Rinaldo Capello
| Rinaldo Capello | |||||||||||
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| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||
| Born |
17 June 1964 (age 52) Asti, Italy | ||||||||||
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Rinaldo "Dindo" Capello (born 17 June 1964) is an Italian professional racing driver.
Career
Born in Asti, Capello started his racing career in 1976, driving go-karts, but didn't move into single-seaters until 1983, starting in Formula Fiat Abarth. 1990 saw Capello's first major championship victory, winning the Italian Supertourismo Championship in a Volkswagen Golf. He won the championship again in 1996, but in an Audi A4 this time.[1]
1997 saw Capello's first major endurance victory, at Vallelunga, in the Vallelunga 6 Hours, driving a Volkswagen Golf again. Capello was selected for the 2000 Le Mans race by the Audi Sport Joest team, driving the Audi R8 - the team finished in third place.
Capello was on the winning team in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003 and 2004, driving a Bentley Speed 8 and an Audi R8 respectively, and has also finished on the podium on three other occasions.
Capello also won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2002 and 2012. He holds the record of most Petit Le Mans victories, having won in 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Capello was vice-champion of the 2000 American Le Mans Series, winning 6 races. In both 2006 and 2007 Capello finished as champion alongside Britain's Allan McNish in the Audi Sport North America run R10.
Capello crashed the Audi R10 TDI at the 2007 Le Mans, after losing a rear tire.[2] The Audi nr. 2 was leading the race comfortably at the time, and the crash ended the cars quest for another Le Mans win. However he returned to the race in 2008 to win again.[3]
Capello officially retired from prototype racing on 23/07/2012 after hinting that he may not return to Le Mans in 2013.[4] Audi's statement confirmed that Capello would continue to race in GT3 with the Audi R8 LMS Ultra.
Racing record
Career summary
| Series/Event | Years | Races | Wins | Podiums | Best season result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Wheel Racing | |||||
| Formula 3 Monaco Grand Prix | 1987-1988 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Italian Formula Three Championship | 1985-1990 | 49 | 1 | 5 | 4th place (1988) |
| Endurance Racing | |||||
| FIA World Endurance Championship | 2012 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5th place (2012) |
| Intercontinental Le Mans Cup | 2011 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1998-2012 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 1st overall (2003, 2004, 2008) |
| 12 Hours of Sebring | 1999-2012 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 1st overall (2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2012) |
| Le Mans Endurance Series | 2004-2011 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 3rd place (2010) |
| American Le Mans Series | 1999-2011 | 66 | 36 | 55 | LMP1 Champion (2006, 2007) |
| GT | |||||
| Porsche Supercup | 1993-2003 | 2+ | 0 | 1 | - |
| Italian GT Championship | 2009-2015 | 84 | 6 | 28 | 3rd place (2010) |
| Porsche Carrera Cup Germany | 1992 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12th (1992) |
| Touring Cars | |||||
| World Touring Car Championship | 1995 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11th place (1995) |
| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | 2004-2005 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 20th place (2005) |
| Super Tourenwagen Cup | 1994-1995 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 7th place (1994) |
| Superstars Championship Italy | 2006-2007 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11th place (2007) |
| Italian Superturismo Championship | 1991-1998 | 110 | 14 | 50 | 1st place (1996) |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results
Complete DTM results
(key)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Audi Sport Team Joest | Audi A4 DTM 2004 | HOC | EST | ADR | LAU | NOR | SHA1 5 |
NÜR | OSC | ZAN | BRN | HOC | NC | 0 |
| 2005 | Audi Sport Team Joest | Audi A4 DTM 2004 | HOC Ret |
LAU 11 |
SPA 13 |
BRN 10 |
OSC 10 |
NOR Ret |
NÜR 19 |
ZAN Ret |
LAU 11 |
IST Ret |
HOC 16 |
20th | 0 |
1 - A non-championship one-off race was held in 2004 at the streets of Shanghai, China.
References
- ↑ Capello's official website
- ↑ H17: Capello crashes, Biela leads
- ↑ "Audi edges Peugeot in classic Le Mans 24 Hours duel". MaximumMotorsport.co.uk. 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ↑ "Dindo Hangs Up Helmet">"Dindo Hangs Up Helmet". Racing-Report.com. 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Emanuele Pirro |
Italian Touring Car Champion 1996 |
Succeeded by Emanuele Naspetti |
| Preceded by Frank Biela Tom Kristensen Emanuele Pirro |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2003 with: Tom Kristensen Guy Smith |
Succeeded by Seiji Ara Tom Kristensen Rinaldo Capello |
| Preceded by Tom Kristensen Rinaldo Capello Guy Smith |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2004 with: Seiji Ara Tom Kristensen |
Succeeded by J.J. Lehto Marco Werner Tom Kristensen |
| Preceded by Frank Biela Emanuele Pirro |
American Le Mans Series champion 2006-2007 with Allan McNish |
Succeeded by Lucas Luhr Marco Werner |
| Preceded by Frank Biela Emanuele Pirro Marco Werner |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2008 with: Allan McNish Tom Kristensen |
Succeeded by David Brabham Marc Gené Alexander Wurz |