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In 2003, Champion Racing debuted the Audi RS 6 Competition in round one of the SCCA Pro Racing Speed World Challenge series at Sebring International Raceway.
Randy Pobst started on the outside of the front row and finished third.
Pobst collected wins in the season's final two races and earned the Drivers' Championship.
His teammate, Michael Galati, was eighth in the final standings.
Their combined efforts secured the Manufacturers' Title for Audi.
Champion Racing returned for another year to retain the Manufacturers' Championship with the Audi RS 6 Competition.
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| The Audi RS 6 Competition is based on an Audi RS 6 quattro sedan body shell, which has been seam welded and reinforced. An alloy roll cage is integrated with suspension pickup points. The body includes Champion Racing composite fenders and panels. In addition, the Audi has carbon fiber doors and rear deck lid. Five-way Ohlins adjustable shock absorbers are used on each corner of the car, along with Eibach competition coil springs. The wheelbase is 108.6 inches. The base weight is 3,150 lbs. but subject to change according to the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. system. This weight equalization rule adds or removes ballast from a car based on a driver's finishing position. The system was implemented to prevent any driver/car combination from dominating the class. |
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The Audi RS 6 Competition is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 twin KKK K04 turbochargers prepared by Cosworth Technologies. The engine block and cylinder heads are aluminum. The Audi has larger, more efficient intercoolers, an air-to-oil cooler, and a CTI spec air to the radiator. Pectel is used for the engine management system. Horsepower is estimated to be 525 bhp with torque rated at 460 lb-ft. Fastened to the Champion Racing single mass flywheel is a three-plate clutch package. The driveline is a six-speed Audi quattro transaxle with a 40:60 torque split front to rear. The team campaigned for larger tires, which was approved; however, they were required to lower the boost, which cost them 50 horsepower. |
| Returning for another season with Champion Racing were Randy Pobst and Michael Galati. Pobst's racing career began with the Sports Car of America competing in Solo events and he moved on, earning two amateur National Road Racing championships. At the pro level, he raced a Porsche in the GT category before joining Champion Racing in 2003 where he captured the title. Galati has a similar racing resume with five National Road Racing crowns. He has been a member of the Audi racing effort since 2000. In 2001 and 2002, Galati won the GT class driving championship in an Audi S4. |
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| AUDI RS 6 | WORLD CHALLENGE GT |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Type | Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, four-door sedan |
| Engine Layout | V8 Aluminum block and cylinder heads, twin turbo |
| Displacement | 4172cc |
| Valves | 40 |
| Compression | 8.8:1 |
| Forced Induction | Twin KKK K04 Turbochargers |
| Maximum RPM | 7000 RPM |
| Horsepower | estimated 505 bhp |
| Torque | estimated 460 lb-ft. |
| Wheelbase | 108.6" |
| Base Weight | 3150 lbs |
| Wheel Size | (F-R): 11x18" - 11x18" |
| Tire Size | (F-R): 275/35/18" - 275/35/18" |
| Forward Gears | Six speed manual |
| Differential | Torsen (front) and limited slip (rear) |
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The 2004 SCCA Speed World Challenge series opening round was conducted at Sebring International Raceway. Five-time series champion Michael Galati started seventh in the No. 2 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6. At the start of the race, Galati shot into the lead, followed by his teammate, Randy Pobst and the pole-sitter, Max Angelelli. On lap 2, Galati lost the top position to Angelelli. Galati circulated in second place until he was passed by a hard-charging Andy Pilgrim. Pobst, who qualified second, had a power steering belt failure on lap three. He lost two laps for repairs and finished twenty-sixth. |
| Lime Rock Park hosted the second race of the Speed World Challenge series. Randy Pobst started on the pole in the No. 1 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6, but it was his teammate and second fastest qualifier, Michael Galati, who grabbed the lead going into corner one. Galati was in first place until lap 2, when he went wide, exiting the final corner. Pobst got a good run down the front straight and moved into the top spot. Pobst grabbed his first win of the season. Galati finished in the runner-up position 0.144 seconds behind his teammate. |
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Round three was held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Audi team was fresh off a one-two finish at Lime Rock Park. Mid-Ohio favoured the all-wheel-drive Audis, which was the case in qualifying. Michael Galati was fastest at his home track. Immediately behind him was the No. 1 Audi RS 6 of his teammate, Randy Pobst. Galati, the five-time series champion, led from flag to flag. This ended his seventeen-race winless streak. Pobst had his hands full with Cadillac driver John Heinricy. Heinricy, the director of high-performance product engineering at General Motors, was entered to support Cadillac efforts. Pobst held him off and finished second. |
| The series traveled to the West Coast for a race at Infineon Raceway. Joining World Challenge regulars was Wolf Henzler, driving the Infineon / Farnbacher Racing Porsche 911 Cup. Henzler finished second in the 2003 Porsche Michelin Supercup Championship. Qualifying on the pole was Phil McClure, driving a Chevrolet Corvette, with Henzler in the second position. The Audis weren’t a factor at Infineon. Michael Galati qualified seventh in the No. 2 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6 but fell down the order in the race and finished thirteenth. Pobst was gridded ninth for the fifty-minute contest and finished in the seventh position. |
