Road To World Series

A trip to the Caspian 11 November 2012

2012-11-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

Adult Caspian Gull c Gnome

Late afternoon Sunday, sunny but cold, found me venturing out onto Port Meadow in the company of many other of my fellow humans enjoying the sunshine. My aim was to see the adult Caspian Gull that Gnome had discovered the evening before. At first I tried looking from the 'usual' spot by the entrance to Burgess Field but the sun was now quite low on the horizon making viewing difficult. So there was no choice but to schlep round to the other side of the flood by the river where viewing the gulls would be much better with the sun behind me. It was a bit of a trek and the ground by the river was much waterlogged, churned up by animals and in places was just sheer liquid mud underfoot. Needless to say I had not bothered to don wellington boots. Too late now. No turning back. I was on a mission. I eventually made my way out to opposite the gull roost by way of the boardwalk alongside the moored boats, then crossing a small stream with a hazardous 'sink up to over your ankles in mud' feature on both banks. Amazingly there were other people out walking here with normal shoes on and even people jogging, seemingly oblivious to the mud and water splattering up their legs and soaking their feet. I set up my scope and scanned the small flock of gulls and bingo, virtually the first large gull I looked at was the Caspian. A real beauty of a gull with it's long, dull yellow, parallel sided beak, black, boot button eye in it's all white head and showing the diagnostic white tongue on the underside of the outer primary to good effect. I just stood and enjoyed looking at it in the sunshine and because there were relatively few roosting gulls present at this hour it was not obscured and I got to see it clearly and very well. Perhaps because of the regular procession of people that are attracted to Port Meadow the gulls here also seem less wary than usual and allow a comparatively close approach. An attractive Eastern European lady asked to look through my scope and what was I looking at? Irresistible. I acquainted her with the diagnostic features of a Caspian Gull. Well she did ask! Her eyes started to glaze over. "Zank you so much. You are most kind" as she slithered off as fast as possible across the morasse. Jarrod sensibly clad in wellington boots joined me and I pointed out the Caspian to him. Five Dunlin flew past and two Common Redshank fed on the edges of the flood. Lapwings and Golden Plover wheeled around before coming back to earth and Common Snipe crouched like brown divots on the exposed mud. Gnome called on my mobile. "Can you see the Caspian?" 'Yes it's showing really well. We are over on the far side.' Gnome eventually joins us across the muddy wastes and together we watch the gull roost slowly build up in numbers, finding three possibly four Yellow legged Gulls also in the roost. The light slowly fades and we head back for the sanctuary of dry land, slipping and sliding through mud and pools of water.

Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (10-11/11/2012)

2012-11-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

1. The Weekend

Focussing this week on the weekend of 10 - 11 November 2012

2. The Events

Audi R8 LMS Cup
HSR Daytona
CMRC
Targa

2.1. Audi R8 LMS Cup

Shanghai played host to the final round of the new Audi R8 LMS Cup in China. Sixteen Audi R8 LMS cars have been seen in the series during 2012. The final round was also the scene of the championship battle which would decide the champion of the first Audi one-make Championship. The title contenders were Marchy Lee and Adderly Fong. Alex Yoong clinched pole position ahead of Eduardo Mortara who was driving the #27 R8 LMS in the livery with which he will compete at Macau next weekend. Starting from the front row Mortara passed the pole sitter and went on to take race victory. Jeffery Lee won the Amateur Cup title in race one. The overall Audi R8 LMS Cup title came down to the final race as only five points separated Lee and Fong. Race two saw Mortara make it a double for the weekend. Behind Mortara the championship title was decided. Lee finished second in the race, but more importantly he finished ahead of Fong in third which ensured the title for Lee. Marchy Lee is the first overall Audi R8 LMS Cup champion finishing twelve points ahead of Fong with Alex Yoong in third.

Audi R8 LMS Cup website

Results

2.2. HSR Daytona

The banks of Daytona hosted the finale of the Historic Sportscar Racing series in North America this weekend. GMT Racing and Rogers Motorsport were at the event with their Audi R8 LMP race cars. One car was entered from each team, #606 from GMT and #405 from Rogers (#607 was on site but not entered). The cars qualified and raced well at the front of the grid.

SascoSports FB page

Results

2.3. CMRC

Round three of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) was held at Guyana. Representing the Barbados team was Doug Maloney in his ex-Super Touring Audi A4 STW. The green machine was fast and performed well. The ABT-Audi TT-R of Doug Gore is still undergoing repairs in Germany following its crash during round 1. Doug has missed the bulk of CMRC season, but the ATL team have said that they will be back for 2013.

GTRidez FB page

Results

2.4. Targa High Country

The Targa High Country event was held this weekend, round two of the 2012/2013 Australian Targa Championship. After a heavy crash earlier in the year the Close Audi TT RS with Matt and Casey Close was back. The TT RS had some new upgrades which included a new S-Tronic gearbox and a new livery. There were two Audis on the entry list, the TT RS and an Audi S2.

Targa News FB page
Results

2.5. Other Audi News

VMP Motorsport has been very busy this week. Despite the 2012 Production Car Championship having come to a close in South Africa the team is well underway with their plans for 2013. They were seen testing at Zwartkops during the week and have more test scheduled for next week.

Gennaro Bonafede on twitter

The Macau Grand Prix is next weekend. Three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will take part in the Macau GT Cup, including the defending champion, Edoardo Mortara. The annual Macau Supercar Show was held this weekend and all three of the Audi cars were on display. The #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra to be driven by Mortara was displayed with a white dragon themed livery, the same livery with which he competed in the Audi R8 LMS Cup at Shanghai this weekend.

Marco Da Silva Rosario on FB

More details emerged this week of the first “facelifted” Audi R8 LMS ultra that has been spotted. The car is a normal Audi R8 LMS ultra which has been fitted with the new Audi R8 front and rear lights. It was seen with the 2012 Nürburgring 24 Hours #3 livery at the Audi R8 facelift press days held at Misano at the end of October. More details HERE.

bigblogg on flickr

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT have committed to yet another endurance race this season. The team will enter two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the Vallelunga Six Hour race at the end of November. The event is the final round of the newly named Italian Endurance Champions Cup.

Belgian Audi Club website

Real Madrid stars were treated to passenger laps in an Audi R8 LMS ultra at Jarama in Spain. It was part of an Audi driving experience event. Marc Gené was on hand to drive the soccer stars. The Audi had a Real Madrid livery as well has the facelifted Audi R8 lights.

Audi Spain FB page

3. Next Weekend’s events (10-11/11/2012)

Fuji Sprint Cup
Macau
Brazilian GT
Grand Am Daytona test

All photos are hosted at their respective website which are listed within the Weekend Round Up

Marchy Lee clinches world’s first Audi R8 LMS Cup Championship

2012-11-11T05:59:00.000-08:00

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

· Marchy Lee becomes first ever Audi R8 LMS Cup Champion

· Edoardo Mortara does the double as he takes lights-to-flag victory at final round

· Amateur Cup Champion Jeffrey Lee dominant again in Shanghai

Shanghai, November 11, 2012 – Hong Kong driver Marchy Lee has become the first ever Audi R8 LMS Cup Champion after crossing the line second in today’s twelfth and final round at the Shanghai International Circuit. The winner’s honours went to Audi Driving Dreams team guest driver Edoardo Mortara who took a confident lights-to-flag victory, giving him two race wins this weekend. Third across the line and sealing his second place overall in the championship was Adderly Fong driving for the KLM Team. Malaysia’s Alex Yoong was fourth in the Audi GQ car, confirming his third place in the overall points’ standings.

The Amateur Cup had already been taken by Jeffrey Lee in Saturday’s Round 11 but second and third places in the Amateur’s Cup were confirmed respectively today for Alex Au of AK Racing and top celebrity and accomplished driver Aaron Kwok of Team Audi R8 LMS Cup. The Teams’ championship was also wrapped up today with Audi Ultra taking top honours on 229 points ahead of Audi GQ on 193 points and KLM Team on 186 points.

An exciting mix of professionals, rising stars and passionate enthusiasts, the Audi R8 LMS Cup has seen 16 drivers compete against each other in identical cars. Racing across the region with rounds at Zhuhai, Shanghai and Ordos, the series is an optimum showcase for Audi lightweight technology. Along with partner, Michelin, who introduced a first in Asian motorsport – a long life tyre which lasts over the course of an entire weekend, Audi sees the Cup as the perfect opportunity to nurture motorsport talent and demonstrate its commitment to China and its customers in the region. As a further sign of this commitment it was announced today that Audi Korea will enter an official team in the Audi R8 LMS Cup for 2013.

