Being a race car driver in a bona-fide race event isn’t as wildly beyond your dreams

It’s a little difficult to hear exactly what Chris Reinke, the head of Audi’s Sport Customer Racing division, is saying, but that’s because several members of Audi’s adrenaline-fuelled brand extension are tearing up the tarmac around the Dubai Autodrome; the double glazing doesn’t stand a chance against the roar of the Audi R8 LMS cars and their drivers, all vying for a podium finish at the Dubai 24 Hours Endurance event.

At this year’s Dubai 24 Hours, one of the Audi Teams, WRT, finished in second place in their Audi R8 LMS, thanks not only to the skill of the drivers – Kelvin van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor – but also to a carefully choreographed pitstop strategy and the fully-stocked Audi Sport service truck, which allows participants in events to have the reassurance of a library of spare parts at their disposal.

Debuting in the Middle East at the event, was the Audi R8 LMS GT2, a symphony of sporty planes, curves and surfaces expressing one of the most powerful and race-worthy cars ever created by Audi.

“The expense incurred by drivers and teams is high, and racing there is not easy for amateurs and gentlemen,” says Reinke.

“The new GT2 has the potential to fill a gap. The new generation of GT2 race cars achieves even higher top speeds than a GT3 model and nearly identical lap times.

“This is ideal for gentlemen drivers: its longitudinal dynamics stands for a new experience with Audi and lateral dynamics does not put excessive demands even on amateurs. Plus, the new Audi R8 LMS GT2 visually and acoustically exudes fascination galore.”

The Audi R8 LMS GT2 stands for several superlative features in Audi Sport customer racing’s programme

Owners of supersports cars and race cars can attend some of the hundreds of track days organised around the world, while those who form teams can eye up racing events, with the support of Audi.

The programme was launched in 2009, initially with the R8 LMS focussed on the growing GT3 category and is today one of the leading customer racing companies, present internationally.

While the platform is equally popular with automotive companies such as distributors and retailers, it’s also an opportunity for enthusiasts, who have attained many successes in life, to express their passion, commitment and grow their talent in this exciting, competitive, dynamic sport.