Rinaldo "Dindo" Capello (born 17 June 1964) is an Italian professional racing driver. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bentley in 2003 and Audi in 2004 and 2008. Capello is a two-time American Le Mans Series champion, a five-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner, and the record holder for most wins at Petit Le Mans, having won five times. Capello has also raced in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the FIA World Endurance Championship, DTM and the Italian GT Championship.

Rinaldo Capello
NationalityItaly Italian
Born17 June 1964 (1964-06-17) (age 59)
Asti, Italy
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1998–2004, 2006–2012
TeamsGTC Competition, Audi Sport Joest, Team Bentley, Audi Sport Goh
Best finish1st (2003, 2004, 2008)
Class wins3 (2003, 2004, 2008)

Career edit

 
Capello driving the Audi R10 TDI at the 2008 1000 km of Silverstone

Born in Asti, Capello started his racing career in 1976, driving go-karts, but did not move into single-seaters until 1983, starting in Formula Fiat Abarth. 1990 saw Capello's first major championship victory, winning the Italian Superturismo 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 one of Audi's six drivers for its first race under Team Joest, the 1999 12 Hours of Sebring. Alongside compatriot Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson, they took the first podium for Audi in endurance racing, finishing 3rd in the Audi R8R. Returning to the track in 2000, Capello took 2nd overall, beaten only by the sister Audi R8. Capello would go on to win the race the following two years, in 2001 and 2002. Capello would return a further seven times, both with Bentley and Audi, taking four overall podiums and three wins, in 2006, 2009 and 2012. Capello currently sits second all-time in overall wins at Sebring, with five outright victories. Alongside Tom Kristensen, he is the only Audi driver to have won the race in all four generations of Audi sports prototypes. The R8, R10, R15 and R18.

Due to a shift in focus for Team Joest, Capello drove for Team Bentley in 2003. Alongside long-time teammate Kristensen and Englishman Guy Smith, they won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, giving Bentley a first victory at the French circuit in 73 years.

With the end of the Bentley project, Capello returned to Audi and more specifically to Team Goh for the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans. Alongside Japanese driver Seiji Ara and Tom Kristensen, Capello would once again stand atop the podium as the trio beat the fellow R8's of UK Team Veloqx and Champion Racing, marking the third time in five years that Audi had finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans.

Capello would not return to Le Mans until 2006, where he finished 3rd overall in the new R10 TDI. In 2007, the trio led the race for an extended period, but an issue with the left rear wheel in the 17th hour of the race saw Capello lose control on the run down to Indianapolis, and he hit the barriers, ending their race.

2008 saw Audi return to the French classic as underdogs, due to increased competition from natives Peugeot. Heading into the race, the fastest Audi in qualifying was over five seconds slower than the pole-setting Peugeot. The first half of the race was dominated by the Peugeot trio, with the 'Lion' consistently lapping over three seconds faster than the Audi's. However, a drastic change in weather conditions and the onset of rain in the second half of the race swung the momentum in favour of Audi, and a clever pit stop/tire strategy for Audi meant the no.2 R10 would go on to take a famous victory for the German manufacturer, and a third and final win for Capello. The 2008 race is documented in the film Truth in 24.

Capello also won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2002 and 2012. He holds the record of most Petit Le Mans victories, with five in total, having won in 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008, all of these victories coming for the Audi Sport North America and Team Joest squads.

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 officially retired from prototype racing in 2012, while leading the FIA World Endurance Championship after hinting that he may not return to Le Mans in 2013.[2] Audi's statement confirmed that Capello would continue to race in GT3 with the Audi R8 LMS Ultra.

Racing record edit

Career summary edit

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 -
GT World Challenge Asia 2022 N/A N/A N/A -
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)
Sources:[3][4][5]

Complete Italian Superturismo Championship results edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Pts
1992 Bora Racing Team Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo Evolution S1 MNZ
1
MNZ
2
MAG
1
MAG
2
MUG
1

Ret
MUG
2

10
BIN
1
BIN
2
VAL
1
VAL
2
IMO
1
IMO
2
MIS
1
MIS
2
PER
1
PER
2
VAR
1
VAR
2
MNZ
1
MNZ
2
30th 1
1993 Audi Sport Europa Volkswagen Vento MNZ
1