Commented Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing China: “Audi is proud to have completed such a successful first ever single-make championship. Next year, we will go from strength to strength supporting motorsport across Asia.”

Today’s final round took place in cool but sunny conditions, a welcome contrast to the damp track of Saturday’s Round 11. As the field got away from the grid in the finishing order of the previous day’s race, it was clear that Mortara had the advantage from a clean rolling start. Determined not to interfere in the main battle for the Cup standings the Italian found himself under pressure to keep clear of the charging Audi Ultra of Marchy Lee. Lee meanwhile had the determined Fong and Yoong hot on his heels.

Further down the field, American amateur driver Dino Crescentini of Spark Motorsport spun at the start of lap 2. He rejoined at the back of the field but his chances of a second Amateur Cup win had slipped away. This left already crowned Amateur Cup Champion Jeffrey Lee and AK Racing’s title runner up Alex Au to enjoy a battle royale for podium honours.

Team Erdos Xinan’s Sun Zheng meanwhile had a storming start. The Chinese driver had received a late penalty after Saturday’s race and found himself at the back of the grid with a monumental task ahead of him. It was a challenge he seemed to relish as one by one he picked off his rivals. By lap six he was in seventh place overall and closing fast on Wang Jian Wei in the Team Betterlife car. Wang proved a tougher opponent but Sun Zheng eventually took him on lap 12, putting him in sixth place behind Team Zhe Jiang Aotong’s David Zhu whose solid race skills placed him fifth.

With the race entering its closing stages the back markers began to make their presence felt, enabling Fong to have a final but unsuccessful attempt at overhauling Lee. So as the cars took the final chequered flag of the season the top six finishers were Mortara followed by Marchy Lee, Fong, Zhu and Sun Zheng. The top Amateur Cup finishers were Jeffrey Lee, Au and star driver and personality Aaron Kwok in the Team Audi R8 LMS Cup car. Final placings for the Amateur Cup standings therefore confirmed Jeffrey Lee as Champion with runners up places going to Au and Kwok.

Quotes after Round 12:

Rene Koneberg (Director of Audi Sport customer racing China)

“We have seen some hard, close and fair racing this weekend, which is a testament to the quality of drivers and machinery in the Audi R8 LMS Cup throughout this inaugural season. Audi is proud to have completed such a successful first ever single-make championship. Next year, we will go from strength to strength supporting motorsport across Asia. To underline that, we are pleased to announce today that Audi Korea will enter an official team in the Audi R8 LMS Cup for 2013. We look forward to welcoming them to the championship and for even more close racing than we have seen this year.”

Edoardo Mortara (Audi Driving Dreams)

“The start was good and I really wanted to disappear from the others so they could have their own battle. But I think the advantage may have been a little too big. Marchy was pushing hard mid-race and then we had a few back markers to deal with but overall it was a very smooth race. Congratulations to Marchy (Lee), Adderly (Fong) and Alex (Yoong) on a great championship.”

Marchy Lee (Audi Ultra) – Audi R8 LMS Cup Champion

“Overall it was a very difficult race. Edoardo had a good start and I tried to follow but he was very fast. There was a bit of a gap between myself and Adderly but he was pushing all the time. Then we came up against a back marker and all I wanted to do was be safe so I didn't try and go through on the first corner. They really closed the door and I tried to keep calm inside the car. Then I had Adderly right up behind me and I had to fight to keep calm and maintain control. I tried and pushed really hard for two laps to open up a gap - when I did I had to work to maintain the gap at around one second. I knew Adderly was going to push all the way and that is what he did to the end. I could see him in my rear view mirror on the last corner really pushing. It has been a very close and competitive season and to be fighting for the championship with Adderly on the last day has been exciting. I know it would have been much tougher if Alex (Yoong) had not missed a couple of races and it would certainly have been a three-way battle for the title. I’m really pleased for the team and grateful to everyone involved for making it a very special championship.”

Adderly Fong (KLM Team) – Audi R8 LMS Cup, 2^nd place

“I think Marchy (Lee) and myself had a lot of pressure on the grid and we could really feel some tension. I was certainly pushing for the whole race and I had my traction control setting at two so I could keep some life in the tyres. But with 11 laps to go I turned it right down to one which made the car quite difficult in the high speed corners. I was trying to catch Marchy throughout the race but I could see he was on the edge a couple of times, as was I. Both Marchy and I were blocked by back markers during the race, but we had one each so that seemed fair. Overall, it has been great racing and I think I have been very lucky to be here competing for the championship with these great drivers.”

Alex Yoong (Audi GQ) – Audi R8 LMS Cup, 3^rd place

“I have enjoyed everything about this year and if I hadn’t missed a couple of races then I may well have been in contention for the title, but we will never know. The Audi R8 LMS Cup is a great car and it has provided us with some very close racing this year.”

Jeffrey Lee (Pauian Archiland J-Fly Racing) – Audi R8 LMS Cup, Amateur Champion

“Because I won the Amateur title I will be racing as a Professional driver next year, but I don't mind at all. Driving as Amateur or Professional there will be some fierce competition in the Audi R8 LMS Cup championship next year. There was some pressure on myself and Alex (Au) because of the leader board and through the race yesterday, and again today, there was some contact between us. But that contact only made the racing more exciting and I hope we can both race together again in the future.”

Alex Au (AK Racing) – Audi R8 LMS Cup, 2^nd place Amateur

“I was expecting a nice relaxing weekend but there was some contact between Jeffrey (Lee) and myself in the first race. I was expecting it to be easier today, but Jeffrey (Lee) told me he was being easy on me! Jeffrey and I traded places but then my car started to feel quite bad. I lost another place and then had a spin. It wasn't until we got back to the pits at the end of the race that I found out I had a puncture on my front right tyre.”

Aaron Kwok (Team Audi R8 LMS Cup) – Audi R8 LMS Cup, 3^rd place Amateur

“This first season has been exciting for me and every part of it has been a highlight. If I am spinning, overtaking or going off onto the grass, it has all been an experience to enjoy. It has also been a good opportunity to learn more about driving by being with such great drivers who have helped me improve and become a better driver. I hope Audi and I can work together again next year.”

Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website at: www.audir8lmscup.com

Round 12– Results

Pos	Comp No	Name	Class	Entrant	Time
1	27	Edoardo MORTARA (G) (I)		Audi Driving Dreams	32:46.891
2	1	Marchy LEE (HK)		Audi Ultra	32:48.910
3	68	Adderly FONG (HK)		KLM Team	32:49.351
4	8	Alex YOONG (MAL)		Audi GQ	32:56.914
5	6	David ZHU (CN)		Team Zhejiang Aotong	33:09.584
6	33	SUN Zheng (CN)		Team Erdos Xinan	33:22.509
7	9	WANG Jian Wei (CN)		Team Betterlife	33:27.555
8	77	SUN Chao (CN)		PD Group Team	33:39.110
9	7	Jeffrey LEE (TPE)	AM	Pauian Archiland J-Fly Racing	34:02.312
10	99	Massimo VIGNALI (I)		Team Chengdu New Elements	34:04.788
11	88	Aaron KWOK (HK)	AM	Team Audi R8 LMS Cup	34:36.486
12	23	Alex AU (HK)	AM	AK Racing	+1 lap
13	66	ZHANG Ran (CN)	AM	Audi Castrol	+1 lap
14	13	Adrian FU (HK)	AM	FuSpeed Racing	+1 lap
15	75	Clifford CHEN (TPE)	AM	J-Fly Racing	+1 lap
16	3	Dino CRESCENTINI (USA)	AM	Spark Motorsport	DNF

(AM) Amateur Cup Competitor

(G) Guest Driver

Fastest Lap: Edoardo Mortara/Audi Driving Dreams/1:48.476

Overall Classification (top 10)*

1	Marchy LEE (HK)	229
2	Adderly FONG (HK)	217
3	Alex YOONG (MAL)	167
4	SUN Zheng (CN)	115
5	WANG Jian Wei (CN)	84
6	Jeffrey LEE (TPE)	77
7	David ZHU (CN)	60
8	SUN Chao (CN)	41
9	Charlie-Ro CHARLZ (AUS)	30
10	Kyong-Ouk YOU (KOR)	27

Amateur Cup Classification (top 5) *

1	Jeffrey LEE (TPE)	197
2	Alex AU (HK)	156
3	Aaron KWOK (HK)	129
4	ZHANG Ran (CN)	118
5	Adrian FU (HK)	111

* Full classifications available on the Audi R8 LMS Cup website.

