Czech weekend of mixed fortunes for Audi Sport Italia

Audi Sport Italia Press Release

Czech weekend of mixed fortunes for Audi Sport Italia: Gianni Morbidelli is Race 2 runner-up after DNF in Race 1; Ferdinando Geri posts his best Superstars finish as yet, also claiming Star Driver top spot in Race 1

BRNO RACE REPORT

Four races into the 2013 Superstars season and former champ Thomas Biagi and fellow AMG Mercedes drivers are definitely the men to beat claiming three successive wins. As yet only  Brno Race 2 (courtesy of BMW's Giovanni Berton) escaped the C63s' stranglehold. Audi Sport Italia' s Gianni Morbidelli came home second in this round, a silver linining to an eventful weekend for the Audi tent. In theory, the Czech venue looked a good place to make up ground on the AMG Mercedeses that had sweeped Monza, but unfortunately this comeback strategy was quicklyundone as Morbidelli retired from P3 in Race 1 with 1-minute to go. Ferdinando Geri posted his best Superstars weekend as yet, also claiming Star Driver top spot in morning race, but he retired from Race 2 after an early-race tussle shattered a rear suspension.

Lingering understeer woes had the Audi Sport Italia camp forced to a lot of head-scratching on Saturday, and Sunday was not able to prove the treatment 100% effective. Therefore Race 1 proved a piece of cake for polesitter Thomas Biagi, who had taken his maiden 2013 pole position in spite of being levied 50 kilos for the successful Monza day--a fate shared by his team mate and pre-Brno points leader Liuzzi--. Nearly half of race 1 was consumed by a safety car period triggered by a first-corner melee that cleared most of the backmarkers from contention. When the green flag was waved the AMG Mercedes-trio of Biagi, Liuzzi and Gigi Ferrara staged a fast getaway from Berton's M3 but thenMorbidelli found a way by the BMW on lap 6 to claim P4. The 5-car leading pack ran on an almost even pace, however the Pesaro-born driver was toiling with the same massive understeer that had blighted his Saturday, which allowed Berton to make inroads into his 4th spot on lap 9. Morbidelli successfully fended off the challenge and even inherited P3 from fellow former F.1 driver Liuzzi, who was experiencing electrical troubles and relinquished three spots. Morbidelli did not have time to laid down further plans, as with 1 minute (and 1 lap) to go on the clock Morbidelli pulled over on a run off area, felled by a broken input shaft.

Race 2 saw Berton leapfrog nearly the whole field, then picking the lead on lap 2 to secure his maiden victory. Emilio Radaelli's squad--a dark horse pick for race 2 with Geri on Row 5 and Morbidelli on Row 6--had still some mark to make, though. Morbidelli sealed his best start in months climbing to P5 by the end of the openening lap. He then fought tooth-and-nail throughout the early stages to keep up with Gigi Ferrara's AMG Mercedes. A mid-race full caution bunched up the field, and Lap 7 proved full of excitment as the C63 dropped down the order with electronic woes and both Tonio Liuzzi and Francesco Sini's Chevrolet went off while dicing for the runner-up spot. Morbidelli may have tried to make a run on the leading BMW, but it soon turned out that he'd better squeeze his RS 5 Camozzi to fend off veteran Biagi blazing comeback. The latter moved on the inside of the Audi with three laps to go, but at the end of the day Biagi seemed to enjoy more the safe box score--especially with fellow AMG Mercedes drivers Liuzzi and Ferrara sidelined-- than the risky excitment of overtaking a former F.1 driver, who wound up second 2.3s adrift of the winning M3.

Audi Sport Italia's man of the morning Geri, in Race 1 had emerged unscathed from the opening lap trouble, then safely drove home for the first time throughout his Audi spell. The #46 Audi outings at Monza yielded only DNFs in his box score. The understeer-happy Czech layout may not have won over the Rome-based driver as his favorite circuit, but he managed to sneak into the Top 10 in Race 1, clinching the silverware aimed at the best Star Driver, i.e. the top gentleman in the Superstars entry field. Geri, who didn't get the running he hoped for on Saturday due to a misfire problem in free practice, could not enjoy as much the afternoon round: he was punted off in a beach trap by a rival Jaguar, which put an end in advance to his Sunday.

