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Road Atlanta II: Champion Racing preview

Champion Racing lines-up for the penultimate round of the Speed GT World Challenge at Road Atlanta on Friday (17 Oct) with high hopes. A continuing development program has made detailed improvements to the Audi RS 6 Competition throughout the ...

Champion Racing lines-up for the penultimate round of the Speed GT World Challenge at Road Atlanta on Friday (17 Oct) with high hopes.

A continuing development program has made detailed improvements to the Audi RS 6 Competition throughout the 10-race season leaving drivers Randy Pobst and Michael Galati quietly optimistic for the Georgia encounter.

Pobst lies second in the championships standings with reigning Speed GT champion Galati ninth. Randy has powered his 4.2-liter, bi-turbo Audi to six podium finishes with Michael scoring five top-15 finishes in his similar machine.

Over the past three years, the Audi Sport North America supported Champion team has chalked up seven top-eight placings around the undulating 12-turn, 2.54-mile Road Atlanta course with the Audi S4 Competition.

The prestige German car manufacturer's latest all-wheel-drive racing sedan, the RS 6 achieved a third place earlier in the season at RA.

Michael Galati
Speed World Challenge stats: 77 starts, 16 wins, 38 top-3s, 53 top-5s, 65 top-10s.

"Champion Racing has made some real progress with tire consistency and we're hoping these improvements will translate well for our second appearance at Road Atlanta this season. The Atlanta track would appear to be well suited to our Audis. I won and finished second at Atlanta in 2001 in the S4 and had to drive that car here in June after damaging my RS 6 in a testing accident. Randy showed that the RS 6 is well suited to the circuit on that occasion and we've made a lot of progress over the past three months so I'm very optimistic that I can record a top result. I'm really looking forward to this race."

Randy Pobst
Speed World Challenge stats: 22 starts, 6 wins, 17 top-3s, 18 top-5s, 18 top-10s.

"I love the track, with its fast, sweeping, hilly corners which can be more like flying than driving especially through Turns 1 to 5. My favorite part is the bottom of the Esses because the car generates lots of g-force swerving through that corner and is very satisfying. Atlanta's red clay makes it important to stay on the pavement and off-course excursions are usually permanent - especially in the wet. I had pole in the corresponding race last year, and led 15 of the 27-laps here at Atlanta in June before finishing third. I believe this race will represent our best shot for another win. The Audi RS6 Competition ran well here in June and I'm hoping for more of the same."

Louis Milone , Champion Racing's RS 6 Team Leader:

"It is personally my favorite track in North America and currently most suits our RS6 - it's our best chance for our maiden RS 6 win and I'm very excited. Atlanta was the venue in 2001 where we claimed the Manufacturers' and Driver's Speed titles for Audi and Mike [Galati] with the S4 Competition. Randy led the Atlanta race in June for quite some time and finished a strong third. Since the Laguna race, we have continued to refine the Ohlins shocks and center differential."

-cr-

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