Three newcomers for Audi in the DTM
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| The 3 new Audi drivers skiing in Europe (L to R) Albuquerque, Mortara and Frey |
Audi will start the 2011 DTM season with a newly formed driver squad including three newcomers with the goal of bringing back the title of the most popular international touring car series to Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.
New to the Audi DTM team are Swiss Rahel Frey (25), Portuguese Filipe Albuquerque (25) and Italian Edoardo Mortara (24). "All three made an excellent impression during our driver sighting tests in December," explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "I’m convinced that they will be a genuine reinforcement to our driver squad and that we are in a good position for the 2011 season."
Albuquerque, whose full first name is Filipe Miguel Delgadinho, comes from single-seater racing and was Formula 1 test driver for Red Bull and Toro Rosso. In 2010 he drove an Audi R8 LMS for Audi Sport Italia in the Italian GT Championship and was runner-up after scoring two victories and ten podium finishes. The Portuguese made international headlines following his sensational "Race of Champions" triumph in Düsseldorf in November 2010 where he beat Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb.
Rahel Frey was also mainly active in single-seater racing until now. The young Swiss girl recorded her greatest success to date at the Nürburgring in 2009 when she became the first lady driver in German Formula 3 Cup history to win a race. In 2010, she contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a GT1 car in an "all women" team. Her motto: "Go fast and never ever give up."
Geneva born Edoardo Mortara, who has both French and Italian citizenship but races under the Italian flag, is the reigning Formula 3 Euro Series champion. The former Volkswagen factory driver became, in addition, the first driver in history to win the famous Formula 3 race in Macau twice. His promotion to the DTM ranks within the Volkswagen Group was therefore destined.
Mortara and Albuquerque contest the DTM for Audi Sport Team Rosberg. Rahel Frey is team-mate to Martin Tomczyk at Audi Sport Team Phoenix.
After four years at the wheel of a year old car, Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller (D/27) finally gets a chance to race for championship honors with an Audi A4 DTM of the latest generation. For this purpose he moves to Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, for which both two-time DTM Champions Mattias Ekström (S/32) and Timo Scheider (D/32), plus Oliver Jarvis (GB/27) and Miguel Molina (E/22), again compete. Molina continues with a 2008-spec A4.
"The last DTM season did not run according to plan for Audi," says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "Which is why we tried over the winter to improve in every area – this also includes the driving squad. I see it as a chance for Martin Tomczyk that he races in an older car and in a team other than Abt Sportsline for the first time. British race drivers Jamie Green and Gary Paffett are examples of the fact that you can certainly win races with a last year’s car and give his career new impetus."
The sports prototype driving squad is also reinforced: The 25-year old Italian Marco Bonanomi, who contested the Italian GT Championship together with Filipe Albuquerque last year in an Audi R8 LMS, has been signed as test and reserve driver and is integrated in the development program for the new Audi R18.
