Month: September 2022

Team ABT Sportsline started the second half of the DTM season at the Nürburgring with a double podium. In the first race after the summer break, Kelvin van der Linde and Ricardo Feller made it two ABT drivers together on the podium for the first time this season. On Sunday, Kelvin van der Linde finished fourth as the best Audi driver after a strong qualifying. The South African thus scored more points at the Nürburgring than any other driver on the grid.

Saturday was initially marked by thick fog and long waiting for better visibility. Qualifying had to be cancelled, the race started with a delay of almost four hours and a starting grid according to the championship standings – actually an advantage for René Rast, who started the race from third as the third-placed driver in the standings. The three-time DTM champion had his sights set on second place in difficult conditions on a damp track before he was spun around by a competitor. Two points for ninth place were a meagre haul.

On Sunday, things got even worse for Rast: In the hectic opening phase he was again spun around by a competitor – this time with the gravel bed as the final destination. Rast’s deficit in the overall standings grew to a total of 29 points at the Nürburgring.

Kelvin van der Linde, on the other hand, improved from 13th to seventh place in the championship. The South African scored a total of 33 points at the Nürburgring. On Saturday, van der Linde moved up from 20th to second place on the slippery track. On Sunday, he managed an (almost) perfect qualifying lap, which secured him second place on the grid. In the race, he successfully fended off all attacks from Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini, who was breathing down his neck almost the entire time.

Ricardo Feller managed the second podium of his still young DTM career on Saturday with third place – much to the delight of several hundred customers and employees of ABT partner Scherer, who followed the race at the Nürburgring on site. On Sunday, Feller had to park his ABT Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II early due to a brake problem.

Despite Feller’s retirement in the second race, Team ABT Sportsline reduced the gap to Schubert Motorsport in the team standings to 21 points. In the drivers’ standings, the three ABT drivers René Rast, Kelvin van der Linde and Ricardo Feller are in positions four, seven and eight.

The DTM season continues in 14 days at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

ABT Sportsline has signed its dream duo for Formula E: Robin Frijns and Nico Müller will compete in the German team’s comeback in the electric world championship. For both of them, joining ABT is like coming home: after successful years with ABT in the DTM, Frijns and Müller are now embarking on their next adventure together in the electric world championship. The duo brings with them the experience of 91 races in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

“Robin and Nico were our absolute dream team right from the start, because they have everything we need for our Formula E comeback: speed, experience and the right spirit,” says Hans-Jürgen Abt, Managing Partner of ABT. “If we want to hold our own against the big factory teams in the new season, we need a small and powerful team. And that’s where Robin and Nico fit in perfectly.” ABT CEO Thomas Biermaier is optimistic: “We know from our years together in the DTM that they are fast, true team players and share ABT’s passion. The fact that they both chose us, despite other tempting offers, shows how important the ABT family is to them and makes us a bit proud.”

Swiss driver Nico Müller raced for ABT in the DTM from 2016 to 2020, celebrating 31 podium finishes, ten victories and he twice finished runner-up in the championship standings during that time. In the sixth and seventh Formula E seasons, he completed 17 races for the Dragon team. He also supported the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team with testing and work in the simulator. “After our great years together in the DTM, I’m really looking forward to this new chapter with ABT and to my return to Formula E,” says Nico Müller, who lives in Switzerland with his wife and son.

Müller is particularly excited about his teammate: “And then, I’m also racing together with Robin, with whom I simply had a great time on and off the track – I think there are some good ingredients coming together that will put us in a good position for this new challenge. Personally, I still have a score to settle with Formula E after my difficult year and a half anyway, and I’m happy to have the chance to settle it together with this team.”

Dutchman Robin Frijns raced for the ABT team in the DTM for three years, from 2018 to 2020, scoring 18 podiums and three wins. He also competed in Formula E for Andretti and Envision Racing for six seasons, taking two wins and 13 trophies. “I know the ABT team and Nico from the DTM, where we had a great atmosphere in the team and were very successful,” says Frijns. “That’s exactly how we want to continue in Formula E. Of course, it is a big step for all of us and we will have to learn a lot and also quickly. But I have full confidence in the ABT team, which has caused a stir in every racing series in its history. It’s great to be a part of it again.”

On 14 January 2023, the Formula E World Championship will begin its ninth season in Mexico City with a completely new generation of vehicle. ABT was a founding member of the series and competed in every race during the first seven years. Its greatest successes include winning the first race in Formula E history on 13 September 2014 in Beijing, Lucas di Grassi’s drivers’ championship title in 2017 and winning the teams’ championship a year later. Still a private team from 2014 to 2017, the Kempten-based company was responsible for running the race cars for Audi from 2017 to 2021.

