Preview: Can Audi keep the ball rolling in Europe?

Italy's Rinaldo Capello has a 100 percent winning record going into Donington, having won the opening race at Texas with Tom Kristensen and shared his Sebring success with Michele Alboreto and Laurent Aiello.

This weekend, Capello - who partnered ALMS champion Allan McNish last season - reverts to sharing with Denmark's Kristensen, who knows Donington well after his season in the British Touring Car Championship with Honda in 2000.

"As opposed to my team mates, I've never raced in Donington," said Capello. "So I'll have to learn the circuit really quickly, especially considering that we have very little time to practice. At least I have Tom to give me some tips."

The second Audi also contains plenty of Donington experience, as Germany's Frank Biela, who shares with Italian Emanuele Pirro, has won five races at the East Midlands venue in both the DTM and BTCC. "Circuit knowledge is a real advantage," said Biela. "But, on the other hand, we saw in Adelaide that the top pilots can adapt quickly to any track."

Perhaps the silver Audis' strongest opposition will come from within its own ranks, as the Gulf-sponsored R8 of Stefan Johansson Racing will be looking to mix it with the two works cars for top honours. Former McLaren and Ferrari F1 star Johansson will share the driving with Humberside's Guy Smith.

David Brabham and Jan Magnussen will be looking for an upturn in fortunes after a disappointing start to the season for their new Panoz, while Klaus Graf and Gualter Salles will drive the second front-engined US machine. Another car to promise much is the Ascari A410, driven by England's Ben Collins and Silverstone-based South African Werner Lupberger, which looked strong in the opening round of the FIA Sportscar Championship last weekend at Barcelona.

Four time Le Mans winner Henri Pescarolo is entering his Courage-Peugeot C60
with a strong driving line up of Jean-Christophe Boullion, Laurent Redon and Sebastien Bourdais.

Thirty entries will contest the two and three quarter hour race, and among them is the new Chrysler Prototype run by ORECA, which is using the race as a shakedown event prior to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Triple Le Mans winner Yannick Dalmas and Olivier Beretta will drive the new six-litre V8 machine.

Former British F3 champion Oliver Gavin will hope to make a winning return to racing on British soil in the GTS class in the Saleen S7R he will share with Franz Konrad.

In the GT category, Porsche and BMW will wage war once more. BMW has the driving strength of JJ Lehto/Jorg Muller and Fredrik Ekblom/Dirk Muller, the expertise of the crack Schnitzer team and V8 power. Porsche, however, has won everything so far, so look out for the Alex Job Racing GT3-R cars of Lucas Lohr/Sascha Maassen and Randy Pobst/Christian Menzel to set the pace.

Qualifying is on Friday, a Bank Holiday in England, with the race starting just after midday on Saturday (BST).