APR Motorsport: Ready for 2010

APR Motorsport, who managed to have a very fruitful 2009 by scoring not only their first win ever as a team, but also went on to score the MOST wins of any team in Koni Challenge last year, is looking to make 2010 a breakout year for the team. The championship in '09 went to Compass360, with their Honda Civic Si, but the strong APR Motorsport showing from June forward indicates 2010 could be the year for APR to make their championship bid. Both GTIs will return to the ST class to do battle once again, and the rest of the field will no doubt will be ready for them.



APR has decided not to rest on their laurels however, and has expanded in 2010, showing a strong commitment to the Grand Am series with a brand new Audi S4 3.0 TFSI. This is a very exciting development, and it pleases me to no end that APR has continued to commit to motorsport, even while so many other companies cut back or choose not to participate. The tribal style graphics which carry over from the GTIs are not my favorite...they're a bit busy for me, but I can understand the desire for visual continuity.



It takes more than money to make for a successful race team. It takes commitment, engineering and perhaps most of all, passion, to best the rest of the cars on the circuit and emerge anywhere near the top of the pack. APR has proved they can win, now let's see if they can keep it consistent and bring home a championship to VAG.



Ian Baas, who drove the #171 GTI last year, will be behind the wheel of the new S4, along with newly signed driver Mark White. White drove with APR in 2008, and should be a great addition to the team.



Check out this in-car lap from Daytona testing just a few weeks ago. The car certainly looks fit. (Ian is behind the wheel)

I always think I could be a competent race driver, then I see something like this and realize that's not likely. Still, it's fun to watch.

We will find out shortly whether or not this expansion will prove to be a wise move, or is perhaps going to spread resources too thin. Going by how Stephen and the gang usually do things, I would guess not. Here's to a championship season for both VW and Audi in 2010.

_WRS

APR does it again, Baas and Hurley finally take a win

The same weekend that I was busy slangin' parts at Waterfest 15, the guys from the APR Motorsport team were heading into battle in the Koni Challenge Street Tuner class at Barber Motorsports Park in their home state of Alabama. The team was on a streak, with the 181 picking up wins at the previous two rounds at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio, but the 171 car had yet to put a notch in the old gun barrel, despite being in prime postion more than once.

All that was finally to change at Barber, with Ian Baas holding off the hard-charging 111 Subaru Legacy of Andrew Aquilante during the first half of the race, and Josh Hurley finishing up strong, finally scoring a victory. I had a chance to speak with Baas at Waterfest, the very next day after his win, as he had flown up with Stephen from APR to check out the festivities. He was obviously enthused, and said he really had to work to hold off the Subaru for the first half of the race. Apparently the track really did not suit the APR Mk5 GTI, as the Glen and Mid-Ohio did, and it was a hard-fought, and much deserved (in my opinion) victory.

There are three races left to the season, and with the last three going to APR, you can bet that Grand-Am (the sanctioning body for the Koni Challenge) will impose some penalties to try and even things out between the GTI's and the rest of the field. More weight? Probably, although Grand-Am monitors boost response on the engines very closely, and I wouldn't be surprised if they took a pound or two of boost instead. Either way, with the success that APR has finally found for Volkswagen and themselves in the series, you can bet that sheer optimism and determination might be enough to carry them through to at least one more win this year.

Me personally, I can't wait to see the new Mk6 GTI race cars...I'd assume that VW has already delivered a few down to Auburn to get a jump on the 2010 season right?

_WRS

Video Post: In-car Turner Motorsport footage from Watkin's Glen

I was over on the Eurotuner blog today and saw this video they had linked to from Turner Motorsport. It shows some furiously hectic last-blast end of the race action at the combined class Grand Am / Koni Challenge race at Watkins Glen. You can spot some APR GTI's getting passed, along with most of the other ST field, but the main focus here are the Turner M3's, since all the footage is from inside those cars. Obviously. Anyways, it's makes great use of the fact that almost anyone can afford a decent in-car camera system these days. I think it's amazing, and very cool, that Turner puts the time and effort into releasing this footage to the public for them to watch. does a great job of building the brand and building loyal fans too.

