Ruder Finn appointed to handle PR for the annual Audi R8 LMS Cup

Ruder Finn has been selected by Audi China as the PR agency for the popular Audi R8 LMS Cup following a competitive pitch among international, regional and local agencies. Ruder Finn will be responsible for the development of press releases and supporting materials, creating content for SNS platforms and on-site media management during the 2014 Audi R8 LMS Cup series. Ruder Finn will also provide support for Audi Sport customer racing Asia entries in other competitions, including the GT Asia Series, the premier Asian motorsport event.

Launched in China in 2012, the Audi R8 LMS Cup is the first and only brand Cup for Audi. With the Asia-based sprint race series now in its third year of operation, the brand with the Four Rings continues its mission to pioneer the development of motorsport in Asia. In the 2014 season, the Cup is setting new standards in Asia with an expanded field of professional drivers in the powerful GT3 car, and the inclusion of four Formula 1 circuits – Yeongam in South Korea, Fuji in Japan, Sepang in Malaysia and Shanghai in China. The 2014 season also marks the introduction of new features including the push-to-pass function for easier overtaking and weight additions for podium drivers.

“We are very pleased to work together with Ruder Finn for the Audi R8 LMS Cup. Our powerful driver line-up sets new standards for brand cup racing in Asia. And the push-to-pass engine boost is unique for GT3 racing worldwide. Our sprint race series is international and progressive. And we believe that Ruder Finn is the right partner to further develop this ambitious motorsport project”, commented Martin Kuehl, Head of Corporate Communications, Audi China. The racing series is organized by Audi China as part of the Audi Sport customer racing Asia program.

“The Audi R8 LMS Cup is a very privileged and exciting win for us, deepening our long-term collaboration with Audi China on a number of projects,” Paul Yang, General Manager of Ruder Finn Beijing, said. “Our 15-year success in the automotive sector in the region, together with our motor sports experience such as Volkswagen Sirocco Cup, Sports Car Champions Festival, Classic Car Challenge China, as well as the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series, has given us the knowledge and expertise to achieve the objectives of Audi Sport customer racing Asia.”

Audi Sport customer racing Asia has a mission to pioneer the development of motorsport in Asia. With over 100 years of motorsport heritage, the brand with the Four Rings ensures those years of motorsport experience benefits Audi customers. In addition to the Audi R8 LMS Cup, Audi Sport customer racing Asia actively participates in other motorsport activities including the GT Asia series, the Sepang 12h endurance race in Malaysia and the Macau GT.,. It offers a wide range of services to its customers, including sports car driving experience, sports car training sessions, courses to obtain a racing license and access to the ready-to-race Cup cars.

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ABOUT RUDER FINN, INC.

Ruder Finn, Inc. is one of the world’s largest independent public relations agencies with dual headquarters in the U.S. and China. Founded in 1948, Ruder Finn serves the global and local communication needs of over 250 corporations, governments and non-profit organizations. The agency is organized around four strategic pillars that reflect its core areas of expertise: Health & Wellness, Corporate & Public Trust, Technology & Innovation, and Consumer Connections. Key offerings include corporate reputation and media counsel, executive thought leadership, financial communications, employee engagement and internal communications, and crisis and issues management. RFI Studios, the agency’s full-service digital practice, leads the industry in designing and developing internal collaboration platforms, building conversations and communities around brands, and staying top-of-mind in the world of mobile applications. In 2013, Ruder Finn won the gold as the Global Agency of the Year (Multinational Practice) at the Bulldog Stars of PR Awards. For more information, visit www.ruderfinn.com.

In Asia, Health & Wellness includes Daiichi Sankyo, Galderma, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi and Varian. Corporate & Public Trust includes L’Oréal, Michelin, ABB, Boeing, Bosch, Volkswagen, CITIC Bank, Singapore EDB, Omron and Carlsberg. Life+Style includes luxury brands like Cartier and Vacheron Constantin from the Richemont Group, and Moet Hennessy premium brands from the LVMH Group, as well as Hermès, Bang & Olufsen, Bentley, Breitling, Longchamp, Lexus, Tod’s Group, DFS Group, and the Jumeirah Group. Global Connectivity includes DHL, Emirates, Beechcraft, IEEE and Contact Singapore. Those four pillars are supported by award-winning divisions such as RFI (focusing on Interactive, Social Media and ePR), CSR, Arts & Culture, Activation and INSIGHT which provides training as well as research on trends, producing the annual China Luxury Forecast and other publications. For more information on Ruder Finn Asia, please visit www.ruderfinnasia.com, or our Chinese websitehttp://cn.ruderfinnasia.com