RICHARD ANTINUCCI AND GIANLUCA GIRAUDI CLINCH FIFTH PLACE FINISH IN ROUND FOUR OF ITALIAN GRAN TURISMO

At Vallelunga the Audi R8 LMS teammates cruise to the chequered flag in 5th place

Monday, May 10, 2010

SUNDAY'S NOTES
A few hours after hoisting silverware on Vallelunga's podium in what was the first Audi R8 1-2, Richard Antinucci and team mate Gian Luca Giraudi took the start of Italian Gran Turismo Championship Round 4 on a balmy Sunday afternoon. Antinucci, who had qualified his #51 R8 LMS in P5 in the GT3 class, found himself immediately in P6 from the start, right behind Giovanni Berton's Gallardo. The Italian-American kept the pressure on the Lamborghini driver until Lap 5, when he was able to get past him with a lunge at the track's super-tight hairpin, therefore moving on to P5. The overtaking manoeuvre turned out to be the highlight of the afternoon for Antinucci and team mate Giraudi—who took over at the mandatory pit stop and nursed the car home in fifth place.

RICHARD'S TAKE
"Sadly today's race was a far cry from yesterday's. One can quickly get used to step on the podium, especially at a home circuit, which is exactly what Vallelunga is for me. I did not feel 100% at ease with the pace of the car. I had problems with this set of tyres yesterday during qualifying and unfortunately today the feeling did not improve an inch. It's good to know that Michelin will be introducing a brand-new tyre compound for the next round of the Italian GT Championship, proving that these tyres do indeed cause the odd issue. Luckily our friends Albuquerque and Bonanomi today put in a solid drive in their #53 R8 LMS and gave Audi something to cheer for. Me and team mate Gian Luca have to chin up and look forward to Magione, a venue where we're poised to do very well. At the end of the day, if I take into account that I actually got acquainted with this car on Saturday, my first GT weekend has been very good."

The Rome, Italy-born driver finished the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season as runner-up to Raphael Matos, who's then moved up to the major open-wheel series joining series Luczo Dragon team. Team 3G will be on track with Richard Antinucci driving the #98 Curb/Agajanian/Team 3G entry in the Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen on July 3-5. The Camping World IndyCar race at Watkins Glen will be broadcast live on ABC at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.