Italian GT: Burst tyres ended Audi Sport Italia's chances to win at Mugello

Audi Sport Italia Press Release Burst tyres put paid to Audi Sport Italia's chances to claim first 2013 Italian Gran Turismo win at Mugello Scenic Mugello hosted today the third meeting of 2013 Italian GT. Early on the Tuscan venue saw starring the youngest Audi driver,Alex Frassineti--who as a one-off was set to drive alone as team mate Johan Kristoffersson had a clashing schedule--. Posting the best time in Qualifying 1, Frassineti claimed the first R8 LMS ultra pole pole position in nearly one year. Team mates Dindo Capello and Andrea Sonvico could do no better than chalking up disappointing row 5 spots, as an ailing engine prevented both of them from pushing hard. If Saturday belonged to R8 LMS ultras, to the #5 car anyway, Sunday shredded any Audi camp ambition--along with the Avon rubber fitted to the black and silver cars. In Race 1, after the mandatory pit-stop Frassineti was ahead of eventual winners Venturi-Maino and closing in on the black Imperiale Racing Lamborghini. As the gap from Giorgio Sanna's Gallardo had been trimmed to 2-second, the rear left tyre blew on the pit straight forcing the Rome-based driver to an unscheduled journey to the pit lane and winding up in a dismal 8th place, one ahead of Dindo Capello, whose #4 car limped home with a stuck gearbox in the closing stages. At the start of Race 2 Capello and Frassineti battled out with Michela Cerruti's Z4 for P6, but the three-way fight lost soon Audi #5, as the left driveshaft let go on Lap 3 forcing Frassineti to chin up to a blank box score. Capello moved past the BMW on the same lap and soon therafter overtook Sanna's Gallardo closing his stint in P4. Sonvico then closed in on P3, occupied by provisional series' leader Luigi Lucchini, but the Audi driver did not manage to actually threaten the Ebimotors Porsche, as with five minutes to go again a blown rear left tyre forced him to make a second pit stop. The three points awarded to P7 at least enabled the duo to move up level on points with team mate Frassineti but the Audi trio saw their gap increase from Porsche's Postiglione and Lucchini, who are leading from Misano Adriatico's round 1--whilst on a weekend sweeped by Ferraris the drivers on top of the tables were bunched up. CAMPIONATO ITALIANO GT3 Scarperia (I) July 7 - Round 2013: 1. Tommaso Maino/Mirko Venturi (Ferrari) 26 laps 50'05.643s avg speed 163.336 kph  2. Stefano Colombo/Stefano Comandini (BMW) + 0.653s 3. Michela Cerruti (BMW) +15.742s 4. Giacomo Barri/Giorgio Sanna (Lamborghini) +19.778s 5. Giuseppe Cirò/Gabriele Lanceri (Ferrari) 1'50.805s ../.. 8. ALEX FRASSINETI (AUDI R8 LMS ultra) +1'24.903s 9. ANDREA SONVICO/DINDO CAPELLO (AUDI R8 LMS ultra) +2'08.344s ...... 1. Gabriele Lancieri/Giuseppe Cirò (Ferrari) 26 giri in 49'58.770s alla media di 163.711 km/h 2. Stefano Comandini/Stefano Colombo (BMW) +12.438s 3. Vito Postiglione/Luigi Lucchini (Porsche) +31.257s 4. Michela Cerruti (BMWi) +36.157s 5. Francesco LaMazza/Angelo Pezzucchi (Ferrari) +52.406s ../.. 7. DINDO CAPELLO/ANDREA SONVICO (AUDI R8 LMS ultra) 1'52.132s NC ALEX FRASSINETI (AUDI R8 LMS ultra) - 24 Laps ...... Scarperia (FI) 7 luglio - Classifica Gara 6 2013: 1. Postiglione/Lucchini 74 points; 3. Lancieri/Cirò 70 pts. 5. Colombo/Comandini 56 pts.; 7. Venturi/Maino 51 pts. 9. Passuti/Mapelli 43 pts. 11. Cerruti 37 pts. 12. Sanna/Barri 34 pts. 14. CAPELLO/SONVICO/FRASSINETI 31 pts. 17. KRISTOFFERSSON 28 pts.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia