Almost 40 years ago – on October 10, 1983 – Audi Sport GmbH, as it is known now, was founded as quattro GmbH. Today, it shapes the sporty and exclusive image of the brand with the four rings. At Audi, the vehicles with the red rhombus stand for performance and sportiness. The birthday celebrations begin at the Nürburgring 24 Hours next weekend (May 18–21).
- Audi subsidiary celebrates its 40th birthday this year
- Oliver Hoffmann: “We have a clear goal: to successfully carry the sporting DNA of the four rings into the electric future”
- Rolf Michl: “The Nürburgring is a magical place for us”
- Sebastian Grams: “We want to shape the future of mobility in the high-performance segment in a sustainable and progressive way”
40 years, more than 250,000 vehicles produced in the past ten years alone and more than 400 clinched motorsport titles meet 20.832 kilometers, 73 turns and elevation changes of more than 300 meters – key figures that stand for Audi Sport GmbH and also the legendary Nordschleife – also known as the “Green Hell” – of the Nürburgring. This has shaped Audi Sport GmbH like no other race track. The circuit in the Eifel region and the wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG share a close relationship – both in racing and in the high-performance vehicles of the series. Audi Sport has been an official partner of the 24-hour race since 2002 and provides the “official cars” to the race organizers. Since 2009, the Audi R8 LMS has been competing in the Eifel marathon, which is one of the annual highlights of Audi Sport customer racing. The customer racing division has been part of the former quattro GmbH since 2011. With six overall victories and three additional GT3 class wins to date, Audi is the most successful manufacturer in the GT3 era of the endurance classic at the “Green Hell.” So, it’s no surprise that Audi Sport GmbH is launching its activities to mark its milestone birthday at the Nürburgring: At this year’s edition of the 24-hour race, the four Audi R8 LMS cars of the Audi Sport Teams will be competing in retro designs to mark the 40th anniversary of Audi Sport GmbH, featuring famous liveries from Audi’s motorsport history. In keeping with the birthday spirit, former DTM champions Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk will take part with the number 40 as their start number. Their Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX is visually based on the 1992 Audi V8 quattro DTM.
Due to its demanding characteristics of the track, the Nordschleife is not only a motorsport challenge, but also a yardstick for the production vehicles of Audi Sport GmbH. Every new R and RS model completes several thousand kilometers on the varied Eifel circuit during its development phase. “The Nürburgring is the world’s toughest race track. It is a magical place for us and that’s why it is perfectly suited to start our 40th company birthday at the 24-hour race,’ says Rolf Michl, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and Head of Motorsport at Audi. “The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is considered as a Mecca for all motorsport fans. For me, the 24-hour race is one of the most beautiful things you can experience in motorsport, but the Nürburgring is also essential for the development of our production cars. All our models are tested there under extreme conditions and brought to production readiness.”
read on
Audi MediaCenter