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTARS SERIES 2013

Round 3 - Brno (CZ) :

1. Thomas Biagi (AMG Mercedes) 12 giri in 28'49"817, media 134.9 kph
2. Gigi Ferrara (AMG Mercedes) + 2.652s;

3. Giovanni Berton (BMW) + 4.336s;

4. Vitantonio Liuzzi (AMG Mercedes) +5.518s;
5. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Porsche) +7.945;

../..

10 FERDINANDO GERI (AUDI RS 5) +36.351s.

11GIANNI MORBIDELLI (AUDI RS 5) - 3 laps

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTARS SERIES 2013

Round 4- Brno (CZ) :

1. Giovanni Berton (BMW) 12 giri in 27'55"360, media 149.1 kph
2. GIANNI MORBIDELLI (AUDI RS 5) +2.323s;

3. Thomas Biagi (AMG Mercedes) +3.089s;
4. Andrea Bacci (BMW) +16.864;

5. Edoardo Piscopo (BMW) +17.202s;

../..

NC FERDINANDO GERI (AUDI RS 5) - 10 laps

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTARS SERIES 2013

Drivers points standings after 4 rounds:

1. Biagi 73 points;
2. Liuzzi 52 pts;

3. Berton 45 pts;
4. Ferrara 44 pts.;

5. MORBIDELLI 39.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

Superstars Series: Fifth place for Audi Sport Italia and Gianni Morbidelli in Brno qualifying

By Tarek Ramchani

Brno is hosting the second round of the International Series this weekend. Audi Sport Italia is again fielding two Audi RS 5 quattro cars for Gianni Morbidelli and Ferdinando Geri.

The qualifying session was held this afternoon, an extremely close session. The factory supported Mercedes-Benz C63 AMGs totally dominated the entire weekend at Monza, round one of the series. Today at Brno it was another story, the Czech track produced a very balanced field. Gianni Morbidelli, driving the #45 RS 5 quattro, qualified in fifth place with a time of 2:08.895. He was only 0.180 from the pole sitting C63 AMG of Thomas Biagi. His teammate Ferdinando Geri, driving the #46 Audi, faced a harder session. He will start from sixteenth on the grid for race 1 tomorrow. The qualifying session results can be seen HERE.

Two races are set for Sunday tomorrow. As seen in the qualifying session, we are expecting very close battles on track for the top spots. Gianni Morbidelli will clearly have to battle hard against a great quality field from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and even the Porsche Panamera, of the returning Fabrizio Giovanardi.

Photo credit: Superstars Series

Audi Sport Italia looks ahead at Brno weekend with confidence

Audi Sport Italia Press Release

Audi Sport Italia drivers' Gianni Morbidelli and Ferdinando Geri look ahead at Brno weekend with confidence

BRNO RACE PREVIEW

Sunday the International Superstars Series will be making its maiden visit to one of the most iconic circuit in touring cars history: Brno, which has built a decade-long tradition as a hotbed for tin-tops. Audi Sport Italia shares with the Czech venue a rich background in touring cars, since the outfit was contracted as an Audi team way back in the Super Touring heydays.

The Italian squad is keen to take on the opposition at the scenic circuit: although the season kick-off at Monza was a clean-sweep for AMG Mercedeses, the rolling hills of Brno seem to offer a better backdrop for the assets of the Audi camp.

Former Formula 1 driver Gianni Morbidelli and sportscar driver Ferdinando Geri can’t
wait to try their hands on a layout that seems well suited to the four-wheel-driven RS 5s. 

They’re set to meet a field reinforced by new additions, as the arrival of Italians Fabrizio Giovanardi and Emanuele Piscopo will add spice to the Superstars menu, the former back in the cockpit of the Panamera Porsche three years removed from his last win, the latter on his way to discover the taste of tin-tops in a BMW M3. Moreover the BMW camp will host another former single-seater driver: Austria’s Christian Klien, who has been the last driver able to break the domination that RS 5s and C63s have enjoyed in the SRW-run series since July 1st 2012. In statistical terms, throughout the past 8 races no driver who failed to seat either in an Audi or in a AMG Mercedes was able to post a win. Klien, who did so in a Maserati at Hungaroring last year, will try to repeat himself in a Scuderia Giudici’s BMW M3 this week, but in order to give it a go he will have to make his way through a bevy of Romeo Ferraris’ C63s and our own Audis, whose drivers aim to make up ground on Vitantonio Liuzzi and Thomas Biagi, who are topping the points standings after sharing the top spots at ultra-quick Monza.

