Race dreams are made of these

TWO podium finishes halfway through the series for Vicente Floirendo (in racing suit) at the Audi R8 LMS Cup

Photos by Ardie O. Lopez

Chang International Circuit, Buriram, Thailand—The morning started out gloomy with fine drizzles hinting at a wet race in the afternoon. By the time the roaring engines of the race cars fired up from the pits with alarming loudness, the sun had basically nuked the grey clouds into nothingness.

Portions of the vast racetrack seemed to dance as the heat haze from the asphalt formed mirages. An extreme day of racing was definitely on, and I was smack-dab in the middle of it.

The name says it all, a one-make race series of nothing but Audi R8s, the German automaker’s halo supercar that awes us on the road, gets stripped of all unnecessary weight, drastically lightened in fact by using carbon-fiber composite, aluminum body, and toughened up with an Audi Space Frame aluminum with bolted steel roll cage that could withstand the most intense crashes, and of course, leave its already beastly 5.2-liter V10 engine free to unleash all of its fury, to perpetually make slingshot laps around the track.

The Audi R8 LMS Cup brings full-spec GT3 racing in Asia, and has been at it since 2012.

It’s bona fide major league racing that’s participated in by veteran race car drivers from all over, and different racing disciplines—like this season’s current lead, ex-F1 driver Alex Yoong, and DTM racer Rahel Frey.

What makes it more exciting is that amateur racers get to go wheel-to-wheel with the pros, who don’t hold back for anyone.

By this time, the race series is midway on its 12-round run on five different racetracks, in five Asian countries.

Rounds 1 and 2 kicked off in China, followed by rounds 3 and 4 in Thailand. Rounds 5 and 6 just got concluded last weekend in Malaysia.

Rounds 7 and 8 will commence in Korea on Sept. 24 to 25, rounds 9 and 10 in Taiwan on Oct. 15 to 16, to be capped off with rounds 11 and 12 in Shanghai, China on Nov. 4 to 5.

CURRENT series leader Alex Yoong dominating the track in his V10-powered race car

Director for Audi Sport customer racing Asia Bernd Goeres says he likes to shake things up to keep the series interesting for its growing international fan base (of which this author is already part of), and for the eclectic mix of drivers as well.

Goeres assumed his post last June, armed with hefty experiences as head of Racing Operations and Sports Car for Audi China.

His goal is to make real GT Racing more accessible to fans in Asia, and in effect, to promote the performance superiority of the all-new 2016 Audi R8 (which will soon be launched), from which the 2016 LMS Cup race car is built from, and the brand’s stake in motorsports.

This is the first time that the Audi R8 LMS Cup has been held in Thailand, and we along with the drivers were impressed with its top-notch facilities.

In full GT3 spec, the new R8 LMS car is powered by a 90-degree 40-valve 5.2-liter DOHC V10 engine with gasoline direct injection, and emission control via two exhaust gas race catalytic converters.

It’s mated to a sequential, pneumatically activated 6-speed racing gearbox with paddle shifters, and its power is variable by restrictor, that goes up to 585 hp, with over 550 Nm of torque.

GETTING all set for the race

Its top speed is 186 mph, with an estimated 0-60 time of 3 seconds. Its estimated cost is about $400,000.

While the king of the track is still Formula 1, F1 race cars look like the farthest thing from, well, cars. Yes it’s totally exciting on a different plane, but witnessing essentially road-going Audi R8s clad in ultralight aerodynamic race armor, tweaked and tuned to squeeze out every ounce of power and speed from its unabashedly huge, brash and noisy V10 engines, it certainly gets the blood rushing in a different way.

Bringers of glory

One of my personal favorites is Swiss driver Rahel Frey, who currently holds the third position in terms of points in this series.

She is the only female driver on the grid, who despite her petite build and laid-back demeanor, can boss around a monster of a race car and regularly shares the podium with the best of them in this male-dominated sport.

I was delighted to discover that our very own Vicente Floirendo, who garnered third place overall at the Ferrari Challenge in 2014, has now leveled up on a higher race category by competing in the Audi R8 LMS Cup, and is doing really well in the Amateur class.

He and his #55 race car finished second overall in his class in round 3.

WAVING the checkered flag

Last weekend, in the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, “Enteng” Floirendo again garnered second place in Round 5. Things are looking good for our race hero, and our flag is looking great on his Audi R8 LMS race car as well.

We Filipinos are without a doubt crazy about cars, and many of us are hopelessly hooked on motorsports, either as spectators or racers. Audi is doing a great job at shining the spotlight on Asia as a more accessible string of venues for racing via one heck of a spectacular race series with the Audi R8 LMS Cup.

INSIDE the Audi R8 cockpit

It also happens to be a series where one of our countrymen is making us extremely proud with his victories and commitment to the sport.

With six more legs to go, don’t fret if you can’t literally fly out to watch the next rounds. You can follow it online at www.audir8lmscup.com to keep in lap with the action.

Say annyeonghaseyo to the next rounds in Korea this September.