EuroV8 Series: Tomas Kostka wins a race for the ages as RS 5 Audis finish 1-2-3 at Vallelunga

Audi Sport Italia Press Release

• Davide Stancheris claims second place after nailbiting final laps 
• Ermanno Dionisio clinch P3 after keeping the lead until lap eight 

Campagnano di Roma – 1-2-3 finishes don't come easy in motorsports, no matter the category involved, but it's fair to say that it's going to be a tall order to find another as entertaining for fans as the one that took shape in the next-to-last lap and last lap of Vallelunga round four counting towards the 2014 EuroV8 Series. Audi Sport Italia drivers led throghout the race, with Ermanno Dionisio taking the lead on the opening lap and keeping the spot until the mid-race mark, when surging team mate Davide Stancheris went by to make it a 1-2 Audi race. However it was not all the story, as after having his gearbox replaced due to a problem in the final moments of race one, Tomas Kostka got rid of Nicola Baldan's Mercedes AMG a few minutes later and then set sail to challenge the fellow Audi drivers. Which in spite of dropping grip from the tyres the Czech managed to do a few laps later.  

By lap 14 the three RS 5s were bunched up together and all their drivers were experiencing tyre wear. They did not shelved their ambition, tho, and as Dionisio dived on the inside of Stancheris opening the door to Kostka, a three-way-- sometimes three-wide -- fight began. Without team orders from the pit wall, no punches were pulled by the red-hot drivers, who treated the Vallelunga and TV fans to a show that reminded many of the all-Mercedes battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The F1 aces didn't have the luxury of 4WD though, and especially a bout at the Semaforo corner between Kostka and Stancheris--both cars drifting sideways but safely back into the line-- the ultimate commercial for the fledging EuroV8 Series. Sadly at the end  someone had to win and two had to step on the lower podium places, and it was Kostka that managed to save the best for last nipping fellow Audi drivers Stancheris and Dionisio. For both Kostka and Stancheris this is their maiden Top3 finish, as Dionisio had brilliantly claimed two Top3 spots in the 2013 Italian Superstars finale in Franciacorta. The points claimed at Vallelunga propelled Kostka and Stancheris respectively to the runner-up and third place in the points standings, not far from race one winner Francesco Sini.

Race two: 

1. T. KOSTKA (AUDI) 16 laps
2. D. STANCHERIS (AUDI) +2.340
3. E. DIONISIO (AUDI) +2.815
4. N. Mercatali (BMW) +18.285
5. F. Ascani (BMW) +40.974
6. F. Sini (Chevrolet) +44.395
7. D. Giacon (BMW) - 1 lap

Points Standings: 

1. Sini 69 points
2. KOSTKA 63 pts.
3. STANCHERIS 54 pts.
4. Cheever 53 pts.
5. Baldan 50 pts.
6. Mercatali 47 pts.
6. Copetti 41 pts.

Photo credit: Audi Sport Italia