Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi will race an Audi GT3 car for the first time as part of the German manufacturer’s factory assault on the FIA GT World Cup in Macau next month.
The Brazilian, who beat Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica to win the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix in 2005 (pictured above), will be making a return to the Chinese street circuit for the World Cup on November 18/19 aboard an Audi R8 LMS fielded by HCB-Rutronik Racing.
Di Grassi, a former member of Audi’s World Endurance Championship squad, made his most recent appearance at Macau in 2012 when he competed in the GT Cup, prior to it gaining FIA world status, aboard an AF Corse-run Ferrari 458 GT3.
He was due to return to a GT car came at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, when he was loaned by Audi to race a factory Ferrari 488 GTE with AF, but had to pull out through injury.
Di Grassi joins Audi GT3 regulars Robin Frijns and Nico Muller for the marque’s bid to defend the world crown won by Laurens Vanthoor last year prior to leaving for Porsche.
Frijns and Muller drive a pair of R8s entered under the Audi Sport Team WRT banner.
The Dutchman, winner of this year’s Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup with WRT, will be making his Macau debut, while Audi DTM driver Muller returns after racing a Phoenix-run R8 in 2016.
Two more Audis fielded by customer teams are on the entry for the World Cup.
ADAC GT Masters regular Markus Pommer will race one for Aust Motorsport and Fabian Plentz will again drive at Macau in a second car fielded by HCB-Rutronik.
Audi Sport head of customer racing Chris Reinke said: “We’ll have three drivers from Audi and two ambitious privateer campaigners on the grid.
“WRT is a top-class team and title defender for Audi Sport customer racing.
“The new cooperation with HCB-Rutronik Racing makes it possible to deploy Lucas di Grassi who, together with Nico Müller and Robin Frijns, numbers among the favourites.”
The five Audis have joined a Scuderia Corsa-run Ferrari 488 GT3 for two-time Macau F3 GP winner Felix Rosenqvist and a factory JAS-run Honda NSX GT3 as confirmed entries for the World Cup.
The full entry list is due to be unveiled on October 24.