Teams and Drivers Culminate Exciting Season with Rounds 11 and 12 of Competition in Preparation for the World Finals - coupé - wrong
- Sweeps in three classes at Imola: Pro, Am, and LB Cup
- Piscopo and Proto secure the Am Championship in exciting showdown in Round 12
- Hindman and Agostini win the Pro Championship in Round 11
- Series newcomer Hardwick sweeps the LB Cup category, claiming his first victory in the series
IMOLA, Bolognese (Nov. 17, 2017) - As the late season, final rounds 11 and 12 for the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America competitors kicked off this week in Imola, Italy, they were welcomed to the beautiful Italian countryside by unusually cold temperatures and of all things, snow.
Needless to say, the snowfall and inclement weather put a damper on the week's proceedings and most of the test sessions were ultimately canceled, putting competitors on the defensive as they approached the practice and qualifying sessions with little to no test time Thursday.
But as Friday dawned to showcase two 50-minute feature races merely hours apart for the 14 participating entries, the sun came out and forecast tremendous competition to end what has been a thrilling season thus far with clean racing and extremely tight championship battles.
With the LB Cup and Amateur (Am) Championships already secured leading into this weekend by JC Perez and Yuki Harata respectively, Friday's races were highlighted by the Pro-Am Championship culminating in a final-round drag race to the checkered flag which saw the duo of Edoardo Piscopo and Taylor Proto in the No. 150 entry for US RaceTronics and Lamborghini Beverly Hills claiming the Championship over their fiercest competitor, Austin Versteeg in the No. 116 entry for Change Racing and Lamborghini Carolinas. A brutal battle all season long, the three drivers have swapped the lead several times, and it was only fitting that it came down to the round of competition.
Earlier Friday morning, Round 11 saw the Pro Championship finalized, with another talented duo taking the overall prize. Trent Hindman and Riccardo Agostini secured two more hard fought Pro category race wins this week in the final two rounds and clinched the title for Prestige Performance and Lamborghini Paramus.
The series now looks forward to the World Finals which will take place Saturday, pitting competitors from all three series, Europe, Asia and North America in a final battle for the ultimate Lamborghini Super Trofeo honors. The finals consist of two 50-minute race features with the Am and LB Cup Classes sharing the track in the first round and the Pro and Pro-Am categories competing in the second. The day will wrap up with the Championship Awards program and a celebration of the 2017 season.
In Round 11 Friday morning, the green flag dropped and it was Edoardo Piscopo that set the tone for the day and took advantage of the hesitant start by front runners Riccardo Agostini and Jeroen Mul by threading through the middle of the two Pro drivers and capturing the lead before the first turn.
Not to be dissuaded by the turn of events, Agostini rebounded quickly in his No. 101 Huracán Super Trofeo entry and recaptured his lead before the start of the second lap. At that point, it was clear sailing for Agostini, but fellow Italian Piscopo, never fell completely out of Agostini's mirrors and as the pit windows opened, the gap was less than two seconds.
In looking for an advantage, and to escape the clutches of Michele Beretta, it was Mul who entered the pits first in the No. 134 entry for Change Racing and Lamborghini Carolinas. The veteran sportscar driver conducted a flawless stop and headed out ahead of his fellow Pro competitors.
But as Agostini transferred the car over to Hindman, the game was "afoot" and Hindman quickly retook the lead and never looked back, claiming their sixth win of the season and clinching the Pro Championship.
Mul settled for second position on the Pro Podium and was followed by Brandon Gdovic, who ran a smooth and steady race despite a half-second penalty issued for a pit lane infraction, moving around Taylor Proto just before the one and only caution period of the race to take third place.
In Pro-Am competition, it was Austin Versteeg who ensured that the Championship would be pushed into the final round. The young driver in the No. 116 entry for Change Racing and Lamborghini Carolinas made a brilliant pass on Taylor Proto in the renowned Tamburello Chicane with just three minutes remaining to secure the class win and fourth overall.