By the way, these cars sounds so bad-ass in this footage it's enough to make me want to buy an E46 M3. Something I never really have thought about before.

_WRS

APR wins again! Sweeney and von Moltke make it two in a row

Once again APR has dominated and come out on top with their second win ever as a team, and second win in a row for the 181 car of Mike Sweeney and Dion von Moltke. Although the top qualifying number 171 of Ian Baas and Josh Hurley lead the majority of the race at Mid-Ohio, electrical problems popped up with only six laps to go, allowing von Moltke to charge ahead and take the win.

The APR Motorsport / BBS team was the one to beat all weekend, and clearly they have really come into their own with the results they've been enjoying. But hard work and commitment are rewarded with results, much as Audi has proved with their Le Mans wins, so it's not really all that surprising. Next up is the home race, or at least home state, for APR, at Barber Motorsports Park on the weekend of July 17th-19th. They're running split classes again for the Koni Challenge...I can't even think about going thanks to Waterfest being that weekend, but if you're down south it would be a great event to attend. Check out the Koni Challenge site for the full run down of the remaining race schedule.

_WRS

Koni Challenge: APR Motorsport locks down the front row at Mid-Ohio

APR Motorsports is on quite the roll. Not only did they just give Volkswagen its first win in over 25 years in a professional road racing series inside the USA, but they've nailed down the pole position at each of the last three races, and locked up the whole front row at the last two. The 171 car of Baas and Hurley sits on pole for this weekend's race at Mid-Ohio, and the 181 of Sweeney and von Moltke are right behind, sitting on the outside of row one. That's got to feel great. I've always said that the only thing lacking from VW's success in the motorsports arena is the lack of commitment and money. Very few teams have had both the money and the commitment to achieve success. It generally tends to be either one or the other. (i.e. all passion and no money, or all money and no follow through)

With APR, VW has found a committed partner in racing. I think it says a lot about APR as a tuning company, compared to a lot of others. Few people are willing to put their company's profits on the line with a motorsports program, but it's also one of the best ways to test and improve your products and knowledge. Racing is expensive business...some may consider the Koni Challenge to be the minor leagues, and compared to the stuff at Le Mans it certainly is, but this is no nickel and dime affair. After an up and down first year you would be excused for thinking that maybe APR would drop out or not fully committee, especially with a faltering economy. Not the case though, and it has payed off. I'm very curious to see if Volkswagen gives APR a little more support next year. Perhaps a few Mk6 GTI bodies in white? That would be very cool, and probably make the conversion from street car to race car a bit easier. After all, the current crop of Mk5 GTi's were just standard Mk5's to start with, so there is a lot of labor involved in stripping them out and making them race ready.

Although the race is this weekend, it won't be broadcast until June 28th at 12:30 on Speed TV. This may mean that results aren't much of a surprise, but hey, it should still be an exciting race either way. It's times like this I really wish I had cable. hehehe. Go APR!

_WRS

Busy weekend - get thee to Mid Ohio!

I don't have a time machine nor an airplane. If I did, I would do one thing, other than the stuff I already have to do this weekend, and that is: Go to the Mid-Ohio Sportscar course. Its is quite the weekend of racing for Volkswagen in the USA. Not only is it the first round in the Koni Challenge since APR won at Watkins Glen, but the Jetta TDI cup is also running as a support series. It should prove to be one hell of a weekend. In TDI cup you'd think I might not have a guy to route for, but you'd be 100% wrong. AJ Nealey is a Maryland local and has been doing pretty well so far, and with past successes at Mid Ohio in NASA, should be able to do quite well. It would be great to see AJ win, and he clearly has some talent behind the wheel given his results from the last year. Check out AJNealeyracing.com for his full bio.

APR is hoping to make it two in a row, and with their cars running strongly in the past at Mid Ohio, there's no reason to think they won't be anything but contenders. With Grand-Am running split classes, same as they did at Lime Rock, it should turn out to be quite a battle without all those pesky Grand Sport class cars getting in the way. Naturally we are pulling for the APR Motorsport guys 100%, and look forward to seeing the 171 or 181 back in the winner's circle this weekend.