Audi Sport Italia engineers are confident of having completed the troubleshooting ensuing from the 2013 technical blueprint that encompasses raised ride height, skimpy cavalry following the new air restrictor sizes and different tyre wear. Therefore Morbidelli is poised to tighten the current gap from Three-Pointed Star drivers adding a fair haul of points in Czech Republic to the twin fourth places that he chalked up at Monza, whilst team mate Geri looks with anticipation to improving his pace in the Audi, something that he was able to do on Sunday at Monza, when he posted quickest laps than on Saturday.

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTARS SERIES 2013

Drivers points standings after 2 rounds:

1. Liuzzi 39 points;
2. Biagi 36 pts.;
3. Ferrara 25 pts.;
4. MORBIDELLI 21 pts.;
5. Sini 15 pts.;
6. Bacci 13 pts.;
7. Berton 10 pts.;
8. "Diabolik" 5 pts.;
9. Larini 4 pts.;

10. Ascani 3 pts.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

Italian GT: Audi Sport Italia very hard race 2 at Misano

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi Sport Italia had a very unlucky race 1 at Misano today. Race 2 was a kind of deja vu. A very frustrating season opener for the official Audi Italia dealer team.

Johan Kristoffersson and Alex Frassineti, who shared the #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra, finished in seventh place. They started from the back of the field, just as in race 1, and had to make an unscheduled pit-stop due to a puncture. The sister #4 car of Dindo Capello and Andrea Sonvico was ninth, a lap down. Andrea Sonvico faced brakes problems in his stint, after taking over the car from Dindo Capello.

Race victory went to the #77 Porsche GT3 R of Antonelli Motorsport, second was the #41 Ferrari 458 of MP1 Corse, and in third another Porsche GT3 R the #44 of Ebimotors. Race 2 results are here.

The next round of the Italian GT Championship is set for June, at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

Italian GT: Unlucky race 1 for Audi Sport Italia at Misano

By Tarek Ramchani

The first race of the 2013 Italian GT Championship took place this morning. Audi Sport Italia had a very unlucky race with their two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars.

The #5 Audi R8 LMS ultra shared by Johan Kristoffersson and Alex Frassineti finished in sixth place, they started from far behind, after failing to complete a flying lap in qualifying. Both Kristoffersson and Frassineti bounced back and gained a lot of positions. Their teammates Dindo Capello and Andrea Sonvico started sixth, but finished eighth in the end. The #4 Audi R8 LMS ultra was hit by a drive through penalty just after Capello took over from Sonvico, for contact with a Ferrari 458. A very big shame as the car was battling for the podium and third place. Ahead the two Porsches were flying on track and untouchable, victory went to the #44 997 GT3 R of Ebimotors ahead of the #77 from Antonelli Motorsport.

Race 2 is set for later today, fingers crossed for Audi Sport Italia and their drivers.

Photo credit: Italian GT

Italian GT: Dindo Capello and Audi Sport Italia qualified sixth at Misano

By Tarek Ramchani

Misano is hosting the first round of the 2013 Italian GT Championship this weekend. Audi Sport Italia is entering the series for the fifth straight year with a two-car team.

Dindo Capello, after retiring from the full factory Audi Le Mans squad, will take part in the full season in Italian GT, sharing the #4 R8 LMS ultra with Andrea Sonvico. The sister #5 Audi will be driven by Alex Frassineti and the 2012 Superstars Series champion, Johan Krostoffersson.

The qualifying session, which was held this afternoon, was very difficult for Audi Sport Italia. Andrea Sonvico only managed to finish in sixth place. It was worse for the other Audi driven by Johan Kristoffersson, the Swedish driver had contact very early in the session and was not able to finish a flying lap. The #5 Audi will have to start from the back of the pack.

Pole position went to the Porsche GT3 R of Ebimotors, in second another Porsche from Antonelli Motorsport, and third the Lamborghini Gallardo of Imperiale Racing. The qualifying results are here.

The two races are set for tomorrow. We hope that Audi Sport Italia drivers will be able to recover on track and fight for the race wins.

Photo credit: Italian GT

Italian GT: Audi Sport Italia back with Dindo Capello and two Audi R8 LMS ultra

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi Sport Italia will enter the 2013 Italian GT Championship with two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars, and a strong driver line-up. The team will aim for the 2013 title, after the dramatic finale at Monza last year.

