VLN Phoenix Racing with three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in six hour race on the Nordschleife

Phoenix Racing Press Release

Phoenix Racing will be competing with three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the six-hour-race of the Endurance Championship Nürburgring (VLN) on Saturday (24 August).
“Alongside the traditional 24-hour race this VLN race that lasts six hours is the second highlight of the season on the Nordschleife,” says Phoenix Team Director Ernst Moser.  “We’ve already won two VLN rounds this year but winning this race over the extended distance would be something special. We’re looking forward to this special race very much.”

The driver trio with the ‘Ring’ specialists Frank Stippler (D) and Marc Basseng (D) plus Roman Rusinov (RU), who impressively showed his abilities on the difficult Nordschleife at the 24-hour race in May, has firmly set its sights on the podium. They are driving the white-black #37 Audi R8 LMS ultra of G-Drive Racing by Phoenix. In a G-Drive Racing by Phoenix R8 Frank Stippler and Marcel Fässler (CH) had won the 24-hour ‘dress rehearsal’ at the second VLN round at the end of April.

With the tailwind gained from the victory at the fourth VLN round in June together with Frank Stippler, Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck are contesting the entire VLN season in the white-blue #15 Audi of TÜV Rheinland. The Stuck brothers are supported by Christopher Zoechling (A). The 25-year-old talent is driving for Phoenix for the first time. “Christopher Zoechling convinced us in track tests and we also watched his performances in the Porsche and in the Mercedes on the Nordschleife so that he deserves this opportunity in the R8,” explains Ernst Moser. And Hans-Joachim Stuck (D), who is driving the Phoenix R8 race taxi sporting Red Bull graphics as part of the activities before the VLN race, is ready to actively support his two sons again in the cockpit as a matter of exception.

Taking turns at the wheel of the #5 Audi featuring the white-black Primland graphics will be Christopher Haase (D), Frank Stippler and Harold Primat (CH). At the VLN round in June Haase/Primat, both of whom are driving a Phoenix R8 in the Blancpain Endurance Series with Oliver Jarvis (GB), had achieved a podium position. Ernst Moser: “Harold Primat would like to contest the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2014, so this and other VLN races serve as the best possible preparation.”

At this race Phoenix Racing is continuing the development work with the new suspension partner KW. Two R8 cars are equipped with dampers from KW, the third one with the time-tested Bilstein suspension.

Over 210 Teams, including a large number of GT3 sports cars with plenty of horsepower, make for a gigantic field of entrants. After tests on Friday afternoon and the 90-minute qualifying session on Saturday morning, the 6-h race will be started at 12:00.  

Photo credit: Phoenix Racing

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DTM ‘Rocky’s bull’s eye DTM Champion with Audi

Audi Press Release

•          Mike Rockenfeller crowns strong season with early title win
•          Country life decelerates the Audi factory driver
•          Head of Audi Sport Ullrich: “Everyone’s delighted for him to have won the title”

Ingolstadt/Zandvoort, September 29, 2013 – Mike Rockenfeller has extended his biography by a decisive item in the second from last round of the 2013 DTM season at Zandvoort (the Netherlands). The 29-year-old Audi factory driver clinched an early title win in the most popular international touring car series DTM. A portrait of ‘Rocky.’

“My aim this year is simple: Of course I want to become champion,” said Mike Rockenfeller at the beginning of the season. The absence of the mischievous grin that is typically found on his face showed that he was not uttering a hackneyed phrase but was dead-serious. And now, after six DTM years, he has actually made it happen. Mike Rockenfeller from Audi Sport Team Phoenix sealed the title one race before the finale at Hockenheim on October 20. Following triumphs in the Porsche Carrera Cup (2004) and in the FIA GT Championship (2005) plus victories in the classic 24-hour races at Le Mans and Daytona (2010), this marks the next success in his career.

A surprise Champion? Not really. Last year – his second one in a current-generation DTM car – in fourth place of the standings, he was the best Audi driver and thus finally joined the group of favorites for the title. In the current season, he underpinned his Championship ambitions at an early stage. On winning round two at Brands Hatch (GB), the driver of the yellow-green Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM captured the top spot in the standings for the first time and is the only driver who has scored points in all nine races of the season so far – consistency having been one of the keys to success.