Video: Monster = Audi S3 + 5 cylinder turbo

2012-11-11T05:03:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

TS Racing from Scandinavia have developed an absolutely crazy car. It is an Audi S3 which has been extensively modified. The car boasts a new wide bodykit, stripped out interior, a race car approach and above all a turbocharged five cylinder Audi engine. Everyone knows the spine tingling sound that these engines produce and it is no exception with this car. It sounds glorious. Here is a great video featuring onboard and trackside footage, enjoy.

More information:
TS Racing website

We are so lucky 11 November 2012

2012-11-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

Badge of the Seaforth Highlanders

Lest we forget

My Grandfather came from a village called the Muir of Ord in Ross and Cromarty which is in the north of Scotland. He worked for the Highland Railway at Thurso station at the end of the line in the very far north of Scotland but was highly thought of and was transferred to the head office in Inverness. In 1914 with war looming and patriotism running high he joined the 1/4th (Ross Highland) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders based at Dingwall in Ross and Cromarty. When war broke out in 1914 they were mobilised for full time war service on 5th August. They moved south, first to Bedford and then onwards to France on 7th November. My grandfather was shot in the stomach during the offensive at Ypres and lay out all night between the lines, gravely wounded but miraculously was rescued the next day, horribly maimed but alive. He was operated on immediately in a field hospital which saved his life, then transferred back to Scotland where he recovered from his wounds and then, almost unbelievably, considering what he had gone through, was then sent back to France with the Royal Flying Corps due to the fact he could use morse code. By way of explanation, my grandfather was skilled at morse code as that was the main form of communication utilised by the Highland Railway before he went off to fight for his country. When he returned from France for the final time was he given a hero's welcome or even token thanks? Not a bit of it. He went back to Inverness to carry on working for the railway but was told he had no job as he had volunteered to fight and he had been replaced with someone else. His situation was by no means unique. I am enormously proud of him and what he sacrificed for his country. Despite his severe injury he lived into his late eighties and for most of his life back in his native Ross and Cromarty, working in the Royal Naval Dockyard at Invergordon. He was wonderfully kind to me as a wee boy and frankly was my hero and still is all these years later. I am grateful to him for the legacy that grants me the luxury of peace and comfort while I think back to what he must have suffered and endured. My story is not that special in the grand scheme of things but just a tiny contribution to the huge sadness at such waste and inhumanity and similar stories can probably be told a hundred thousand times or more by those with personal memories such as mine. We should never forget them and what they did for us. Thank you to all those who fought and especially those who never came back.

Saturday morning at Farmoor 10 November 2012

2012-11-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

A little groggy from a virus that has been troubling me for the past week I got it together to amble around Farmoor I Reservoir on a gloomy and chilly, mid morning Saturday. The incentive was to try and see the Greater Scaup that had been reported from here throughout the past week. First there had been one, then two and yesterday three were reported by Dai. This is one of my favourite ducks, as you can see from the number of images on this post, although it is difficult to be specific as to why.

Adult female Greater Scaup

I like their scarcity but it is more than that. The bulk of their head and body. The broadness of their bill and the subtleties of the immature and female plumages, all seem to strike a pleasant chord with me. A birder's bird maybe? All birders know this feeling where for no apparent reason a particular species is more appealing than another that is similar. Tufted Ducks? Nah, not for me. I commenced walking up the Causeway and it was not long before I found an adult female Greater Scaup feeding with the Tufted Ducks, pleasantly close to the Causeway. I spent some time admiring her and the huge white blaze around her bill and forehead as it is not that often one gets this close to a mainly maritime duck. Finally I moved on and passed the new Hide which is now open again as Thames Water have finally found the key that unlocks the door. I understand the door will be left permanantly open from now on.

Just after passing the Hide a duck with a pointed profile flew high overhead, circling the reservoir and disappearing towards the Thames. Up with the bins and the welcome sight of a female Goosander greeted me. Up to four Little Grebes played hide and seek as I progressed to the far end of the Causeway and turned right around the top end of the reservoir. A blaze of autumnal colour greeted me from the bushes by the path down to the Pumphouse. It could almost be New England, the colours were so strikingly orange and red but these were not the famous Maples but pyracanthus bushes.

Nevertheless very welcome but totally incongruous on such an overcast day. Half way down the top end of the reservoir I came upon another group of Tufted Ducks. Many of the males are now regaining their black and white colours as they moult out their eclipse plumage. I checked the small flock and at first saw nothing to excite me but giving it a second go I found another Greater Scaup. This one was a first winter with much less of a white blaze around the bill, more like two oval, white patches each side of the bill with paler ginger markings on the ear coverts. It also did not have the grey suffusion on the upperparts that was very apparent on the adult female. This individual was much more wary than the other bird and at first kept it's distance but eventually as I stood motionless came closer.

First winter Greater Scaup

Again, I spent some time admiring it's plumage details, comparing it to the adult female I had seen at the other end of the reservoir. I reluctantly moved on and that really was virtually all the excitement for the day. The sun tried to briefly penetrate the clouds but thought better of it and the gloom seemed to permeate my surroundings even more and enter my very soul.

A tinkling of cheery, conversational calls, in stark contrast to the mood, betrayed half a dozen Goldfinches feeding on some dead seed heads and two Grey Wagtails bounded along the wave wall in front of me before tiring of being flushed and flew back behind me, settling on a fence and pumping their long tails frantically. I completed the circuit of the reservoir and at the end came upon ten or so Meadow Pipits feeding on the grassy bank. As I approached they flew up into a hawthorn, calling peevishly. When looked at closely they really are quite attractive in an understated way.

Two Goldcrests, their crowns glowing golden yellow in the overcast conditions, chased through a hawthorn nearby as I headed for the Car Park

Mortara takes maiden Audi R8 LMS Cup victory

2012-11-10T03:52:00.000-08:00

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

· DTM ace Edoardo Mortara tops the podium in Shanghai

· Marchy Lee takes second sending championship down to the wire

· Jeffrey Lee clinches Amateur Cup in penultimate round

Shanghai, November 10, 2012 – DTM ace Edoardo Mortara clinched a thrilling victory this afternoon in the penultimate round of the Audi R8 LMS Cup at the Shanghai International Circuit. Audi Ultra’s Marchy Lee was second, giving him enough points to take a narrow five point lead in the overall championship points’ standings over Adderly Fong. Fong of the KLM Racing team took the chequered flag in an impressive third place after fighting his way up through the field from ninth on the grid. The Amateur Cup title was sealed by Pauian Archilland J-Fly Racing’s Jeffrey Lee.

After the wet conditions of qualifying, this afternoon’s race saw all 16 drivers take the rolling start on Michelin’s innovative dry weather tyres. Pole sitter Alex Yoong got a clean start but succumbed to the charging Mortara on the opening lap of the race. Marchy Lee promptly pounced on Yoong, constantly putting the Malaysian ace under pressure until taking him for second place.

Fong also had a storming start, pushing past Aaron Kwok in the Audi R8 LMS Cup car on the first of what was to be 18 laps of scintillating racing. By lap seven, Mortara had Marchy Lee hot on his heels, Fong and Yoong were locked in battle and Kwok and AK Racing’s Alex Au were challenging for Amateur Cup title honours.

Competing for Audi Driving Dreams, this was Mortara’s debut race with the series and he had it far from easy with a spirited drive from Marchy Lee pushing him all the way to the chequered flag. Meanwhile, Team Erdos Xinan’s Sun Zheng had run wide on lap 13, letting Yoong and Fong past for third and fourth positions respectively, only for those positions to be reversed after an epic battle on lap 14 which saw Fong eventually win out over Yoong. Nevertheless, it was a strong drive from the Chinese driver Sun and he retained his fifth position all the way to the line to clinch 12 points ahead of Team Zhe Jiang Aotong’s David Zhu in sixth.

Pushing hard in his debut race meanwhile was Spark Motorsport’s Dino Crescentini. The American had started top of the Amateur Cup drivers on the grid. Although he lost places to the tussling professional drivers in the early stages of the race Crescentini went on to cross the finishing line in seventh, clinching maximum Amateur Cup points. Taking eighth and ninth places overall respectively was Wang Jian Wei of Team Betterlife and PD Group’s Sun Chao.