Andrea Sonvico missed the title by only a single point, loosing the title to the BMW drivers. Sonvico is back with the team and will share the first Audi R8 LMS ultra with Dindo Capello. The Italian Audi legend will compete in the Italian GT as a full season competitor for first time in years, after focusing on the Le Mans effort with the factory Team Joest. The second car will be in the hands of Alex Frassineti, who also drove for the team last year, and the 2012 Superstars Series champion, Johan Kirstoffersson. The Swedish driver had a great 2012 by winning the Superstars Series, the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia. He is not stranger to Audi Sport Italia, the team who built his Audi RS 5 quattro, which entered by his father's team KMS.

The first round of the Italian GT Championship is set for next weekend at Misano. No doubts that Audi Sport Italia will be among the big favorites for the title hunt.

Photo credit: Audi Media

Gianni Morbidelli dodges the traps of the fastest track in Superstars

Audi Sport Italia Press Release

Gianni Morbidelli dodges the traps of the fastest track in the Superstars schedule to grab 4th place in the championship table

Audi Sport Italia-built RS 5 turns out best car in Monza opener--beyond clean-sweeping AMG Mercedeses...

Audi Sport Italia's quattros haven't claimed a win at ultra-quick Monza since 2008, when the SWR-run Superstars was still a fledging series. The kick-off to the 10th running of the increasingly popular V8 championship may not have stopped the win drought, but the superb form shown by 4-time champ Gianni Morbidelli and the winter work carried out by Emilio Radaelli's outfit on the RS 5 helped the No. 45 Audi to hit its stride sooner than anyone expected, posting two 4th places that were the best effort put in by any driver-car pairing--but the bulky AMG Mercedeses of team mates Tonio Liuzzi and Thomas Biagi (who split wins today) and Gigi Ferrara, that sweeped podium spots and all sit ahead of Morbidelli in the table after Monza.

A 16-car field greeted a healthy crowd that convened at the 5,793-meter historic venue in spite of gray skies and local traffic restricitions. At the start Morbidelli could not fend off the charge from Andrea Bacci's Mercedes and Francesco Sini's Camaro and was shuffled down the order from his P4 starting spot, but the former F.1 driver did not lose track of them on the opening lap and started breathing down on their necks. When the duelling duo wound up embroiling itself at the Ascari corner on lap 3 the RS 5 leapfrogged both claiming P5. Then Morbidelli set up a chase to Jaguar’s Andrea Larini, managing to claim P4 from the Tuscan driver on lap 7. Arather uneventful spell was in store for Morbidelli, as the AMG Mercedes threesome on top had built a comfortable 12-second cushion on the lone 4WD surviving car, which could not threaten the Swabian sweep, led by pole sitter Tonio Liuzzi in front of team mate Thomas Biagi and Gigi Ferrara—at the wheel of the sole three-pointed-star coupe.
Ferdinando Geri's maiden race in the four-ring camp was not as lucky as the Rome-born driver had just the time to acclimatise to a entertaining dogfight with fellow gentlemen drivers Francesco Ascani and Gianni Giudici that an engine problem forced him to reach the pit lane at the half-race mark. 

Morbidelli started from the inside of row 3 on the reversed grid of Race 2 and was stuck in a chaotic start, dropping to 10th place on Lap 1, as the Top4 was an all AMG Mercedes-affair. It took just five laps to the Camozzi-liveried Audi to bite the tail of Francesco Sini, then the best non-Mercedes driver and the former F.1 driver successfully dived on the inside of the Solaris Camaro at Lesmo corner to take over from Sini as best of the rest. But Morbidelli did not think that he could call it a day on P5 and chased hard Andrea Bacci's C63. The warring duo ran nose-to-tail around the mid-race mark, then on lap eleven, Morbidelli dived inside the CAAL-built C63 when Bacci let him the door open, swiping the rival. Morbidelli went safe home in P4, but there was more drama in store for Audi Sport Italia, as Geri's car after having battled to sneak into the Top10 had to reach the pit lane early, with two laps to go due to a contact that triggered bodywork trouble. None the less, Geri had put in quicker laps on Sunday than on Saturday, showing that his driving has a fair amount of room for more improvement, something that he'll be keen to confirm at Brno in mid-May.