Ret
MNZ
2

Ret
VAL
1

15
VAL
2

Ret
MIS
1
MIS
2
MAG
1

14
MAG
2

Ret
BIN
1

11
BIN
2

Ret
IMO
1

17
IMO
2

Ret
VAR
1

Ret
VAR
2

14
MIS
1

14
MIS
2

13
PER
1

12
PER
2

Ret
MUG
1

DNS
MUG
2

DNS
NC 0
1994 Audi Sport Italia Audi 80 Quattro MNZ
1

3
MNZ
2

3
VAL
1

Ret
VAL
2

2
MAG
1

2
MAG
2

DNS
BIN
1

Ret
BIN
2

Ret
MIS
1

9
MIS
2

15
VAL
1

3
VAL
2

3
MUG
1

8
MUG
2

5
PER
1

7
PER
2

3
VAR
1

3
VAR
2

Ret
MUG
1

3
MUG
2

1
5th 141
1995 Audi Sport Italia Audi A4 Quattro MIS
1

3
MIS
2

2
BIN
1

2
BIN
2

2
MNZ
1

4
MNZ
2

3
IMO
1

2
IMO
2

2
MAG
1

2
MAG
2

1
MUG
1

Ret
MUG
2

6
MIS
1

2
MIS
2

3
PER
1

3
PER
2

5
VAR
1

1
VAR
2

3
VAL
1

4
VAL
2

1
2nd 253
1996 Audi Sport Italia Audi A4 Quattro MUG
1

5
MUG
2

4
MAG
1

1
MAG
2

1
MNZ
1

1
MNZ
2

1
BIN
1

1
BIN
2

1
MIS
1

3
MIS
2

4
IMO
1

1
IMO
2

2
PER
1

DSQ
PER
2

3
PER
1

4
PER
2

4
VAR
1

3
VAR
2

3
VAL
1

2
VAL
2

3
1st 250
1997 Audi Sport Italia Audi A4 Quattro MNZ
1

2
MNZ
2

12
MUG
1

Ret
MUG
2

12
MAG
1

5
MAG
2

3
IMO
1

4
IMO
2

2
IMO
1

4
IMO
2

3
BIN
1

2
BIN
2

1
PER
1

5
PER
2

8
VAR
1

1
VAR
2

1
MIS
1

6
MIS
2

Ret
VAL
1

6
VAL
2

4
3rd 190
1998 Audi Sport Italia Audi A4 BIN
1

6
BIN
2

4
IMO
1

6
IMO
2

5
MNZ
1

2
MNZ
2

3
VAR
1

6
VAR
2

5
VAL
1

5
VAL
2

2
MAG
1

Ret
MAG
2

4
PER
1

5
PER
2

4
MIS
1

7
MIS
2

Ret
MNZ
1

6
MNZ
2

Ret
VAL
1

4
VAL
2

Ret
5th 215
Source:[3]

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results edit

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1998   Gulf Team Davidoff
  GTC Competition
  Thomas Bscher
  Emanuele Pirro
McLaren F1 GTR GT1 228 DNF DNF
1999   Audi Sport Team Joest   Michele Alboreto
  Laurent Aïello
Audi R8R LMP 346 4th 3rd
2000   Audi Sport Team Joest   Christian Abt
  Michele Alboreto
Audi R8 LMP900 365 3rd 3rd
2001   Audi Sport North America   Laurent Aïello
  Christian Pescatori
Audi R8 LMP900 320 2nd 2nd
2002   Audi Sport North America   Johnny Herbert
  Christian Pescatori
Audi R8 LMP900 374 2nd 2nd
2003   Team Bentley   Tom Kristensen
  Guy Smith
Bentley Speed 8 LMGTP 377 1st 1st
2004   Audi Sport Japan Team Goh   Seiji Ara
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R8 LMP1 379 1st 1st
2006   Audi Sport Team Joest   Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R10 TDI LMP1 367 3rd 3rd
2007   Audi Sport North America   Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R10 TDI LMP1 262 DNF DNF
2008   Audi Sport North America   Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R10 TDI LMP1 381 1st 1st
2009   Audi Sport Team Joest   Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R15 TDI LMP1 376 3rd 3rd
2010   Audi Sport Team Joest   Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R15 TDI plus LMP1 394 3rd 3rd
2011   Audi Sport North America   Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R18 TDI LMP1 14 DNF DNF
2012   Audi Sport Team Joest   Allan McNish
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 377 2nd 2nd
Sources:[4][6]