Even when, for a change, Rockenfeller was not cheering on the podium – as he was as the runner-up at Lausitz and on clinching his historic victory at the DTM’s premiere at Moscow – he set exclamation marks as a race driver. At the Red Bull Ring, ‘Rocky’ battled his way forward from 13th to fourth place. The city street race at the Norisring he tackled from the last row on the grid following a transmission change and in the end took a strong fifth place. On a wet track at the Nürburgring, Rockenfeller had to get out of a rival’s way in turn one and as a result found himself running at the rear of the field. Thanks to a tactical move by his squad at the command post ‘Rocky’ recovered and saw the checkered flag in fourth place.

Stay calm and relaxed even when all seems to be lost. Never lose your cool. Never give up. An exceptionally high basic speed, combined with a healthy dose of self-confidence and optimism that inspires the team even in difficult times – aside from his high level of technical knowledge, strong team spirit and, naturally, plenty of talent are the major strengths of the new DTM Champion.

“Rocky not only has the speed you need for titles in the DTM but drives in an incredibly clever way as well,” says Team Director Ernst Moser as he praises the level-headedness of his fast protégé. “Obviously, he’d love to win every race. But, not least thanks to his wealth of experience, Mike knows when it’s more prudent not to force the issue in a situation.” The perfect interaction between Rockenfeller and the engineers of Audi Sport and Audi Sport Team Phoenix is another element of success that Moser has identified. “Rocky has the ability to provide very precise descriptions of how the Audi RS 5 DTM performs in different track sectors and thus can squeeze the optimum out of the car together with the technical crew,” explains the team boss and, this said, goes on to name one of Rockenfeller’s weaknesses. “Sometimes he goes overboard with his tendency toward perfectionism and puts himself under nervous pressure. But whenever this happens his engineer Jürgen Jungklaus quickly brings him back to reality.”

Mike Rockenfeller gathered initial experience in a car at the tender age of eight when he was driving a VW beetle around the grounds of his grandparents’ farm. When, at the age of ten, he climbed into a kart for the first time just for fun he immediately realized: “Racing is my great passion.” Following six years in karting, Rockenfeller switched to Formula König and immediately made a strong showing on clinching the pole position and fourth place in the first-ever car race in his life. Just a little later, Porsche secured the services of the budding talent that had just come of age. Together with the Swabian marque ‘Rocky’ competed in the USA as well and developed a liking for the country and its traditional race tracks such as Laguna Seca that has lasted to this day. December 2006 marked the beginning of a new chapter in Rockenfeller’s career. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich signed the German, thus paving the way for him to achieve the biggest successes his career.

“Mike’s not only a fast race driver but a perfect fit for Audi outside the cockpit as well,” says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. With his on-track performances – above all, obviously, his victory at Le Mans and now his DTM title – he has more than fulfilled all the hopes we’ve pinned on him. In all his years with Audi, Mike’s had to cope with a few setbacks, so that makes our joy about his title even greater. Everybody at Audi Sport is delighted for him to have achieved this success.”

As a way of balancing his turbulent daily life as a race driver, Rockenfeller values the decelerating effect of country life. Rockenfeller, who grew up in Neuwied in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate with both sets of grandparents being farmers, is now living in Landschlacht on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance with his partner Susanne. Enjoying a meal at a good restaurant, watching a movie at a theater or simply lounging around all day wearing shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops – these are the ways in which he prefers to recharge his batteries for the next races in the little bit of free time he has. An environment he is used to, a home – is important to him. That is why he takes his ‘own four walls’ in the form of his motorhome to the track whenever he can. There is just one catch about it: He does not have the right driver’s license that would allow him to move the large vehicle. Finally getting this license, besides winning the DTM title, has been at the very top of his agenda for 2013. So his sights are now set on the next aim. 

Photo credit: Audi Sport Communication / Media

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Thunderhill 25 Hours Audi count up to three cars as Rotek Racing confirmed with Audi TT RS entry

By Johan Laubscher

The 25 Hours of Thunderhill will be taking place in December. A third Audi entry has been included in the latest update of the provisional entry list.

The first draft of the provisional entry list was revealed on 24 September and that list included two Audi entries. The original two entries were both from GMG Racing, who are entering two Audi R8 LMS cars in the ES class.

