Scherer Sport PHX is currently exploring a move away from the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II platform for the 2025 season, as Audi Sport’s factory support for customer teams continues to wind down.
Speaking with DSC at the Nürburgring ahead of the 52nd edition of the 24 Hours, Scherer Sport PHX team owner Christian Scherer (who has taken control of the team following longtime Phoenix owner Ernst Moser’s decision to step away from racing), admitted that it will be a difficult transition to make.
The only certainty from the team for 2025 and beyond is that it will continue to race on the Nordschleife. Every other element is essentially up in the air.
“We have to look at everything,” he explained. “Yes there are big differences in prices of the different GT3 cars, but if they are expensive and you get a lot back in terms of support from a manufacturer, then it can work. It’s not as simple for us just looking at the prices of the cars. We have to explore the whole package.”
The German team, which has a long and highly successful association with Audi in GT racing dating back to the team’s previous identity as Phoenix Racing (including four overall N24 wins), appears most likely to shift to another VAG brand in the future.
This is logical because the Scherer Group which owns the team operates 37 car dealerships in Southwest Germany and sells a range of VAG road cars. Crucially, its offering includes Porsche, but not Lamborghinis. It also already operates a Porsche Cup car in the NLS and N24 as part of the Cup 2 category.
When asked directly if Porsche was the most likely solution going forward for the team in GT3, Scherer, with a smile, said simply: “perhaps!”
While Audi remains committed to supplying spares to its current crop of customer teams and on occasion factory driving talent, it no longer supplies select customers with full works engineering support and additional cars for major races and championships.
This year the Scherer Sport team is competing at the ‘Ring 24 with a pair of R8 LMS GT3 EVO IIs. This is down from its fleet of four GT3 in the race last year – two of which were factory-backed.
The reduction in the size of its entry is a direct result of Audi’s decision to scale back its customer racing programme. The Scherer effort now consists of the two privately entered cars seen last year, boosted by the presence of four Audi Sport drivers (Markus Winkelhock, Ricardo Feller, Frank Stippler and Christopher Haase).
As a result, Scherer told DSC he feels his team is like “a David vs multiple Goliaths”.
“For our private cars, we are running them in the same way as last year, up against full-blown efforts from the other manufacturers. We know the car, but don’t expect the same level of performance. We are starting as the minnows, with a reduced effort.”
The team has also had to navigate the political situation surrounding racing on the Nordschleife, having to explore racing in the NLS, rival NES or a combination of the two prior to the eventual cancellation of the entire NES schedule.
“It’s been a problem, especially with the sponsors because we didn’t know what to sell, and it was hard to get together drivers because of clashes on their schedule,” he said.
Thankfully, his team has years of experience with the R8 platform to draw from though and has retained much of its staff from last year.
Despite BoP concerns and the reduction in Audi Sport support on the ground, Axel Randolph – the team boss at Scherer Sport – insists the team can still contend for the win come race day.
“What we have seen in recent races is that we are missing top speed. But there’s nothing new, we know what we have. The mechanics know the car, so from that side (without factory cars) it’s easy for us I would say, and we are ready to race.”