Profile: Audi factory driver Filipe Albuquerque (P)
Date of birth: June 13, 1985
Place of birth: Coimbra (P)
Domicile: Lissabon (P)
Marital status: single
Height / weight: 1.74 m / 64 kg
Motorsport since: 1994 (Audi driver since 2011)
Sporting career
1994-2004 Kart
1998 1st in Iniciados class in Portugal Cup, 2nd in Iniciados Class in National Kart Championship
2000 3rd in Portugal Cup, 3rd in National Kart Junior Championship
2002 2nd in European ICA Kart Championship, 2nd in Italian
ICA Kart Championship
2003 10th in Formula A Kart World Championship
2005 3rd in German Formula Renault, best rookie; 5th in Formula
Renault Eurocup, best rookie; 6th in Spanish Formula 3 Championship, best rookie
2006 1st in Formula Renault NEC, 1st in Formula Renault Eurocup
2007 4th in World Series by Renault 3.5, best rookie; two races in GP2, Formula 1 test driver for Red Bull and Toro Rosso
2008 Four races in A1GP Series
2009 3rd in A1GP Series, 1st in Race of Champions Iberia, two races in
Italian GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS)
2010 1st in Race of Champions, 2nd in Italian GT Championship
(Audi R8 LMS)
www.filipealbuquerque.com
Profile: Audi factory driver Marco Bonanomi (I)
Date of birth: 12 March 1985
Place of birth: Lecco (I)
Domicile: Colle Brianza (I)
Marital status: single
Height / Weight: 1.76 m / 69 kg
Motorsport since: 1998 (Audi driver since 2011)
Sporting career
1998-2000 Kart
1998 4th in 60 ccm class in Italian Kart Championship
1999 4th in 100 ccm class in Italian Junior Kart Championship
2000 1st in 100 ccm class in Italian Allstars Kart Championship
2001 4th in Formula Renault 2000 Winter Series
2002 Formula Renault 2000 Championship
2003 4th in Italian Formula 3 Championship
2004 Formula 3 Euro Series
2005 11th in Formula 3 Euro Series
2006 2nd in Formula 3000 Euro Series
2007 World Series by Renault 3.5
2008 GP2 Asia, World Series by Renault 3.5
2009 GP2 Asia, 2nd in Formula 3000 Euro Series
2010 2nd in Italian GT Championship (Audi R8 LMS)
www.marcobonanomi.com
Profile: Audi factory driver Rahel Frey (CH)
Date of birth: February 23, 1986
Place of birth: Niederbipp (CH)
Domicile: Aedermannsdorf (CH)
Marital status: single
Height / weight: 1.63 m / 50 kg
Motorsport since: 1998 (Audi driver since 2011)
Sporting career
1998-2003 Kart
1998 10th in Swiss Kart Mini Championship
1999 3rd in Swiss Kart Mini Championship
2000 10th in Swiss Kart Junior Championship
2001 4th in Swiss Kart Junior Championship
2002 8th in Swiss Kart ICA Junior Championship
2003 6th in Swiss Kart ICA Junior Championship
2004 4th in Swiss Formula Renault 2.0
2005 3rd in Swiss Formula Renault 2.0
2006 18th in Italian Formula Renault, 21st in Formula
Renault Eurocup
2007 International Formula Masters Series
2007/2008 Friday driver A1GP Series
2008 14th in Formula 3 Cup
2009 7th in Formula 3 Cup
2010 Le Mans 24 Hours, guest race in Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup
www.rahelfrey.ch
Profile: Audi factory driver Edoardo Mortara (I/F)
Date of birth: January 12, 1987
Place of birth: Geneva (CH)
Domicile: Geneva (CH)
Marital status: single
Height / weight: 1.82 m / 75 kg
Motorsport since: 1999 (Audi driver since 2011)
Sporting career
1999-2005 Kart
1999 3rd in 100 ccm class in Italian Junior Kart Championship
2000 2nd in 100 ccm class in Italian Junior Kart Championship, 2nd in Kart Masters Paris-Bercy, 5th in European Kart Championship
2001 2nd in 100 ccm class Italian Junior Kart Championship, 5th in Monaco Kart Cup
2002 3rd in 100 ccm class in Italian Kart ICA Championship, 7th in European Kart Championship
2003 7th in 100 ccm class in Italian Kart Formula A Championship
2004 7th in 100 ccm class in Italian Kart Formula A Championship
2005 2nd in 100 ccm class in Italian Kart Formula A Championship, 1st in Trofeo Margutti, 9th in European Kart Championship
2006 4th in Italian Formula Renault, best rookie
2007 8th in Formula 3 Euro Series, best rookie; 10th in Formula 3 Macau
2008 2nd in Formula 3 Euro Series, 2nd in Formula 3 Macau
2009 1st in Formula 3 Macau, 14th in GP2, 11th in GP2 Asia
2010 1st in Formula 3 Euro Series, 1st in Formula 3 Macau