Audi Sport TT Cup begins
Designed to foster emerging talent, and limited to under 25-year-olds for the rookie element, the Audi Sport TT Cup runs as a support class for six DTM (German Touring Car Championship) rounds this year in Germany and Austria.
With ach competitor running in identically-prepared race versions of the TT coupe, the Audi Sport TT Cup ensures the driver's talent comes to the fore; not who's got the best-prepared car or the biggest budget.
Supported by Hankook tyres (who are also the exclusive DTM partner), the Audi Sport TT Cup attracted more than 165 applicants from 30 countries when entries to the series were first offered. Race professional and series coach, Markus Winkelhock, evaluated their performances on track and looked at the personal motivation of the candidates. Ultimately, 18 drivers from 13 countries aged between 17 and 25 were selected, including two females.
Joining the young rookies are six guest drivers, including international journalists and racing-savvy celebrities from a host of different fields.
Supporting the talented youngsters in the Audi TT Cup takes highest priority: "After every race, Winkelhock gathers the top three drivers together to analyse and compare their telemetry data. This way, they learn how to reflect on their own performance and improve constantly," explains Rolf Michl, project leader of the race series.
"All 24 vehicles are identical; other than tyre pressures, anti-roll bars and traction control settings, the drivers are not allowed to change anything on the vehicle setup. We have deliberately chosen a one-spec vehicle so that we can precisely identify and assess the performance and potential of each driver," Michl added.
At each of the six rounds, drivers tackle 12 races: two per meeting. In addition to the experience, the added bonus for Audi Sport TT Cup competitors is that the winner of this year's series will be offered a drive in the Audi GT3 Series.
In a wet round one at Hockenheim, German Dennis Marschall won, with a third and first-place finish in the two races. Following a five-way battle for the lead, the 18-year-old finished ahead of Møller Madsen (42) and Marc Coleselli.
Marschall's family has a tradition of success in one-make racing. Dennis's father, Thomas Marschall, won the Seat Leon Supercopa three times and is nicknamed 'Mr One-Make-Cup.'
In the six-guest Superstars Challenge at Hockenheim, the race-within-a-race, American Tanner Foust won the battle, placing fifth overall ahead of Finland's Toomas Keikkinen and motoring journalists Horst von Saurma (15th) and Christian Gebhardt (17th).
Like the cars, the tyres are of the control-type, with all racers running on the same Hankook rubber. Hankook says the consistently high performance level of the tyres proved to be very helpful for the young drivers in coping with the difficult conditions at Hockenheim. Because the rubber is predictable, Hankook says, the young drivers have the confidence to feel their way to the limit.
Hankook's Motorsport Director Europe, Manfred Sandbichler, is pleased with the Audi co-operation: "We are keen to offer the fans what they want to see: racing at a high level with the new Audi and Hankook race tyres. The up-and-coming drivers should benefit from this excellent partnership."
For a 60-second highlights video from Hockenheim, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U58seCFmMEg
Audi Sport TT Cup 2015 calendar
Rd1: April 30-May 3 Hockenheim (D)
Rd2: Jun 26-28 Norisring (D)
Rd3: Jul 31-Aug 2 Red Bull Ring (A)
Rd4: Sep 11-13 Oschersleben (D)
Rd5: Sep 25-27 Nurburgring (D)
Rd6: Oct 16-18 Hockenheim (D)
