Gold Coast, Queensland
Rnd#7, 30-2 December - Homebush, Sydney, NSW

2012 Australian GT Championship - series points
(after round seven of seven)

1. Klark Quinn (Porsche) - 186 points [Champion]
2. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz) - 173
3. Peter Edwards (Ferrari) - 128
4. Nick O'Halloran (Ferrari) - 56
5. Greg Crick (Dodge Viper) - 56
6. Ben Eggleston (Aston Martin) - 54
7. Roger Lago (Lamborghini) - 52
8. Tony Quinn (Mosler) - 51
9. James Brock (Mercedes-Benz) - 47
10. Rod Salmon (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 43
11. John Briggs (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 35
12. Ash Samadi (Mosler) - 34
13. Jim Manolios/Rod Wilson (Corvette) - 22
14. Martin Wagg (Aston Martin) - 18
15. Peter Conroy (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 17
16. Kevin Weeks (Ford GT) - 15
17. Mark Eddy (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 15

Melbourne Performance Centre is proudly supported by One World Bar, Pirelli Australia, The Audi Race Experience, PH Motorsport Trailers - supplier of the new Audi Sports Customer racing transporter, BluFi Wireless Australia, Questek Australia, and Top Gun Restorations.

Melbourne Performance Centre
Since 2004, Victorian motorsport enthusiasts Lee Burley and Troy Russell have operated Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC], a professional motorsport operation dedicated to ‘gentleman’ [and lady] racers.

Their business model is simple; to provide fellow enthusiasts and competitors a range of services [that includes a Mainline AWD1500 4WD dynometer] that will enhance their experience with the sport, from the build, preparation and engineering of race cars, to transportation and support at the circuit.

Audi Driving Experience

Get behind the wheel yourself to discover a new level of excitement with the Audi Driving Experience. Refine your technique, develop more skilled control at higher speeds and pursue the ultimate in performance.

From advanced programs, right through to the Audi race experience, there is a program to suit every kind of driver.

The Audi Driving Experience makes use of a range of Audi’s vehicles, from sports road cars right through to their Bathurst winning race vehicles. From Audi’s advanced driving courses, you can move through to the Audi sportscar experience and finally, the Audi race experience where you can slip behind the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 racecar that holds the mantel of Australian GT and Bathurst 12-Hour Champion.

To find out more, call Melbourne Performance Centre today.

Melbourne Performance Centre
521 Mountain Highway,
Bayswater VIC 3153
Phone: 03 9738 2294
Fax: 03 9738 2296
info@melbourneperformance.com
www.melbourneperformance.com

Video: Craig Lowndes with Audi R8 LMS interview

Posted by just sharing Sunday, November 4, 2012 0 comments

By Johan Laubscher

Craig Lowndes is one the most famous names in Australian motorsport. Fans are use to seeing him at the front in the V8 Supercars, but in recent years Craig has been seen at the wheel of Audi R8 LMS race cars. He has twice competed for Audi at the Bathurst 12 Hours and most recently he raced a Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 LMS at Phillip Island in the Australian GT Series where he won his first race behind the wheel of an Audi. He was part of the Audi race experience that weekend. Here is a short interview with Craig from the Phillip Island race weekend where Craig gives some insight into his thoughts of the Audi R8 LMS.

More information:

Melbourne Performance Centre on Facebook

Craig Lowndes on Facebook

Photos by MPC

Close but no second victory for Lowndes‏ Audi in Aus GT

Posted by just sharing Sunday, September 23, 2012 0 comments

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

Close but no second victory for Lowndes

Rnd#5 Australian GT Championship - Review: Race two (1-hour) Sunday, September 24, 2012

After taking his maiden GT victory during the opening one-hour ‘enduro’ at Phillip Island during the fifth round of the Australian GT Championship, Craig Lowndes was unable to back-up that win with a second in race two, settling for third behind the Mercedes-Benz duo of Maro Engel and Peter Hackett.

Off pole position courtesy of his win in the opening stanza, Lowndes controlled the pace heading to the line, but Engel was too quick, the acceleration of the Mercedes AMG SLS allowing the German to get into turn one first.

Engel and Lowndes then ran to the mid-point of the race nose-to-tail, with little more than half a second separating them. Engel was the first to pit at the end of lap 20, allowing Lowndes to run in clean air and establish a gap to the chasing pack.

Engel changed right side tyres to prepare for the second half of the race, as Lowndes pressed on into the low 32s. Lapping faster than anyone else in the field, he came up on Martin Wagg in the Aston Martin and looked for a move around the outside at turn one. Wagg clearly hadn’t seen the fast approaching Audi and he moved across on him at the exit of the turn.

“Thank god these things have ABS,” Lowndes admitted afterwards. “I thought he’d seen me, but clearly he hadn’t and he closed the door on me pretty hard.”