For the full run down on the Koni Challenge series, including live timing during practice and the race, check out the Grand-Am site. For Jetta TDI Cup info, go to the SCCA's site, which will give you the info you crave.

I'd have more to say, but I'm late for dinner. More tomorrow!

_WRS

Lime Rock Weekend Part Two: Koni Challenge

Sometimes things just get busy. It kind of drives me nuts, but I guess it's better to be busy than the converse, which is to have nothing going on at all. So with that, here we are finally visiting the May 23rd Grand-Am Koni Challenge race at Lime Rock Park.

I'm not sure if it's because I've had to go to events for work for so many years, but car shows really drive me mad. I get it on one level...lots of nice cars you would not typically see while driving down Main Street in Your Town, USA, share ideas and hang out with like minded people. That I love. It's the lack of visceral experience on the car end that make them a little boring. Sure that 'bagged Mk'XYZ' might look awesome sitting there in a parking lot, but that's about all it's doing at that ride height. Cars are (in my mind) modified to be better to drive first, look cool second. I'm just not thrilled by a car sitting still, no matter what the horsepower under the hood or potential speed it might possess.

So the Koni Challenge ST (Street Tuner) race was exactly my kind of event. Real world cars turned into track machines, fender to fender racing, no holds barred, all out for over two hours. One of my many "I should have done that" careers involves being a race car driver, just like the rest of the male population out there, so I was very, very, VERY excited to get a chance to participate in the VW owners corral in Lime Rock. The owners corral is a way for VW to get their car owners out to the track and maybe get a taste of just how much fun real motorsport events are. APR Motorsport, being the most serious (and successful) VW race team in the USA in a long time, is also there to give out shirts, answer questions, and give away signed race tires. Cool stuff like that.

One of the real highlights of the day were the parade laps. Included in your owner's Corral ticket was the chance to drive two laps of Lime Rock. Sure it was in a group behind a pace car, but the speeds still got up there a bit. (I think the WRS-mobile got up to 70mph at one point) Things were kept to a minimum down the front stretch, but once the pace car dipped into turn one and kit the esses, it took off, allowing the cars top single file it through the turns and really get a taste of the track. It. Was. Awesome. Leaving turn one at the top of second, hitting 3rd for just a bit before going through the esses, and so on... Even the future Mrs WRS had a blast, and she's not one for the speedy driving to say the least. Everyone was relatively well behaved, no one broke down or wrecked, and I'd imagine it gave a few other people the urge to get back out there again.

The most intense section of the track has to be the dip going-into the uphill right-hander after the no-name straight. We weren't going super fast at this point, as the organizers weren't under any illusions as to what would happen if they let Joe-VW in his street car blast through that section flat out. I was still at about 45-50mph though, so it was fast enough to be fun, and let me tell you, you can't appreciate that section of track until you drive it. As the track surface falls away you get roller-coaster stomach, which quickly changes to the sensation of you being slammed down into your seat as you blast up the hill. I would have done parade laps all day if I had the chance!

As you can see, this is a steep grade. Whatever lies over this hill is completely out of view of the driver until you are up over the top.

By the way, the race itself was awesome. APR scored pole position with the 171 car, and 181 was not too far behind. APR invited everyone from the corral to their garage area to see the cars up close and get an idea of the technical specs and rules of the series, plus meet and greet the drivers.

The threat of rain loomed all day, but it never did, and we had excellent conditions for the full 2.5 hour event. There were a good number of spins and incidents, including a very heavy wreck involving the Turner Motorsport BMW at the very beginning of the event. This was a real shame as it was a contender and would have only made the event that much more exciting.

As it was, the first three to four cars were no further than a few car lengths from each other for the entire race. It was that close. The 171 lead for what seemed like the entire race, and even when the caution came out for the 181, which died on the track right next to us with a fueling problem, they stayed out front. A win looked to be a sure thing.

