Audi customer team with big lead in Italy

Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)Tension rises in Italy and Eastern Europe: At the beginning of the second half of the TCR Italy season, competition at the top is intensifying: in Imola, second-placed Nicolas Taylor reduced his gap to championship leader Nicola Baldan by 22 points to just six. The Canadian and the Italian drive for different teams, but both rely on the Audi RS 3 LMS in the title fight. In the first sprint, Taylor maintained second place for PMA Motorsport as the best Audi driver despite a five-second penalty. His lead over Matteo Poloni in the Gear Works Audi was large enough that he did not lose any positions in the final classification, even after the stewards’ decision regarding cutting through a chicane. In the second race, safety cars and a race interruption dominated the proceedings. In the end, last year’s champion Nicolas Taylor celebrated his third victory of the season. Nicola Baldan followed 2.5 seconds behind, with Planet Motorsport’s Denis Babuin trailing him. Matteo Poloni completed a 1-2-3-4 victory for the Audi RS 3 LMS. Audi customers celebrated further successes in the classes: Babuin was the best Master driver in both races. Francesco Cardone from Aikoa Racing was the third-best Master driver in the first race, while Sandro Pelatti from PMA Motorsport was third in the second race. Carlo Alberto Bocca won the rookie classification for BF Motorsport on Sunday after finishing second the day before. Nicolas Taylor was the best driver under 25 years of age on Sunday and second on Saturday ahead of Pietro Alessi from BF Motorsport. The TCR Italy DSG for race cars with dual-clutch transmissions also came to Imola for its fourth round. In the first race, Gustavo Sandrucci in the Audi RS 3 LMS from Casals Motorsport was the best Audi privateer in second place ahead of his brand colleague Mattia Lancelotti from Planet Motorsport. In the second race, Lancelotti again finished third. The Master classification went to Sandrucci on both days, while on Saturday Alessandro Berton from Planet Motorsport finished third in this category in another Audi. The best rookie in both competitions was Audi private driver Giacomo Prandelli from Aikoa Racing. In the classification for young talents under 25, Lancelotti finished second and third respectively. At the halfway point of the TCR Eastern Europe season, Martin Kadlečík closed the gap to championship leader Adam Kout to just two points in his Audi. The Czech driver won the first race in difficult conditions at his home circuit in Most in his RS 3 LMS. Despite a light rain shower before the start of the formation lap, all drivers remained on slick tires. Kadlečík, driving the Aditis Racing Audi, overtook Adam Kout’s Hyundai, which had started from pole position. Over the course of 15 laps, Kadlečík built up a 7.4-second lead over Cupra driver Petr Čížek on a drying track and celebrated his second victory of the season. In the second race, Kadlečík finished second ahead of his teammate Bartosz Groszek’s Audi, who had overtaken Ivars Vallers’ Audi from the LV Racing team on the final lap. After three of six races, Groszek is third in the standings behind Kadlečík. For the second time in a row, an Audi customer team achieved a podium finish in the TCR class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. After Precision Racing LA took third place in the previous race in Canada, the RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate team finished second on the seventh race weekend. On the Road America circuit in Wisconsin, Luke Rumburg/Jaden Conwright crossed the finish line in the Audi RS 3 LMS after two hours of racing, just 3.2 seconds behind.Audi R8 LMS GT4Club racing successes in Germany and South Africa: Jürgen Hemker secured his fourth victory of the season in the fourth round of the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy in Oschersleben. The gentleman driver from the Up2Race team thus continues his streak of celebrating a class victory in every event in this amateur racing series so far. In Magdeburger Börde, the private driver in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 needed only a 0.287-second lead over an Aston Martin to win the first race. In the second race, Hemker finished second in his division. In both competitions, Michael Maniszewski from Land-Motorsport completed the podium in third place in another Audi R8 LMS GT4. The Audi private team G&H Racing returned from the fourth round of the South African Endurance Series with a trophy. Ant Blunden/Gianni Giannoccaro/Ricky Giannoccaro finished second in class B in their Audi R8 LMS GT4 after four hours of racing in Kyalami.Coming up in the next weeks08–10/08 Nürburgring (D), round 5, DTM08–10/08 Sepang (MAL), round 3, Thailand Super Series15–16/08 Nürburgring (D), round 6, Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie15–17/08 Road America (USA), round 6, GT America