Sharing driving duties with team owner and driver Onofrio Triarsi, the Italian driver finished seventh in the GTD class.

However, the result was affected by a difficult start, influenced by contact involving his teammate, who had managed to qualify in third place, just over a tenth off the front row.

“Triarsi did very well in qualifying, setting the third fastest time,” Agostini explained. “Unfortunately, at the start he lost several positions due to contact, and by the end of the first lap we were already down to eleventh. From then on, we began a recovery, and during my two-hour stint I managed to climb back up to seventh. Unfortunately, without any safety car to bunch the field back up, I couldn’t do more.”

The Californian round took place just one week after Agostini’s victory at Paul Ricard in the second round of the European Le Mans Series, and comes ahead of his most important commitment of the season, his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 11–14), again at the wheel of a Ferrari 296 GT3, this time with the Richard Mille AF Corse team. He will share driving duties with Brazilian Custodio Toledo and French driver Lilou Wadoux, with whom he is contesting the ELMS this year.

With 10 points less than the BMW pairing Stefano Comandini and Marius Zug, 20 still to be assigned and a zero to discard, Riccardo Agostini is eyeing the top spot sharing driving duties in an Audi Sport Italia R8 LMS car with Mattia Drudi and Daniel Mancinelli.

Agostini, Drudi and Mancinelli already claimed a victory in the Mugello opener, followed by two tough weekends at Imola and Vallelunga, when a mechanical issue prevented the Padova-based racing driver from finishing the race.

At Monza the Audi crew will not have any time-penalty, whilst balance of performance didn’t change. On same track Agostini and Drudi scored two podium finishes in the Sprint series last month as they secured a second and third position.

One-hour free practices will kick off the weekend on Friday at 10:15 and 13:10. One more free practice session is scheduled on Saturday at 8:30 followed by qualifying at 14:45. The 3-hour race will start on Sunday at 13:20 live streamed at www.acisport.it/CIGT and socials.

The Italian racer is set for the first out of four rounds of the Endurance Championship scheduled for this coming weekend, 18/19 July, making his debut at the wheel of an Audi Sport Italia-run R8 LMS GT3 car.

Agostini will share the duties with factory driver Mattia Drudi and Daniel Mancinelli, completing one of the strongest squad of the field.

“I trust my new team. Everyone has a huge experience. So I have big expectations for the season ahead“, Agostini commented.

With the Audi this year Agostini wil take part also in the Sprint series, aiming to defend his leadership.

The 26-year-old racer is determined to show well immediately. The two one-hour free practices will kick off the weekend on Friday, with the green flag at 11,35 and 16,25. Another free practice session is scheduled for Saturday from 9 to 9,50. Qualifying will commence at 12.50. The sum of the best times of each driver will define the grid. The three hour race will start on Sunday at 14.40, with live coverage at http://www.acisport.it/it/CIGT/home and at the official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CIGranTurismo.

His team mate Rik Breukers clinched the second row in the Saturday’s qualifying for team Imperiale Racing in his Lamborghini Huracán GT3. Dutchman had a difficult start in race one as he was involved in an eary contact consequently spinning and moving to the back of the field, like happened in the previous Portuguese round. Eventually Agostini paid a five-second penalty due to another contact and finished 11th and sixth in the PRO class.

In Sunday morning qualifying two, the Italian racer set the 11th time, complaining a poor speed. Agostini started from the sixth row of the grid, whilst Breukers finished 16th after a rear left puncture.

For sure the French round was disappointing as well as the place Agostini and Breukers now take in the overall standings.

All is “postponed” to the third leg of the Championship in Spa-Francorchamps, over the weekend of 9th, 10th June.

The Italian racing driver paring with Trent Hindman swept all, claiming a flag to flag triumph in Saturday’s race one – after his team mate set the quickest time in Q1 – and heading a sensational Prestige Performance by Lamborghini Paramus/Wayne Taylor Racing one-two.

Starting in race two from the first row of the grid, they did it again taking the PRO class lead wit a six-point margin over the second.

“After scoring the second time in the qualifying using a set of old tires, I had a difficult start due to the tire pressure and moved fourth.” – explained Agostini – “After a few laps, the car was Ok and I recovered second.”

The Italian driver, who race with the support of Anima Management and Venice Investment Group Ltd, pushed hard and after the mandatory pit stop Hindmain rejoined the track on P1 increasing his advantage to 9.077 seconds over his closest rival and championship runner-up Richard Antinucci.

