With a dedicated racing series for the TT, Audi will be offering a new opportunity to enter the company’s successful motorsport world. The Audi Sport TT Cup will be held as part of the DTM starting in the 2015 season. This means that, following the successful introduction of the R8 LMS Cup in Asia, Audi is launching another one-make cup in Germany next year. The racing version of the new TT with a weight of only 1,125 kg delivers 310 hp. By means of a so-called push-to-pass function the output of the 2.0-liter TFSI engine can be briefly boosted by 30 hp.
In the 2015 season, at each of six DTM events in Germany and neighboring countries, two races of the Sport TT Cup are planned. quattro GmbH will centrally prepare and field the 24 cars. Six cockpits will be reserved for changing guest drivers, while interested drivers can apply worldwide for the other 18 places on the grid at www.audi-motorsport.com effective immediately. The multi-stage selection process will take place in close cooperation with the Audi driving experience.
Markus Winkelhock will be on hand to coach the participants of the Sport TT Cup as an experienced professional race driver. The former Audi DTM driver and winner of this year’s 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and at Spa has already tested the TT cup. His impression: "The Audi TT cup is a genuine race car, ideal for rookies, yet challenging to drive. You immediately feel that you’re sitting in an Audi and recognize the close kinship with the brand’s other race cars."
The extremely light body of the third-generation TT with its intelligent material mix of steel and aluminum provides an ideal base for a race car. The 4-cylinder TFSI and the six-speed S tronic were adopted from the production model nearly unchanged. An active differential that is electronically variable from the cockpit ensures optimal traction at the front axle.
The winner of the new Audi Sport TT Cup can look forward to receiving support in Audi’s successful GT3 sports car program. A subsequent promotion to the DTM or the WEC with Audi is another dream of many young race drivers. “Audi fully concentrated on top-flight racing for a long time,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The Audi R8 LMS in 2008 was the first race car we specifically developed for use by customer teams. With the Audi Sport TT Cup, quattro GmbH now also offers the opportunity to enter racing with Audi.”