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTARS SERIES

Sunday April 7, 2013. 

Round 1 - Monza, Italy:
1. Tonio Liuzzi (AMG Mercedes) 14 laps, 27:05.042s, average speed 179.7 kph
2. Thomas Biagi (AMG Mercedes) +0.589s
3. Gigi Ferrara (AMG Mercedes) +13.639s
4. GIANNI MORBIDELLI (AUDI RS 5) +23.200s
5. Francesco Sini (Chevrolet) +34.423s

../..
Rtd. FERDINANDO GERI (AUDI RS5) - 7 laps.

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTARS SERIES

Sunday April 7, 2013.

Round 2- Monza, Italy:

1. Thomas Biagi (AMG Mercedes) 14 laps, 27:13.157, average speed 178.8 kph
2. Tonio Liuzzi (AMG Mercedes) + 2.277s
3. Gigi Ferrara (AMG Mercedes) + 5.930s
4. GIANNI MORBIDELLI (AUDI RS 5) + 17.287s
5. Andrea Bacci (AMG Mercedes) + 20.791s

../..
13. FERDINANDO GERI (AUDI RS5) - 2 laps.

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTARS SERIES 2013

Drivers points standings after 2 rounds:

a

1. Liuzzi 42 points;
2. Biagi 39 pts.;
3. Ferrara 28 pts.;
4. MORBIDELLI 24 pts.;
5. Bacci 20 pts.;
6. Sini 16 pts.;
7. Berton 8 pts.;
8. Ascani and "Diabolik" 6 pts.;
10. Benedetti 5 pts.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

Superstars: Good points scored for Audi Sport Italia at Monza

By Johan Laubscher

The second Superstars race at Monza had a similar result as the first. The Mercedes-Benz teams continued to dominate at the front, with the rest of the field following in their wake.

Monza has always been a track which favoured very powerful and high speed cars. For the Audi Sport Italia RS 5 cars Monza is a track which provides a challenge. The RS 5 cars with quattro are very fast through the corners and under braking, however they are at a disadvantage when it comes to outright top speed, in comparison to the opposition.

The Mercedes-Benz cars were expected to run away at the front, however Audi Sport Italia performed well this weekend. The team’s number one driver, Gianni Morbidelli, was able to finish fourth in race one. Starting from fifth on the reverse grid, Morbidelli was again able to perform well and achieved another fourth place finish. A good consolidating points score at a track like Monza. His teammate, Ferdinando Geri, unfortunately retired from race two.

The Audi RS 5 cars are expected to be back in their element at the next round of the championship, held at Brno in mid May. As Gianni Morbidelli (@MorbidelliG) said on twitter: “Mercedes' drivers sweeped podium places at Monza but I can't wait to fire up my engine at Brno nxt mth. You'll listen a different tune there”. 

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

Superstars: Fourth place for Gianni Morbidelli and Audi Sport Italia in race 1 at Monza

By Tarek Ramchani

The first race of the 2013 International Superstars Series has just finished at Monza. Two Audi RS 5 quattro cars from Audi Sport Italia took part. Gianni Morbidelli finished in a positive fourth and his team mate Ferdinando Geri in fifteenth.

In front the dominant AMG squad was untouchable, the C63 cars took full advantage of their power and let the rivals way behind. Gianni Morbidelli who qualified in fourth yesterday with his #45 Audi RS5 quattro was only able to follow and take vital points. The Italian star lost several places in the rolling start, but managed to recover later. Morbidelli had a great battle with the Jaguar XF of Nicolas Larini, after many laps of resisting Larni lost the position. A fourth is not that bad as Monza is clearly not a circuit for the Audi Sport Italia built cars. It was a harder race for Ferdinando Geri, after a difficult Saturday he finished way behind in a disappointing fifteenth. Race victory went to Vitantonio Liuzzi with his Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, in second Thomas Biaggi and in third Luigi Ferrara.

Race 2 is next with a reverse grid for the top 8 finishers in race 1. Gianni Morbidelli will start from fifth. Fingers crossed for both Audi drivers.

Photo credit: Superstars Series

Superstars: Good qualifying for Gianni Morbidelli and Audi Sport Italia at Monza

By Tarek Ramchani

Monza is hosting the first round of the International Superstars Series  this weekend. Only two Audi RS5 quattro cars have entered the event, two cars from Audi Sport Italia. Unfortunately the #47 RS5 of Thomas Thomas Schöffler from Audi Sport MTM is not taking part in the race weekend.

