DTM: The 2013 DTM Champion drives an Audi

Audi Press Release

•          Early title win for Mike Rockenfeller at Zandvoort
•          Fifth DTM title for Audi in seven years
•          Chairman Rupert Stadler: “Proof of our RS models’ powerful performance”

Ingolstadt/Zandvoort, September 29, 2013 – The DTM Champion of the year 2013 drives an Audi. At the penultimate race of the season, Mike Rockenfeller in the Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM secured an early win of the drivers’ title in the prestigious touring car racing series in front of 41,000 spectators (throughout the weekend). At the same time, Audi and Audi Sport Team Phoenix took the lead of the manufacturers’ and team standings. 

“Audi is providing the DTM Champion for an amazing ninth time and for the fifth time in seven years. This provides proof yet again of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ and the powerful performance of our RS models,” commented the Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, Rupert Stadler, who, like his management board colleague Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, was keeping his fingers crossed for Mike Rockenfeller on location and subsequently joined the celebration in the pits. “We’re competing against two of our strongest competitors in the DTM – the success, which every ‘Audian’ can be proud of, has corresponding value.”

Before the finale at the Hockenheimring, Rockenfeller has a 26-point advantage and is thus ranking at the top of the standings, out of reach by any rival. The starting lap, on which Rockenfeller overtook the BMW of pole setter Marco Wittmann and thus advanced to the second place he needed for his early title win, produced a preliminary decision at Zandvoort. Following the successful attack against the leading BMW of his title rival Augusto Farfus while running on option tires, he concentrated, after switching to the harder standard tires, on safely bringing home second place – assisted in the process by his brand colleague Timo Scheider, who let Rockenfeller pass after his second pit stop and subsequently backed him. Rockenfeller mastered a safety car period shortly before the end of the race and a restart before the last lap in his typical, commanding manner as well.

“Winning the DTM title one race before the end of the season is fantastic. I think it’ll take me a while to realize what we managed to do,” said the new DTM Champion after the race. “I’d like to thank Audi, Audi Sport Team Phoenix and Timo (Scheider) as well, who helped me today, very much. On option tires, I was very fast at the beginning of the race but after Augusto’s first stop not fast enough anymore. After switching to standard tires, it wasn’t going quite as well anymore but it was still enough in the end. I’m very proud of Audi and the team. After the difficult last year, we worked hard in the winter and improved the car. Being consistently quick and to score points was the key to success.”

Timo Scheider in the AUTO TEST Audi RS 5 DTM of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, in third place, managed to clinch his first podium result of the season on his favorite track. The two-time DTM Champion switched from standard to option tires early and, by using this strategy, moved in front of Rockenfeller and Wittmann. After letting his brand colleague go ahead, Scheider concentrated on shielding Rockenfeller toward the rear.

A fast-and-furious race was driven by Mattias Ekström in the Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM, who saved the softer option tires for the final attack and battled his way forward position by position with spectacular overtaking maneuvers. On the final lap alone, the Swede made up three places and thus secured fourth place. 

Adrien Tambay (Audi ultra RS 5 DTM), Filipe Albuquerque (Audi Financial Services RS 5 DTM/Audi Sport Team Rosberg) and Miguel Molina (Audi RS 5 DTM), by claiming positions six, eight and ten, contributed their share to Audi, with a score of 325 points, taking the lead in the manufacturers’ standings as well, in front of BMW (317) and Mercedes-Benz (239). In the team classification, Audi Sport Team Phoenix has a three-point advantage over BMW Team RBM before the finale.

“Congratulations and a sincere ‘thank you’ to Mike (Rockenfeller), Audi Sport Team Phoenix and the entire Audi squad!” said Dieter Gass, who has been Head of DTM at Audi Sport since the 2013 season. “Mike secured the drivers’ title early. In the manufacturers’ and team standings, we’re now in front as well. You really can’t wish for more than that. Mike’s a worthy Champion, who made no mistakes today even under high pressure. Timo (Scheider) backed him and deserves having clinched his first podium this season. The recovery by Mattias (Ekström) was sensational as well. There are many reasons for celebrating tonight – and that’s what we’re definitely going to do. ‘Thank you’ also to everyone in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, with the teams and with the suppliers who have made this DTM title possible for Audi.”

