Audi R8 LMS Ultra

Audi will be represented by Team WRT in the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship.

Vincent Vosse's squad, which won the Spa 24 Hours and ran Greg Franchi to the Blancpain Endurance title this year, will run a pair of new R8 LMS ultras on a customer basis.

Vosse, himself a Spa 24 Hours winner during his driving career, said: "The GT1 World Championship is a wonderful new commitment for us. We're facing a challenging new task which all of our team members are looking forward to."

Next year's GT1 World Championship will be populated by GT3 cars, following the FIA's decision to significantly overhaul the series' technical regulations.

"We very much welcome the decision of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in favor of the GT3 cars," said Werner Frowein, managing director of quattro GmbH. "In the future, this vehicle class will not only stand for high-caliber national and European customer sport but also for the world's pinnacle in GT racing. We are delighted that Team WRT has submitted its entry for the world championship and will be representing the colors of Audi Sport customer racing."

Audi is the second manufacturer to confirm its representation in the 2012 series, McLaren having recently announced a tie-up with champion team Hexis.