Next across the finishing line were the battling Jeffrey Lee and Alex Au in second and third places respectively in the Amateurs Cup and thus sealing Lee’s place as the Champion with one race still to run. Kwok took points for third place in the Amateurs Cup standings.

The final round of the Audi R8 LMS Cup takes place tomorrow (Sunday).

Quotes after Round 11:

Edoardo Mortara (Audi Driving Dreams)

“It was a difficult race overall. After passing Alex (Yoong), Marchy (Lee) was coming up to me quickly and I could see he had lots of pace. We then started really racing and we had some enjoyable moments where he came alongside and I thought he would pass but I was lucky to remain in first. I tried to leave him room when I made a couple of mistakes so I did not damage the championship result. I think tomorrow will be a really nice battle between the drivers for the championship and I will make sure I stay out of the game.”

Marchy Lee (Audi Ultra)

“Once I passed (Alex) and caught Edoardo we both had some really good racing moments. He was fighting hard but always leaving space for me. He is a really experienced and good driver. Later on in the race we came up to some back markers and I have had a moment or two with them in the past so I was being extremely safe and careful about my overtaking. I then decided to save the tyres but saw Adderly (Fong) coming up in my mirror but I could see he was pushing hard and really using up his tyres, which is good for me. Overall it was really good today and racing with these gentlemen was very enjoyable.”

Adderly Fong (KLM Team)

“It was really difficult to get past Aaron (Kwok) and even more to get past Alex. I really don't remember all the overtaking in the race, apart from Alex's, because there was so much going on. Alex seemed to be struggling with his brakes and at one point I tried to get a slipstream (from Alex) down the straight but there's no real advantage at all. The closeness of the racing really goes to show how very equal all the cars are in this championship.”

Dino Crescentini (Spark Motorsport)

“What a nice day at the office! It was a lot of fun out on the track and I tried my best to just stay out of trouble. I had a lot of time and space to myself and I used that to learn more about the car and the track and prepare to do some battles tomorrow.”

Jeffrey Lee (Pauian Archilland J-Fly Racing)

“I don't think I looked in the rear view mirror so many times as I did today. I spent most of the race looking back. After qualifying I thought it would be an easier race, but Alex (Au) was getting quicker. I did ease off a little bit and then realised that Alex was catching me quickly. I thought that safety and protecting my position was the best thing to do.”

Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website at: www.audir8lmscup.com

Round 11– Results

Pos	Comp No	Name	Class	Entrant	Time
1	27	Edoardo MORTARA (I) (G)		Audi Driving Dreams	32:59.987
2	1	Marchy LEE (HK)		Audi Ultra	33:04.559
3	68	Adderly FONG (HK)		KLM Team	33:07.465
4	8	Alex YOONG (MAL)		Audi GQ	33:13.443
5	33	SUN Zheng (CN)		Team Erdos Xinan	33:13.852
6	6	David ZHU (CN)		Team Zhe Jiang Aotong	33:33.038
7	3	Dino Crescentini (USA)	AM	Spark Motorsport	33:33.562
8	9	WANG Jian Wei (CN)		Team Betterlife	33:53.314
9	77	SUN Chao (CN)		PD Group Team	34:11.628
10	7	Jeffrey LEE (TPE)	AM	Pauian Archiland J-Fly Racing	34:18.720
11	23	Alex AU (HK)	AM	AK Racing	34:18.763
12	99	Massimo VIGNALI (I)		Team Chengdu New Elements	34:48.305
13	88	Aaron KWOK (HK)	AM	Team Audi R8 LMS Cup	34:54.978
14	66	ZHANG Ran (CN)	AM	Audi Castrol	+1 lap
15	75	Clifford CHEN (TPE)	AM	J-Fly Racing Team	+1 lap
16	13	Adrian FU (HK)	AM	FuSpeed Racing	+1 lap

(AM) Amateur Cup Competitor

(G) Guest Driver

Fastest Lap: Marchy Lee/Audi Ultra/1:48.965

Overall Classification (top 5)

1	Marchy LEE (HK)	204
2	Adderly FONG (HK)	199
3	Alex YOONG (MAL)	152
4	SUN Zheng (CN)	117
5	WANG Jian Wei (CN)	74

Amateur Cup Classification (top 5)

1	Jeffrey LEE (TPE)	172
2	Alex AU (HK)	141
3	Aaron KWOK (HK)	111
4	ZHANG Ran (CN)	106
5	Adrian FU (HK)	101

Update from the Road

2012-11-10T01:34:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I'm in London at the moment and still unable to do a proper post, but if you want a glimpse of what I've been up to, head on over to Not Supermum's blog, where she has shared our wonderful trip to Crosby Beach and the art installation Another Place by Anthony Gormley. I'll be back the week after next. See you soon!

Belgian Audi Club WRT at the 6 Hours of Rome

2012-11-10T00:35:00.000-08:00

By Tarek Ramchani

Team WRT have had a very positive 2012 season. They successfully defended their Blancpain Endurance Series driver’s and team’s titles. The Belgian squad also won the Zolder 24 Hours and showed strong performances in the FIA GT1 World Championship and the French GT Tour supporting Team Audi France.

Belgian Audi Club WRT - Audi R8 LMS ultra

WRT is set the challenge a new endurance event, the 6 Hours of Rome at the Vallelunga track. The race is part of the Italian based Dunlop Endurance Champions Cup. Two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars will be there with drivers Vincent Vosse, Yves Weerts, Jean-Luc Blanchemain and Patrick Söderlund.

The Audi team will have very strong competition from RAOL Motorsport who runs the official BMW Italia Team with their semi-works Z4 GT3s as well from Kessel Racing and their regular Ferrari 458s and many other GT cars fighting for overall honours. The race is set for November 25th.

Photo credit: Belgian Audi Club

Video: Closer look at the Audi R8 LMS ultra

2012-11-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi R8 LMS ultra debuted this season and immediately it was very successful. The 2012 spec R16 was able to give Audi many prestigious titles and race victories worldwide.

Here is a closer look at the winning Audi machine at the Pergusa circuit, Italy. Audi Sport Italia, a regular team in the Italian GT Championship, made a single appearance in the Superstars GTSprint. A very positive event as the team was able to win race 1 and had a strong third in race 2 with drivers Davide Di Benedetto and Michele Merendino.

More information:
Audi Sport Italia website
Audi Sport Italia on Facebook
Audi R8 LMS on Facebook

Yoong pips DTM star Mortara to clinch pole at final rounds of Audi R8 LMS Cup‏

2012-11-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

· Alex Yoong on pole after thrilling qualifying in Shanghai

· Dino Crescentini takes Amateur Cup pole on debut

· Top ten qualifiers separated by three seconds in damp conditions

Shanghai, November 10, 2012 – Malaysian Alex Yoong has stolen a march on his title rivals after taking pole position in the closing seconds of the final qualifying session of the 2012 Audi R8 LMS Cup. The Audi GQ driver posted a time of 1m59.969 seconds on wet tyres with less than thirty seconds left of the session. Second quickest was DTM ace and guest driver Edoardo Mortara who is driving for the Audi Driving Dreams team this weekend. Hong Kong driver Marchy Lee in the Audi Ultra car posted a late fast time to qualify third quickest overall.

Putting on a confident display to take pole in the Amateur Cup was Spark Motorsport’s Dino Crescentini. The American’s feat was all the more impressive for being his debut outing in the Audi R8 LMS Cup. Second quickest amateur driver was Jeffrey Lee for Pauian Archiland J-Fly Racing with Aaron Kwok third for Team Audi R8 LMS Cup.

All 16 drivers went out in the morning qualifying session on Michelin’s wet weather tyres after early morning downpours and misty conditions presented the drivers with damp but drying conditions. The mixed field of professional and amateur drivers had some tough decisions to make in setting up their Audi R8 LMS cars.

This was the final qualifying session of the season for the Audi R8 LMS Cup and all three titles (Overall, Amateur Cup and Teams) are still up for grabs. As the session started all bar Alex Yoong and AK Racing’s Alex Au were eager to get on track and get to grips with the difficult conditions. It was Mortara, fresh from his recent F1 test, who immediately went out and set the benchmark time of 2m00.806 seconds on used wet tyres. Marchy Lee was just two tenths behind while Crescentini also stated his intentions early on, giving Jeffrey Lee and the rest of the amateur field a target to hunt down.

