After campaigning Chevy Corvettes and Nissan GT-Rs since its debut in World Challenge in 2008, CRP Racing, along with Hawk Performance, will bring a new challenger to this weekend’s round of the Pirelli World Challenge at Long Beach. CRP Racing has acquired an Audi R8 Ultra from Audi Sport customer racing, a car that CRP owner, Nicholas Short, believes is the future for the CRP team.

“We looked at a lot of options available to us and the reason we went with Audi is, firstly, their car is very fast and has shown to be a winner worldwide. Secondly, their customer support program is way beyond that of anything else that is offered by any other manufacturer to a customer in the USA,” he explained. “We are very happy with our choice and believe that with the engineering support and constant development that Audi offers, we will return to the top step of the podium.

“We have been welcomed by Audi to its customer program with open arms, something we have not experienced before with previous cars we have run. This program came together very quickly and I cannot say enough about the Audi staff that stepped up to make this happen for Long Beach. We must also thank our sponsor, Hawk Performance, for supporting our decision to change manufacturers and look forward to bringing them the results they deserve.”

“It came as such a shock,” admitted Skeen of the switch. ”I haven’t had a lot of time in an R8, except for a few laps at Road Atlanta and little jaunt around Charlotte Motor Speedway in Dave’s road-going car, but I’ve had the Audi itch for quite some time. I stole my girlfriend’s A4 to get the Quattro experience – I’m glad she hasn’t noticed the cage and racing seats yet – but they tell me this thing is rear-wheel drive!”