Audi to build on local motorsport program

?Audi looks set to expand its customer racing program in Australia, giving drivers more affordable options than the V10-powered R8 LMS.

The brand's local racing operation, operated by the Melbourne Performance Centre, currently campaigns R8 supercars in the Australian GT Championships and Bathurst 12 Hour.

Audi's head of customer racing, Chris Reinke, says the brand plans to build on its racing operation in Australia with a track-ready version of the new RS3 sedan built for the TCR International Series for modern touring cars.

"We have a tremendously successful GT3 product, the R8 LMS, which is also very successful down here in Australia," Reinke says.

"We increased our portfolio with the RS3 LMS at the end of last year and delivering those cars now to the customers.

"Unfortunately in Australia there is no TCR franchise yet, but we think that next year for sure we will have those cars running down here."

Audi Sport boss Stephan Winkelmann says customer racing is a pillar of his brand. Motorsport has become increasingly lucrative to carmakers who build racecars in house, as opposed to allowing teams to buy road-going machines before converting them into race cars.

Winkelmann says Audi is "looking very carefully in every subset" of GT racing, which is likely to involve three tiers of racing - the entry-level RS3 LMS sedan and top-end R8 LMS coupe either side of an as-yet-unannounced model expected to be a more affordable GT4 version of the R8.

Melbourne Performance Centre owner Troy Russell says there is local demand for TCR and GT4 machines.

"We're keen to do something with TCR, but right now it doesn't fit into anything too well - the first problem is that we have to find them a race," he says.

"I am working hard to try and get somewhere for them to race.

"I think Australian GT may let them run in the trophy class. GT4 is the next thing, I think there are a lot of guys who will jump into GT4."

Audi is tipped to join the likes of BMW and Mercedes-AMG with a new GT4 version of the R8 that should be priced well below the ?359,000 ($500,000) required to get hold of a GT3-spec R8 LMS, and much cheaper to run.

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