Audi has finally deemed the
North American market worthy of its RS3 pocket rocket. But the new road-going
sedan isn't the only version making its way to America.
Pictured here is the new Audi RS3 LMS USA Clubsport
undergoing testing and demonstration runs at the Daytona International Speedway
in Florida in preparation for the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge season.
Audi showcased the competition-spec RS3 LMS at the Paris Auto Show last September. The RS3 LMS is offered to privateer racing teams in either Clubsport or
TCR spec (for the cost-effective touring-car class that's growing around the
world).
This version is ostensibly based on the Clubsport
model, but adapted to the specific regulations of the Pirelli World Challenge –
namely the TC class in which four examples will compete this year. The season
kicks off this weekend at Virginia International Raceway before hitting Mosport
in Ontario, Lime Rock in Connecticut, Utah Motorsports Campus, the Circuit of
the Americas, and Laguna Seca.
Aspiring racers can pick one up for US$ 135,000,
including all the requisite safety equipment. Detuned to 330 horsepower, it isn't as quick off the line – taking 4.5 seconds to
reach 62 mph, but with racing slicks and a track-tuned suspension,
we suspect it would run circles around its road-going counterpart on a closed
circuit.
