Audi squad to return for season finale

The New German Performance team has confirmed that it will return to the TC America grid for the season finale at Indianapolis next month.

The Audi squad joined the grid with a two-car entry at Virginia International Raceway, where Tristan Herbert secured a podium finish on his series debut and team-mate Vinnie Lima – running under the VVL Systems & Consulting banner – picked up a brace of top ten results.

The decision to return at Indianapolis comes after New German Performance entered into a new ‘high performance partnership’ with Unitronic, who will now become a primary backer of the race programme.

“It’s funny, out of all the tracks I’ve been to over the years I’ve never actually been to Indy,” Herbert said. “When SRO made the announcement last year to move the Eight Hours from Laguna Seca to Indy I was excited to finally go there but I never imagined I would get the opportunity to race there! I’m looking forward to it and grateful to once again pilot the Audi RS 3 LMS at such a historic circuit.”

Brazilian racer Lima said he was also excited about the prospect of competing at Indiapolis, with the VIR event having marked his first professional motorsport outing.

“What can one say about IMS and the opportunity to drive competitively at the Brickyard?” he said. “This will be a bucket list opportunity to race in a place with such deep legacy. Together with Audi Sport Customer Racing and New German Performance, one can only dream about the opportunity to drive the Audi RS3 LMS in a place where one of my personal motorsport heroes, Rubens Barrichello, has driven.”

Prior to the Indianapolis weekend, TC America returns to the Circuit of the Americas this weekend with a six car TCR field headed by points leader Tyler Maxson.

Victor Gonzalez leads a four-car Honda entry with the DXDT Racing squad continuing to run three cars for Scott Smithson, Olivia Askew and CJ Moses. The lone Alfa Romeo of Roy Block will complete the field.