Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)Domination in Italy: Audi’s customer teams had the opening weekend of the TCR Italy firmly in their hands. With eleven RS 3 LMS cars in a field of 20 entrants, Audi was not only the strongest brand numerically, but also celebrated a 1-2-3-4 victory in the first race. Last year’s champion Nicolas Taylor won the first race in Misano from pole position with a lead of 6.1 seconds for PMA Motorsport. Second place went to Matteo Poloni from Gear Works, followed by Pietro Alessi from the BF Motorsport team and Nicola Baldan from Aikoa Racing. Taylor was also the best driver in the Under 25 age classification ahead of Alessi. At the same time, Denis Babuin from Planet Motorsport lost third place overall due to a ten-second penalty for a false start, but still won the Master class ahead of Sandro Pelatti from PMA Motorsport and Francesco Cardone from Aikoa Racing. All three of them also drove an Audi RS 3 LMS. Carlo Alberto Bocca from BF Motorsport rounded off the results with victory in the rookie classification, while Zekai Özen from the Texaco team finished third in this class in another Audi. In the second race, Nicola Baldan benefited from the reversed grid, which helped him to pole position. The Venetian remained in the lead in his Audi for 18 laps and crossed the finish line half a second ahead of a Hyundai driver. Pietro Alessio once again secured third place and thus also won the Under 25 classification ahead of Nicolas Taylor, while Denis Babuin celebrated his second victory in the Master category. Bocca scored another success in the rookie classification and Özen finished third again. Taylor is four points ahead of Baldan in the standings after the first of six events. The TCR Italy DSG for racing cars with dual-clutch transmissions also held its first round at Misano. Gustavo Sandrucci was the best Audi driver in the first race, finishing third overall for Casals Motorsport. As a result, he won the Master classification in the Audi RS 3 LMS ahead of Alessandro Berton from Planet Motorsport in an identical car. Mattia Lancelotti from Planet Motorsport finished third in the Under-25 class. In the second race, Lancelotti was the best of eight Audi customers in the field in second place overall and in the Under-25 classification. His teammate Alessandro Berton finished the race as the second-best Master driver. In the women’s classification, Carlotta Fedeli from RC Motorsport prevailed in both sprints against Audi brand colleague Seda Kaçan from the Texaco team. Turkish-born Seda Kaçan was also the second-best rookie of all participants in the first race and won this category in the second sprint. The Audi customer teams were also successful on the second weekend of the Coppa Italia Turismo racing series. In Mugello, Fulvio Ferri from BF Motorsport won the first sprint with a 12.5-second lead over Adriano Visdomini. Both were driving an Audi RS 3 LMS. In the DSG class, Giacomo Orioli from Planet Motorsport drove another Audi to victory, with Temel Camlidag from BF Motorsport coming third. In the second sprint, overall victory went to Adriano Visdomini, while BF Motorsport’s Ramazan Kaya finished third in an Audi. Kamil Cat secured the DSG classification in the Audi of H2K Motorsport Italia, while Temel Camlidag finished third. In the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, the Norwegian team Møller Bil Motorsport was once again successful in the TCR class. Anders Lindstad/Kenneth Østvold/Håkon Schjærin in the Audi RS 3 LMS had a two-lap lead over the Cupra of their pursuers after four hours of racing in the third round of the series. Team Zesati Racing VP Garage 34 recorded two victories in the third round of TCR Mexico. Carlo Zesati won the first and third races in the Audi RS 3 LMS on the race track in Mexico City. At the second round of the TCR China Championship in Ningbo, the 326 Racing Team achieved third place in the Am classification with Lai Jingwen in the first race. In the second race, the Chinese driver improved to second place in the Audi RS 3 LMS. In the TCR China Challenge on the same circuit, Chang Chien Shang won the first race in an Audi RS 3 LMS. The Delta Artek Racing Team managed third place in the Cup class with the Audi RS 3 LMS and Liu Chao. In the second sprint, Liu Zichen drove to overall victory for the 326 Racing Team in another Audi. Third place in the Cup class went to the 326 Racing Team and its driver Qiu Yiheng. A total of eleven Audi RS 3 LMS cars were on the grid in the various competitions in Ningbo.Audi R8 LMS GT4Trophies in club racing: Team Up2Race recorded two podium results with the Audi R8 LMS GT4 at the start of the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy season. Jürgen Hemker finished second in class in the first race at Hockenheim. In the second 40-minute competition of the club racing series, the private driver from Betzdorf won Class 3.Dakar RallyAudi in a movie: Universal Documentaries and Red Bull Studios have collaborated on a documentary film project. Under the name “Dakar: Race Against The Desert”, director Jalil Lespert has made an impressive film about the 2023 Dakar Rally, which focuses on the commitment, teamwork and determination of various participants. The film’s protagonists include former Audi factory driver Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, four-time winner of the desert classic, was present at the screening at the Cine Capitol in Madrid, as was his former rally car, the Audi RS Q e-tron. Since its release, fans have been able to experience the film for a fee on various digital platforms.Coming up in the next weeks16–17/05 Spa (B), round 2, TCR Europe16–18/05 Zolder (B), round 1, Belcar Endurance Championship16–18/05 Shanghai (CHN), round 2, GT China Cup16–18/05 Zandvoort (NL), round 2, GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup16–18/05 Sebring (USA), round 4, GT America16–18/05 Zandvoort (NL), round 2, GT4 European Series powered by Rafa Racing Club16–18/05 Spa (B), round 2, International GT Open17–18/05 Silverstone (GB), round 3, TCR UK17–18/05 Brands Hatch (GB), round 2, GT Cup Championship23–24/05 Misano (I), round 3, 24H Series European Series23–25/05 Lausitzring (D), round 2, DTM23–25/05 Lausitzring (D), round 1, ADAC GT Masters23–25/05 Vallelunga (I), round 1, Campionato Italiano GT Sprint23–25/05 Buriram (THA), round 1, Thailand Super Series23–25/05 Vallelunga (I), round 2, TCR Italy24–25/05 Nürburgring (D), Nürburgring 24h Qualifiers

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