Proto and co-driver Piscopo were relegated to second place and fifth overall, but well in contention for the championship as Round 12 would prove.
Series newcomer Yuki Harata enjoyed a stellar season of competition in North America, and despite already clinching the championship in September at Laguna Seca, the driver of the No. 155 entry for Dream Racing Motorsport maintained his sixth place starting position throughout the entirety of the race and claimed his sixth victory of the season.
Emmanuel Anassis, in the No. 118 entry for DAC Motorsports, supported by Toro Loco by MTech and Lamborghini Palm Beach has been dogging Harata's heels all season, and Friday morning's race was no different. The series veteran took the checkered flag in second place, with Ross Chouest taking third in his No. 103 entry supported by Antonelli Motorsport and Lamborghini Dallas. Chouest had minor contact with a driver in the Asian series which set him back and foreshadowed the rest of his day.
Another series newcomer, Ryan Hardwick in the No. 102 entry for Dream Racing Motorsport and Lamborghini Atlanta claimed his first LB Cup victory of the season finishing in eighth overall and edging out Cameron Cassels who only competed in one other race this season at Laguna Seca, running in the Pro-Am category.
LB Cup Champion JC Perez finished third in category in his No. 178 entry for Antonelli Motorsport and Lamborghini Broward, but he has been pulling dual duty, sharing a car with veteran Corey Lewis in the European series running in the Pro-Am category and finishing as high as second place in category.
As the final race of the day began, it was Jeroen Mul who led the field to the final green flag of the 2017 season.
The young Dutch driver held the lead for an impressive length of time before his mirrors filled up with the black and blue No. 101 with Hindman behind the wheel. Despite having already clinched the Pro category champion, Hindman stayed on the gas and quickly maneuvered himself back into the lead, to ultimately take the Round 12 victory and giving him a double-race sweep.
The rest of the Pro podium mirrored Round 11, with Mul finishing in second and Gdovic taking third-place honors. Michele Beretta, running in the No. 110 entry he shared with sportscar racing veteran Katherine Legge took fourth place overall in their Prestige Performance entry for Lamborghini Paramus.
But it was the Pro-Am category that was shaken down, as the championship came right down to a drag race to the finish between Versteeg and the duo of Proto and Piscopo. In a nail-biting performance, Piscopo managed to hold off the hard charging Versteeg for the last eight minutes of the race to take the class win and ultimately, the championship. It is Proto's first season of competition in North America and his first category Championship.
Following in Hindman and Agostini's footsteps, Harata swept the Am competition, taking his seventh and final victory of the season. As per usual, he was joined on the podium by Anassis and Chouest once again in second and third respectively. Chouest had some trouble early in the race and was forced to pit, pushing him four laps down.
In LB Cup, the top two steps were also a repeat of Round 11 with Hardwick securing his second victory and race sweep, with Cassels following in his footsteps to secure second place.
Shaking it up however, was series newcomer Sheena Monk in the No. 111 entry for Prestige Performance and Lamborghini Paramus. In her first race with the North American season, the self-professed gear head had an issue in Round 11, taking her out of contention, but rebounded to take her first series podium finish in third place, ending her season as a potential preview for what is to come in 2018.
LB Cup Champion Perez locked up the brakes early in the race in a pass on Hardwick, which forced him off-track and into early retirement from the race.
The Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo adopts the V10 direct injection engine mounted on the road car, managed by a MoTeC control unit that delivers a maximum output of 620 horsepower. The frame is a hybrid carbon/aluminum construction with modified geometries to house an improved radiator up front and better accommodate the racing gearbox at the rear, which also provides better aerodynamics.
Lamborghini and its dealers entertain VIP guests at every Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America event in the Lamborghini Village, which features lavish hospitality and amenities.
For more information on Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, visit squadracorse.lamborghini.com, follow @LamborghiniSC on Twitter and Instagram and like the Lamborghini Squadra Corse Facebook and YouTube pages.