Team Abt Sportsline has set itself one of the greatest challenges existing in German motorsport: With support from quattro GmbH, the DTM championship winning team will enter two Abt-Audi TT-R touring cars in the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race (May 31 / June 1). One of the drivers is three-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela.


Biela shares the cockpit with the two DTM drivers Christian Abt and Mattias Ekström. Kris Nissen, Martin Tomczyk and Karl Wendlinger drive the second Abt-Audi TT-R.

“There is hardly a more fascinating touring car race,” explained Werner Frowein, manager of quattro GmbH. The wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG was a partner of the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race last year and supplied the organisation with the Safety Car and other vehicles. “We are really pleased to be able to race there now ourselves with such a strong team and obviously also about Frank’s decision to compete in a touring car race for the first time in four years,” said Frowein. “Additionally, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of his favourite circuits.”

The two Abt-Audi TT-R touring cars are based on the successful DTM car with which Abt Sportsline won the championship last year. The race cars, modified to suit the specific requirements of the Nordschleife and those of an endurance race with support from Audi Sport’s Customer Sport Department, are painted in silver and red and carry the “S line” brand name of the quattro GmbH sports equipment. Other partners are Audi Original Parts and Michelin.

“It is something very special for me to be able to compete in this race with an Audi,” said Frank Biela. This coming weekend, in preparation for the Eifel classic, the 1991 German Touring Car (DTM) champion will contest a round of the Endurance Championship together with Christian Abt, Mattias Ekström and Martin Tomczyk. “Obviously I’ll have to reacquaint myself with a touring car after so many sports car races. However, I’m convinced that I’ll get used to having a roof over my head again very quickly,” said Biela, who last drove on the Nordschleife in the early 1990s.

This year, within a two week period, the Monaco-domiciled German will compete in two 24-hour races: On June 14/15 he will be chasing his fourth successive victory in an Audi R8 entered by Audi Sport UK.