@C360R • @WCRacing • MANSFIELD, OH — Long-time Pirelli World Challenge team C360R (Compass360 Racing) today announced further expansion of its Audi racing program to include an Audi TT-RS in the series’ highly-competitive GTS class.
The new No. 78 car will be helmed by current C360R driver Paul Holton, with support from partners AERO Advanced Paint Technology, Spyder apparel and Audi Sport customer racing. As they have for the past five years, the team and driver will fly the colors of their charity of choice, the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
“We’ve been working with Paul since the beginning of the year, as one of our drivers in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge,” remarked C360R Team Principal Karl Thomson. “We also had him do a couple of non-conflicting World Challenge rounds, and were really impressed with his skills behind the wheel.”
Indeed, in just five starts in one of the team’s TCA-class cars, Paul notched three podiums, including a win at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. “GTS is really competitive right now, and I am looking forward to going toe-to-toe with the guys at the front,” enthused Holton.
The move to GTS builds on the team’s growing relationship with Audi, which officially started on-track at Sebring, Florida in March with the launch of their new CTSC ST-class Audi S3 program, and expanded with the recently-debuted Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship. The TT-RS will first compete at the penultimate race of the 2015 World Challenge season, at Sonoma Raceway August 29-30, and will also be at the season finale at Laguna Seca.
Tristan Herbert, Manager, Audi Motorsport and Customer Racing commented, “We are thrilled that C360R is representing the Audi brand in three separate classifications featuring two of North America’s best sportscar racing series: the S3 in Continental ST, TT-RS in PWC GTS, and an Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR GTD class. This proves that Audi has opportunities to display performance and technology at all racing levels.”
034 Motorsport will serve as technical partners for the program, with the 034 shop in Fremont, CA, serving as home base for the two final west coast rounds and Christian Miller being tapped to lead the squad. “We’ve enjoyed working with Christian since winning the ST Championship together in 2009, and we’re really looking forward to continuing that success with him and the talented folks at 034,” said Thomson.
Like the team’s other Audis, the new TT-RS will be clothed in a striking livery featuring AERO paint. “The response we’ve had to our new Audi liveries has been extremely positive,” said C360R Technical Director Ray Lee. “We recently painted our transporters with AERO and continue to be impressed with the quality and finish of the product.”
No. 78 will carry the Children’s Tumor Foundation logo, and will serve as one of the featured cars on the charity’s paddock tour at each race. “The Foundation is grateful to C360R, who have supported us since 2010, and to all our partner teams in the Pirelli World Challenge paddock,” said CTF Racing4Research Director Jill Beck. “Our families in the blue shirts will now have the chance to cheer for Paul, who like all our R4R drivers, is simply wonderful with the kids.”
While the team begins testing the new TT-RS in the coming weeks in advance of its first race, the team will continue to field its championship-winning Honda Civic Si’s in TCA, with the next race being at Mid-Ohio on August 15-16.
About Compass360 Racing: Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the motorsports division of Compass360 Brand Architects, a Toronto-based firm offering marketing expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. The team, which has been competing in professional racing continually since 2004, fields front-running cars in Pirelli World Challenge, winning series championships in 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011. C360R also won Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge championships in 2010, 2009, 2007, and 2006, as well as the Canadian Touring Car Championship in 2010. Its 2015 program includes efforts in four different classes in two series: a TUSC GTD-class Audi R8 LMS, the new PWC GTS-class TT-RS, two CTSC ST-class Audi S3s and three PWC TCA-class Honda Civic Sis. For details please visit http://C360R.com, “Like” on Facebook https://www.fb.com/C360R, and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/C360R.
About 034 Motorsport: 034Motorsport is the Audi and Volkswagen enthusiast’s premier destination for performance parts, tuning, and service. Founded in 2005 with a passion for bringing motorsport-quality performance upgrades and tuning to Audi and Volkswagen vehicles, the company has since evolved and grown to meet the expanding needs of enthusiasts, but the underlying passion for innovation, performance, and quality remains. 034 is dedicated to providing our customers with only the best performance products, tuning, and service for their Audi or Volkswagen. Shop at http://www.034motorsport.com.
About AERO Applied Paint Technology: AERO Advanced Paint Technology™ is an environmentally sustainable paint applique that eliminates the need for harmful sprayers. The aerospace-grade, self-healing paint film and solvent-free adhesive were designed to give the technology the highest performance in durability and aesthetics, while reducing weight compared to traditional spray. AERO was initially designed for The Boeing Company as a lightweight paint film technology for the 787 Dreamliner. As such, the technology provides significant performance gains in weight reduction while enabling the finish to be a fully strippable system. AERO has proven to be successful in the motorsports industry due to the ease of install, significant weight savings, and enhanced durability. For details visit http://rethinkpaint.com.
About Audi: Audi has always valued the knowledge and technological innovation that the racing environment provides. Since our inception a hundred years ago, Audi Motorsport has competed on a world-wide scale resulting in numerous world championships across a broad spectrum of races. The name of the R8 is legend: The R8 sports prototype won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 2000 and 2005 and celebrated 63 wins from 80 starts. The first thoroughbred production sportscar from Audi with the same name, the Audi R8 unveiled in 2006, carries the genes of the triumphant racing prototypes. Now, the name R8 returns to the race track: Bearing a close resemblance to the production car and derived from a chassis taken from the production line the Audi R8 LMS arises. The R8 LMS has celebrated many victories across the world, including 24 hour titles at Spa, Zolder, the Nürburgring, and most recently, Daytona. For more information on Audi Motorsport, visit http://audiusa.com/motorsport.
About Spyder: Boulder, Colorado-based Spyder sold its first ski sweater from the trunk of founder David Jacobs’ car. Today, its high-quality apparel is distributed in over 40 countries. While its roots began in ski racing, Spyder now offers a diverse line of year-round clothing and accessories that includes outerwear, streetwear, auto-racing inspired apparel, and fitness attire. Spyder can still be found on the mountain, but also anywhere that demands high-performance apparel with style. Brand ambassadors include Patrick Dempsey, Julia Mancuso, Steven Nyman, Chris Davenport, James Hinchcliffe and Sierra Quitiquit. For details visit http://spyder.com
About Racing4Research: Developed by the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the Racing4Research™ (R4R) program utilizes competitive, professional auto racing as a vehicle to increase awareness of neurofibromatosis (NF) and to raise funds for research through corporate sponsorship, personal donations, and individual fundraising by NF Heroes – children and adults from around the country who live with neurofibromatosis. The Racing4Research program offers families living with the disorder a uniquely empowering weekend, and has raised more than $3 million dollars since 2008. For details please visit http://racing4research.org, “Like” the R4R Facebook page https://www.fb.com/racing4research, and follow https://twitter.com/Racing4Research on Twitter.
From: Karl Thomson/ C360R
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