Action started today with two free practice sessions and qualifying. It was a very good day for Audi Sport Italia top driver Gianni Morbidelli. The four time Superstars Series champion topped the first wet free practice session and finished eighth in the second one with the #45 Audi. His team mate Ferdinando Geri was twelfth and eighteenth with the sister #46 RS5. In the qualifying session Gianni Morbidelli ended in a very positive fourth place, with a time of 1:56.013. The Italian touring car ace was the best of the rest, behind a dominant trio of  Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG cars driven by Vitantonio Liuzzi, Thomas Biagi and Luigi Ferrara. Ferdinando Geri with the other Audi car had a harder session and was only able to take the seventeenth position.

The Audi RS5 quattro was the 2012 series champion, however its strength has never been its top speed. At a very fast track like Monza this somewhat hinders the Audi cars, but we hope that Gianni Morbidelli and his team mate will be able to fight and take maximum points in the two races tomorrow.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

Superstars: Audi Sport Italia and MTM with three Audi RS5 quattro

By Tarek Ramchani

The International Superstars Series 2013 will start at Monza this weekend . It's the tenth edition of the Italian based touring car series open for production based big V8 coupes and sedans. Audi, the 2012 series champions, will have three Audi RS 5 quattro cars.

A major change at Audi this year is the departure of the 2012 driver champion Johan Kristoffersson. The Swedish ace will drive for Petri Corse with a Porsche Panamera.

The Audi teams for this season's competition are Audi Sport Italia and Audi Sport MTM. Audi Sport Italia will field a pair of RS 5 quattros for the team's star Gianni Morbidelli and Ferdinando Geri. MTM's car will be in the hands of the returning Thomas Schoffler. Last year the RS 5 was the best of the field, forcing the series organizers to give it major handicaps with extra weight and smaller restrictors yet Audi won the title in a dramatic finale at Pergusa.

Three old B7 Audi RS 4 were announced to enter the 2013 Superstars Series but they are not on Monza's round 1 entry list. The cars are from PRS NOS Racing.

A two-day format with both free and qualifying sessions set for Saturday, while the two races will take place on Sunday.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia / MTM

Audi Sport Italia and Gianni Morbidelli back to Superstars Series

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi RS 5 quattro had a winning debut in the Superstars Series last year. Three cars were entered by three different teams. It was a great season with the championship title in the end for Johan Kristoffersson.


The first team to confirm their return in 2013 is Audi Sport Italia. A single RS 5 quattro so far for Gianni Morbidelli, an Audi regular who is returning with the team, and this time he wants to win the overall title. Gianni Morbidelli is of course a four-time Superstars Series champion, two of them with Audi Sport Italia and the Audi RS 4 quattro. Last season he won four races with double victories at both Donignton Park and Spa-Francorchamps, he finished fourth in the final points standings.

Morbidelli is very confident about the upcoming 2013 season: "Being back for a new season in SUPERSTARS is always exciting - told Morbidelli - I'm more motivated than ever in fighting back to the top. Sure it's going to be a tough season, with many fierce - and quick - competitors. My team already displayed their class. Unfortunately, several unlucky breaks prevented us from fighting for the title in the late part of 2012 but, in the end, that's racing. You win, you lose, you try to put the puzzle together. And this season, I hope to put the winning piece…". Quote from superstarsworld.com

The Superstars Series field is continuing to grow each season. Last year Audi KMS won the title in a very dramatic way, on the very last lap of the last race against Mercedes AMG. We hope that Gianni Morbidelli and Audi Sport Italia will be among the teams fighting for the title. The RS 5 quattro clearly proved to be one of the best cars in the field.

Photo credit: Superstars Series

Audi RS4 returns to Superstars

By Johan Laubscher

The Audi RS4 has always been a favourite in the Italian Superstars Series. Audi Sport Italia debuted the RS4 in the championship during 2006 and went on to win multiple titles and races. A total of four cars were built and used by Audi Sport Italia. During 2012 the now ageing RS4 race cars were replaced by the brand new Audi RS5, which went on to claim championship victory.

Since the opening round of the 2012 Superstars Series, when the MTM team used a silver RS4 as their RS5 was still being constructed, none of the RS4 cars have competed again. It was rumoured that a private team would run the cars during 2012, but this never materialised.