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media

AvD 100 Meilen: GT class victory for RS Tuning Audi R8 LMS ultra at Monza

By Johan Laubscher

The sixth and final round of the 2013 AvD 100 Meilen championship took place at Monza this weekend. RS Tuning took part with a single Audi R8 LMS ultra entry.

This was the third AvD 100 Meilen event in succession which saw the participation of the RS Tuning Audi R8 LMS ultra. The team won round four overall at the Red Bull Ring, followed by a GT class runner-up spot at Dijon, round five.

The RS Tuning Audi R8 LMS ultra was shared by Suzanne Weidt and Dietmar Haggenmüller in the AvD 100 Meilen race at Monza. The same two drivers who piloted the team’s two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the DMV TCC races on Saturday. The RS Tuning Audi R8 LMS ultra cars feature the full 2013 specification, as they are allowed to run the original 2013 Audi R8 LMS ultra rear diffuser in the DMV TCC and the AvD 100 Melien.

They qualified in eighth place overall, taking pole in the Div-4.1 class. By the end of the race the #88 Audi R8 LMS ultra crossed the finish line in sixth place overall. This result was enough to clinch victory in the Div-4.1 class, and they were also the leading GT class car in the race, finishing behind the prototype runners.

This weekend concluded the 2013 AvD 100 Meilen season, which was highlighted by RS Tuning’s overall win at the Red Bull Ring in August.

Photo credit: AvD Race Weekend

ADAC GT Masters: Prosperia C.Abt Racing crowned as champions with Audi R8 LMS ultra

By Johan Laubscher

The finale of the ADAC GT Masters season was held at Hockenheim. The championship came down to the final round.

Seven Audi R8 LMS ultra cars were entered. Three cars from Prosperia C.ABT Racing, two from MS Racing, one from YACO Racing and an additional guest entry from Phoenix Racing. Prosperia C.Abt Racing arrived as the leaders in the team’s standings and their #27 Audi driver crew, Christopher Mies and Rene Rast, were in the running for the driver’s title.

Qualifying saw Rast and Mies as the leading Audi during both sessions, taking third on the gird for race one and fifth for race two.

Race one turned into a very difficult race for Prosperia C.Abt Racing, as all three cars failed to finish. Rahel Frey suffered a massive crash and roll in the #26 Prosperia R8 LMS ultra, but fortunately she has been reported as unharmed. The best placed Audi during race one was the #1 MS Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra in eighth, the only Audi within the top ten.

The second and final race ended with the Audis bouncing back. Four Audis finished within the top ten, as the #27 and #28 Prosperia Audis finished second and third, ahead of the #1 and #100 MS Racing Audis in fifth and seventh. The final results concluded with Prosperia C.Abt Racing being crowned as the team’s champions for the 2013 ADAC GT Masters season.  

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media

DTM: ‘Rocky’s bull’s-eye: DTM Champion with Audi

Audi Press Release

•          Mike Rockenfeller crowns strong season with early title win
•          Country life decelerates the Audi factory driver
•          Head of Audi Sport Ullrich: “Everyone’s delighted for him to have won the title”

Ingolstadt/Zandvoort, September 29, 2013 – Mike Rockenfeller has extended his biography by a decisive item in the second from last round of the 2013 DTM season at Zandvoort (the Netherlands). The 29-year-old Audi factory driver clinched an early title win in the most popular international touring car series DTM. A portrait of ‘Rocky.’

“My aim this year is simple: Of course I want to become champion,” said Mike Rockenfeller at the beginning of the season. The absence of the mischievous grin that is typically found on his face showed that he was not uttering a hackneyed phrase but was dead-serious. And now, after six DTM years, he has actually made it happen. Mike Rockenfeller from Audi Sport Team Phoenix sealed the title one race before the finale at Hockenheim on October 20. Following triumphs in the Porsche Carrera Cup (2004) and in the FIA GT Championship (2005) plus victories in the classic 24-hour races at Le Mans and Daytona (2010), this marks the next success in his career.

A surprise Champion? Not really. Last year – his second one in a current-generation DTM car – in fourth place of the standings, he was the best Audi driver and thus finally joined the group of favorites for the title. In the current season, he underpinned his Championship ambitions at an early stage. On winning round two at Brands Hatch (GB), the driver of the yellow-green Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM captured the top spot in the standings for the first time and is the only driver who has scored points in all nine races of the season so far – consistency having been one of the keys to success.

Even when, for a change, Rockenfeller was not cheering on the podium – as he was as the runner-up at Lausitz and on clinching his historic victory at the DTM’s premiere at Moscow – he set exclamation marks as a race driver. At the Red Bull Ring, ‘Rocky’ battled his way forward from 13th to fourth place. The city street race at the Norisring he tackled from the last row on the grid following a transmission change and in the end took a strong fifth place. On a wet track at the Nürburgring, Rockenfeller had to get out of a rival’s way in turn one and as a result found himself running at the rear of the field. Thanks to a tactical move by his squad at the command post ‘Rocky’ recovered and saw the checkered flag in fourth place.

Stay calm and relaxed even when all seems to be lost. Never lose your cool. Never give up. An exceptionally high basic speed, combined with a healthy dose of self-confidence and optimism that inspires the team even in difficult times – aside from his high level of technical knowledge, strong team spirit and, naturally, plenty of talent are the major strengths of the new DTM Champion.

“Rocky not only has the speed you need for titles in the DTM but drives in an incredibly clever way as well,” says Team Director Ernst Moser as he praises the level-headedness of his fast protégé. “Obviously, he’d love to win every race. But, not least thanks to his wealth of experience, Mike knows when it’s more prudent not to force the issue in a situation.” The perfect interaction between Rockenfeller and the engineers of Audi Sport and Audi Sport Team Phoenix is another element of success that Moser has identified. “Rocky has the ability to provide very precise descriptions of how the Audi RS 5 DTM performs in different track sectors and thus can squeeze the optimum out of the car together with the technical crew,” explains the team boss and, this said, goes on to name one of Rockenfeller’s weaknesses. “Sometimes he goes overboard with his tendency toward perfectionism and puts himself under nervous pressure. But whenever this happens his engineer Jürgen Jungklaus quickly brings him back to reality.”

Mike Rockenfeller gathered initial experience in a car at the tender age of eight when he was driving a VW beetle around the grounds of his grandparents’ farm. When, at the age of ten, he climbed into a kart for the first time just for fun he immediately realized: “Racing is my great passion.” Following six years in karting, Rockenfeller switched to Formula König and immediately made a strong showing on clinching the pole position and fourth place in the first-ever car race in his life. Just a little later, Porsche secured the services of the budding talent that had just come of age. Together with the Swabian marque ‘Rocky’ competed in the USA as well and developed a liking for the country and its traditional race tracks such as Laguna Seca that has lasted to this day. December 2006 marked the beginning of a new chapter in Rockenfeller’s career. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich signed the German, thus paving the way for him to achieve the biggest successes his career.

“Mike’s not only a fast race driver but a perfect fit for Audi outside the cockpit as well,” says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. With his on-track performances – above all, obviously, his victory at Le Mans and now his DTM title – he has more than fulfilled all the hopes we’ve pinned on him. In all his years with Audi, Mike’s had to cope with a few setbacks, so that makes our joy about his title even greater. Everybody at Audi Sport is delighted for him to have achieved this success.”

As a way of balancing his turbulent daily life as a race driver, Rockenfeller values the decelerating effect of country life. Rockenfeller, who grew up in Neuwied in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate with both sets of grandparents being farmers, is now living in Landschlacht on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance with his partner Susanne. Enjoying a meal at a good restaurant, watching a movie at a theater or simply lounging around all day wearing shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops – these are the ways in which he prefers to recharge his batteries for the next races in the little bit of free time he has. An environment he is used to, a home – is important to him. That is why he takes his ‘own four walls’ in the form of his motorhome to the track whenever he can. There is just one catch about it: He does not have the right driver’s license that would allow him to move the large vehicle. Finally getting this license, besides winning the DTM title, has been at the very top of his agenda for 2013. So his sights are now set on the next aim. 

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media

DTM: Watch round 9 LIVE at Zandvoort

Round 9 of the DTM is about to start at Zandvoort. Mike Rockenfeller will start from third on the grid and he stands a chance to clinch the driver's title today. 

Live timing is available HERE.

Twitter updates from the official Audi Sport twitter account are available HERE.

You can watch the race right here, embedded from the live YouTube stream:

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media