Audi R8 GRAND-AM makes successful return at Watkins Glen
| Herndon, VA – The new Fall-Line Motorsports customer-racing and quattro GmbH factory team showed great promise at Watkins Glen showing good speed and handling during difficult driving conditions due to intermittent rain throughout the race weekend. Fall-Line Motorsports completes its first GRAND-AM GT race and can build on a solid performance. The #24 quattro GmbH R8 GRAND-AM finished in 9th place and the Fall-Line Motorsports/B+ Foundation R8 GRAND-AM finished in 14th place.
“We congratulate our new racing partner Fall-Line Motorsports for completing their first GT race and also the #24 factory team for their valiant performance at Watkins Glen. Endurance racing is synonymous with the Audi brand and we are confident that the experience gained will benefit the teams as they strive to win the endurance championship at Indianapolis Speedway”, said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. The #24 factory R8 GRAND-AM team piloted by Felipe Albuquerque (Portugal), Eduardo Mortara (France/Italy) and Dion von Moltke (South Africa) started from the 5th position and was making great strides toward a podium finish. The team led the race for 2 hours and 20 minutes in large part due to the efficiency of the 5.2 Liter V10 engine. However, multiple yellow flags were raised at unfortunate times that contradicted the fuel strategy. Emergency fuel stops caused the team to lose position and valuable time leading to a 9th place finish. The Fall-Line Motorsport/B+ Foundation R8 GRAND-AM completed the race without incident or technical issues and allowed the drivers, engineers and mechanics to gain invaluable experience with the car in the pits and on the track. Continuously changing weather proved to make driving conditions exceedingly difficult throughout the race weekend. Piloting the Fall-Line Motorsports/B+ Foundation car were American drivers Al Carter, Charles Espenlaub, and Charlie Putman who finished in 14th place. Both cars finished the race without any technical difficulties and proved they can deliver competitive lap times. The teams will begin preparing immediately for the Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as they seek to win the endurance championship. The race will be televised on Speed TV: Friday, July 26th at 7:30pm EST. Live timing and scoring is also available at www.GRAND-AM.COM
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