Fall-Line Targeting Two-Car Audi GTD Effort

Photo: John Dagys

Next year’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is set to feature an influx of Audi R8s, including up to two from Fall-Line Motorsports.

The Chicago area-based team has confirmed to Sportscar365 that it is finalizing plans for a potential multi-car effort in GT Daytona, building off its mid-season entry into the Rolex Series this year.

“A part of the reason why we started halfway through this year was with the intention of bringing the team into a new series, getting ourselves climatized to it so we would be prepared and ready to go for the combined series next year,” team manager Michael Harvey told Sportscar365.

“Our plans are moving along. We’re working extremely hard and are talking to a lot of people and some very interesting potential partners as well. We’re very optimistic about next year and putting at least one, if not two cars on the grid for the full season.”

Having enjoyed success in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, including claiming the 2010 GS championship, Fall-Line debuted its Audi R8 at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in June and completed the season with a variety of drivers.

Bryan Sellers and team owner Mark Boden combined for a season-best fifth place finish at Kansas Speedway in August, at a time when the car was being further developed, under the supervision of GRAND-AM, to help increase stability and downforce in the series’ mandated aero configuration.

“We worked really closely with the technical people at GRAND-AM and provided them with a lot of documentation,” Harvey explained “They were able to look at it and see we weren’t just trying to don ourselves an advantage. We were actually at a disadvantage.

“We’ve had six races to learn the car and make a lot of progress ourselves. We feel pretty comfortable with the car. It’s definitely a winning car under the skin. We just have to pull it apart a little bit and get there. And I’m sure we will.”

While the team will continue in the Continental Series with a multi-car GS program, Harvey expects the first announcement regarding its Audi GTD program to come within the next 10 days. A second car has not yet been ordered, although Audi Sport Customer Racing USA currently has one available for immediate purchase.

The team plans to be at the IMSA-sanctioned pre-season tests at Sebring and Daytona with its current car.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John