As the 2013 season is approaching it has been announced that Audi Sport Italia will be back with the Audi RS5, but along with this comes the news that the Audi RS4 cars will be back on track this year. A private team, PRS NOS Racing, will field three of the ex-Audi Sport Italia RS4s. The cars will be driven by Alessandro Kouzkin and Nello Nataloni, the third driver is yet to be confirmed.

The new team has already received the Audi cars and took part in the Superstars group test at Adria, using two of the cars, photos included below. It is great to see the faithful older Audi RS4 cars back on track. They are, and always will be, Audi fan favourites. 

Photo credit: Maurizio Alfredo Beretta via Audi Sport Italia 

2013 International Superstars Series calendar

By Tarek Ramchani

Audi dominated the International Superstars Series this year with the brand new Audi RS 5 quattro from Audi Sport Italia. Three cars were entered and run by three different teams. In the end, Johan Kristoffersson was crowned the series champion at the season finale held at Pergusa with his KMS run machine.

The series saw very impressive growth during the last couple of years with some great names and brands joining, many with factory supported efforts. Now the series has just unveiled its 2013 calendar, with eight rounds planned. While strongly being an Italian based touring car championship, the series will visit no less than five European countries. The season will kick off, as usual, at Monza. The finale is yet to be announced and will be at an Italian circuit. For 2013 the International Superstars will be joined by its sister GT Sprint Championship, wherein the Audi R8 LMS ultra did very well with Audi Sport Italia during the final round.

Audi Sport Italia, the team behind the RS 5 quattro project, will be back to defend the 2012 crown. At the moment there are no official announcements regarding the drivers and teams.

2013 International Superstars Series calendar

 

Photo credit and more information: International Superstars Series

Audi Sport Italia's R8 LMS ultra wins GT3 Class at Vallelunga 6 Hours

Audi Sport Italia Press Release

Audi Sport Italia's R8 LMS ultra ends up Vallelunga 6 Hours on top of GT3 class

Alex Frassineti, Andrea Sonvico and Filippo Francioni seal brilliant 4th outright and nip BMW Italia's Z4 after nice fight with WRT R8

Emilio Radaelli has a hefty roll of honour at Vallelunga 6 Hours, but funny enough in the past had only posted wins at Touring Cars' Silver Cup. Today Audi Sport Italia celebrated its debut Gold Cup posting a clear success courtesy of regular drivers Alex Frassineti, Andrea Sonvico who were joined at Rome by Filippo Francioni. Frassineti on Saturday posted a nice 4th quickest lap, fastest among GT3 behind a host of Ferraris in the hands of the like of Gimmi Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella. In the early part of the enduro Frassineti earlier and then Sonvico duelled with WRT Audi driver Eduard Sundstrom, managing to swap first place with the Swede a couple of times. The two Audi fighting each other even snapped Ferrari's domination in the outright Top3, a lap or so behind Esta Motorsport Ferrari 458 which wound up as finale winner.

But then AF Corse 458s rallied and the all-Audi duel focused on GT3 bragging rights. Jinx struck the Belgian entry around mid-race when Weerts' car was beached in the sand trap at Semaforo corner dropping out of contention for the lead as Francioni was putting in a smart stint, before leaving the seat back to home-boy Frassineti. The latter did a brilliant job of increasing the edge on the closest foe, Matteo Bobbi's Ferrari 458, and when the time approached to leave Sonvico put in the final shift at the office, N°29 Audi  had nearly a lap over Bobbi. The 6 Hours was none the less set to be a nail-biter till the end, as a safety-car spell, on the eve of the beginning of the final hour, rushed in Frassineti for an early pit-stop. Sonvico resumed the race but as he was warming up the tyres radioed in his engineer that his Audi had a puncture on a rear tyre. Therefore an apparently quiet and sleepy final hour turned out to be a complicated issue, as Mulacchiè, who had taken over Bobbi's Ferrari, was sitting on an over 30-second cushion. Mulacchiè, lacking hte experience and poise of Sonvico, did not rise to the occasion, and after relinquishing the GT3 lead to Sonvico also let go by Edoardo Liberati's BMW. Sonvico picked up a nice 4th overall spot, and edging BMW Italia's Z4 at the checker had a sweet taste for Sonvico and Frassineti, who unlike Francioni had been fighting the whole Italian season ceding the crown to the BMW rivals at the very last round.

