2012 International Superstars Series

[Simon Melhuish]

There will be three all-new Audi RS5s in the Superstars Series this year for Gianni Morbidelli, Johan Kristoffersson and Thomas Schöffler.
"I am really happy that we have the new car and we will be on track in the first week of March," said Morbidelli.
Audi Sport Italia is behind the main effort of the programme, but the German team MTM and the Swedish team Kristoffersson Motorsport (KMS) will maintain two of the cars.

MTM is going to support Schöffler's Audi RS5, an 18-year-old German who previously has driven in the German Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup.

KMS will run Kristoffersson's car, a Swede who took part in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship last year as well as the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia where he finished second.

The 2012 Superstars Series starts on the 1st of April at Monza.

Source: touringcartimes.com

 

[Hampus Andersson]

What´s up with these weird series...

Why not enter ALMS like BMW did, or GT3/GT1 with a works team. If you win there it will be much more then these indie-series.

 

[Simon Melhuish]

SuperStars is a great series, always enjoy watching these beasts

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

If you see these series on Motors TV you would not call them weird Hampus. They provide some great racing and have some nice names on the grid. Really enjoyed it last year.

 

[Simon Melhuish]

The Maserati Quattroporte is so awesome... even if i was rooting for BMW

 

[Hampus Andersson]

If you see these series on Motors TV you would not call them weird Hampus. They provide some great racing and have some nice names on the grid. Really enjoyed it last year.

By weird i mean indie-series.

If i was a car company, or owned one i should say. I would get my cars in the most prestigious racing we could get it in and beat the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, BMW etc because that is a bigger achievement then this.

I´m not downing the racing one bit. Just the mindset of Audi.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

The Maserati Quattroporte is so awesome... even if i was rooting for BMW

Say what

 

[Simon Melhuish]

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Ooops a little pee...

 

[Fredrik Arbegard]

By weird i mean indie-series.

If i was a car company, or owned one i should say. I would get my cars in the most prestigious racing we could get it in and beat the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, BMW etc because that is a bigger achievement then this.

I´m not downing the racing one bit. Just the mindset of Audi.

The problem is doing so costs money and LOADS of it.
Btw Audi is already in both DTM and ALMS in P1, how much higher can you get without entering F1?

I don't think the Audi RS5 is officially a factory effort from Audi, they most likely give the body to Audi Sport Italia who then builds the cars and delivers them to the customer teams.

 

[Kyle Constable]

The problem is doing so costs money and LOADS of it.
Btw Audi is already in both DTM and ALMS in P1, how much higher can you get without entering F1?

I don't think the Audi RS5 is officially a factory effort from Audi, they most likely give the body to Audi Sport Italia who then builds the cars and delivers them to the customer teams.

WEC, not ALMS. Still, good point

 

[Hampus Andersson]

The problem is doing so costs money and LOADS of it.
Btw Audi is already in both DTM and ALMS in P1, how much higher can you get without entering F1?

I don't think the Audi RS5 is officially a factory effort from Audi, they most likely give the body to Audi Sport Italia who then builds the cars and delivers them to the customer teams.

You can't get higher then that no but i ment specifically the RS5.

What is the name of the car? And what do Audi Sport Italia do?
How are they affiliated with Audi? Are they Audi?

(at work so can't look it up now)

 

[Juen-Jen Wang]

Does the Superstar Series have any international clout? I thought they were strictly regional as you have DTM, WTCC, and BTCC to contend with in terms of big name touring car series. You also have STCC... and lets not forget the Aussie V8s too which has recently gotten international status.

 

[Simon Melhuish]

Does the Superstar Series have any international clout? I thought they were strictly regional as you have DTM, WTCC, and BTCC to contend with in terms of big name touring car series. You also have STCC... and lets not forget the Aussie V8s too which has recently gotten international status.

They race mainly in Italy but they do 3 or 4 races out side of Italy, I went to the race at Donington Park last season.

 

[Simon Melhuish]

You can't get higher then that no but i ment specifically the RS5.

What is the name of the car? And what do Audi Sport Italia do?
How are they affiliated with Audi? Are they Audi?

(at work so can't look it up now)

Its actually a joint effort from three teams... as mentioned Audi Sport Italia is one, with a German team called MTM and a swedish team called KMS. Seems Audi Sport Italia will support the other two teams as they have ran an Audi in the series since SuperStars started.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Its actually a joint effort from three teams... as mentioned Audi Sport Italia is one, with a German team called MTM and a swedish team called KMS. Seems Audi Sport Italia will support the other two teams as they have ran an Audi in the series since SuperStars started.

So Audi sport gets a body in white or perhaps even a RS5 from the build line and then they modify it?
If that is the case then i appologize i thought this was a car made by Audi then supplied to the teams.
(Meaning Audi Sport Italia actually was Audi but in Italy)

 

[Simon Melhuish]

So Audi sport gets a body in white or perhaps even a RS5 from the build line and then they modify it?
If that is the case then i appologize i thought this was a car made by Audi then supplied to the teams.
(Meaning Audi Sport Italia actually was Audi but in Italy)

Pretty much how it works

 

[Fredrik Arbegard]

Pretty much how it works

That was what I suspected as well.
It's cheaper for the manufacturer to give the body and main parts to build the car rather than start a program and build it themselves.

 

[Simon Melhuish]

Johan Kristoffersson is going to take part in the Superstars Series this season, driving an Audi RS5, alongside his STCC programme.
"It is an amazing chance for me to get out in Europe, racing on legendary race tracks with Audi, a manufacturer that I have grown up with. It can't get much better than that," said Kristoffersson.

Kristoffersson Motorsport, owned and run by Johan's father Tommy Kristoffersson, is going to run one of three brand new Audi RS5s, built by Audi Sport Italia, in the Superstars this year.
"The cars are stationed in Italy, but we are going to have our own staff partly on the races for Johan's car. Ronnie Bergström, Bart Stanek and Emil Svensson is just like at home going to be included in the staff around Johan," said Tommy Kristoffersson.

It is not certain whether Kristoffersson is going to get to test his Audi RS5 before the season start at Monza on the 1st of April, but the team is hoping for a test day with all three cars a couple of days before the premiere. The other two Audis are going to be driven by Gianni Morbidelli and Thomas Schöffler.

Source: touringcartimes.com

 

[Simon Melhuish]

Christian Fittipaldi, nephew of two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, is going to take part in selected races of the International Superstars Series this year ahead of a bigger program in 2013.
"I am very happy to join the Superstars family for the 2012 season and I look forward to take part in the three first races," said Fittipaldi.
It has not yet been revealed which team and car Fittipaldi is going to be in, it is supposed to be made public at a press conference in Milan, Italy, on the 16th of March.

Fittipaldi was the F3000 champion in 1991 and has most recently taken part in the Trofeo Linea Brasil series.

Source: TouringCarTimes