Competitors in the one-make Audi R8 LMS Cup have been given some additional incentive to extend their 2017 competition schedules. Motorsport Asia Limited – the promoter of the GT Asia Series – will offer travel support including freight to and from the Series’ blue ribbon event in September.
Already the program has attracted entries from within the Cup, with Absolute Racing submitting at least one entry alongside their three-car program in GT Asia for 2017, Absolute team boss Ingo Matter confirming that the new arrangement made it very attractive to teams that wanted to extend their existing programs for more valuable race miles.
“We think that this is a great offer and provides a very manageable solution for us to offer our customers variety, whilst maintaining budgets that are within achievable limits,” Matter explained.
“At present we have three Audis entered in GT Asia this season, but one of our Audi R8 LMS Cup teams is looking to add the GT Asia program to their schedule as well, because it gives them the chance to compete with another driver and get more valuable time behind the wheel at many of the same circuits.”
KCMG – who entered the Audi R8 LMS Cup for the first time in 2016 – are another team that are looking closely at the program to extend the offering to their drivers, and also extend their current roster of drivers.
“Audi China wisely worked their calendar around other events in which teams could compete, which allows us to have them join us at events like Sepang, Fuji, Shanghai and Zhejiang, but we also have another blue-ribbon event which is sure to attract a large number of entries from across Asia, and we will align with Audi to freight the cars too and from this event in September”, Motorsport Asia CEO David Sonenscher explained.
The 2017 season gets underway in early March, with a two-day official test at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on 7-8 March, followed by the first two rounds of the season at the same venue on 10-12 March.
