In just a handful of weeks, Attempto Motorsport managed to turn a Lamborghini team into a race-winning Audi squad. On Sunday of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup weekend in Zolder, the Audi R8 LMS GT3 was driven to victory by Kelvin van der Linde and Steijn Schothorst.
“This feels amazing,” Schothorst said.
“We have definitely had a good weekend. I’m proud of the team and team-mate Kelvin. They made big strides—the team, at least, Kelvin has always been a very good driver.
“He drove a great first stint today: he took some places at the start, which was crucial. After that we drove it home and won.”
Where the main competition made mistakes, the German team executed its race to perfection, earning Steijn Schothorst the lead in the second half of the race.
“We had some luck there, but on the other hand, you have to make your own luck,” the Dutch youngster admitted.
“We were flawless, they weren’t, so we were the best today and that’s why we won.”
Over the years, Attempto has raced with many brands, always looking for the right manufacturer. After a stint with Lamborghini, the Arkin Aka-led team switched to Audi for 2018.
“Things are going very well for now. We’re extremely happy with the support we receive from Audi. I have a factory driver as team-mate, as has my brother [Pieter Schothorst] with Kaffer.
“There’s nothing to complain about: the car also runs well, we’ve barely had any problems. Audi is clearly competitive, so I’m very satisfied with everything.”
Despite being a newcomer to Audi and considered the underdog to factory-supported squad WRT, Steijn Schothorst believes Attempto Racing can stay the course and be a contender in 2018.
“Certainly, I think we’re competitive anyway. I’m not saying we’re gonna win every weekend, but I think we can fight for the top 5 every weekend and I think that’s going to be crucial to win the championship.
“You just need to make sure that you’re always there. When you have a bad weekend, you need to be fifth, and in a good weekend you need to win.”
Next on the schedule is the Blancpain GT Endurance round at Monza, the Lombardia race track not very well-suited for the R8. Steijn Schothorst and Kelvin van der Linde are joined by Steijn’s older brother Pieter Schothorst for the long-distance races.
“It’s not the greatest track for Audi, that’s right. But I think we have a good line-up in the Endurance Series as well.
“The rules have been changed: qualification is now determined by the average time of all drivers, which is positive for us.
“I feel confident—we’re gonna make the most out of it.”
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