Audi Announces 2016 R8 LMS teams for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

Stevenson Motorsports #1 Audi

The Audi Sport customer racing teams, Magnus Racing and Stevenson Motorsports will kick off the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series at the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 30-31st. The teams will compete as part of the GTD class. Both teams will field a full 2016 IMSA race season.

"Racing continues to be a cornerstone of the Audi brand," said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. “The launch of the all-new Audi R8 and R8 LMS racecar exemplifies the direct lineage of our track-tested engineering that is perfected for the road."

The Audi R8 LMS has made significant performance gains from its predecessor by optimizing aerodynamics, chassis rigidity and overall performance. As in the first generation, the R8 LMS shares approximately 50 percent of its parts with the R8 V10 plus, including particularly powerful technologies such as ASFÂ® lightweight construction and the V10 engine.

The R8 LMS has been track tested around the world claiming a victory at its global race debut, the NÃ¼rburgring 24 Hours.

“We are thrilled to be going into the 2016 season with two teams that bring such credible endurance racing experience to the effort" said Erin Keating, General Manager, Motorsport of Audi of America. “We feel confident that both Magnus Racing and Stevenson Motorsports will be competitive with the new Audi R8 LMS in what is shaping up to be an exciting race season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series."

Magnus Racing
Magnus Racing is recognized as one of the most noted GT teams in IMSA. Making their debut in 2010, the John Potter-owned team has earned a number of accolades, including winning the 2014 Mobil 1 twelve Hours of Sebring, the 50th Running of The Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 2012 North American Endurance Championship. Off the track, the team is known for their fan engagement and irreverence, earning them the “Team to Win" fan-vote award for the 2014 season.

Now entering their sixth season of professional competition and first with Audi Sport customer racing, the team includes:

John Potter – Team Principal
John Bedell – Crew Cheif
Greg Cates – Team Manager
Lars Giersing – Racing Engineer

Stevenson Motorsports
Stevenson Motorsports made its Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS Class debut in 2009, and after coming just a few points shy of the title in 2012, 2013, and 2014, the team finally locked in the top honor with an outstanding run through 2015. Competing in both the Rolex Series GT and Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series since 2003, Stevenson Motorsports has amassed 30 IMSA wins (17 in GT, 13 in GS) including four victories and five pole positions en route to the 2015 Championship title.

The team is led by:

Johnny Stevenson – Team Principal
Mike Johnson – Team Manager
Michael Hoffman – Crew Chief

Full team and driver lineups will be announced ahead of the Roar Before The Rolex 24, which takes place January 8-10, 2016.