ˆ Audi R10 driver Emanuele Pirro stepping down after 15 years

tags : alms , american le mans , american le mans ser... , american le mans series , american le mans series green challenge , american lemans series , americanlemans , americanlemansser... , americanlemansseries , americanlemansseriesgreenchallenge , audi r10 , audi r10 tdi , audir10 , audir10tdi , emanuele pirro , emanuelepirro

After 15 years of hustling factory Audi race cars around tracks the world over, Emanuele Pirro will have his last run in the R10 TDI this weekend at the American Le Mans Series' final race at Laguna Seca. The Italian driver first hooked up with Audi in 1994 running in the Italian and German Touring Car Championships where he won titles three years in a row. Later he moved over into sports cars where he has spent the last decade driving the R8 and R10 TDI. Over that span, he and his teammates have conquered the 24 hours of Le Mans five times including the first victory by a diesel-powered car in the 2006 R10. Pirro's most recent victory came just two weeks ago at the Petit Le Mans where he teamed with Alan McNish and Dindo Capello to storm back from two laps down to defeat the Peugeot 908 HDi. Pirro is also an avid pilot, so he'll probably be getting more of his thrills in the air now. It's not known if Pirro is retiring completely from competition or just leaving his team, but he will continue to be a brand ambassador for Audi, a task at which he should excel. Having met the man on several occasions, I can say first hand that he is very warm, friendly and personable and almost always has a big smile on his face.

posted : 10/18/2008 @7:28:37 PM

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