06.30.2002
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 With a 1-2 victory in round three of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Mid-Ohio, Audi revenged last year´s defeat by Panoz. But also this time, it proved that it is not enough to have the fastest car on the winding track in the heart of Ohio. Both Infineon Audi R8 sportscars of Team Audi Sport North America were a second per lap faster than the Panoz cars. Heavy traffic and a total of five caution periods always voided the advantage the Audi drivers had gained.
Kristensen-Ullrich-Capello Dramatic final stages of the race were the consequence which even saw eventual race winners Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro drop behind the fastest Panoz. At the same time, the crew of the companion Infineon Audi R8 choose a couragous strategy by not bringing in their car for the second scheduled fuel stop. For the suprise of the competitors, Tom Kristensen was able to complete 62 laps in a row thanks to the economical fuel consumption of the FSI engine in the rear of his Audi without refuelling. The fuel gamble nearly paid off, but shortly before the end of the 2:45 hour race, the stock of fuel in the tank of his R8 was almost drawn to an end. About 300 metres before the finish, Kristensen dropped behind Pirro, who had meanwhile repassed Jan Magnussen in the Panoz and made it over the finish line with the last drops of fuel in second place in front of the two Panoz cars.

Johnny Herbert and Stefan Johansson with the 2001-spec R8 of Audi customer team Champion were unlucky: The duo were temporarily second between the two “works” Audi cars. Just before half distance, however, Johnny Herbert was touched by a lapped GT car and ended up in the gravel. This incident and the following repairs of a damaged rear suspension made him lose nine laps and the lead in the overall classification of the ALMS to Tom Kristensen.

Rinaldo Capello: “In the beginning, it was very hard for me in the traffic. I had some little problems because the rear diffusor was damaged at the start. But the car was still very good. We were hoping to take the victory until the very last meters, but a race is over only when you see the chequered flag. Unfortunately, Mid-Ohio was unlucky for us again, but we are already looking forward to next Sunday´s race at Road America.”

Dindo Capello