> Three-time world champion set for Total 24 Hours of Spa debut
Audi has included three-time FIA WTCC champion Jose Maria Lopez amongst its nominated Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli drivers for the Total 24 Hours of Spa later the month.
The Argentine, who also finished runner-up in this year’s FIA WEC standings with Toyota, joins fellow #IntGTC debutant Ricardo Feller and established Audi ace Christopher Mies at Montaplast by Land Motorsport.
The ADAC GT Masters squad is running one of four R8 LMS GT3s nominated to score #IntGTC points at Spa-Francorchamps, which hosts round three of the world’s only global GT3 championship on July 25-28.
Audi Sport Team WRT fields half of Ingolstadt’s #IntGTC entries, both of which are stacked with talent. Alex Riberas partners this year’s Nurburgring 24 Hours winners Frank Stippler and Dries Vanthoor, while Audi’s DTM stars Robin Frijns, Rene Rast and Nico Muller also form a potent trio.
Elsewhere, Markus Winkelhock, Christopher Haase and Audi Sport Team Sainteloc – who won the event together in 2017 – are joined by another of this year’s Nurburgring victors, Frederic Vervisch, in the German manufacturer’s fourth nominated entry.
A tough opening two rounds sees Audi occupying fifth in the #IntGTC Manufacturers’ standings ahead of Spa. The reigning champions are 38 points behind early pace-setters Mercedes-AMG, while their best-placed driver – Haase – lies 23 points behind leaders Maxi Buhk, Maxi Goetz and Raffaele Marciello.
The complete list of entries nominated to score points at Spa on behalf of this year’s eight full-season #IntGTC manufacturers will be revealed on Tuesday.