Audi Announces Factory-Backed California 8H Entries

Two factory-backed Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evos will compete in the California 8 Hours at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on March 30.

Audi Sport Team Land and Audi Sport Team WRT will field a car each with a total of six factory drivers across the board for the Evo package’s first IGTC race appearance.

Land’s car features defending winners Kelvin van der Linde and Christopher Mies along with last year’s runner-up Markus Winkelhock, while WRT has named Christopher Haase, Frederic Vervisch and Dries Vanthoor in its lineup.

Van der Linde and Winkelhock also won the first edition of the California 8 Hours in 2017 before it became an IGTC round, driving a Magnus Racing Audi with Pierre Kaffer.

After the works Audis ran with U.S. flag-inspired designs last year, this time around the two Evos will adopt separate green liveries with Land using its typical Montaplast design and WRT opting for a new Castrol Edge scheme (above).

Neither Land nor WRT contested the season-opening Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour after both teams entered the Rolex 24 at Daytona the week before.

Audi is currently seventh in the GT3 manufacturers’ standings after a difficult start to the season for its points-paying entries at Bathurst.

Mercedes-AMG currently leads the championship and will contest the California 8 Hours with the maximum number of four factory cars, with two each for Strakka Racing and GruppeM Racing.