XXII^ 6 ORE DI ROMA
Vallelunga (I), 25 novembre  2012

1. A. Skryabin/A. Balzan/A. Pierguidi (Ferrari) 213 giri in 6:00'06"639 media oraria 144.972 Km/h

2. J Gerber/M.Cioci/G. Fisichella (Ferrari) + 1 giro

3. K. Aluko/T. Kemenater/M. Mediani (Ferrari) + 2 giri

4. F.FRANCIONI/A.FRASSINETI/A.SONVICO (AUDI R8 LMS ULTRA) + 4 giri
5. S. Colombo/M. Cerruti/E. Liberati (BMW) + 5 giri

../..

9. J.L. BLANCHEMAIN/V. VOSSE/R. BERVILLE (AUDI R8 LMS ULTRA) + 6 giri

../..

21. E. SANDSTROM/Y WEERTS/F. VERBIST (AUDI R8 LMS ULTRA) + 49 giri

Positive qualifying session for Audi teams in Rome

By Tarek Ramchani

The 6 Hours of Rome is set for tomorrow at the Vallelunga race track. Three Audi R8 LMS ultras have been entered in the Italian endurance race from Audi Sport Italia and Belgian Audi Club WRT.

Audi Sport Italia has already had a very positive free practice session this morning. The official Italian Audi dealer team was able to do well again in the qualifying session. The #29 Audi R8 LMS ultra shared by Andrea Sonvico, Alex Frassineti and Filippo Francioni ended in fourth place overall with a time of 1'33.355. Most importantly they were the best GT3 car and less than a second behind the semi-works AF Corse Ferrari 458 GTE cars.

The best of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT cars finished in seventh place overall, the #21 R8 of Edward Sandström and Yves Weerts. Not bad for the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series champion’s first attempt at Vallelunga. The sister #22 Audi of Vincent Vosse and Jean Luc Blanchemain ended in twelfth place outright.

The race will start at 9:30 local time tomorrow. We wish the best of luck for both Audi teams. Live timing will be available here

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia

More information:
Gruppo Peroni Race website
Vallelunga Circuit website
Audi Sport Italia on Facebook

2013 Italian GT Championship calendar

By Tarek Ramchani

The Italian GT Championship is one of the strongest National GT series in Europe. Multiple brands are represented including Audi, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren. Audi Sport Italia has been racing in the series since 2009 with the Audi R8 LMS. The team is one of the strongest in Italy and one of the oldest running with Audi. After winning the 2011 title with Marco Bonanomi, the team faced extreme bad luck this year. Andrea Sonvico with the #31 Audi R8 LMS ultra finished runner-up to the BMW champions by just 1 point.

Now the 2013 calendar has been released and just like in 2012 seven rounds are planned. Misano will host the season opener. Then visits to Imola, the Red Bull Ring in Austria and Mugello. The series will have a two month summer break, before resuming in September for the fifth round, the track is yet to be known. Vallelunga will be round six and Monza will be the finale.

No official news yet about Audi Sport Italia’s plans for 2013. Still the team is expected to comeback with their pair of Audi R8 LMS ultra cars and we hope with Audi veteran and superstar Dindo Capello.

2013 Italian GT Championship calendar:
Round 1: Misano - 05/05/2013
Round 2: Imola - 26/05/2013
Round 3: Red Bull Ring - 16/06/2013
Round 4: Mugello - 07/07/2013
Round 5: TBA - 01/09/2013
Round 6: Vallelunga - 15/09/2013
Round 7: Monza - 20/10/2013

Photo credit: Italian GT Championship

More information:
Italian GT Championship website

Video: Closer look at the Audi R8 LMS ultra

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi R8 LMS ultra debuted this season and immediately it was very successful. The 2012 spec R16 was able to give Audi many prestigious titles and race victories worldwide.

Here is a closer look at the winning Audi machine at the Pergusa circuit, Italy. Audi Sport Italia, a regular team in the Italian GT Championship, made a single appearance in the Superstars GTSprint. A very positive event as the team was able to win race 1 and had a strong third in race 2 with drivers Davide Di Benedetto and Michele Merendino.

More information:
Audi Sport Italia website
Audi Sport Italia on Facebook
Audi R8 LMS on Facebook