Rinaldo Capello
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| Rinaldo Capello | |
 |
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| Nationality |  Italian |
|---|---|
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Participating years | 1998 - 2004, 2006 |
| Teams | GTC Competition, Audi Sport Joest, Team Bentley, Audi Sport Goh |
| Best finish | 1st (2003, 2004) |
| Class wins | 2 (2003, 2004) |
Rinaldo Capello (born June 17th 1964 in Asti, Italy), also known as Dindo Capello, is an Italian endurance racing driver.
Dindo 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 Dindo'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. Nobody knew how successful this car would be, but the team ended up finishing 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 Sebring 12 Hours in 2002.
Dindo was vice-champion of the 2000 American Le Mans Series, winning 6 races. In both 2006 and 2007 Dindo finished as champion alongside Britain's Allan McNish in the Audi Sport North America run R10.
Capello crashed the Audi R10 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 teams quest for another Le Mans win.
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| 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 |