“I am really, really happy about this weekend. We have the championship lead now and hopefully for the next race we are fighting for the victory” – added Agostini.

The Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America will be back in action at VIRginia International Raceway later this month, August 25-27.

Despite their time penalty due to the victory and the third place claimed in the previous races at Misano, the Antonelli Motorsport pair was once more time one of the frontrunners of the series

“The balance of the weekend is of one sixth and one fourth position, the let us to continue the positive series we inaugurated at Imola with P5 and P4 and to maintain a good position in the standings too” – Agostini commented.

At the start of Race 2 Agostini, who started from the second row of the grid, took the third position behind the Stefano Pezzucchi’s Mercedes till the mandatory pit-stop, when he left the wheel of the Lamborghini to Zampieri.

With the 5-second time penalty, the Rome-based driver rejoined the field in fourth. Then Pezzucchi made a mistake at the first chicane and Zampieri tried to overtake him. Eventually their cars had a slight contact and the Jaime Melo’s Ferrari passed both of them. As a result of that Zampieri finished fourth.

The next round of the series will take place at the Mugello track after one-month break, on 15th/16th July.

The Italian racer is looking to continue his brilliant progress in the series, after leading the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 to the first victory of the season only two weeks ago at the Misano circuit, pairing with Daniel Zampieri.

The Antonelli Motorsport duo claimed a podium finish in race two and scored important points to take the third position in the Super GT3 PRO standings, just 10 points behind the lead.

Despite the time penalty of 20 seconds, Agostini and Zampieri are confident of a strong showing. In the first round at Imola they finished fifth and fourth. That means they always put their car in the top 5 till now.

The two free practice sessions get underway on Friday. Q1 and Q2 are scheduled on Saturday morning, followed by the first of two 48-minute plus one lap races that starts at 3.05pm. Race two is scheduled the day after at 2.25pm. Both races will be streamed live at www.acisportitalia.it.

After taking the first victory of the season in the series for the Lamborghini Huracán GT3, pairing with his team mate Daniel Zampieri, the Antonelli Motorsport driver claimed another podium in Sunday’s race two as he finished third.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Agostini maintained the fourth place, then leading the Matteo Malucelli’s Ferrari to make a mistake. Taking the third place, Agostini took advantage of a Stefano Gai’s car issue to move up second, before leaving the wheel to Zampieri during the mandatory pit stop. The 15-second extra time, as consequence of the previous victory in the Saturday’s race, demoted the Roma-based driver to the final third position.

With this result the Antonelli Motorsport duo scored more points, adding to those of Imola when they finished fifth and fourth, and let Agostini and Zampieri to move up third in the Super GT3 Pro standings, only ten points behind the lead.

The next Italian GT round will take place in less then two weeks, on 17-18 June at the Monza circuit.

2017 main goal for Agostini is to bring home the Super GT3 PRO crown as well as the third title of his career, following the Italian Formula 3 success in 2012 and the Carrera Cup Italia win three years later, claimed at his very first season in a cover wheels series with team Antonelli Motorsport, the same squad with which in 2016 he made his debut in the Italian GT driving a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 car.

The Lamborghini Squadra Corse GT3 Junior Program’s racer has confirmed for this year the same team and car. Agostini will team up with experienced Daniel Zampieri. Both the drivers completed some test days during the last winter.

The Italian GT calendar will consist of seven double rounds, with two-50 minute races per weekend and the mandatory pit stop. The championship kicks off at Imola (30th April). The other rounds are at Misano (4th June), Monza (18th June), Mugello (16th July), Imola again (10th September), Vallelunga (24th September) and Mugello (8th October). All the main manufacturers are awaited. Agostini will officialize soon a second international program.

The Italian driver has 27 points less then the Super GT3 leading crew, as well as one victory claimed at the Mugello circuit last July with the Antonelli Motorsport’s Lamborghini Huracán GT3 car shared with Alberto Di Folco.

One win, a second and one third positions, six times on points in the first eight races: this is till now the seasonal balance before the Roman event. At the Vallelunga track, last year Agostini claimed the pole position and one victory in the Carrera Cup Italia championship, opening the road to the second title of his career.

At Vallelunga the 22-year-old boy will take advantage for not paying any time penalty in Race 1, searching for the second victory.

Free practice will be going on today with two 45-minute sessions. Tomorrow the two 20-minute qualifying practices will start at 8:20am, with Race 1 (48 minutes plus one lap to complete) scheduled in the early afternoon at 2:15pm. Race 2 will start on Sunday at 10:50am.