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results edit

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1999   Audi Sport Team Joest   Michele Alboreto
  Stefan Johansson
Audi R8R LMP 310 3rd 3rd
2000   Audi Sport North America   Michele Alboreto
  Allan McNish
Audi R8 LMP 360 2nd 2nd
2001   Audi Sport North America   Michele Alboreto
  Laurent Aïello
Audi R8 LMP900 370 1st 1st
2002   Audi Sport North America   Johnny Herbert
  Christian Pescatori
Audi R8 LMP900 346 1st 1st
2003   Team Bentley   Tom Kristensen
  Guy Smith
Bentley Speed 8 LMGTP 362 4th 2nd
2006   Audi Sport North America   Allan McNish
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R10 TDI LMP1 349 1st 1st
2007   Audi Sport North America   Allan McNish
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R10 TDI LMP1 353 4th 2nd
2008   Audi Sport North America   Allan McNish
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R10 TDI LMP1 351 3rd 1st
2009   Audi Sport Team Joest   Allan McNish
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R15 TDI LMP1 383 1st 1st
2011   Audi Sport Team Joest   Allan McNish
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R15 TDI plus LMP1 327 4th 4th
2012   Audi Sport Team Joest   Allan McNish
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R18 TDI LMP1 325 1st 1st
Source:[7]

Complete Petit Le Mans results edit

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2000   Audi Sport North America
  Michele Alboreto
  Allan McNish
Audi R8 LMP 394 1st 1st
2001   Audi Sport North America
  Tom Kristensen Audi R8 LMP 26 DNF DNF
2002   Audi Sport North America
  Tom Kristensen
Audi R8 LMP 394 1st 1st
2006   Audi Sport North America
  Allan McNish Audi R10 TDI LMP1 394 1st 1st
2007   Audi Sport North America
  Allan McNish Audi R10 TDI LMP1 394 1st 1st
2008   Audi Sport North America
  Emanuele Pirro
  Allan McNish
Audi R10 TDI LMP1 394 1st 1st
2009   Audi Sport Team Joest
  Allan McNish Audi R15 TDI LMP1 184 3rd 3rd
2010   Audi Sport Team Joest
  Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R15 TDI Plus LMP1 392 3rd 3rd
2011   Audi Sport Team Joest
  Tom Kristensen
  Allan McNish
Audi R18 TDI LMP1 302 DNF DNF
Source:[7]

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results edit

(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 SHA
51
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
Sources:[3][4]

1 - A non-championship one-off race was held in 2004 at the streets of Shanghai, China.

Complete Le Mans Series results edit

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 Rank Points
2008 Audi Sport Team Joest LMP1 Audi R10 Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
CAT
5
MON
6
SPA
4
NÜR
4
SIL
1
5th 27
2010 Audi Sport Team Joest LMP1 Audi R15 TDI plus Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V10
(Diesel)
CAS
1
SPA
3
ALG HUN SIL
3
3rd 57
2011 Audi Sport Team Joest LMP1 Audi R18 TDI Audi TDI 3.7 L Turbo V6
(Diesel)
CAS SPA
3
IMO
SIL
EST NC 0
Source:[4][7]

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results edit

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2012 Audi Sport Team Joest LMP1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro Audi TDI 3.7L Turbo V6
(Hybrid Diesel)
SEB
1
SPA
3
LMS
2
SIL SÃO BHR FUJ SHA 5th 77
Source:[4][7]

References edit

  1. ^ Capello's official website
  2. ^ "Dindo Hangs Up Helmet">"Dindo Hangs Up Helmet". Racing-Report.com. 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "Rinaldo Capello race results". TouringCars.net. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Rinaldo Capello Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Rinaldo Capello: Racedriver biography – career and success". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Dindo Capello". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "Complete Archive of Rinaldo Capello". Racing Sports Cars. pp. 2, 3, 4, 5. Retrieved 27 August 2023.

External links edit

Sporting positions
Preceded by Italian Touring Car Champion
1996
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
2003 with:
Tom Kristensen
Guy Smith
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
2004 with:
Seiji Ara
Tom Kristensen
Succeeded by
Preceded by American Le Mans Series champion
2006-2007
with Allan McNish
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
2008 with:
Allan McNish
Tom Kristensen
Succeeded by