It's been less than two months since the second-generation Audi R8 LMS debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show,->ke228 and the German race car has already scored its first victory. The R8->ke1440 LMS triumphed in the VLN endurance race that took place this weekend at the Nurburgring,->ke999 after Christopher Mies and Nico Mulled drove the No. 10 Audi Sport Team WRT to a clear victory in the LMS' third race. Mies and Muller were followed across the finish line by teammates Pierre Kaffer and Laurens Vanthoor, who also gave the R8 LMS' first double this season.

Mies and Muller initially took the lead after 10 laps and battled with a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG->ke2504 to stay on top. The duo began to increase its lead from lap 18 onward and completed the four-hour race with a 1:27-minute advantage over the second-placed R8 LMS. It was Audi Sport Team WRT's first victory on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife.

"The new Audi R8 LMS was easy to drive in both wet and dry conditions. We have also made progress on the suspension setup. This was the key to victory today," said Christopher Mies at the end of the race.

While Mies was "absolutely delighted" with the car, Head of Audi Sport customer racing, Romolo Liebchen, was rather cautious, stating the R8 LMS still needs honing before the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. "This was a test race. We discovered several things on which we must work to be perfectly prepared for the 24-hour race, because we can expect strong competition," he added.

Continue reading to learn more about Audi's latest victory.

Why it matters

With 26 GT3 Championship wins and 23 titles in other international classes, and 130 cars sold to customer teams worldwide, the first-generation Audi R8 LMS is arguably the most successful and popular GT3 race car->ke148 of its era. That said, the second-gen car has a pair of huge shoes to fill and its mission will be anything but easy, considering the increasing competitiveness of the GT3 class. But this Nurburgring win gives the new R8 LMS a great start in the harsh world of motorsport, and I have a feeling it's not the last victory Audi teams will brag about before the end of the season. What's important here is that is seems the second-gen R8 LMS might have what it takes to live up to its predecessor's success.

Audi R8 LMS

Learn more about the second-generation Audi R8 LMS race car in our full review here.