The Audi Works Council is campaigning for motorsport commitments outside of Formula 1 and would like to see the customer racing sector ramped up again
Audi in Ingolstadt is currently celebrating the Dakar winners, as has been the case in the past after major DTM or endurance triumphs. But at the Volkswagen subsidiary’s works meeting on Wednesday, there was now a surprising appeal for motorsport commitments outside of Formula 1 – including the customer racing division, which Audi will reduce to basic support at the end of 2023 and which also includes the DTM.
“The hearts of Audi employees and Audi fans around the world are bleeding,” said Deputy Works Council Chairwoman Karola Frank, who delivered the report of the Audi Works Council in front of around 5,500 members in Ingolstadt. “They want to continue to see us in other racing series.”
The Works Council is “convinced that the company’s decision to withdraw from customer racing, the 24-hour races or rallying cannot be permanent,” the trained vehicle painter made clear at the first works meeting of the year.
The Dakar victory shows “what potential there is in Audi Motorsport” – and the Formula 1 entry planned for 2026, to which all other programs fell victim, is also right and important – argues Frank, who has been an Audi Works Council member since 2009. However, she emphasized that there must also be other motorsport projects in the future. Incidentally, Audi also ended its involvement in the Dakar after winning in January 2024.
At the first of four works meetings in 2024, at which the employees are informed about the activities of the Works Council and the company’s situation, there were numerous guests of honor this time, including Dakar winners Carlos Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz as well as Stephane Peterhansel, Emil Bergkvist and Edouard Boulanger.
Team members of the Dakar entry, Audi’s Head of Motorsport Rolf Michl and the new Audi boss Gernot Döllner, who announced the production of an electric compact model at the Ingolstadt site, were also present.
