APR Motorsport has announced its driver line-up for its new Audi R8 Grand Am for both the 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona and the rest of the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series 2012 season.
Young but experienced sports car ace Dion von Moltke and surgeon-turned-driver Dr. Jim Norman will pilot the APR Audi R8 throughout the Rolex season, with APR regular Ian Baas joining the pair for the Rolex 24.
Former APR driver Dion von Moltke will return to his first racing team to pilot the first Rolex Audi R8 GA. Von Moltke drove APR’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge cars in 2008 and 2009, before graduating to a Rolex Daytona Prototype ride. The 21-year-old Florida resident also drove four Rolex GT races in 2008–09, so he is no stranger to the Rolex GT class.
Von Moltke got more high-intensity GT action while driving an American Le Mans Series GTC Porsche in 2011, winning a race and finishing fifth in this extremely competitive class.
“This is a dream come true!” von Moltke said in an APR press release.
“I started my professional racing career with APR, and to have the opportunity to come back to such a first-class winning organization, and then to be the first one racing the Audi R8 Grand Am—can it get any better than this?
“This is like going home, but the series and fan base is stronger than ever, and APR has developed its winning program to an even higher level. For me this will be a long-term relationship with APR and Audi. It will be all about success on the track, every single weekend.”
While driving ALMS Porsches at Sebring and Petit Le Mans von Moltke met his 2012 partner, Dr. Jim Norman; the pair shared a GTC car at Sebring and at Petit, where the doctor also wrapped up the IMSA GT3 Challenge series championship.
Dr. Norman, who took a 25-year break from racing to become one of the world’s leading parathyroid surgeons, came back in 2007 with a win in the Continental Tire series and by 2011 had earned a GTC ride in four ALMS races.
“I’m very excited about joining the winning APR Motorsport team for the upcoming Rolex Series season,” Dr. Norman told APR. “I have really enjoyed racing with Dion and am really looking forward to spending an entire season as his teammate.”
For the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, von Moltke and Norman will be joined by Ian Baas, who has been driving for APR in the Continental Tire series since 2008. Baas has been driving sports cars since 2005, and co-drove the winning GT car in the 2006 Rolex 24.
“I am extremely happy to be a part of this historical season with APR Motorsport and Audi,” said Baas. “We have had a lot of success with the VAG [Volkswagen Audi Group] brands starting in 2008 with the VW GTIs, and now to move up to the GT category with the already successful Audi R8 Grand Am is a match made in heaven!”
The three drivers will not get a chance to test their new Rolex ride until the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 6-8, 2012, but APR president and CEO Stephen Hooks isn’t worried.
“Bringing the Audi R8 Grand Am to the Rolex Series for the first time will be a challenge, but we have three very capable drivers that will be more than up to the very stiff competition in the Rolex Series GT class,” he said on the APR website.
The 50th Anniversary Grand Am Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona will run January 28–29, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway.
