07.07.2002
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 With a triple victory in the 500-mile-race at Road America, Audi has added its name to a prestigious list of winners in another classic US endurance event following the Sebring 12 Hour race and the “Petit Le Mans”. While the competitors paid tribute to the enormous heat of up to 90 degrees Farenheit (34 degrees Celsius) in the shade on the fast and demanding track, the two Infineon Audi R8 sportscars ran without any problems over the 4:15-hour distance – despite the Audi drivers running an incredibly fast pace from the first to the last lap.
Tom - Dindo Team Audi Sport North America´s two “works” R8 cars showed an impressive battle for the lead taking the breath away from the specators and the whole Audi squad. More than once the two Infineon Audi R8 sportscars exchanged the lead. Two stop-and-go-penalties against Rinaldo Capello seemed to decide the race for Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela. But a puncture on the no. 1 Infineon Audi R8 brought the race back into the hands of Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen. Thanks to the electronic tire monitoring system developed by Audi and Michelin, the loss of pressure in the right rear tire was detected just in time, but the unscheduled pitstop dropped Biela/Pirro clearly behind the sister car into second position.

Audi´s customer team Champion Racing made the Audi 1-2-3 victory complete by finishing third despite Stefan Johansson spinning off into the gravel.

Rinaldo Capello celebrated the victory at the “Road America 500” which was run for the first time in 1957 and has a big tradition in the USA, turning his Infineon Audi R8 around in circles after the finish line. The “donuts” were a present for teammate Tom Kristensen who celebrated his birthday on raceday and continues to lead the overall classification of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

Rinaldo Capello: “I completly disagree with the second stop-and-go. I am sure I did not overtake under a yellow flag. But we won and the victory is very satisfying. I pushed until the end because the car was perfect. Our mechanics did a great job enabling us to take the lead twice thanks to their fast pit stops.”