Team ABT Sportsline claimed second and fourth places with its two Audi R8 LMS in the opening round of the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring.

In the process DTM star Mattias Ekström and Emmanuel Collard missed overall victory by a mere 14.5 seconds.

Frank Stippler, Marc Basseng and Pierre Kaffer (Phoenix Racing) were unlucky:  They held a commanding lead before being forced to retire just after half-distance with gear-shift problems.

The new Audi customer team Black Falcon, which started from pole position in its first race with the R8 LMS thanks to Johannes Stuck, also made a resounding impression.