After an unusually long summer break, the second half of the DTM season begins next weekend. In a 14-day rhythm, races will be held at the Nürburgring, Spa, the Red Bull Ring and Hockenheim, before the new DTM champion will be crowned. René Rast, in his ABT Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II, is only ten points behind championship leader Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini. Of the three ABT drivers, Rast has the best chances of winning the title. Below we have an interview with the three-time DTM champion before the two DTM races at the Nürburgring (Both races will be live on ProSieben from 1 PM CEST on Saturday and Sunday).

The DTM had an unusually long summer break – what did you get up to? Where and how did the Rast family go on holiday?
At home, in Bregenz in Austria. We had a fantastic summer. For me, a holiday is when I’m at home. That’s why it was a great time. I did a lot of sports, went hiking or cycling every day. I enjoyed the days off and just spent some time with my family. It was a very nice holiday. Of course, I also did a bit of training.

Right after the Norisring, your management invited all of the drivers to a joint fitness week in Kitzbühel – including Sheldon van der Linde, one of your biggest rivals in the title fight …
I’ve known Kelvin and Sheldon for a long time. Of course, Sheldon is a competitor, but only on the track when we have our helmets on. When we’re meeting up privately, we’re good friends. There’s no rivalry at all. That’s why it was very relaxed in Kitzbühel. We simply have a good relationship.

Before the second half of the season, you are only ten points behind championship leader Mirko Bortolotti. How do you rate your chances of winning the title?
It’s difficult to judge. Of course, it doesn’t look that bad now. But there are still four weekends to go. There are still one or two tracks that might not suit us so well – the Red Bull Ring, for example. We have to wait and see how the season develops. We always have to be among the front runners and not make any mistakes – then we have a chance. But I think it will be very difficult. The Lamborghini, especially, is very strong this year.

You tested at Spa during the summer break. What did you learn from the test?
The Spa test was for us to gather setup data. We ticked off the most important points, although it wasn’t an easy test, because there were a lot of red flags. We had to compromise on what we tested, because of the reduced time. Hopefully we found out the right things and drew the right conclusions.

During the season’s final phase, there will now be races every 14 days. What will be the important points for this?
Preparation is not as crucial as it used to be in Class 1 or Formula E. It’s mainly about maximising the weekends. No stupid mistakes. Getting everything spot on, especially in qualifying. Scoring points in the races is crucial. Don’t make any mistakes there either, don’t risk any penalties. Good pit stops, good strategy. These are the key factors. We are only halfway through the season, so a lot can still happen.

At the beginning of May, ABT Sportsline announced its comeback in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and now another important building block for its entry in the next season is in place: ABT Sportsline is cooperating with Mahindra Racing and will compete with the powertrain of the Indian company, which is also a founding member of Formula E. The two CEOs of the companies, Dilbagh Gill and Thomas Biermaier, have now signed the corresponding contract and at the same time agreed to work closely together on development.

“We are looking forward to this new Allgäu-India connection and are grateful that Mahindra Racing and its partners are supporting us in our comeback in Formula E,” says Thomas Biermaier. “Mahindra Racing and ABT have a long history together: both brands were founding members of Formula E almost a decade ago, have had many great battles and have jointly driven the development of the series off the track. Now we are continuing our journey within an intense technical collaboration.”

Dilbagh Gill, CEO and Team Principal at Mahindra Racing, commented: “ABT is one of the top-level race outfits in the world and we’ve long-enjoyed racing competitively against them. It’s an honour to be able to take our powertrain, developed in partnership with ZF, and support the team in its return to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Both Mahindra Racing and ABT Sportsline were championship founding teams and its absence in the paddock has been felt hugely. We look forward to seeing the team back winning races from 2023 and we are committed to supporting them with whatever they need to succeed.”

Mahindra is the only Indian team in Formula E and the first to receive the FIA’s three-star environmental accreditation. Founded in 1945, Mahindra Group is a multinational group of companies with 260,000 employees in over 100 countries. The company is a leader in India in agricultural machinery, commercial vehicles and information technology, as well as financial services and has a strong presence in renewable energy, agriculture, logistics, hospitality and real estate.

In the ninth season of Formula E, which starts on 14 January 2023 in Mexico City, the third generation of purely-electric racing cars will be used for the first time, the so-called Gen3 model. “As a customer team, we also want to bring our experience from seven years of Formula E with over 80 races and over a decade of electric mobility at ABT Sportsline to the partnership,” says Thomas Biermaier.

