2021 marked the 13th year for Audi Sport customer racing and whilst that might be viewed in some avenues as an unlucky milestone it has been a season that has seen no fewer than 58 titles go to the marque worldwide in both GT and Touring Car racing.
It was also a year that, despite the ongoing challenges of COVID 19, saw Audi Sport Customer Racing start production of both the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II, which debuted in July, and the Audi RS 3 LMS gen II.
The Audi RS3 TCR car’s second generation replaces the brand’s most successful racing model within a single vehicle generation with 180 cars produced.
On June 11, the Audi R8 LMS GT3 set a record with the 138th example of the second generation of the brand’s GT3 weapon, overtaking the predecessor model’s 137 car production total.
And in December 2021, the 400th GT sports car in total left the factory in Biberach at Audi’s Neckarsulm site.
In addition to the successful GT3 models, this count also includes the near-production GT4 sports car, which has now seen more than 100 cars completed, and the more recent GT2 LMS variant.
Customers have won a total of 58 titles in the 2021 season to date on the four continents of North America, Asia, Australia and Europe.
Outstanding championship results in GT3 racing include five title victories by Team WRT in the European and two more by MPC in the Australian offshoot of the Fanatec GT World Challenge.
There was also the ADAC GT Masters title win by Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, first place by Audi Sport Italia in the Sprint and Endurance Championships in Italy and the title victory of Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute in Chinese endurance racing. A total of 27 titles, from driver championships to team and junior classifications, went to the GT3 model with the four rings.
Over the course of 246 races, the R8 LMS GT3 has achieved 198 podium finishes worldwide, including 79 victories. Two endurance successes stand out from the balance: the overall success of Audi Sport Team Saintéloc at the Indianapolis 8 Hour in October, a round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, and of Team Rutronik Racing by TECE at the Sebring 24 Hours, the finale of the 24H Series in November.
In the young category of GT2 racing, the Audi R8 LMS GT2 also recorded top results straight away. The driver and team titles in GT America went to GMG Racing. In the Pro-Am classification of the GT2 European Series, High Class Racing took the title. The year’s tally includes 13 victories and a total of 20 podium places in 16 races, cementing Audi’s reputation as a competent supplier in the broad world of GT racing.
The GT4 version of the Audi R8 LMS was more popular than ever before especially in European racing series. In addition to ten championship titles, the production-based model contributed significantly to the track record with 99 podium finishes worldwide, including 43 victories, in 199 races. Notable among these was Saintéloc Racing’s fourth GT4 title in a row, this time in the GT4 European Series. The all-female Giti Tire Motorsport by WS Racing team recorded a 24-hour class victory at the Nürburgring this year.