Yoong meanwhile had joined the fray and he soon sent a warning by setting the second quickest time. A flurry of pitstops midway through the 30 minute session saw most drivers change to a fresh set of Michelin’s wet tyres. With just ten minutes to go, the order was Mortara, Jeffrey Lee, Yoong, Wang Jian Wei (Team Betterlife), Sun Chao (PD Group Team) and current overall title points leader, Adderly Fong (KLM). Marchy Lee, Crescentini, Alex Au (AK Racing) and Sun Chao (PD Group) completed the top ten.

A final frenzy in the closing stages of qualifying resulted in Crescentini setting his Amateur Cup pole time of 2m.01.167 seconds. Mortara, who had sat out much of the middle part of the session, went out on fresh tyres. He managed to boost his time but left the door open for Yoong to set the pole winning time with just 23 seconds to the flag. The former F1 driver had completed only five flying laps and was the only driver of the day to break the two minute barrier.

With Mortara now lying 0.578 seconds behind in second place, Marchy Lee stormed across the line to take third place overall. The top ten was completed by Crescentini, Amateur Cup protagonist Jeffrey Lee, Wang, Sun, Kwok, Fong and Massimo Vigna (Team Chengdu New Elements). Although starting from ninth on the grid, current overall cup points leader, Adderly Fong can be expected to fight hard to defend his title chances in the penultimate race of the season.

Quotes after Round 11 Qualifying:

Alex Yoong (Audi GQ)

“It is tempting to hope that Marchy (Lee) and Adderly (Fong) will take each other out but I am too far away for a chance of the title. The focus now is to try and convert a good start to the weekend into two race wins. Any changes in the set-up will really depend on the conditions. I was quite fortunate to get the most out of my tyres for the first quick lap. There are a couple of spots on the track where I can still improve but I'm just going to try and keep these guys behind me.”

Eduardo Mortara (Audi Driving Dreams)

“It is a really wonderful experience to be here. There are lots of top drivers in this championship and to be amongst them is very nice. It was not completely wet this morning and it was hard work to handle the car on the first hot lap. It is most important for me to stay out of the battle for the championship today. There is a championship battle going on and I'll try to be smart in the race.”

Marchy Lee (Audi Ultra)

“For a race win we score 25 points and for second place it is 18 points so the two point lead that Adderly (Fong) has is not really a big deal. I can't figure out why he (Fong) is down in ninth position. The plan is to try my best and if the rain falls then I will drive accordingly. I can't make a mistake but if Alex is going fast then I will also push. I won't try to think about the conditions. There is nothing I can do about them so it depends on me and how I drive the race.”

Dino Crescentini (Spart Motorsport)

“This is my first time in China and it is great to be here. This is the first time I have driven the car and I loved it! There were some dramatic differences in the conditions but I have a crew that really understands what I need and makes my job much, much easier. It is a very forgiving car and at the same time it is also very sensitive to any changes you make to it. I'm lucky I have a great crew that can interpret my needs and make them work on the car.”

Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website at: www.audir8lmscup.com

Round 11– Qualifying

Pos	Comp No	Name	Class	Entrant	Time
1	8	Alex YOONG		Audi GQ	1:59.969
2	27	Edoardo MORTARA (G)		Audi Driving Dreams	2:00.547
3	1	Marchy LEE		Audi Ultra	2:01.074
4	3	Dino CRESCENTINI	AM	Spark Motorsport	2:01.167
5	7	Jeffrey LEE	AM	Pauian Archiland J-Fly Racing	2:01.203
6	9	WANG Jian Wei		Team Betterlife	2:01.322
7	33	SUN Zheng		Team Erdos Xinan	2:01.366
8	88	Aaron KWOK	AM	Team Audi R8 LMS Cup	2:02.312
9	68	Adderly FONG		KLM Team	2:02.558
10	99	Massimo VIGNALI		Team Chengdu New Elements	2:02.947
11	23	Alex AU	AM	AK Racing	2:03.197
12	77	SUN Chao		P D Group Team	2:03.591
13	66	ZHANG Ran	AM	Audi Castrol	2:04.089
14	6	ZHU David		Team Zhe Jiang Aotong	2:04.826
15	75	Clifford CHEN	AM	J-Fly Racing Team	2:04.933
16	13	Adrian FU	AM	FuSpeed Racing	2:05.410

(AM) Amateur Cup Competitor

(G) Guest Driver

Video: Closer look at 034 Motorsport

2012-11-09T02:22:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

034 Motorsport are very well known in the performance car market. In recent years they have built a number of Audi race cars. Their Audi A4 B5 racer is one of their most notable creations. It was built as a time attack car and even competed at the newly paved Pikes Peak this year. Along with their A4 they have recently announced the addition of another very special Audi race car. An Audi TT RS from the SP4T class in the German VLN has been added to their arsenal and will debut at the 2012 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

Here is a very nice video from Audizine which features an inside look into the 034 Motorsport organisation.

More information:

034Motorsport on Facebook

Photos by 034 Motorsport

FOR SALE: Monstrous Audi A4 Hillclimb racer

2012-11-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

A very interesting Audi race car is for sale. The car is a mixed combination of sorts, an Audi Sport developed A4 B7 STCC/S2000 chassis coupled with an Audi RS4 transmission (from Audi Sport Italia) which is mated to a V6 twin turbo pushing out over 500HP. The end result of this combination is spectacular. The car has been campaigned by Heinz Göllner in the Romanian Hillcimb Championship where it has achieved much success. Along with the visual impact the car also produces a tremendous sound, which echoes beautifully in the hillclimb stages. It is a very special machine and an excellent purchase for prospective hillclimb competitors.

Interested parties can view the listing of the car at AutoRennsport.ch via the link HERE.

More information:

autorennsport.ch website

Audi A4 listing

Championship fight down to the wire as world first Audi one-makes title looms‏

2012-11-07T04:02:00.000-08:00

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

· First-ever Audi one-makes title to be awarded this weekend in Shanghai

· Adderly Fong leads title chase, but Marchy Lee and Alex Yoong in contention

· Audi DTM ace Edoardo Mortara makes Audi R8 LMS Cup debut

Shanghai, November 7, 2012 – The Audi R8 LMS Cup is preparing to crown the world’s first-ever Audi brand cup champion this weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Three drivers are in championship contention and a total of 51 points are on offer during Rounds 11&12, which take place as part of the inaugural Shanghai Sports Car Champions Festival.

Leading the title charge is young pretender Adderly Fong with KLM Racing, who after scoring his third win of the season two weeks ago, now has a narrow two-point advantage over Audi Ultra driver Marchy Lee. Third in the championship is former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong with Audi GQ. Joining the series for the first time and sure to be a contender to stand atop the podium is Audi DTM ace and two-time Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix and last year’s Macau GT Cup winner Edoardo Mortara, who will race with Audi Driving Dreams. The Italian finished fifth in this year’s DTM series and arrives in Shanghai straight from Abu Dhabi, where he took part in the Formula One Young Drivers Test.

Said Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing China: “We are delighted that the championship is open right up until the final race weekend and that we will crown a deserving champion in Shanghai. We are also looking forward to have Edoardo Motara with us at the Shanghai Sports Car Champions Festival.”

The exciting mix of professionals, rising stars and passionate enthusiasts all race identical Audi R8 LMS Cup cars. With minimal modifications permitted, talent and racing mettle are put to the test. An optimum showcase for Audi lightweight technology, the series has also shown itself to be a leader in motorsport innovation. Earlier this season the series, along with partner Michelin, introduced a first in Asian motorsport – a long-life tyre which lasts over the course of an entire weekend, reducing consumption while maintaining the performance required for top, international racing.

In addition to the overall title, the Amateur Cup for non-professionals will be awarded this weekend. While Pauian Archiland J-Fly Racing driver Jeffrey Lee holds a 28-point lead over Alex Au, expect Au and the other Amateur Cup drivers to battle hard for the category wins. A team championship will also be awarded this weekend.

The Audi R8 LMS Cup made its worldwide debut in Shanghai in April, before heading to to China’s Pearl River Delta and the Zhuhai International Circuit. In August, the series raced at Inner Mongolia’s Ordos track, before returning to Zhuhai in September. Late last month the series supported the FIA World Endurance Championship season finale in Shanghai before this weekend’s double-header season finale.

Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website at: www.audir8lmscup.com

Audi R8 LMS Cup

Provisional Entry List – Rounds 11&12

車號	名宇	國籍	車隊
1	Marchy LEE 李英健	Hong Kong 香港	Audi Ultra 奧迪 Ultra車隊
3	Dino CRESCENTINI (Am) 迪諾.克裡斯丁(Am)	USA 美國	Spark Motorsport
6	HAN Han 韓寒	China 中國	Team Zhe Jiang Aotong 浙江奧通車隊
7	Jeffrey LEE (Am) 李勇德 (Am)	Chinese Taipei 中華台北	Pauian Archiland J-Fly Racing 璞園捷飛車隊
8	Alex YOONG 熊龍	Malaysia 馬來西亞	Audi GQ 奧迪智族車隊
9	WANG Jian Wei 王建偉	China 中國	Team Betterlife 百得利車隊
13	Adrian FU (Am) 傅厚澤 (Am)	Hong Kong 香港	FuSpeed Racing FuSpeed車隊
23	Alex AU (Am) 區柏祥 (Am)	Hong Kong 香港	AK Racing AK車隊
27	Edoardo MORTARA 莫他拿	Italy 意大利	Audi Driving Dreams 奥迪童夢圓
33	SUN Zheng 孫正	China 中國	Team Erdos Xinan 鄂爾多斯鑫安車隊
66	ZHANG Ran (Am) 張冉 (Am)	China 中國	Audi Castrol 奧迪嘉實多車隊
68	Adderly FONG 方駿宇	Hong Kong 香港	KLM Team 錦龍車隊
75	Clifford CHEN (Am) 陳憲章 (Am)	Chinese Taipei 中華台北	J-Fly Racing Team 捷飛車隊
77	SUN Chao 孫超	China 中國	P D GROUP Team 龐大車隊
88	Aaron KWOK (Am) 郭富城 (Am)	Hong Kong 香港	Team Audi R8 LMS Cup 奥迪R8 LMS盃車隊
99	Massimo VIGNALI 馬西莫。維納里	UK 英國	Team Chengdu New Elements 成都新元素車隊

(Am) Am Cup Competitor

Audi R8 LMS ultra with Facelift

2012-11-06T04:47:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

Facelifted Audi R8

The Audi R8 LMS ultra has been a formidable force in international GT racing. The Audi R8 road car has recently received a facelift which included subtle and tasteful visual updates. The most notable updates include the front and rear lights, as well as some small bodywork changes. Ever since the introduction of the facelift there has been speculation of the possibility of facelift updates for current and new Audi R8 LMS ultra race cars. The new INR8 website even developed a few renders of what a new facelifted Audi R8 LMS ultra could look like, you can see that HERE.

Despite all of the speculation a facelifted R8 LMS ultra has emerged. The car is a normal Audi R8 LMS ultra which has been fitted with the new front and rear lights. It may not be a true facelift, but it does give us another glimpse of what a facelifted R8 LMS ultra would look like, and it looks brilliant. The car was at the Audi R8 Facelift Press days held at the Misano Circuit in Italy during October.

Thanks to bigblogg for the photos from Italy.

More Information:
bigblogg on Flickr

bigblogg.com website

bigblogg on Facebook

bigblogg on twitter

It is all a matter of timing 05 November 2012

2012-11-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

After the successful Birdrace at College Lake BBOWT on Saturday we checked Badger's pager and found that the Hume's Leaf Warbler was still gracing Horseshoe Plantation which is near Beachy Head in East Sussex. Not only was this tempting enough but there was also the perennial Ring Billed Gull at Gosport and a Red Breasted Goose, associating with Brent Geese, was frequenting Farlington Marshes by the M27 in Hampshire. Both of these would be on our route to East Sussex. Three excellent birds in one day would be a good day out. We arranged to meet at 7am on Sunday morning. That evening Badger called to advise the weather was going to be awful at the beginning of the morning with heavy rain and flooding but it would clear later. He suggested we put back our departure until 8am. No problem there as an extra hour in bed is most welcome. That night I checked the weather reports online and could see that it was predicted the rain front would leave the southern counties around 10am to be followed by very strong 47mph winds which again would ease after 3pm. Now predictions are all well and good but as we all know prediction and reality do not always coincide, especially concerning weather. However you have to put your faith in something and Michael Fish has retired (remember the hurricane of 1987?) so I trusted the weather forecast for once. If we left at 8am we would arrive on the south coast around two hours later which in theory would work out well, with the rain by then predicted to be moving north and all we would have to contend with would be the high winds. I also checked the tide tables for Sunday, as from experience I knew Brent Geese came in from the harbour when the tide covered the exposed mud. High tide was around 1130. So we would also be on schedule for seeing the geese come in from the sea to feed in the fields at Farlington. This would easily be our best chance of seeing the Red breasted Goose. We ditched any idea of trying for the Ring billed Gull so as to maximise our chances of seeing the goose and warbler. Anyway Gosport is enough to depress anyone on a fine day let alone one of rain and wind. We duly headed off down the A34 in heavy rain and low cloud. Dai rang to say Farmoor had too much water! There were floods on the entry roads. I stopped at the Chievely services for a hot chocolate and then got lost trying to regain the A34. These services must surely have some of the most confusing access roads in the country. We eventually got ourselves pointed south again after going back under the M4, retracing our route from the Motorway and normal service was resumed. The rain and cloud continued unabated as we headed south. Approaching the M3 we were heartened to see bright clear sky on the horizon and the trailing edge of the rain front definitely coming our way. Eventually we were in the clear with just a grey gloom but no rain, and arrived at Farlington on schedule and headed out for the marsh at around 10am. The accompanying roar of traffic from the adjacent M27 was deafening but was soon eclipsed by the roar of wind in our ears as a fearsome westerly gale howled into our faces across the marshes and fields and over the sea wall. Any bush by the track out to the sea wall, no matter how insubstantial, was looked upon longingly as a potential wind break and we did the best we could to stand up and hold our scopes steady in the wind. It was not easy! The Brent Geese, as predicted, had commenced to flight into the fields in small numbers from the encroaching tide, tacking masterfully in the westerly gale, but there was no sign of the Red breasted Goose. We scoped the forty or so Brent already on the fields and found a Black Brant amongst them. A definite bonus. A large flock of Canada Geese were further off in the fields keeping very much to themselves. I stationed myself by a bush along the track offering its services as a partial windbreak, Badger inserted himself into a bramble patch and we waited. Small parties of Brent came flighting in and the flock in the fields slowly grew in size but still no sign of the much desired Red breasted Goose. A lone goose came winging in from the east, swinging agilely in the wind. Bins up and there was our prize, the Red breasted Goose. It joined the Brent Geese and immediately commenced feeding on the grass.We were the only birders present and both of us spent the next hour enjoying watching the goose.

It really is a beautiful creature, so exotic looking in amongst the comparatively dowdy Brent Geese. I cannot say time drifted by. It positively howled by in a constant buffeting from the wind. I zipped up every bit of my clothing as there was no hiding place from the wind. We stuck it out until noon and the wind was still gale force. However we had expected and planned for this and duly headed back for the car and with some relief gained the sanctuary of Black Audi. The plan now was to drive east for fifty miles to Beachy Head during which time we estimated, as per my online consultation of the weather systems last night, the wind would start abating and make it somewhat easier to discern a tiny warbler in amongst the storm tossed trees and wind blown leaves of Horseshoe Plantation. We made it to our destination at 1330 and I was just about to put a vast amount of money into the pay and display machine to fund the extortionate parking fee when a birder came from the wood and called out to me. "Don't do that" 'Sorry?' "You don't need to pay. I have a parking ticket that only expires in another two hours. I am going now. I have seen the warbler so you may as well use the time on my ticket". What a nice man and yet again what timing, if I may be so bold. We got our stuff together and ventured into the tiny wood. It has a track through the middle and it really is tiny but being the only wood on a stretch of open coastal downland attracts all sorts of excellent birds. When I lived in Sussex I personally saw Red breasted Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pallas's Warbler and a host of other less uncommon birds such as Firecrest and Pied Flycatcher in the wood. I even saw my first Hume's Leaf Warbler here. My study area for stonechats, all those years ago and foundation for a book much later, was on the chalk grassland behind and to the east of the wood. We walked to the eastern end of the wood which was sheltered from the westerly wind. Goldcrests flitted amongst the branches and twigs of the trees overhead giving their shrill, thin contact calls. Just near the end of the wood we heard another much more distinctive call and there was the Hume's Leaf Warbler flitting around very actively in the foliage and bare twigs of an Ash tree. I had planned to get some photos but it was a nightmare even getting it into the lens. The constantly moving trees caused havoc with the auto focus and the vagrant mite just never stayed still apart from one brief episode of preening.

