-FOUR TIME SPA 24 HOURS PARTICIPANT, THE JEWEL IN THE GT3 CROWN

-RACED FROM NEW BY AUDI SPORT TEAM SAINTÉLOC RACING

-BORN AS LMS AND FULLY UPGRADED TO ULTRA SPEC IN 2013

-COMPETITIVE & GREAT VALUE OPTION FOR THE GT3 LEGENDS SERIES

You will struggle to find a more successful brand in recent motorsport history than the four rings of Audi. Audi became famous in the racing world through their exploits in the World Rally Championship. Audi found their success through a combination of finding the best drivers available to them with their ability to push the limits of the regulations in the 80s. The Manufacturer managed to catch their competitors by surprised when they turned up with a 4-wheel drive vehicle. With this concept, Audi went on to win 2 World Rally Championship. However, this would be nothing compared to the success that would greet them at the turn of the Millennium.

The 2000s era saw Audi turn their focus to the biggest race in the world… Le Mans 24hrs. Different era plus the same mentality not only matched Audi’s success in rally but surpassed what any other manufacturer has ever been able to achieve in such a short time period at Le Mans. It is almost impossible to believe how one manufacturer can put on such a display of dominance in what is known to be the biggest test of endurance in the racing world. From the year 2000 till 2014, Audi were able to achieve a staggering 13 overall wins at Le Mans, only being stopped by the legendary Bentley Speed 8 and the stunning Peugeot 908 LMP1.

When the GT3 Category was started by Stephane Ratel, Audi did not have a car that could compete. This was until the creation of the Audi R8 GT3. Soon it became very clear to everyone that the R8 was the car to have. From 2009-2012 the R8 produced 2 overall wins at the Bathurst 12 hours, 1 win at the frightening streets of Macau and 1 overall win on the main stage of GT3 racing, the Spa 24hrs.
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Unlike other manufacturers such as Aston Martin and Ferrari, Audi decided that with the increase in the level of the competition, they did not need to change their car but only make some alterations to the already existing model. A change in model or design was not needed due to the R8 GT3 still being able to compete and win against the new challengers of Nissan, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin. At the end of the 2012 season, Audi released the ‘Ultra’ version of the R8 GT3, which would go on to become the most successful GT3 model between 2013-2015 with the following notable results:
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Overall Spa 24hr wins
2x Overall Nürburgring 24hr wins
Macau Overall win
Daytona 24hr class win
Petit Le Mans Class win
FIA GT Champions
Blancpain Champions

Audi had a number of highly successful teams in their customer programme. However, none were more successful than Vincent Vosse’s team ‘WRT”. In recent years Audi have announced their sabbatical from GT3 racing to allow them to focus on their F1 efforts. This in result meant the departure of WRT from the Audi programme leaving a slot that had to be filled as Audi’s main team. Thankfully for Audi, they already had a Spa 24hr overall winning team named Santeloc Racing waiting to take on the role of WRT.

Chassis #0281 spent the majority of its racing life under the SaintélocRacing banner being driven by many talented drivers such as Audi Factory driver Marc Basseng. From the moment #0281 left the Audi Factory in 2010 it went straight into competition in the FIA GT3 and FFSA championships. 2012 saw its final year in competition in this configuration where it took part in it’s first Spa 24hr race. 2012 was also host to another year in competition in FIA GT3 championship which was paired with races at iconic tracks such as Silverstone and Nürburgring.

In 2013, chassis #0281 was upgraded to an ‘Ultra’ spec as it would begin it’s first year of many competing in the Blancpain GT3 championship. #0281 would compete in the Blancpain championship and the legendary spa 24hrs for further 3 years and towards the end of it’s racing life it was seen as the ‘Santeloc junior car’ where it hosted drivers such as Valentin Hasse Clot who can now be found as a pro driver in the ‘World Endurance Championship’.

The car offered here represents a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to join the new Motor Racing Legends GT3 Legends series at an affordable price point. The car simply requires crack testing of its key components (as per the series' requirements) in order to be raced.