The move held Lowndes up for almost a complete lap, the Audi finally making its way past on the main straight, but the damage was done.

Four laps after Engel, Lowndes was into the pits having stretched his lead to more than 60-seconds. The Pirelli tyre pressures were checked and the car was sent out in the lead, but as he turned into turn one, Klark Quinn, Engel and Hackett forced their way past, dropping the Audi back to fourth.

From there it was fait-accompli with Engel quickly through on Quinn to break away from the pack, the pace having dropped by more than two seconds a lap behind the Porsche driver.

With Engel more than three seconds in front, Hackett had a big dive at Quinn into turn one four laps later, forcing the Porsche pilot well off line allowing Lowndes to follow him through to third. From there it was game over, the big Benz - although clearly suffering from tyre degredation - was able to hold the Audi at bay courtesy of its superior horsepower, Lowndes forced to settle for third.

“In the end we just didn’t have the power to break free, and I probably lost the advantage of the run after Maro pitted when Martin Wagg moved over on me, but that’s the way it works sometimes,” Lowndes shrugged post-race. “I needed track position, but once I’d lost that, with the aero effect these cars have, it’s difficult to get close enough to make a move stick.”

Whilst Lowndes celebrated his third position, fellow Audi R8 pilots John Briggs and Rod Salmon too were all smiles, Briggs an impressive seventh, but it could have been much better.

“I’m getting a great feel for the car, and getting used to the ABS and the ASR. Unfortunately in pressing hard to make up a position, I spun trying to get around Ash Samadi at Honda. I’m disappointed in myself because I should have waited another corner and I would have had him. In the end the boys suggested I was on track for a fourth or fifth placed finish, so I’m pretty happy with that, especially after the way the weekend started.”

After struggling with a fuel issue on day one, a change of filter and pressure regulator had Rod Salmon back on the pace in his OneWorld Bar R8, but the multiple Bathurst 12-Hour winner wasn’t 100% comfortable.

“Eighth is okay, but it could have been better, we’ll go away and look at why the fuel consumption was so high on my car - something that contributed to my dramas yesterday - and get it sorted for the Gold Coast next month,” he said. “It’s always nice to put the car back in the trailer in one piece though.”

For the Melbourne Performance Centre team, it’s on to the penultimate round of the Australian GT Championship on the streets of the Gold Coast in one month’s time on October 19-21 where Rod Salmon and John Briggs will again do battle with the regular series contenders.

Rnd#5 Australian GT Championship
Race Two - Sunday, September 23, 2012
1. Maro Engel (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 37-laps - best: 1:31.9123 (lap 2)

2. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - best: 1:32.3671 (lap 4)
3. Craig Lowndes (Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli) - best: 1:31.7964 (lap 2)
4. Klark Quinn (Porsche Type 997 RSR) - best: 1:32.0319 (lap 2)

5. Simonsen/O’Halloran (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) - best: 1:31.2837 (lap 23)

6. Samadi/Grant (Mosler MT900 GT3) - best: 1:34.8538 (lap 16)

7. John Briggs (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - best: 1:34.9367 (lap 9)

8. Rod Salmon (Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli) - best 1:36.8024 (lap 3)

9. Koutsoumidis/McInnes (Lamborghini LP520) - best 1:35.6206 (lap 3)

10. Tony Defelice (Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia) - best: 1.34.6791 (lap 28)

2012 Australian GT Championship - calendar
Rnd#1, 1-4 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA
Rnd#2, 25-27 May - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#3, 22-24 June - Winton, Victoria
Rnd#4, 13-15 July - Eastern Creek, Sydney, NSW
Rnd#5, 21-23 September - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#6, 19-21 October - Gold Coast, Queensland
Rnd#7, 30-2 December - Homebush, Sydney, NSW

2012 Australian GT Championship - series points
(after round five of seven)
1. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz) - 128 points
2. Klark Quinn (Porsche) - 114
3. Peter Edwards (Ferrari) - 92
4. Greg Crick (Dodge Viper) - 56
5. Ben Eggleston (Aston Martin) - 54
6. Roger Lago (Lamborghini) - 52
7. James Brock (Mercedes-Benz) - 47
8. Nick O'Halloran (Ferrari) - 39
9. Maro Engel (Mercedes-Benz) - 38

10. Tony Quinn (Mosler) - 36
11. Craig Lowndes (Audi) - 32

12. John Briggs (Audi) - 25
13. Jim Manolios/Rod Wilson (Corvette) – 22

14. Martin Wagg (Aston Martin) - 18

15. Rod Salmon (Audi) - 17

Melbourne Performance Centre
Since 2004, Victorian motorsport enthusiasts Lee Burley and Troy Russell have operated Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC], a professional motorsport operation dedicated to ‘gentleman’ [and lady] racers.