St Vitus had nothing on this will o' the wisp. Eventually I decided to just relax and watch it, getting some really good views as it fed on tiny invertebrates which it acrobatically seized from leaves and twigs. The views got even better when it descended quite low at the sheltered end of the wood. After our initial success there was a period of absence but then it was relocated at the western end of the wood, again in the company of Goldcrests. Another absence as it was lost to view. The light was gently fading now and we would regularly lose it in the foliage but its distinctive call would allow us to relocate it but it rarely came down low, remaining in the upper levels of the trees. Towards the end of the day with the light going fast all the Goldcrests seemed to gravitate to the eastern end of the wood. I ventured a hypothesis that this was because it was lighter here than in the wood and they could still see to search for food. A ChiffChaff caused a stir, as in profile it looked like our star bird but as it came closer we could make out it's colour and plumage pattern. We lowered our binoculars. I followed what I thought were two Goldcrests but one of them was the Hume's and it now gave some really excellent views as it fed low down in the bare branches. Overall it looked like a washed out version of a Yellow-browed Warbler, not nearly so bright, with dull green upperparts and dirty white underparts. The yellowish wing bar and supercilium were much more indistinct than on it's brighter plumaged relative. Then it was gone, suddenly flying deeper into the darkening wood. The Goldcrests built up to around a dozen, quiet now but feeding with a purpose in the oncoming dusk, silhouetted against the last of the light as they hung acrobatically from small twigs and flitted along branches. Two Blackcaps 'tack tacked' away in some brambles and two very late Swallows hurtled west. Then Badger crowned an already fulfilled day by locating a Firecrest amongst the Goldcrests. It came closer and closer and then was gone. Darkness was almost upon us as we walked back through the wood for the final time and headed back to Oxford.

Video: Craig Lowndes with Audi R8 LMS interview

2012-11-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

Craig Lowndes is one the most famous names in Australian motorsport. Fans are use to seeing him at the front in the V8 Supercars, but in recent years Craig has been seen at the wheel of Audi R8 LMS race cars. He has twice competed for Audi at the Bathurst 12 Hours and most recently he raced a Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 LMS at Phillip Island in the Australian GT Series where he won his first race behind the wheel of an Audi. He was part of the Audi race experience that weekend. Here is a short interview with Craig from the Phillip Island race weekend where Craig gives some insight into his thoughts of the Audi R8 LMS.

More information:

Melbourne Performance Centre on Facebook

Craig Lowndes on Facebook

Photos by MPC

GT3 cars in European Le Mans Series 2013

2012-11-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

By Tarek Ramchani

It's no secret that the GT3 class is booming worldwide at the moment. The formula has proven to be a great success in many international and national series. Now it's the turn of the European Le Mans Series to welcome the class.

In 2012 the ELMS field faced a dramatic collapse in numbers, especially in the Grand Touring division, where both GTE Pro and GTE Am failed to attract competitors. As a result the ACO have granted GT3 cars access to the ELMS series. With this move the ACO wanted to increase the amount of cars next year, with a large field of GT3 races cars around Europe. The all conquering Audi R8 LMS ultra is part of the GT3 class of course and we hope to see some cars in this top level sportscar series.

For 2013 the GT3 cars will compete in a special GTC class (Grand Touring Challenge), a class which is very different from the GTC class in ALMS where only GT3 Cup Porsches are allowed to compete. To make sure the GTC cars won't challenge the top GTE ones, the ACO will impose more restrictors on GTC cars. So do not expect the possibility of Audi R8 LMS cars there fighting against the GTE cars.

Weekend Round Up - Audi Motorsport Blog (3-4/11/2012)

2012-11-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

1. The Weekend

Focussing this week on the weekend of 3 - 4 November 2012

2. The Events

Spanish IBER GT / GT Open
Midas Clubmans
Killarney Sports and GT
Mexican SuperTurismo

2.1. Spanish IBER GT / GT Open

The final round of the Spanish IBER GT Championship was combined with the final round of the International GT Open series. The finale was held at Catalunya in Barcelona. Team Novadriver took part with both of their Audi R8 LMS ultras. The pair of Novadriver cars qualified at the front of the Spanish GT category for the first race. Race one ended with the #81 car finishing first in the Spanish GT category but the championship hopeful #80 car fell back and finished fourth. Race two saw an excellent result for the team, the #81 finished second followed by #80 in third. The result was enough to secure the Spanish IBER GT driver’s title for Mikko Eskelinen in the #81 Novadriver Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Team Novadriver FB page

Results

2.2. Midas Clubmans

The penultimate round of the Midas Clubmans was held this weekend at Killarney in Cape Town, South Africa. Modack had been a regular during the season with his ex-Johan Fourie Racing Audi A4 but he was facing a race ban. The news emerged this weekend that the Modack Audi would be in the hands of Kosie Swanepoel with a new green and blue livery. Kosie was very fast during practice and maintained that pace on race day. He qualified in the top three and went on to finish first in race one. Race two saw Kosie finish his debut event in the Audi A4 with another win, making it a perfect day. Andre Johnson, who is normally seen in his black turbocharged Audi A4 B7, was in the silver and red ex-Sipuka Audi A4 this weekend, however he did not take part in either of the races.

Street Motion FB page

Results

2.3. Sports and GT at Killarney

The Sports and GT category was also in action at Killarney this weekend. The Audi of Paul Beachyhead was entered. Paul drives an Audi R8 spaceframe race car which uses an Audi 3.6 litre V8 which has been fitted with a twin turbo. The car won its class during race one despite a last lap puncture.

emanoek.blogspot.com

Results

2.4. Mexican SuperTurismos

The Mexican SuperTurismos championship held its last round of the 2012 season this weekend. Various Audi and Audi bodied silhouette cars take part in the series.

SuperTurismos website

Results

2.5. Other Audi News

034 Motorsport announced a new car this week. The North American team have acquired an Audi TT RS VLN which competes in the SP4T class of the VLN series in Germany. The car was on display at SEMA this weekend. The 034 Motorsport TT RS will debut at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill at the beginning of December.

034Motorsport FB page

The SRO held its awards evening on Friday. Many of the Audi drivers were present, including the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series champions: Christopher Haase, Christopher Mies and Stéphane Ortelli

Christopher Mies FB page

3. Next Weekend’s events (10-11/11/2012)

CMRC
HSR Daytona
Audi R8 LMS Cup
BRCC

All photos are hosted at their respective website which are listed within the Weekend Round Up

FOR SALE: Terry Moss Racing Audi A4 B7

2012-11-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

By Johan Laubscher

The three time Bridgestone Production Car champions (2007, 2011 and 2012), Terry Moss Racing, are selling their second Audi A4 B7 race car. The team are currently racing with new Audi S4 B8 race cars and they are selling their one remaining A4. The Audi A4 is a 3.2 quattro version wearing Audi RS4 bodywork. The cars were ultra competitive in South Africa with many victories, which includes the 2007 Class A driver’s title. These cars are spectacular and perfect for club racing. The team’s other Audi A4 (ex-Sipuka) and the ex-Johan Fourie Racing A4 are competing very successfully in the Killarney based Midas Clubmans championship in Cape Town.

Ex-Sipuka Terry Moss Racing A4 in CT

It is an excellent acquisition for prospective club racers, and the car can also be entered in Class A at national race meetings in the Bridgestone Production Cars.

Interested buyers can contact Michael Stephen from Terry Moss Racing:

Michael Stephen email address

Michael Stephen on Facebook

More information:

Terry Moss Racing on Facebook

Street Motion on Facebook

Photos by Reynard Gelderblom from Street Motion and Terry Moss Racing.

Gallery: Audi quattro cars at Rallye Legend - San Marino

2012-11-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

By Tarek Ramchani

The famous Rallye Legend event at San Marino celebrated its tenth edition this year. The 2012 event was held two weeks ago. A lot of legendary rally car racers took part, which included Audis of course. No less than eight quattro cars were there.

Our friend and rally enthusiast, Lawrence Clift, provided massive coverage from the San Marino meeting with some brilliant photos.

