Patel, Campanico finish among points

India's Aditya Patel and his Audi teammate Cesar Campanico finished among points despite a 20-second penalty in the first round of the International GT Open Series here at the weekend.

While Cesar qualified fifth for Race 1, Patel qualified sixth for Race 2 and both drivers put up a good fight to finish in the points in both races.

Campanico started Race 1 and handed over the car to Patel while running fifth. However, a decision to change tyres during the pit stop worked against Patel and he lost a further three places on the opening lap, bringing the car home in eighth place.

Race 2, however, was a different story. This time, it was Patel who started in sixth and continued to hold his position till the pit stops. Campanico then took over and moved up to third and began to fight for the lead.

Unfortunately, the team was given a 20-second penalty as it was found that Campanico left the pit lane ahead of the stipulated time. In the end, they finished a strong sixth.

"It wasn't an easy weekend for both of us since we haven't done any pre-season testing. Anyhow, to be able to fight for a win in Race 2 was pretty incredible. I have to hand it to team Novadriver and Cesar for being able to bring us on pace in such short time. It may not have been the best weekend but we know we can fight for wins and that will be our aim for the season," said Patel.