Audi Driving Experience
Get behind the wheel yourself to discover a new level of excitement with the Audi Driving Experience. Refine your technique, develop more skilled control at higher speeds and pursue the ultimate in performance.

From advanced programs, right through to the Audi race experience, there is a program to suit every kind of driver.

To find out more, call Melbourne Performance Centre today.

Melbourne Performance Centre
521 Mountain Highway,
Bayswater VIC 3153
Phone: 03 9738 2294
Fax: 03 9738 2296
info@melbourneperformance.com
www.melbourneperformance.com

Victory for Lowndes in an Audi at Phillip Island‏

Posted by just sharing Saturday, September 22, 2012 0 comments

Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release

Victory for Lowndes at Phillip Island

Rnd#5 Australian GT Championship - Review: Saturday, September 23, 2012

After a titanic battle with German star Maro Engel, five-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes has emerged victorious in the opening race of round five of the Australian GT Championship at Phillip Island - after sixty minutes, the margin of victory was just 2.7-seconds.

“That was fun,” Lowndes beamed afterwards as he celebrated with the Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC] crew. “It was a hard race, made a little more testing by the fact that I didn’t have any radio communication, so I was a little restricted on strategy. I’d liked to have gone a lap longer than Maro and run in clean air after he pitted, but it wasn’t to be. We’ll see how it plays out tomorrow.”

Lowndes qualified the MPC/Audi Race Experience/OneWorld Bar/Pirelli Audi R8 LMS on the second row after Engel set a blistering pole time of 1:29.6148. Danish sportscar ace Allan Simonsen put the Ferrari 458 Italia he shares with Nick O’Halloran alongside, with Lowndes third, the top three separated by just half a second.

“There’s no way I could have matched Engel’s time,” Lowndes admitted after qualifying. “But that’s one lap, and the Mercs seem to be hard on the tyres, so we’ll see how 60-minutes goes.”

The start was ‘interesting’ to say the least. With the rolling start, the pole man - Engel - set the pace, but with Simonsen toying with him, he held back on the approach to the line as Simonsen accelerated, the Ferrari comfortably clear as they hit the line and immediately out of the equation with a drive-through penalty.

That left Lowndes to battle the German, and the two established stars battled lap by lap to be more than 30-seconds clear of third-placed Klark Quinn as the Porsche driver pitted just after the half hour mark.

Courtesy of his status as a ‘pro’ driver, Lowndes - and Engel - were handed an additional 18-second pit penalty during their compulsory stop, so they needed to pick up 18 seconds on the field to be in contention for victory. Fortunately for Lowndes - who was struggling to find a way around Engel - the pole-sitter had another five second penalty for qualifying on the front row.

Just prior to the 40-minute mark, the two drivers came into pit lane, Lowndes leaving in front with Engel [who had changed his two outside tyres, Lowndes remained on the Pirelli tyres on which he’d started the race] rejoining behind team-mate Peter Hackett.

Over the following 20-minutes Engel got to within 1.2-seconds of Lowndes, but the V8 Supercar star stayed composed, convinced that there wasn’t much opportunity for Engel to make a move.

“I knew it was only a matter of time before he used up his tyres, and I also knew that with these aero cars - especially when they’re so closely matched - that there wouldn’t be too many overtaking opportunities. Before the pitstop I got to within striking distance of him but there were only two opportunities to get past - one at Honda, and two over the top to Lukey Heights. I had one half chance and he closed the door, so I knew where he’d try it, but in the end tyre wear pulled him up.”

Off the start Rod Salmon worked his way forward into the top seven from what was a disappointing run during qualifying. “We tried to soften the car up to help it turn in, and we also took some wing out of it for qualifying,” he admitted. “In the end it was the wrong choice and it got a bit taily. I had a fairly lurid high speed spin through turn one, so I wasn’t keen to repeat that, but we changed it for the race and it was almost perfect.”

Unfortunately for the former Bathurst 12-Hour champion, a fuel pickup issue slowed his progress and ultimately brought him to a stop within sight of the line. “We were on target for a top six or seven, but it wasn’t to be. The car has the pace, and I feel stronger each lap, so we’ll get on top of the drama overnight and get back into it tomorrow.”

John Briggs debut in the R8 too suffered some setbacks. Despite making gains on his practice pace, the former Sports Sedan champion started further back than he would have liked, admitting that he was finding the driving style for the R8 a little different to what he’d driven in the past.

“I’ve spent 30 years man-handling cars around the circuit..” he said. “And the Audi is about finesse. Craig [Lowndes] had a chat to me this morning and suggested that I carry more speed through the corners off the throttle, and trail-brake, and whilst I can do it, and he’s right - it works - my default is to be more aggressive. Once I can sort that out, we’ll be right.”

