Round 2 of the Italian GT Endurance Championship took place at Mugello Circuit, just outside Florence, in Italy. Thai racing driver Sandy Kroakaew Stuvik once again teamed up with Audi Sport Italia in their Audi R8 GT3 Evo2. The Thai driver would be paired with Luca Maria Attianese of Italy, and Antoine Bottiroli of Switzerland.
Friday’s free practice sessions consisted of setup work and track familiarization. Sandy drove at Mugello 10 years ago when he tested F3 at the circuit. The #1 Audi Sport Italia car concluded the final practice session on Saturday morning in 1st place.
The qualifying sessions took place on Saturday evening, seeing the team struggle with car balance throughout the session. Sandy’s teammates both qualified in 7th position, with the Thai driver qualifying in 6th while battling a heavy fever.
The 2 hour endurance race kicked off on Sunday afternoon, with Sandy taking the start from 7th position. The Thai driver steadily made positions during a race of attrition, seeing punctures and incidents for other cars. Sandy managed to get up to 2nd position before handing over to Antoine Bottiroli. Unfortunately, a few laps after the Swiss driver got in the car, the alternator failed and the car lost all electrical systems and was forced to retire.
“A very unlucky day for us here with the alternator failure, we were looking good for a podium finish but it was not to be. For me personally it was an extremely difficult stint due to my fever but I did the best I could and kept out of trouble while remaining consistent. We will be back stronger for Round 3 in Monza”, says Sandy.
Sandy Kraokaew Stuvik is honored to be supported by The Pizza Company, B-Quik, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Jet8 Aviation, Thai Airways, 4F, Dacon Trading, Thaiwings Travel Agency, the Sports Authority of Thailand, and the Royal Automobile Association of Thailand
