340bhp Audi TT racer revealed

Always fancied being a DTM driver but don't have several million dollars of sponsorship backing? Well, Audi might have just provided the answer.

The German firm has revealed its TT racer, the car that'll form the backbone of Audi's new Sport TT Cup, a series conceived to support the DTM Championship and encourage young drivers into motorsport. For €99,000 - a bit under £80,000 - you get the car, and entry into six events in 2015.

The focus here is on weight loss. The TT Cup clocks in at 1,125kg, a saving of some 210kg over the road car. With a 310bhp 2.0-litre TFSI four-cylinder driving the front wheels, that should spell healthy performance.

Each car has an F1-style push-to-pass system that boosts the engine to 340bhp for overtaking manoeuvres, aiming to make racing more exciting for drivers and spectators alike.

That eighty grand ticket gets you the car, plus a season of full race preparation by Audi GmbH, one mechanic and VIP admission to Audi Hospitality. Each event consists of two hours of practice and qualifying, and then two 30-minute races. That's a decent amount of track time, and once the race is over you can presumably enjoy champagne with Audi motorsport boss Dr Wolfgang Ullrich himself.

The Sport TT Cup field will consist of 24 cars, with Audi young drivers and privateer teams taking 18 seats, and the remaining six seats left for guests. Coaching comes from experienced DTM driver Markus Winkelhock, who will also race alongside his young drivers.

The TT has achieved modest race success since the coupe burst onto the scene in the early Noughties. Abt Sportsline ran a privateer team using the TT, beating the factory Mercedes and Opel teams in the DTM Championship of 2002. More recently, the last generation of TT racer secured the only pole and race victory for a FWD car at the Nurburgring in 2011.

We know that the third-gen TT road car is tidy, so this racer might just be a little cracker. Especially when it sounds like this...