Chris Reinke, head of Audi Sport Customer Racing has been a very busy man since taking the reins of the business.

The launches, in consecutive years of the Audi RS3 LMS TCR car, the R8 LMS GT4, the Evo version of the R8 LMS GT3 and now the new R8 LMS GT2 have seen a new product emerge in each year of his stewardship.

And the sales are coming too, the operation, based in Audi SPort’s HQ in Neuberg, has never been busier.

The Intercontinental GT Challenge is proving to be a cornerstone of the way in which the Audi operation promot4es its efforts, and its wares and the best way of doing that is to keep winning, as the Audi squad did at the last IGTC round at Suzuka.

DSC’s Editor caught up with Chris in Japan:

“Well, for Audi Sport Customer Racing the story of the IGTC so far has been tremendously successful and we are doing everything we can to continue that story of success. We took the trophy home last year and we have a race to go to repeat that goal.”

There is a lot of evidence here (at Suzuka) of Audi using the IGTC to give activation not only to your efforts to reinforce and expand the customer base for Audi Sport Customer Racing, but also for the wider business of Audi in Japan with the launch of two new high-end road-going models for them here into the domestic marketplace for the motor sports other things?

“Absolutely! For us, Audi Japan has always been very active using the platform of motorsport, just as it was back in the WEC days, where they always activated when we came into the country.

“And now they are working with us here in the Intercontinental GT Challenge. They also support the Super GT Championship here all year round but especially activate when we come to town here in Suzuka. It’s been a privilege for us because it’s great support.”

It is now a four-car family in Audi Sport Customer Racing with the TCR car a huge sales success for you. Similarly, the GT4 R8 LMS. But now you have the new R8 LMS GT2 too. Tell us a little bit about the reception for that car. And if you can tell us about the level of interest you’ve seen so far in GT2?

“Well, the level of success, the level of attention was overwhelming for us.

Already, when we did the worldwide launch at the Festival of Speed at Goodwood, we got so much positive feedback. People were excited in general, about the interpretation of the R8 that we did there.

“But then in particular, that we had the guts it took to go to the GT2 level. So that has been very exciting seeing it running up the hill in the hands of Tom Kristensen was for sure exciting and I think we still are getting a lot of good coverage from that event even now.

“More recently we had the possibility to take it to the Monterey car week, to California to give it its US launch and the story continued there.

“Tom took it through the Corkscrew and gave a couple of journalists a ride of a lifetime experience. And it was also there sensational to see it and to hear it, on its lap around an iconic circuit.

“And then we were privileged to be allowed to take the car onto the lawn at Pebble Beach. as part of the prototype lawn, which doesn’t happen that often to a racecar and we’re proud of that too.”

Since then the first car has raced, as an invitational entry, in the Blancpain Sports Club finale at Barcelona in the hands of James Sofronas, whose GMG Racing outfit has already committed to running the cars in the US.

We now know a little bit more of the structure that we’re going to see for GT2 racing with the Blancpain Sports Club being rolled out not just in Europe, but also in North America, and in Asia. That’s, I would presume, where you’re expecting, in terms of the racing part of things, a major customer base to emerge.



Might we see it somewhere else might be even a one make future for this car?

“When we initiated this programme we thought about resort racing, we thought about usage without competition. Then when Stephane came up with GT2 as a formula, we’re privileged that it comes now on top of that potential business and we are very much looking forward to that.

“At the moment of the customers who are in contact with us, I would say that 80% really want to use the equipment for their own joy, for their own experience out on the track and just to have that ultimate Audi track car accessible to them.

“And then I think the icing on the cake will be those that go into the competition and pick up on the offers of SRO to run it either in Europe, the US or maybe even out here in Asia. It’s great for us that Porsche is already out there and that we will join them in competition racing.

“Stephane said that there are more manufacturers due to announce. So we’re happy to run against some additional competition.”

Where do you see the growth coming next for your product range? You’ve sold lots of cars and very quickly with just about everything you’ve launched in the time that you’ve been the head of this organisation. Have we peaked yet, with GT racing, in particular, TCR racing is still growing as well. Have we peaked? Is there more growth available in this marketplace?

“I absolutely believe in that. I believe our society is desperate for experiential themes. They want to have the track experience especially, the stuff that we miss out on the roads, because we’re stuck on highways, and will increasingly miss on the highways.

“We have to discuss concepts including the electric, autonomous commute and whatever else comes along. And we’re going to lift the compassion area out onto the track. So for me, as long as I’m at Audi Sport Customer Racing, I promise a product a year. I think we had a good surprise with R8 LMS GT2. And I’m looking forward to launching another surprise next year.

Are you going to give us any hints at all?

“Obviously not! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a surprise! But to be honest, that that’s not what it’s about. For us, we have at the moment, huge momentum in this area of racing, we are ready to approach that we are ready to increase our volume output and we have a great job doing it because it’s exactly what our customers are desperate for. And if you get to see that many happy faces, it just keeps you going and makes you desperate for more.”

We know the automotive industry is moving rapidly in a particular direction. You use the word experiential, for your part of the market is there a move yet for that niche to move in the same direction?

“That’s still, at the moment very much more traditional technology and actually a more traditional way of motorsport dealing with that technology, small teams of people, engineers, developing cutting edge vehicles.”

How long is it going to be, do you think before customer racing across the board, not just Audi but everywhere, has to start to see the opportunities that lie with the direction that the core companies are going in?

“I think at the moment there are two main driving factors for us: Emotions and budgets, and at the moment I don’t see that the emotions are with electric drive.

“There is a growth in that market for sure but I don’t see it yet as emotional reasons to take a decision to buy into a customer racing product.

“The second driving thing is a budget and at the moment to operate an electric vehicle on a true performance level takes first a lot of budget for the development of the product itself, but then also to operate because a classic team can run a combustion engine but cannot run a high voltage car.

“And that’s not to talk about the initial investment costs that such a vehicle would demand at the moment. So when the moment is right, I’m sure we will be there. But at the moment, I’ve got to say as a cost have to come down, expectations of society have to go up. And then at one point, you know the emotions will spring around and I guess acceleration will overcome the myth of combustion noise.”

The final question is a personal one for you really. You’ve been with Audi Sport family for some time now. operating at the very highest levels of international motorsport. we’re now in a different era, another golden era actually with customer racing and these GT cars, providing entertainment right across the planet with names and brands that everybody can actually recognise.

Do you feel the same amount of passion and of pride when you bring one of those trophies back to Neuberg and put it into that astonishing display?

“Absolutely. Everything has its time and it was a great time to be part of the Le Mans paddock for many, many years. Now it’s at least as exciting to run customer racing and, in the end, it’s all about racing.

“When we go out on the weekends, it doesn’t matter if we celebrated with champagne at Le Sarthe or with a beer in the Eiffel at the Nurburgring. We go out to have the red rhombus fly on the podium and as long as we can achieve that we are as happy as we can be.”

I’ve been lucky enough to join you for your Night of Champions at the end of the season for a number of years. What’s one? What’s the missing link for you Chris Reinke that you’d like to announce and have the audience applaud at the end of the year. Which is the one you’d like to bring home?

“For us, I believe it’s bringing home one of the big two, it’s a sensational trophy of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Or it is our major home race at the Nurburgring. And if we tick one of those boxes, it’s a great year for us.”

You’ve already ticked one of those this year, and are in the hunt for the other?

“So we’re looking forward to a very good party!”