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For the next race, teams headed north to Portland International Raceway. After two days of practicing and qualifying in 100-degree temperatures, the race was held under more favourable conditions. Championship contender Tommy Archer qualified on the pole in the No. 22 c3controls / Whelen Engineering / 3R Racing Dodge Viper Competition Coupe. Randy Pobst qualified third fastest, and Michael Galati started at the back of the grid in twenty-first place. Archer would go flag-to-flag in the caution-filled contest. Pobst passed the Cadillac of Max Angelelli. However, there was contact between the two. Pobst was able to continue and finished second. Galati advanced to a ninth-place result. |
| Next on the schedule was a double-header at Mosport International Raceway. Michael Galati put the No. 2 Audi RS 6 on the outside of the front row. His teammate, Randy Pobst, qualified fourth fastest. At the start, Galati beat the No. 16 Mobil 1 / Motorola / Bose Cadillac CTS-V of the polesitter, Max Angelelli, to the first corner. Galati led the entire way for his second victory of the season. His win wasn’t without some drama as the left rear door on the Audi would open on left turns. Race officials judged it didn’t pose a risk to other drivers, and Galati never received the black flag. Pobst inherited a position when Cadillac guest driver Ron Fellows failed to make the starting grid. He finished in the runner-up position, 0.956 seconds behind Galati. |
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Sunday was 'a different story' for the Champion Audi team. Pobst was gridded eighth for the fifty-minute contest piloting the No. 1 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6. Immediately behind Pobst was Saturday's race winner, Michael Gatali, in the ninth position. Title contender Randy Pobst only made it as far as corner two before hitting the wall on the opening lap. He limped the car back to the pits, but the Audi was damaged beyond repair and retired in twenty-first and last place. Galati moved up a position when Pobst retired. Later in the race, he passed Michael McCann and crossed the start / finish line in seventh place. |
| Round eight of the World Challenge series occurred at Wisconcin's Road America. The Champion Audi team qualified first and second, with the pole going to Randy Pobst in the No. 1 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6. Michael Galati grabbed first place early from his teammate, Pobst, heading into the first corner on the opening lap. Galati stretched his lead over Pobst to 3.5 seconds by the race's mid-point. His advantage shrunk by the conclusion of the event, but he held on to collect his third victory of the season. Pobst chased Galati for the entire race and dropped back. A late charge brought Pobst closer to Galati, but he ran out of time and finished in the runner-up position, 1.324 seconds behind the winner. |
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The penultimate round of the SCCA Speed World Challenge championship was held at Road Atlanta. It was a challenging event for Champion Racing. Michael Galati qualified thirteenth and finished twelfth. Galati was leading the Drivers' Championship, but his result and 3R Racing's Tommy Archer's fifth place reduced his lead to four points (219-215). Randy Pobst had issues with the No. 1 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6 and was gridded in the thirty-first position in the thirty-two car field. Despite his lowly starting position, Pobst maneuvered his way forward and passed eighteen cars to finish in the thirteenth position. |
| The final race of the championship was held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Audi and Cadillac entered the event tied in the Manufacturers' points chase with forty-eight markers a piece. Champion Racing followed Team Cadillac's strategy to secure the title and entered a third car. Peter Cunningham was hired to drive the No. 3 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6. Cunningham is the winningest driver in World Challenge competition. Cunningham qualified sixth and finished fifth. Pobst started and finished in the fourth position. Championship contender Michael Galati finished eleventh at qualifying thirteenth. |
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| Count | Date | Venue | Driver | Car | Start | Finish |
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| 1 | March 19 | Sebring International Raceway | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 2 | 26 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 7 | 3 | |||
| 2 | May 31 | Lime Rock Park | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | June 27 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4 | July 18 | Infineon Raceway | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 9 | 7 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 7 | 13 | |||
| 5 | July 25 | Portland International Raceway | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 21 | 9 | |||
| 6 | August 7 | Mosport International Raceway | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 7 | August 8 | Mosport International Raceway | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 8 | 21 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 9 | 7 | |||
| 8 | August 21 | Road America | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 9 | September 24 | Road Atlanta | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 31 | 13 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 13 | 12 | |||
| 10 | October 17 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Randy Pobst | Audi RS 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Michael Galati | Audi RS 6 | 13 | 11 |
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Cadillac's best result at the finale was seventh place, compliments of Max Angelelli.
While Audi's Randy Pobst finished fourth, this meant that Audi collected the Manufacturers' Championship.
The final tally was fifty-one points for Audi and forty-eight for Cadillac, which gave them a second place in the standings.
Tommy Archer won the Drivers' Title in the No. 22 c3controls / Whelen Engineering / 3R Racing Dodge Viper Competition Coupe. His record included four podiums, one of which was a victory. More impressive was that Archer never finished worse than seventh place during the year. Galati's eleventh place at Road Atlanta left him short of points in the Drivers' Championship. He finished in second place, six points behind Archer. Pobst was fourth in the Drivers' standings.
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