Four Decades of Dominance: Audi Sport GmbH Marks 40 Years with a Nürburgring Tribute
Forty years ago, on October 10, 1983, what is now known as Audi Sport GmbH was established as quattro GmbH. Since then, vehicles bearing the distinctive red rhombus have come to symbolize the brand's commitment to performance and sportiness.
In the past decade alone, Audi Sport GmbH has produced over 250,000 vehicles. This figure coincides with the company's over 400 motorsport titles, making it a formidable name in the racing industry. An essential part of this legacy is the legendary Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, commonly dubbed the “Green Hell”. Covering 20.832 kilometers, navigating through 73 turns, and enduring elevation changes surpassing 300 meters, this race track has immensely influenced the trajectory of Audi Sport GmbH.
The bond between the Nürburgring and Audi Sport GmbH is evident in their longstanding association in both racing events and high-performance vehicle series. Since 2002, Audi Sport has been an official partner of the 24-hour race and has been supplying "official cars" to the race organizers. Their participation extended in 2009 with the Audi R8 LMS contesting in the Eifel marathon, marking it as an annual highlight of Audi Sport customer racing. With the inclusion of the customer racing division in 2011 (formerly known as quattro GmbH), the company has achieved six overall victories and three additional GT3 class wins, making Audi the premier manufacturer in the GT3 era at the Nürburgring.
In tribute to the 40th anniversary, this year's 24-hour race witnessed the Audi R8 LMS cars of the Audi Sport Teams racing in retro designs. These designs showcased iconic liveries from Audi's storied motorsport history. The race also featured former DTM champions Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider, and Martin Tomczyk, who proudly sported the number 40 as their starting number. Their vehicle, an Audi R8 LMS from the Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX, was styled after the 1992 Audi V8 quattro DTM.
The challenging nature of the Nordschleife circuit makes it not only a racing challenge but also a crucial benchmark for Audi Sport GmbH's production vehicles. Each new R and RS model undergoes rigorous testing on this circuit, covering thousands of kilometers during their development.
Rolf Michl, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and Head of Motorsport at Audi, remarks, “The Nürburgring is the world’s toughest race track and is a magical place for us. As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, it's fitting to begin at the 24-hour race.” Michl further emphasizes the circuit’s importance for production cars, stating that all their models are subjected to extreme conditions here before achieving production readiness.
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