Audi Changes 24H Spa Lineups as DTM Drivers Drop Out

Audi has adjusted its driver lineups for this weekend’s Total 24 Hours of Spa with DTM front-runners Rene Rast, Nico Mueller and Robin Frijns no longer taking part in the race.

The top three drivers in the DTM standings were originally set to join three of Audi Sport’s factory-supported entries for round three of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli and GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup.

A statement from Audi confirmed that Rast, Mueller and Frijns have been stood down from their Spa drives to focus on the upcoming DTM season finale at Hockenheim.

Matthieu Vaxiviere, Dennis Marschall and Dorian Boccolacci have been drafted in as last-minute replacements, while the manufacturer has not yet confirmed which cars each driver will be in.

French publication Endurance-info reports that Vaxiviere and Marschall are set to join Christopher Mies in the No. 30 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo, replacing Frijns and accounting for Dries Vanthoor moving over to WRT’s No. 31 factory-backed machine.

Vanthoor is reportedly set to share the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup championship-leading car with Kelvin van der Linde and Mirko Bortolotti, replacing DTM leader Rast.

Vaxiviere won the 3 Hours of Imola earlier this year alongside van der Linde and Bortolotti, while ADAC GT Masters regular Marschall is set for his debut in SRO GT3 racing.

Additionally, Boccolacci is set to take up Mueller’s seat in the No. 25 Audi Sport Team Sainteloc entry next to 2017 Spa winners Markus Winkelhock and Christopher Haase.

The French former FIA Formula 2 driver teamed up with Winkelhock and Haase in this season’s first two Endurance Cup rounds at Imola and the Nürburgring.