The drivers of the Audi R8 sports cars, who are entered by different importer teams this year, settled on their first three positions in the first hour of the 1000 kilometre race. Fighting against the competitors who had shown a strong performance during qualifying and the advantages of the Audi FSI engine paid off: Due to the lower fuel consumption the R8 sports cars were able to stay out on the track longer and saved worthful time in the pits.
The internal fight of the Audi drivers delivered tension and excitement during the race which was also broadcasted live in Great Britain and France. During the first hours of racing it was Jamie Davies and Allan McNish who fought for the lead for several laps. In the second half former Formula 1-driver Johnny Herbert and Pierre Kaffer enjoyed a thrilling but fair duel. Rain, which set the track under water only 30 minutes before the finish mixed the field once more and so brought additional tension to the Monza race.

The Monza result
1 Davies/Herbert (Audi R8) 173 laps
2 Kaffer/McNish (Audi R8) + 0.663s
3 Ara/Capello/Kristensen (Audi R8) 1 lap behind
4 Ayari/Collard (C60-Judd) 4 laps behind
5 Barbosa/Barff/Short (Dallara-Judd) 5 laps behind
6 Brabham/Johansson/Wallace (Zytek) 8 laps behind
7 Erdos/Newton/Ramos (MG Lola) 12 laps behind
8 Lupberger/Stirling (Nasamax) 15 laps behind
9 Bouchut/Lamy/Zacchia (Ferrari) 19 laps behind
10 Biaggi/Bosch/Sullivan (Ferrari) 22 laps behind

Quotes after the race at Monza

Seiji Ara (Audi Sport Team Goh Audi R8 #5): “I was trying to catch the UK car the whole time. But our R8 was a little bit difficult to control so I couldn’t push as hard as I would have liked to. For now third place is okay. But next time we will definitely improve and get better.”
Rinaldo Capello (Audi Sport Team Goh Audi R8 #5): “Of course three Audi on the podium is a dream result and the best you can achieve. But I would have liked to be much closer to the two companion R8 cars. We are going to work on that and give them a good fight next time.”
Tom Kristensen (Audi Sport Team Goh Audi R8 #5): “We did the 1000 kilometres without any problems – concerning Le Mans, this is the most important thing. We are definitely missing some speed so there is still a lot of work to do. At the end of the race we gambled a little bit when we put on rain tyres very early. But unfortunately the heavy rain came a little to late.”
Kazumichi Goh (Head of Audi Sport Japan Team Goh): “The Monza race was our dress rehearsal for Le Mans so our target was to get prepared as best as possible. Our three drivers are working together perfectly but we have to sort out some other things before June. Like here at Monza, the competition in Le Mans will be very tough. We were well prepared for the rain, because when Seiji Ara hits a race track for the first time, it always rains. And he never drove before at Monza…”
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “I’m very happy with this result. Our drivers have delivered a great fight and a good show until the very last lap. At the beginning our competitors also showed a strong perfomance. But then our teamwork, seven drivers without a single mistake and the reliability of our Audi R8 paid off and led us to this triple victory.”