Audi has named nine former winners of the Nurburgring 24 Hours across its three-car factory assault on this year’s German enduro in September.
The nine are part of a 12-strong line-up in the trio of R8 LMS GT3s entered under the Audi Sport banner by the same three teams that represented the German manufacturer in the 2019 edition of the race.
Three of the four drivers on the crew of the winning Phoenix Audi in 2019 will rejoin the team for this year’s event on 26-27 September.
Two-time winners Frank Stippler, Dries Vanthoor and Frederic Vervisch will be joined by Audi DTM regular Nico Muller, who triumphed at the Nurburgring in 2015.
Markus Winkelhock and Christopher Haase, who have won the race three and two times respectively, will race for the Car Collection Motorsport squad with which they finished third last year.
They will share with DTM driver Robin Frijns, who will be racing in the 24 Hours for the first time since 2018, and Audi newcomer Mirko Bortolotti.
Team Land, which won the race with Audi in 2017, will field an R8 for former winners Rene Rast, Christopher Mies and Kelvin van der Linde.
They will share with Audi junior driver Mattia Drudi.
Audi is bidding for a sixth victory in classic enduro held on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife since the first-generation R8 GT3 car first took part in the race in 2009.
Chris Reinke, head of customer racing at Audi Sport, said: “We have succeeded in shaping an era at the Nürburgring in just over a decade.
“In our 12th start, we now want to fight for our sixth overall victory.”
This year’s 24 Hours on the ‘Ring was postponed from May as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The race is due to go ahead without spectators.
Audi’s Nurburgring 24 Hours wins
2012 Markus Winklehock/Frank Stippler/Christopher Haase/Marc Basseng Phoenix Racing
2014 Markus Winklehock/Christopher Haase/Rene Rast/Christian Mammerow Phoenix Racing
2015 Nico Muller/Laurens Vanthoor/Christopher Mies/Edward Sandstrom WRT
2017 Markus Winkelhock/Connor Di Phillippi/Christopher Mies/Kelvin van der Linde Land Motorsport
2019 Frank Stippler/Dries Vanthoor/Frederic Vervisch/Pierre Kaffer Phoenix Racing