At the time Rotek Racing mentioned their intention to compete in the race on their Facebook page, but they were not listed on the entry list as of yet. Rotek Racing has been campaigning an Audi TT RS (VLN SP4T) car in the German VLN Endurance Championship this year, the very same car that was used by 034 Motorsport at the 2012 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The latest update of the provisional entry list was published last night and it now officially includes the Rotek Racing TT RS, also entered in the ES class, thus upping the Audi count to three cars in total.

No driver line-ups have been announced yet, but it is very exciting to see three factory built Audi Sport Customer Racing cars already on the grid. The 2013 25 Hours of Thunderhill is scheduled to take place from 7-8 December.

The provisional entry list can be seen HERE.

Audi teams on the provisional entry list (as of 28/10/2013):

GMG Racing:

#8 Audi R8 LMS - GMG Racing

#14 Audi R8 LMS - GMG Racing

Rotek Racing:

#24 Audi TT RS SP4T - Rotek Racing

Photo credit: 
Roger Mecking

Audi Sport Communication / Media
Rotek Racing

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Working With Auto Repair Mechanics How to Identify Them

Once you got yourself out of the phone and finally in the auto repair shop, its imperative that you know the type of auto repair mechanics/technicians youll be dealing with. Knowing their style and what theyre all about when it comes to getting your car problem repaired, is crucial.

Like the quoters, there are also different kinds of auto repair mechanics. And they fall in 3 major categories that you should be aware of, if you want to make sure that youre going to get the best results for your car repair problems.

a. Part Pitchers - These are the types who keep pitching parts at the problem until it goes away or until the bill reaches a certain amount (that they feel will suffice.) They are usually; either under-skilled or just dont care.

They have a certain swagger, have a tendency to loud and blunt with their estimation. Theyre not a big fan of testing and most likely will jump right at the problem.

b. Diagnostic Divas - These are those that appear to love to tinker and test, check and re-test. You might even mistake them for analytical experts for the amount of time they put in doing all the tinkering and testing, just to get to the problem. The most telling quality for these folks is whenever you call in to check on the status, youll keep hearing the same old thing, "Were still running diagnostics... looks like this one is harder than we thought. You should probably leave it here another day." The bottom-line of which is, another 3-8 hours more of labor.

They also tend to linger longer when checking out the problem in your car - just so they can find more stuff to sell you with. And that would not be too bad, if they were not billing you for the check-up!

c. Shortcuts Shorty - These are what most would call the "out-of-the-box thinkers." They are the perfect auto repair mechanics to call when you youre on a very tight budget, as they will almost always find a way to cut down on the time and expense for any given situation. The only downside (and the most critical one at that) is that effects of cutting corners in auto repair can be quite horrible and all the more expensive!

They will commonly just eyeball the problem or do a quick diagnostic, take 2 minutes looking at the car while thinking of a fast action plan, and then swing into gear. They can make a 4-hr job into 2, cut $600 part down to half and almost promise that the car owner will be back in a months time with more additional problems. (Big shops just love them!)

Scott Stephens is a spokesperson for Auto Repair Report. Auto Repair Report teaches drivers how to save thousands of dollars on Auto Repair [http://www.AutoRepairReport.com] costs... Without needing to become a mechanic! Check it out today!

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RepairManual com Has Your Automobile Covered with Haynes Repair Manuals

Anyone who has ever decided to do self-repairs on their vehicle knows when it comes to repair manuals for cars, trucks, and motorcycles, Haynes Repair Manuals stand out from the rest. That is why we carry such a large assortment of Haynes Repair Manuals. We know they are effective and consumer friendly. They are the worldwide leader in do-it-yourself repair and customization manuals. Theyve become essential reading for all of you who perform their own repairs on their vehicles. With sales of well over 7 million manuals annually and over 150 million total manuals sold globally, all of you automotive fans have obviously taken notice to the quality of these manuals.

We stock manuals that cover all ranges of automobiles. What sets these manuals apart is the attention to detail that goes into the production of each book. Every manual is written from hands-on experience based on a complete teardown, which is the step-by-step procedure of dismantling a particular vehicle part-by-part. This is followed by the detailed rebuilding of the specific model it documents. Even if you’re a complete beginner when it comes to doing repairs, you can order Haynes Repair Manuals from us with a confidence that will be able to get the job done.

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