Aditya Patel, India’s GT star, is set to compete in the Audi R8 LMS Cup for the second year in a row. The races will take place from May 20 to May 22, 2016 at the Shanghai International Circuit, China with Patel set to team up with Absolute Racing.
Aditya was born in Chennai to Kamlesh Patel, a former Indian rally champion and displayed an interest in motorsports since a young age. Aditya, now 27, started karting at the age of 4 and won various national titles. However, his big break came when he raced in the Formula BMW Pacific Championship in 2008 which led to a call-up by Volkswagen to race in their Polo Cup Series in Germany. Patel followed that up by racing in the Scirocco R Cup as well in Germany before signing for Audi Motorsport India in 2012. After racing an Audi TT at the prestigious 24 hours of Nurburgring race, he participated in the Audi R8 LMS Cup.
“Last year was a very positive year for me”, said Aditya. “Yes, I did have a few bad races which dented my hopes of fighting for the top three spots in the championship, but we still managed to put in some good results which helped me secure the drive this year. The aim is to win as many races as possible. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Audi India, JK tyres, Jubilant Motorworks and GoPro for their support,” he added.
Aditya will be at the wheel of Audi’s all-new R8 LMS Cup car, based on their R8 supercar. Patel participated in the 2015 edition of the championship with the support from Audi India, JK Tyres and Jubilant Motorworks. He managed multiple podium finishes and ended his championship campaign with the win at the final race in Shanghai, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship standings.
