Now In its seventh season, the Audi R8 LMS Cup will roar into action at the Adelaide 500 in support of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. The Cup’s street race double-header in South Australia’s state capital will take place on March 3-4, 2018 at the former venue of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix and is expected to draw crowds of over 200,000.
The announcement was made by Leon Bignell MP, the South Australia Minister for Tourism and Sport, at an Adelaide 500 media launch event in Victoria Park, Adelaide, where the paddock and some of the grandstands will be constructed.
“We are thrilled to announce a series debut in Adelaide, Australia,” said Martin Kuehl, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. “We are committed to presenting our customers with attractive, challenging events, and the Adelaide 500 street race fits that bill perfectly.”
More calendar details and signature events will be announced soon.
For the Cup’s Australia debut at the 3.219km Adelaide Street Circuit, Audi Sport customer racing Asia is working together with the Melbourne Performance Centre, which runs the majority of the Audi R8 LMS race cars in the country. The Adelaide 500 event will close out with a concert from British pop star Robbie Williams.
Making its series debut at the event will be the Audi R8 LMS GT4, which joins the Audi R8 LMS GT3 on the grid with its own category from 2018. Older generation Audi R8 LMS cars are also eligible to enter the Cup in 2018, bringing the whole GT portfolio of the brand with the four rings together.