Winning is anything but a sure thing however, and when the 181 went out of commission for a second time it allowed the field to group back up. The 171 battled to stay out front, but a little bit of contact with Compass360 allowed the Civic to slip by. A major shunt down the front stretch involving the other bright-orange Compass360 Civic and one of the Flat Out Mazda MX5's brought the caution out again, which is how the race ended. A second consecutive second-place finish. The team is, as Stephen said, just knocking on the door of their first win.

You would think that the guys from APR would be upset about this turn of events, considering they had the field behind them for almost the entire race, but they were anything but. In such a competitive series were the leader can be sent to the back of the pack with the smallest mistake, placing anywhere in the top 5 is a huge accomplishment. It's easy to be biased when you know a lot of the people involved, and when it's the team you're routing for to win, but Stephen, Keith and the rest of the crew are really great people, and are doing a great job of being ambassadors of the VW scene.

So with a few more races left in the season, I suggest everyone get out their calenders, go to the Koni Challenge website, and get out there to an event. I've been to a lot of much higher level (i.e. higher dollar) events in my day, but these guys lay it on the line for every lap of every race, and it's as good a show as any I've been to, if not even better. Be sure to check out the APR Lime Rock Park gallery for a TON of awesome shots from the weekend.

_WRS

(PS: APR did in fact score their first win just two weeks later, with the 181 car making up for the problems at Lime Rock and scoring first in class at Watkin's Glenn!)

The real cost of racing from SSL

The real cost of jumping behind the wheel in a real race car is something I'm not personally familiar with. I know it's a lot, and I know that friends of mine who have worked in that world for a while want nothing to do with it because of it, but how much is it really? oneighturbo.com posted up this on twitter...an outstanding article from Speed Sport Life: Avoidable Contact #25: Exploring the pyramid of speed — the real costs and stories behind entry-level sedan racing.

Sort of makes auto crossing seem like driving to the store for some milk and cookies.

I've got to head out of town this weekend for a story, so I may not be able to continue on my often delayed Rallye Golf finale post, but it'll get there sometime.

_WRS

Scirocco GT24, while we're on the subject

I can't tell you how pleased I am to finally have a Volkswagen racer as successful at its task as the the Scirocco GT24. A superb performance on all accounts, both in the preparation of the cars and the performance of the drivers. Of course, when you have the one and only Hans-Joachim Stuck on your team at the 'Ring, the driving talent equation is not in doubt.
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It's been a long time coming too. Too often Volkswagen seems content to allow the Audi brand to take the glory and the racing budget, leaving the flagship brand -for me anyway- drifting in the wind with semi-obscure Rally machines. Either entry level Super 1600 machines like the Polo kit car, or completely off the chart desert racers like the Touareg, which has little to do with the production model. Not that I don't love the Polo rally cars, but where was the GT3 for us VW fans? Where was the link between the track and the street? Finally it is here.

The Scirocco GT24 is a purpose built, no expense spared racecar, don't doubt that for a second, but the base car and its key components are essentially what you get with a new VW GTI. 2.0t TSi engine, DSG transmission, the works. The fact that they chose a DSG transmission and even more so the fact that all three cars not only finished the race, but claimed the top two spots in class really proves that when they put their mind to it, VW can go racing as well as anybody.

Sure it has a carbon fiber body, massive 362mm, 6-piston front brakes, an upgraded clutch package and limited slip differential to cope with increased output of 325hp and 296lb/ft of torque, and so on, but the DNA is there. It's the same uni-body construction, plus you can get most all of those upgraded items in the aftermarket. It feels good. Should you chose to upgrade your own VW 2.0t, you can even buy the same fuel pump used on the GT24 from APR here in the USA. No joke!

The only thing that would make me happier would be for VW to keep these cars in action and race them in a series. Preferably over here in the states. Granted, in this economy that may be asking a bit much, but a man can dream.

Also, VW, please sell this car in the USA. I've heard about the 20R model in the works. All wheel drive, DSG, S3 motor (same as the one used at the ring!). That would be enough for me to sell off my first born to get one on order.

As a bonus, check out this uber-cool clip from sportbilen.com of in-car footage at Sturup raceway in Sweden. In the rain no less!