Audi “Still Working” on Bathurst, IGTC Possibilities

Photo: Audi

Audi Sport is still working to finalize its plans for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and a possible continuation as a registered manufacturer in Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli this year.

The German brand, which typically has a strong presence in the Australian enduro with multiple factory-supported Audi R8 LMS GT3s, appears on the provisional entry list with only a single Pro class entry run by Melbourne Performance Centre with a to-be-determined driver lineup.

That compares to 2020, the most recent edition where the Pro class was permitted, where there were three Audi Sport-backed entries from MPC featuring a total of eight works drivers.

Speaking with Sportscar365 during last weekend’s Hankook 24H Dubai, Audi Sport customer racing boss Chris Reinke confirmed that plans are still being put into place and should become clear in the coming days.

“At the moment we’re going to take it on a race by race situation,” Reinke told Sportscar365. “We’re still working on our final setup for the Bathurst race.

“Obviously we always have a very strong base to work off in Australia with Melbourne Performance Centre.

“For sure on the customer side that’s ensured and the rest is to be confirmed, to what kind of level we can support and will support it. From there we will take [IGTC] in a race-by-race manner.”

One of the key questions surrounds whether Audi will continue in IGTC competition as a registered GT3 manufacturer.

An Audi spokesperson told Sportscar365 that as of now, they are not a 2023 IGTC manufacturer, but will make a decision on the matter shortly.

Aside from missing last year’s Indianapolis 8 Hour powered by AWS, Audi, which has four IGTC manufacturers titles to its name, has been ever-present in SRO Motorsports Group’s globe-trotting GT3 series.

Sportscar365 understands that talks had occurred between Reinke and SRO boss Stephane Ratel during last month’s season-ending Gulf 12 Hours with the goal of keeping the brand on the grid as a manufacturer.

“For the moment we haven’t really communicated our final involvement in Bathurst,” Reinke said.

“Once we have done that, we will race Bathurst and then we will quickly have to swing around to Kyalami. It’s TBD on what our involvement will be there.”

Audi is one of the few remaining GT3 manufacturer that has yet to also announce its factory driver lineup for 2023, a situation that has been complicated due to ADAC’s takeover of DTM, which left a period of uncertainty in the second half of last year.

“At the moment we’re in the final discussions with the teams, their requests, their demands on the driver side, our possibilities,” Reinke said.

“If it’s later than the years before, for sure, especially operating out of Germany, one of our focus themes is DTM.

“Through the re-arrangement there, it got us on our toes on how we have to react to it. Therefore we’re a bit delayed at the moment.

“That doesn’t mean we’re running late. I think it will happen soon in order to fulfill all expectations of our customers.”

Davey Euwema contributed to this report

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