Audi Sport customer racing
The first generation of the high-calibre Audi R8 sports car already offered a formidable basis for a racing car. The history of Audi Sport customer racing began in 2009. It was the first targeted programme in which the brand developed, built, sold and supported customer racing cars for private racing teams. A total of two generations of the Audi R8 LMS as GT3 versions, as well as derivatives for the GT4 and GT2 classes, and two generations of the Audi RS 3 LMS for TCR touring car racing formed the pillars of the programme. The Audi TT was also able to demonstrate its sporting qualities, mainly in endurance racing with the TT RS and as a one-make cup racing car in the Audi Sport TT Cup.
First generation Audi R8 LMS
Flying high in GT3 racing
The GT3 category began in 2006 and had established itself as an attractive stage in the international GT scene when Audi entered the market in 2009. The Audi R8 LMS won three titles during its debut season, including the FIA GT3 European Championship as the highest-ranking series and the ADAC GT Masters as the top German competition. In addition to sprint races, the brand’s teams also contested endurance races. The first successes at the Bathurst 12 Hour and the Spa 24 Hours in 2011 marked the beginning of a series of major endurance victories. Based on the original version, Audi launched the ultra evolution update for the 2012 season, as well as the GRAND-AM variant for the American racing series of the same name. With the ultra, the brand immediately achieved victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and again at Spa. The number of championship titles won by customers also grew significantly during this phase. In Asia, the first one-make cup of the four rings began with the Audi R8 LMS Cup in the same year. Following aerodynamic refinements in 2013 and victories at Spa and the Nürburgring in 2014, the time was ripe for the second generation of the GT3 sports car.
The original Audi R8 LMS for GT3 competition
Second generation Audi R8 LMS
Significantly improved evolution
In 2015, the Audi engineering team presented an optimized second generation of its mid-engine sports car. With new evolution versions at the end of 2018 and at the end of 2021, the Audi R8 LMS remained a consistent winner. By 2024, Audi Sport customer racing had won the Nürburgring 24 Hours a total of seven times with the GT3 version and achieved a further eleven overall victories in other 24-hour races. 322 overall and class titles worldwide complete the GT3 model’s record. In 2017, Audi developed a GT4 version, which was particularly popular in Europe and contributed more than 50 further titles to its tally. With 640 hp, the GT2 version presented in 2019 was the most powerful and exclusive model from Audi Sport customer racing. The model achieved 13 more titles and an overall 24-hour victory in customer hands.
The launch of the second-generation Audi R8 LMS at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show
Audi RS 3 LMS
Driven to success with four doors
Since the end of 2016, the Audi RS 3 LMS touring car rounded off the lower end of the model range. In two generations and more than 280 units, it was developed for the booming TCR category. The compact four-door car with its two-litre turbocharged engine achieved 144 titles around the world, as well as outstanding individual results, including two gold medals at the FIA Motorsport Games and two victories in the famous Guia Race of Macau.
The launch of the first-generation Audi RS 3 LMS at the 2016 Paris Motor Show
Audi TT racing car
Coupé with character
The Audi TT was not only a popular model range among fans of production cars. Audi Sport customer racing also used it as a base to develop two different racing cars. From the second generation, the Audi TT RS was created in 2010 with a 400 hp version primarily developed for endurance racing. The outstanding successes of the front-wheel drive high-performance model included overall victories at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in 2013 and at the seventh round of the VLN in 2011. Between 2015 and 2017, a cup version of the third generation of the Audi TT delighted a whole crop of young drivers. The Audi Sport TT Cup, which competed for three years as part of the DTM event platform, helped many drivers to international careers. For example, the later World Touring Car Cup winner Mikel Azcona, DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde and Le Mans winner Niklas Nielsen emerged from the one-make cup.
The first race of the Audi Sport TT Cup at Hockenheim in 2015
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