More information:
Rally Legend website
Lawrence Clift Photography website
Lawrence Clift Photography on Facebook

We wunnit! 03 November 2012

2012-11-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

Pete Barker, Tom Wickens (The Wickster), myself (Two Eyes) and Jason Coppock (Badger) returned to College Lake to take part in the annual Bird Race held alternately each year at Otmoor RSPB and College Lake BBOWT near Tring. The aim is for each participating team to get sponsorship and all proceeds go to support BBOWT and Otmoor RSPB. Usually around £600.00 is raised, it is a great morning out and lots of fun. The race runs from 9am to 1pm and a token trophy of a shield is awarded the winners although the shield is retained at BBOWT's superb visitor centre at College Lake. If you have never been to College Lake do go as the reserve is well worth a visit and the facilities are quite frankly some of the best I have ever encountered throughout the UK, being very modern, catering for all ages and having a really nice cafe. This was our first visit to this reserve and we were the defending Bird Race champions, having won last year at Otmoor and we won it again this year with a total of 61 species seen! It was a lot of fun, the weather remained fine and we saw some good birds. A few of the highlights in our total were a very late Swallow, a male Kingfisher tucked away in the corner of the lake and half a dozen Lesser Redpolls feeding in a small alder. We failed to find Great Spotted Woodpecker and another team were lucky enough to see a Merlin

Golden Wonder 02 November 2012

2012-11-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

On Thursday the first of November, late and in dwindling light, Gnome found another American Golden Plover on the floods of Port Meadow. He posted some mouth watering, thigh rubbing video on The Oxon Bird Log that same night. It was however too late for anyone else to get to Port Meadow before night fell. The jungle drums were a beating that evening and Badger called to advise the planned trip to College Lake tomorrow was off and he would see me at Port Meadow at first light. I beat him to it and parking in Aristotle Lane (well this is North Oxford don't you know) was scanning the floods of Port Meadow at 6.30 am. No sign of any Golden Plovers whatsoever. Plenty of ducks such as Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler plus the cacophony of the now wide awake gull roost.

Oxonbirds finest started to assemble and most of the familiar faces were eagerly anticipating viewing a mega rarity for Oxfordshire. Still nothing. A Kingfisher sped across the flood. I found two redhead Goosander and nine Dunlin on the flood. The roosting gulls rapidly departed for their choice of landfill, ploughed field or suburban lake. Four Golden Plover were on the opposite bank. A female Sparrowhawk flew across the flood and ducks and waders scattered. Earlier we had counted thirty plus Common Snipe in the flooded grass to our right but over seventy now took off in alarm, whizzing around in a tight flock before coming back to land in the rough grass or out on the flood. Later the Sparrowhawk made another sortie but was seen off rapidly by a couple of Carrion Crows. Golden Plover calls filled the airspace overhead. We looked skywards and a large flock of around four hundred Golden Plovers were spread across the heavens far up and wheeling around seemingly aimlessly.

We waited for them to settle but they never did apart from one brief episode at the far end of the flood. Constantly they wheeled, called and flew around but with no sign of danger why stay up there, but that is what they did. The sun rose and still they stooged around at great height. People's patience and or deadlines for work ran out and they departed. I was getting chilled to the bone by the biting and strong northwest wind blowing directly across the flood into my face. It was too much. In the end Badger, Pete and myself gave it up at 9.30 with the darned plovers still floating around the sky. We planned to go to College Lake in Buckinghamshire and return later when hopefully the Golden Plovers would grow tired of their aerial odyssey and settle on terra firma. We drove to Badger's at nearby Kidlington. Just after we arrived The Wickster calls. In timeless birding fashion the American Grey Plover was now on the ground and showing well! We cancelled any ideas of College Lake, got back in the cars and made the short return drive back to Port Meadow as quickly as possible. I arrived to find the plovers were again airborne but Wickster assured me they would come back down. He had seen the bird in question well but as soon as he found it kept losing it in the tightly packed throng when they were on the ground or when they all, for no apparent reason, took to the air. Eventually the flock descended and settled on the edge of the flood opposite Burgess Field.

We looked through the flock. Some Golden Plovers looked quite grey but not grey enough. Then a birder cried he had got it and some hasty directions put us all onto a very white and grey bird which everyone at the time thought must be the AGP. It looked the business, so much different from its fellows but remember we were looking at distance, almost into the strong wind and views were only brief before it took to the air and then descended again and had to be re-found. It was picked up fairly quickly each time the flock was on the ground as it was so distinctive. It's face looked very white and upperpart plumage very grey with no sign of any gold tones. Someone then said they thought they saw another one! Indeed there was another grey and white bird, not so extreme as the first. Looking at this bird, it looked a much better candidate, being smaller, slimmer and more attenuated due to the slightly longer tibia and the wing point projecting beyond the tail. This was the real AGP the other was an imposter-an aberrant European Golden Plover showing overall white and grey plumage. Once seen against the EGP's the AGP looked almost elegant due to its slimmer build and slightly smaller size. We watched it at distance but then decided to try and get closer by taking the track alongside Burgess Field and then secreting ourselves in some sycamores on a bank adjacent to the flood. The flock at the time was on one of it's periodic flybys but eventually settled as did we, after fighting off low growing sycamore branches. This was a whole lot better as we were closer and more sheltered from the wind. The flock landed and almost immediately we picked out the AGP. This time it was possible to readily discern the long wing point, the grey plumage, the broad white supercilium, the slimmer profile and overall smaller size. It's behaviour was subtly different also as it would feed, which the EGP's seemed reluctant to do, dipping its bill to the ground in true plover fashion whereas all the EGP's just stood around relatively inactive. It also betrayed it's presence by taking little runs and aggressively driving off any EGP it considered too close for comfort. It was quite easy to pick it up this way. On one occasion it took to the wing briefly and I could see the dusky grey axillaries and underwing coverts which clinched the identification.

American Golden Plover extreme right.
Even at this extreme range one can see the slimmer, smaller profile

c Badger

American Golden Plover on right.
Note the smaller size and slimmer build, grey white plumage and broad white supercilium
with wing point extending beyond the tail

c Badger

We watched it until around 2pm by which time the bright sunlight made it virtually impossible from our position to pick out any features to identify it. We left it with it's commoner cousins and made our way back to the car and home.Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat and another new species for my Oxon list.

Audi Motorsport 2013 Calendar by Audi Holland

2012-11-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi Holland has just released their 2013 Motorsport Calendar. It includes great photos featuring some of the famous and victorious race cars from the Ingolstadt brand. The cars included are the ABT Audi TT-R, the Audi R8 LMS, The Audi R10 TDI, the Audi Quattro, the Audi quattro S1, the Audi R8, and the Audi R18 TDI. Thanks to our friends from AudiBlog.nl for the tip.

More information can be found here.

STS in Pergusa - Kristoffersson wins the Title - Schöffler breaks into Top Ten

2012-10-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

MTM Press Release

The stage was set for the finals of the Superstar Series 2012 at the seasoned Pergusa race track, which surrounds the same-named volcanic lake on the island of Sicily. Many race pilots, regardless of what car they were driving, would have rather stepped on the gas at a more modern venue. Here, the deck was stacked against them - especially to the disappointment of the Audi drivers - while it brought safety risks for all participants.

The handicaps for the three RS 5s were mainly a result of the extra weight ruling for winning brands.
This affects acceleration as well as braking, at top speed, and has an especially adverse effect when hitting the curb. The additional weight pulls on the suspension, which is subjected to the most extreme endurance tests, particularly on two chicanes in Pegusa. In this respect, the 14th position of the candidate for the title, Johan Kristofferson, was not the result of a sudden loss of competence b ut rather the sum of all things - which easily tipped the scales. Thomas Schöffler, in the MTM RS 5, and Gianni Morbidelli were also not able to conjure up any magic against the laws of physics. The only thing that the Audi trio could count on, were position improvements due to failures by the competition. And the race brought it on: Kristofferson came in at fifth place in the first race, former Formula 1 pilot Gianni Morbidelli took sixth position and Thomas Schöffler fought his way into the top ten. Good prospects for a cockpit career can be expected for this 19-year-old newcomer, whose race alongside the experienced international players saw him come in at ninth place, which translated into eighth place when all chips were down.

Kristoffersson had to sweat to keep his narrow lead in the second run of the championship, especially since he was "torpedoed" from behind in the Pineta chicane, which ultimately totaled his RS 5. For safety reasons, Audi team manager Radaelli called the two remaining RS 5s, from Morbidelli and Schöffler, into the pit. When the day was over, Kristoffersson took the title, with a four-point lead.