Dramatic end to an exciting finale: After Jutta Kleinschmidt and Nasser Al-Attiyah had taken second place in the Extreme E event in Sardinia, the German-Qatari duo was disqualified afterwards. The reason for this: The safety belt was not fully fastened when Kleinschmidt returned to the track in the lead after the driver change. Thus, the strong performance of the ABT CUPRA XE once again went unrewarded. Al-Attiyah in particular was one of the most impressive drivers in Sardinia: In the final he completed the fastest starting lap of the entire week in the CUPRA Tavascan XE.

“My lap in the final was almost perfect and was really fun against guys like Sébastien (Loeb), Johan (Kristoffersson) and Carlos (Sainz),” said Al-Attiyah. Once again, ABT CUPRA XE had clearly won the GridPlay vote of the fans and in return was allowed to choose the best starting position for the final. “I took the lead, extended the gap and handed the car over in first place – unfortunately then the mistake happened that cost us the podium.” Nevertheless, the four-time Dakar winner also takes positives from Italy: “We know since today at the latest that we can win races in Extreme E if we have a zero-mistake day. The car was perfectly prepared and great to drive all week. All this gives us extra confidence for the rest of the season.”

Sardinia was the first time that two races in the all-electric SUV series were held in the space of a week. In the first edition on Wednesday and Thursday, which set new records in the live broadcast on German television, Kleinschmidt and Al-Attiyah had to admit defeat after a hard-fought qualifying in the so-called Crazy Race and thus did not reach the final.

After the season opener in Saudi Arabia and the two events in Sardinia, Extreme E returns to the race track in September: On September 24 and 25, the Copper X Prix will be held in a mine site in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Then, on November 26 and 27, the finale of the second season is scheduled in Punta del Este (Uruguay).

On its debut in 2021, the Audi RS 3 immediately set a Nürburgring Nordschleife record for vehicles in the compact class. For those who are not yet satisfied, the 400 HP (294 kW) series engine has been further optimised by ABT Sportsline a few months ago. 460 HP (338 kW) is the superior result. However, anyone who believes that the ultimate result in the compact class has already been achieved does not know the world’s largest automotive aftermarket and performance parts specialist for Audi and VW very well. Because with the ABT RS3-R Sportback, strictly limited to 200 units, the family-owned company from Bavaria is raising the bar even higher. The data sheet lists a full 500 HP (368 kW). “However, you shouldn’t put off your rendezvous with our handsome little racing car for too long – because soon all the cars could be sold out,” explains managing partner Hans-Jürgen Abt with a twinkle in his eye. And as with all ABT Sportsline Special Editions, it’s not just the performance that has been tweaked: with its extensive aero package, attractive forged wheels and much more, it represents car love at first sight.

With the ABT Power R* performance upgrade, an ABT intercooler is used in addition to the obligatory ABT Engine Control unit. This combination not only provides the RS3-R with the aforementioned additional 100 HP, but also brings with it a torque increase of the same amount, so that instead of 500, a maximum of 600 Nm is now available. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h improves significantly due to the increase in power: from 3.8 to 3.3 seconds. Moreover, the iconic timbre of the five-cylinder power unit has been given a visually attractive framework by ABT Sportsline. The exhaust system is now joined by two ABT double end pipes with a diameter of 95 millimetres made of matt black stainless steel.

In conjunction with the breath-taking driving performance, ABT suspension springs and sports stabilizer bars ensure that this “hot hatch” also excels in sharp curves. As an option, a complete V3 height adjustable suspension in stainless steel can be installed. The latter is a real highlight that facilitates more than simply a lowering range of 20-40 mm at the front and rear axle. Rebound and bump can be adjusted separately. Of course, this product has been meticulously and exclusively adapted by the in-house experts to the parameters of the RS3-R, so that everyday driving provides just as much fun as the racetrack.

A particularly innovative feature of the RS3-R’s is the possibility to increase the standard limited top speed to 300 km/h with the new myABT app for Apple and Android devices. This option can be booked free of charge. In addition, using the app, the performance characteristics, and thus the charisma of the vehicle, can be adapted to your own needs at any time: The spectrum ranges from ECO to SPORT to RACE. Users also get insights into the performance data of their vehicle – this includes, for example, the currently called-up power or the coolant and intake air temperature. More information on the entire range of functions at: www.abt-sportsline.com/tuning/products/abt-power/myabt-app.

