Capello and Giraudi triumph at Mugello Audi celebrates twin race wins in Portugal Audi R8 LMS now also a winner in Brazil Timo Scheider wins against Race Truck

Capello and Giraudi triumph at MugelloGT3 Italy: Dindo Capello and Gian Luca Giraudi celebrated a victory for team Audi Sport Italia in the ninth race of the Italian GT Championship season at Mugello. It was the first victory the two Italians have scored together. In the tenth race they finished fourth. Their team mates Filipe Albuquerque and Marco Bonanomi, who had initially led the first race, finished second and third. After ten of the 14 championship races Albuquerque and Bonanomi remain in second place in the standings eight points behind the leaders. Audi celebrates twin race wins in PortugalGT3 Portugal: João Figueiredo and César Campaniço recorded a brace of resounding race victories during the fourth race weekend of the Portuguese GT3 Championship at Braga. In the first race the two drivers of team NovaDriver Total crossed the finish line 57 seconds ahead of the competition, in the second race they won by more than a lap. Audi R8 LMS now also a winner in BrazilGT3 Brazil: Successful race debut for the Abt Sportsline supported Audi R8 LMS in South America: In the seventh and eighth races of the Brazilian GT3 Championship season Andreas Mattheis and Xandy Negrão recorded a convincing pair of race wins. In the first race the duo won narrowly after taking a gamble with tires on a drying track, in the second race on Sunday the R8 in carbon-fiber look distanced itself by almost 20 seconds from the opposition. Timo Scheider wins against Race TruckDTM: Defending DTM Champion Timo Scheider won a show duel in his Audi A4 DTM against motorsport legend Hans-Joachim "Strietzel" Stuck in a MAN truck. The two drivers put on a spectacular show for the fans in the packed grandstands at the Truck Grand Prix. Stuck made a flying rolling-start in the "sprint race", Scheider a standing start. Stuck was nevertheless unable to take benefit of his advantage at the finish. Beforehand the DTM Champion Timo Scheider had already won a "drag race" over a 400 meter section of the start-finish straight. He was quicker than public darling Gerd Körber who had competed with a fluorescent green VW Bulli with an 800 hp Porsche engine.

News bitsSeven Audi R8 LMS will compete in the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps on July 31/August 1. Phoenix Racing enter two cars. Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller forms a team with Marcel Fässler, Lucas Luhr and Anthony Kumpen. Alex Margaritis/Marc Hennerici/Andrea Piccini/Henri Moser share the second cockpit. The Anglo-American team United Autosports contests the classic race with two R8 LMS for Marc Blundell/Zak Brown/Richard Dean/Eddie Cheever as well as Stefan Johansson/Alain Li/Mark Patterson/Emil Assentato. The Belgium team WRT appears at its home event with three R8 LMS. Five-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela shares a car with Greg Franchi, Vincent Vosse and Frank Stippler. Stéphane Ortelli, also a Le Mans winner, lines up on the grid with Stéphane Lemeret, Kurt Mollekens and François Verbist. The third car is shared by Christian Kelders, Jean-Luc Blanchemain, David Tuchbant and Frédéric Bouvy ... Audi factory driver Lucas Luhr, who won the Silvretta E-Auto-Rally with an Audi e-tron concept car with electric power together with Audi Board Member for Technical Development Michael Dick, celebrated his 31st birthday on Thursday ... Alexandre Prémat married his long-time companion Cléo on July 24 ... The Audi R8 LMS celebrates its Asian debut in the Merdeka Millennium Race in Malaysia from August 5 to 8. During this 12-hour race at Sepang Frank Biela, Darryl O’Young and Marco Werner take turns in the cockpit of the car from the Audi Race Experience Team Joest.

Results and points Mugello (I), July 24, Italian GT3 Championship race 91. Capello/Giraudi (Audi R8 LMS) 25 laps in 50m 32.052s 2. Albuquerque/Bonanomi (Audi R8 LMS) + 6.789s 3. Lavio/Gattuso (Ferrari) + 36.581s 4. Bontempelli/Caccia (Ferrari) + 40.185s 5. Leitz/Roda (Porsche) + 40.274sMugello (I), July 25, Italian GT3 Championship race 101. Leitz/Roda (Porsche) 25 laps in 50m 03.455s 2. Lavio/Gattuso (Ferrari) + 59.281s 3. Albuquerque/Bonanomi (Audi R8 LMS) + 1m 1.691s 4. Capello/Giraudi (Audi R8 LMS) + 1m 2.028s 5. Earl/Garofano (Ferrari) + 1m 57.760sStandings after 10 of 14 races: 1. Roda, 110 points; 2. Albuquerque and Bonanomi, 102; 4. Giraudi, 96; 5. Lavio and Gattuso, 89; 7. Bontempelli and Caccia, 63; 9. Capello and Earl, 59.Next race: Vallelunga (I), September 25Braga (P), July 24, Portuguese GT3 Championship race 71. Campanico/Figueiredo (Audi R8 LMS) 43 laps in 1 h 0m 45.440s 2. Cunha/Ramos (Lamborghini) + 57.537sBraga (P), July 25, Portuguese GT3 Championship race 81. Campanico/Figueiredo (Audi R8 LMS) 43 laps in 1h 00m 37.001s 2. Cunha/Ramos (Lamborghini) - 1 lap3. Fontes/Santos (Aston Martin) - 1 lapNext race: Estoril (P), October 2Rio de Janeiro (BR), July 17, Brazilian GT3 Championship race 71. Mattheis/Negrão (Audi R8 LMS), 36 laps in 51m 02.059s2. Brito/Stumpf (Ford) + 1.747s3. Garfinkel/Mauricio (Lamborghini) + 1m 07.640s4. Dahruj/Daniel (Lamborghini) - 1 lap.5. Hahn/Khodair (Lamborghini) - 1 lapRio de Janeiro (BR), July 18, Brazilian GT3 Championship race 81. Mattheis/Negrão (Audi R8 LMS), 37 laps in 50m 30.183s2. Hahn/Khodair (Lamborghini) + 19.412s3. Longo/D. Serra (Lamborghini) + 20.057s4. C. Serra/Adibe (Lamborghini) + 29.913s5. Garfinkel/Mauricio (Lamborghini) + 30.166sStandings after 8 of 16 races: 1. Stumpf and Brito, 113 points; 2. Dahruj and Daniel, 105; 3. Hahn and Khodair, 85; 4. Garfinkel and Mauricio, 83; 5. Kaesemodel, 74; … 9. Mattheis and Negrão, 62.Next race: São Paulo (BR), August 8Coming up next weekJuly 30-August 01: 24-hour race Spa-Francorchamps (B)July 31: Endurance Championship Nürburgring (D)