Audi to return to Bathurst

Audi Australia boss Uwe Hagen is delighted with the one-two finish in the endurance race last weekend. He is vowing to return to the mountain in 2012 even though he didn't know where Bathurst was when the plan to compete was hatched back in November.

"The Audi motorsport committee in Germany approached me on the phone," he says.   "They were looking worldwide at endurance races to compete in and Bathurst was well known.

Audi Team Joest entered two R8 LMS race cars, one driven by an international crew and the other by Australians Craig Lowndes, Mark Eddy and Warren Luff.  The Aussies qualified first and the international crew won by less than a second.

"The international team knew the car and the local drivers knew the track. In the rain the Aussies were quicker," Hagen says.  "I've already talked to HQ about doing it again next year.  Hopefully other manufacturers will participate because endurance races are good for the product."

Hagen says he can't quantify the sales effect of the enduro win, but says they have already sold one LMS race car and GT Production racer Eddy is keen to buy a new model.

"We never talk about figures but we invited all R8 owners and dealer principals to attend the race and had about 80 guests," he says.  "We do this to increase awareness of our brand."

Audi has already run press ads featuring the race win and has videos of the race on its You Tube site.  The $5000 prize money for pole position has been donated by the Aussie drivers to the Queensland flood appeal and matched by Audi Australia.  The Audi donation rocketed to $35,000 with pledges from Audi dealerships.