Besides the 500 HP, however, the ABT aero package is certainly the biggest highlight of the RS3-R. It consists almost entirely of visible carbon with a high-gloss finish. The scope includes the front lip, front flics and mirror caps as well as the rear skirt insert and rear spoiler. Added to this are the glossy black fender add-ons. The sporty, noble appearance is underlined by 20-inch forged wheels of the type ABT High Performance HR20, which are fitted with GOODYEAR Eagle F1 SuperSport R tyres in 245/30 R20.

Scorching heat, packed grandstands, plenty of action on the racetrack and double reason to celebrate for ABT Sportsline: René Rast was the only driver to achieve a podium result in both races at the DTM season highlight at the Norisring and thus made a big step forward in the standings. After the first half of the season, the three-time DTM champion is only ten points behind championship leader Mirko Bortolotti (Lamborghini) and one point behind Sheldon van der Linde (BMW) in third place in the standings.

Team ABT Sportsline put in a strong performance at their home DTM race right from the start. In qualifying on Saturday, Kelvin van der Linde’s fastest time ensured the third pole position in a row for an ABT Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II in the DTM.

However, in a chaotic Saturday race in which only eleven of the 27 drivers saw the chequered flag, van der Linde was attacked extremely hard and hit hard on the rear several times by competitors. In the process, his ABT Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II was so badly damaged that van der Linde had to retire from the race early.

René Rast secured third place after a tough duel with Porsche driver Dennis Olsen, although his left rear tyre continuously lost air after the pitstop and Rast feared the tyre could blow at any time.

Ricardo Feller also scored points on his Norisring debut on Saturday in eighth place despite 25 kilograms of extra weight. On Sunday, the Swiss experienced a similar early phase as Kelvin van der Linde on the previous day: after several hits at the rear, the Swiss had to retire.

Kelvin van der Linde did not see the chequered flag on Sunday either. The second gear of his car got stuck shortly before the end of the race.

René Rast, meanwhile, improved from sixth on the grid to third, making him the only driver to achieve a double podium at the Norisring weekend. His race engineer Felix Fechner then formed Rast’s starting number 33 from the two Norisring trophies in the pits.

ABT Sportsline’s tally at half-time: two wins (Rast and Feller), three pole positions, a total of five podiums and best chances in the title fight.

After a long summer break, the second half of the season begins on the last weekend in August at the Nürburgring. A total of eight more races are scheduled before the champion is crowned on 9 October at the Hockenheimring.

Extreme E returns – twice over: this week, the off-road racing series for purely-electric SUVs will be hosting two races in Sardinia (Italy): The third round of the season will be run on Wednesday and Thursday (July 6/7), followed by the fourth round on Saturday and Sunday (July 9/10). After a challenging start to the season, ABT CUPRA XE wants to use the double-header in Italy to bring home the first trophies of the year. Jutta Kleinschmidt and Nasser Al-Attiyah, who take turns in the cockpit of the CUPRA Tavascan XE, have prepared themselves during testing and are eager to attack.

The course is 6.019 kilometres long and is located on a military training area on the south coast of Sardinia. The venue also hosted an Extreme E race last year. Apart from a few sections, the course is identical to that of the previous year. Back then, with Mattias Ekström at Jutta Kleinschmidt’s side, ABT CUPRA XE scored its first trophy there in the series, which was only founded in 2021. This year, the races will be held in July instead of September: So the drivers can not only expect an extremely dry, hard and dusty surface, but also temperatures well beyond the 30-degree Celsius mark.

While the cars in Extreme E are technically identical, ABT CUPRA XE decided to go its own way when it comes to the look of the car: the CUPRA design department developed its own interpretation of the bodywork for the 540-hp rally car, which is called the CUPRA Tavascan XE and immediately caused a sensation. Before the appearance in Sardinia, the teams received an extensive technical update on the rear end of the car, which on the one hand is to increase the reliability of the car and on the other hand provides for more docile behaviour during the sometimes spectacular jumps. Jutta Kleinschmidt and Nasser Al-Attiyah tried out the modifications during three days of testing in Barcelona.

With its two races within a few days – a novelty in the still young Extreme E – the appearance in Sardinia is considered the highlight of the season. The interest from national and international media is great and numerous guests from the manufacturers and sponsors have also announced their attendance. ABT partner CUPRA alone has invited guests from five different markets. ABT CEO Thomas Biermaier will also be supporting the team on site, together with sports marketing boss Harry Unflath.

In Extreme E, ten teams – including those of former Formula 1 world champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg – are competing for the championship. One woman and one man each take turns at the wheel. After the season opener in Saudi Arabia in February and the two races in Sardinia, there are two more destinations on the calendar: Chile in September and the finale on the coast of Uruguay in November.

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