New team name, new racing cars, a new driver and a new team boss, but still sporting their trademark orange colour. kfzteile24 APR Motorsport have introduced numerous changes for the 2016 ADAC GT Masters season. Now in their sixth season in the ADAC GT Masters, the championship-winning team from 2012 will line up with two new Audi R8s.
The Audi team are going for a combination of continuity and fresh faces as regards their squad of drivers. Edward Sandström (37, S) and Daniel Dobitsch (31, A) will again share the drive in the Audi R8 as they did last year. With a win and a further podium, the driver pairing played a major role in the outfit’s third place in the team standings in 2015. Dobitsch will be tackling his fifth season in the ADAC GT Masters and will be joining Sandström for a second year together. The Swede has already enjoyed success with the new Audi R8. He won the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2015. Sandström shared the Audi R8 LMS with a number of drivers, including Laurens Vanthoor (24, B), as he drove to victory in the Eifel. kfzteile24 APR Motorsport have signed the Belgian to the team this year. Vanthoor will share driving duties with Florian Stoll (34, D) who was the highest placed Audi driver last season when he finished sixth in the championship.
The team leader has also changed. Former team boss Harald Böttner has retired, handing overall control to Ralph Stoll, who was previously responsible for technical management. « We’re already looking forward to our sixth season in the ADAC GT Masters, » said Stoll. « The new Audi R8 has achieved numerous wins around the world. We would love to build on that success. Daniel and Edward have become a competitive duo over the past year. I’m certain that the two of them will be even more formidable. Florian has impressed for years now with his top-class performances and is getting a new team-mate, Laurens. I’m pleased that another Audi specialist is joining the outfit. We’ve put together a strong team with which we aim to fight for top places again in 2016. »
Matthias Kieper, CEO at kfzteile24, added: « The situation in the ADAC GT Masters will be different again this year. New cars and many new drivers will be competing. It’s going to be exciting. I’m quite certain of that. Our team are again all set for the season, and I can’t wait to see our two Audi R8 LMS cars out on track for the first time. The team have been passionately committed for years and really stepped things up a gear again last winter. That commitment and their passion fit our company’s ethos perfectly. »
Press release ADAC GT Masters
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