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