Super Trofeo

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe heads to Spa-Francorchamps for round 2

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe
7 May. 2024 • 14:30
Photo : Eros Maggi

Iconic Belgian venue to host one-make GT series for the 16th consecutive year

 

The 2024 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe season returns to action this weekend at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for the second round of the campaign. Featuring on the support bill of the FIA World Endurance Championship for the second successive weekend, the one-make GT series reserved for Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 machinery will once again showcase a grid of more than 50 cars over a pair of 50-minute races. The 20-turn, 7.00km track is technically demanding and one which features plenty of overtaking possibilities throughout the field. It also holds a unique place in Super Trofeo history as the only venue to have featured in every season since the inception of the European championship in 2009.

 

Söderström and Ali with a Target on their backs in expanded Pro class

 

Target Racing’s Oliver Söderström and Largim Ali lead the Pro standings with 27 points following an impressive start to the season in Italy that yielded a victory and second place. Hot on the heels of the Swedish-Danish pairing is BDR Competition’s Amaury Bonduel, four points adrift after claiming both pole positions and race two victory at Imola. Third in the standings with 18 points is Oregon Team’s rookie partnership Enzo Geraci and Leonardo Caglioni, one point ahead of Leipert Motorsport’s all-German crew of Sebastian Balthasar and Jacob Riegel.

 

Iron Lynx’s Pavel Lefterov and Stefan Bostandjiev are also in the hunt, just seven points behind in fifth, with last year’s runners-up Mattia Michelotto and Gilles Stadsbader (VS Racing) looking to bounce back from a stuttering start to the season in sixth. Alberto di Folco and Benedetto Strignano (Rexal Villorba Corse) lie seventh in the standings, tied on seven points with Target Racing’s Hampus Ericsson. Two other potential title protagonists will also be looking to kickstart their campaigns after up-and-down fortunes in Italy. ART-Line’s Egor Orudzhev will be one to watch in Belgium, as will DL Racing’s youthful pairing of Rodrigo Testa de Sousa and Riccardo Ianniello.

 

Having made its Super Trofeo debut at Imola, the Schumacher CLRT outfit are back with a pair of Pro cars. F1 Academy driver Lola Lovinfosse is joined by Jean-Baptiste Mela, with Simon Tirman is set to race alone in the #83 car. Another debutant last month, Pegasus Racing is also back in action, with Dimitri Enjalbert and Anrthony Nahra at the wheel. Two newcomers will join the Pro grid for Spa-Francorchamps: local driver Baptiste Moulin – an established GT3 racer – makes his debut for VS Racing. Meanwhile Leipert Motorsport will field a second Pro entry for Tim Stender and Nathan Herne, who will make the 28-hour trip across the globe from his native Australia where he is a double Trans-Am champion.

 

Czech duo Formánek and Rosina lead frantic chasing Pro-Am pack

 

Despite lower grid numbers than in previous years, the Pro-Am class proved as competitive as ever at Imola, with two different crews taking victories. Courtesy of a victory and second place, however, the Micánek Motorsport pairing of Bronislav Formánek and Štefan Rosina lead the way in the standings with 27 points. With 19 points the ASR pairing of Miloš Pavlović and Alessio Ruffini – who secured their first podium together in race two – lie second in the standings, two points ahead of Iron Lynx’s Joran Leneutre and Claude-Yves Gosselin. Winners of race one at Imola, Roee Meyuhas and Renaud Kuppens (Boutsen VDS) are fourth in the standings with 15 points, four points clear of Target Racing’s Calle Bergman and Guido Luchetti. Kuppens and Meyuhas may well have been closer in the standings had they not been disqualified from the race two results at Imola, following a paddock incident post-race.

 

Bailly keen to make inroads in Am class on home soil

 

History was made in the Am class at Imola, as ART-Line’s Nigel Bailly became the first quadriplegic driver to win a round of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, with victory in the opening race. Even more impressively, the Belgian finished a stunning ninth overall in the storm-affected first encounter. With victory and a second place, Oregon Team’s Pietro Perolini and Davide Roda lead the standings with 28 points, three points clear of Bailly heading into the Spa weekend. Leipert Motorsport’s Glenn McGee and Anthony McIntosh picked up a pair of podium finishes in round one but will miss the trip to Spa owing to a clash with their regular Super Trofeo North America campaign, at Laguna Seca. Fourth in the standings, VS Racing’s Stéphane Tribaudini and Piergiacomo Randazzo will be ones to watch out for at Spa, as will ASR’s Adrian and Andrzej Lewandowski; the father and son pairing were on-the-road winners on Sunday in Italy, but a post-race time penalty dropped them to sixth. They are tied on 10 points with Target Racing’s Huilin Han and two points ahead of DL Racing’s Diego Locanto and Stefano Pezzucchi.

 

Consistency the key for Harmsen in Lamborghini Cup

 

The opening round of the Lamborghini Cup class lived up to its pre-season billing of a title fight too close to call. GT3 Poland’s Holger Harmsen took an early lead in the LB Cup title race, with 24 points, after twice finishing second at Imola. His nearest challenge in the class comes from ART-Line’s Shota Abkhazava, just two points behind; the Super Trofeo veteran opened his 2024 campaign in positive fashion by taking victory in race two. Tied for third in the standings with 19 points is ASR’s Paolo Biglieri and Petar Matić, and the Brutal Fish Racing entry of Charlie Martin and Jason Keats, who picked up their first European race win at Imola. A point adrift are the reigning LB Cup champions, Rexal Villorba Corse’s Donovan and Luciano Privitelio. Siblings François and Benoît Semoulin make their return to Super Trofeo Europe competition on home soil this weekend, racing with their family team Semspeed.

 

The weekend at a glance

 

Thursday 9th May Free Practice 1 (09:10 – 10:10) Free Practice 2 (15:10 – 16:10)

 

Friday 10th May Qualifying 1 (09:55 – 10:45) Race 1 (17:35 – 18:25)

 

Saturday 11th May Race 2 (09:15 – 10:05)  

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