In July of final 12 months, Audi introduced that it will successfully finish its involvement in buyer racing as a part of a wider restructuring of its motorsport division. This included, amongst different adjustments, the disbandment of its roster of manufacturing unit drivers.
Nevertheless, because it seems, 4 names will proceed to signify Audi in a wide range of championships this 12 months.
“The three drivers Ricardo Feller, Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock, in addition to Frank Stippler, nonetheless have legitimate contracts with Audi Sport Buyer Racing for the 2024 season,” Audi’s head of buyer racing Chris Reinke instructed Autosport sister title Motorsport-Complete.com.
“They are going to be utilized in corresponding programmes from our buyer groups.”
The clarification comes after Feller, Haase and Winkelhock joined Audi Workforce MPC within the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, a race that additionally featured a number of on-track commercial banners for the Audi Sport division.
It seems that Audi is honouring its present contracts with drivers regardless of the choice to desert its manufacturing unit pool.
It’s understood that the contracts of all 4 drivers are legitimate solely till 2024, which means Audi’s driver programme in buyer racing will belatedly come to an finish subsequent 12 months.
#22 Melbourne Efficiency Centre Audi R8 LMS Evo II: Christopher Haase, Kelvin Van Der Linde, Liam Talbot
Photograph by: Audi Sport
Feller, who has been retained by Abt as a part of a Crimson Bull-funded DTM assault, confirmed that he can be driving Audi equipment completely within the 2024 racing season.
“I’ll solely be within the R8 – once more within the GT World Problem and in addition on the Nurburgring. I am actually wanting ahead to it,” he stated.
Within the GT World Problem, each Feller and Haase will take the wheel of an Attempto-entered R8 LMS GT3, whereas the previous may even participate in a Nordschleife marketing campaign for Scherer PHX.
Scherer PHX will then name in all 4 remaining Audi drivers – Feller, Haase, Winkelhock and Stippler – for the Nurburgring 24 Hours in June.
As for the Audi Sport logos that adorned Mount Panorama through the Bathurst enduro, the Ingolstadt-based model clarified that it was all part of a branding train from Audi Australia.
Its Germany-based high-performance division was not concerned in any advertising and marketing efforts within the 12-hour enduro.
“Audi Australia used the 12-hour race in Bathurst to activate the Audi Sport model within the type of monitor branding,” a spokeswoman confirmed.