Top-ten run for APR Motorsport ends with mechanical failure at Watkins Glen

Strongest Performance to Date for APR Audi R8 Grand-Am, Dr. Jim Norman, and Dion von Moltke Goes Unrewarded

#51 APR Motorsport Audi R8 Grand-Am: Jim Norman, Dion von Moltke

Photo by: Adriano Manocchia

(Opelika, Ala.) - The day had gone to plan for the APR Motorsport team at the Continental Tire 200 on the short course at Watkins Glen International. After a strong opening stint for Dr. Jim Norman, who started 11th and ran as high as fourth, his teammate Dion von Moltke had the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am in sixth position with thirty minutes remaining in the two-hour race.

Good on fuel and running a strong pace, von Moltke would be forced to bring the Audi behind the wall and into retirement when the left-rear wheel bearing failed on the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am. This was the same failure that befell the car during the Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen in July.

While the team was ultimately robbed of a top-10, both the APR Motorsport drivers left excited with the pace that the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am showed on the weekend. Avoiding trouble - and the Daytona Prototypes determined to run them off the road - Norman and von Moltke nearly scored the APR Motorsport's best result since stepping into the Rolex Series at the beginning of the year.

"We are getting so close to having an extremely good result in our APR Audi R8 and I really thought it was coming this weekend," said von Moltke. "Jim put in an outstanding stint and really drove great all weekend - he battled with some of the top sports car drivers in the U.S. and gave me the car in a great position. Everything was falling our way in the race and with a good strategy call we were primed for a possible top-five position before the bearing broke. Not being able to capitalize on races like these is extremely frustrating but we are looking to continue to improve and come back even stronger in Montreal!"

Norman had turned over the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am to von Moltke from fifth position, having advanced six positions from his qualifying position of eleventh. It was Norman's strongest performance thus far in the Rolex Series, and despite the disappointment of not finishing, left him excited for the races remaining in the season.

"We had a great race car this weekend!" said Norman. "We were running with the leaders and consistently within the top six cars. The team has made great progress in the handling over the past few months and the car is really coming into its own. Although a mechanical problem set us back again, the overall take away from the Glen is positive and excitement. I can't wait to get into the car again next week!"

Source: APR Motorsport