OPELIKA, Ala. - After a record-setting sophomore season in the GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class, APR Motorsport announced today it will compete both ST and the Grand Sport class in 2010.
The team will campaign the sixth generation Volkswagen GTI again in ST, while debuting in the GS class with the new Audi S4. The team launched its contenders during a barbeque held Saturday at APR's Performance Campus in front of a crowd consisting of international press, sponsors and enthusiasts.
Power from the 3.0L supercharged V6 Audi S4 will come via Audi's patented Quattro technology, of which the APR engineering staff is refining for competition. It will compete against GS staples such as the Ford Mustang GT, BMW M3, Porsche 997, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.
"This is a landmark for our company and Audi enthusiasts alike," said Stephen Hooks, APR llc President and Founder. "The GS class is the next logical step for the team and our relationship with Audi made the progression a simple choice. Even in factory trim, the balance, handling and power of the new S4 are miles ahead of the previous generations of this car."
Added Jeff Mishtawy, Director of Motorsport for APR: "We tested the new S4 at Barber Motorsports Park a couple of weeks ago, and the drivers were quite positive, especially for this early in the development cycle. The team is working with Grand-Am technical staff to finalize the set of rules for the car and the initial specifications are anticipated to be finished shortly. Several of the team's technical partners from BBS, Status, IAV, and Motul were on hand to develop equipment for the all-new platform."
The VW GTI produced four victories in ST, as well as five pole positions and three front row sweeps. The cars also combined to lead 38 percent of the laps this season in ST. The biggest update to the GTI will be a new engine in which VW has improved reliability while maintaining power output.
APR Motorsport expects to hit the track in January at Daytona International Speedway, picking up where it left off in 2009. Although drastically different in appearance, the team has been able to directly apply the chassis and brake tuning learned the past two years of competition to the new entry. APR's engineers have been working on tuning of the powertrain for the past four months and have made some significant progress.
"The transition to the new chassis should be seamless," said APR Motorsport driver Ian Baas. "The team has been busy tweaking the car for a while now and with the data we have been able to gather from 2009 we will be able to be competitive very quickly."
Drivers interested should contact Mishtawy at 800-680-7921 or moc.tropsrotomrpa|ffej#moc.tropsrotomrpa|ffej.
Matching the exterior of each car, team members said they vow the technological growth will be impressive as well. The entire staff of APR and APR Motorsport is already designing the equipment and components necessary to take the team to victory lane again in 2010.