New Audi R8 LMS takes maiden race victory at the Nurburgring

Seven weeks after its debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the R8 LMS - Audi’s new GT3 sports car, has managed to take its first win in the VLN endurance championship at the Nurburgring in Germany. 

The Audi Sport Team WRT bagged a one-two victory following a tough battle with Mercedes-Benz. What’s impressive here is the fact that the R8 LMS was running only its third race, at one of the world’s toughest race tracks, the Nordschleife of the Nurburgring.

In the changeable weather conditions, endurance racing specialist Christopher Mies and Audi DTM driver Nico Müller initially took the lead after ten race laps. The lead exchanged hands several times while battling with Mercedes-Benz. From lap 18 onwards, the German-Swiss duo gradually increased its lead before finally crossing the finish line after four hours with a 1m 27s advantage over their compatriots from Stuttgart. 

Audi has been testing the new R8 LMS, which already complies with the new GT3 regulations, since 2014. Like its predecessor, many of the parts used on this new model are identical to the new production R8, which was launched in Geneva at the same as the race car.