Unfortunately for Briggs, a lurid slide across Lukey Heights mid-race set his pace back, but after the pitstop he settled into a rhythm and got quicker with each lap, setting his fastest lap three laps from home.

For tomorrow’s second race, it will be ‘game on’ again between Lowndes and Engel, the two drivers starting off the front row, and with identical pit-stop time penalties. Lowndes though is typically unphased.. “I just have to get off the start first and open up a lead heading into the break. With clean air in front of me, I just have to punch out the laps - the way the Pirelli’s are wearing, there’s no reason why we can’t repeat the result tomorrow!”

Rnd#5 Australian GT Championship
Qualifying - Saturday, September 22, 2012
1. Maro Engel (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 1:29.6148
2. Simonsen/O’Halloran (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) - 1:29.7993
3. Craig Lowndes (Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli) - 1:30.1830
4. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - 1:30.7216
5. Klark Quinn (Porsche Type 997 RSR) - 1:31.3074

6. P. Edwards/J. Bowe (Ferrari 458 Italia) - 1:31.8506

7. Tony Defelice (Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia) - 1:32.7706

8. Samadi/Grant (Mosler MT900 GT3) - 1:33.3360
9. Martin Wagg (Aston Martin DBRS9) - 1:33.7377

10. Rod Salmon (Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli) - 1:33.8440

11. John Briggs (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - 1:34.0005
12. Koutsoumidis/McInnes (Lamborghini LP520) - 1:34.4239
13. Knight/Marshall (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car) - 1:34.4720
14. Tony Quinn (Mosler MT900 GT3) - 1:42.8475

Rnd#5 Australian GT Championship
Race One - Saturday, September 22, 2012
1. Craig Lowndes (Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli) - 37-laps (best: 1:31.7605 - lap 34)
2. Maro Engel (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - best 1:31.4883 (lap 5)
3. Peter Hackett (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) - best 1:32.5073 (lap 4)
4. Klark Quinn (Porsche Type 997 RSR) - best 1:32.4407 (lap 4)

5. Samadi/Grant (Mosler MT900 GT3) - best 1:33.8382 (lap 2)
6. Martin Wagg (Aston Martin DBRS9) - best 1:35.2117 (lap 20)
7. Tony Defelice (Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia) - best 1:33.9565 (lap 2)
8. Simonsen/O’Halloran (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) - best 1:32.1722 (lap 7)
9. Koutsoumidis/McInnes (Lamborghini LP520) - best 1:36.2494 (lap 3)
10. John Briggs (Audi R8 LMS GT3) - best 1:36.4959 (lap 35)

11. Knight/Marshall (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car) - best 1:36.6397 (lap 4)

DNF. Rod Salmon (Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli) - lap 33

DNF. John Bowe (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3/Pirelli) - lap 10

DNS. Tony Quinn (Mosler MT900 GT3)

Rod Salmon - #6 Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli
“I was hoping to run inside the top six or seven, and we were seventh when the fuel drama started, so that was good. I might not have set the times I wanted, but the car was handling very well, the issues we had this morning with it being a bit too flighty in the rear end were all sorted. It’s a pity not to make the finish, but I look forward to the chance to do it again tomorrow.

Craig Lowndes - #888 Audi R8 LMS GT3/Pirelli
“That’s pretty good for a start..! The tyres were fantastic, but the radio issue meant that the only real option I had to stop was when Maro [Engel] stopped. I would have liked to have done another lap because in clear air I knew I’d be faster. The Mercs were quick but they chew their tyres up, so I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d get the break again. Now it’s down to race two, and with an identical pitstop time penalty, it’s going to be very interesting!”

John Briggs - #70 Audi R8 LMS GT3
“I’m improving with each run. We made the car better for qualifying, and it was better again in the race, but it’s still not where I want it. The spin set me back a bit, but I got more comfortable towards the end. I think with some laps under my belt now that there’s some things I’d like to change with seating position which will help me again, but certainly it’s better and Craig’s advice has been invaluable.”

Rnd#5 2012 Australian GT Championship - Phillip Island
Event Schedule (AEST):

Sunday September 16, 2012
Warm-up; 12:15 (10 mins)
Race Two; 14:40 (1-Hour)

Melbourne Performance Centre

Since 2004, Victorian motorsport enthusiasts Lee Burley and Troy Russell have operated Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC], a professional motorsport operation dedicated to ‘gentleman’ [and lady] racers.

Audi Driving Experience

From advanced programs, right through to the Audi race experience, there is a program to suit every kind of driver.

To find out more, call Melbourne Performance Centre today.

Melbourne Performance Centre
521 Mountain Highway,
Bayswater VIC 3153
Phone: 03 9738 2294
Fax: 03 9738 2296
info@melbourneperformance.com
www.melbourneperformance.com

Popular Posts