Participation Is Up across the Board; Formal Chasing Third Straight Pro Title
March 11, 2024
By Mark Robinson
IMSA Wire Service
Entry List (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Entering its 12th season of competition in 2024, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America is poised for its strongest year to date. The campaign begins this week at Sebring International Raceway with two races as part of Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac activities. Thirty-seven cars are on the entry list, which would set a series record for car count if all start one or both races. Fourteen teams are preparing the cars, including four teams new to the paddock. Thirteen Lamborghini dealers from around the United States are adding support to those programs. Sanctioned by IMSA, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America (LSTNA) is a single-make series that pits competitors in identical Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 race cars. These sleek, eye-catching machines are truly raging bulls, boasting more than 600 horsepower under the hood. The season consists of six weekend rounds, each weekend featuring a pair of 50-minute races. The field is split into four classes for every race, based on the following parameters: Pro class: one or two drivers in each car, both drivers must be rated Gold or Silver in the most recent FIA driver categorization;ProAm class: two drivers in each car, one Gold/Silver rated and the other Bronze;Am class: one or two drivers in each car, both must be Bronze rated;LB Cup class: one or two drivers in each car, both must be Bronze rated and meet additional LB Cup requirements. A mandatory pit stop is required during a 10-minute pit window that is opened midway through every race, which is when the driver change must occur for cars with two drivers. A minimum pit stop time (clocked from when a car enters pit lane to when it exits pit lane) is established for every track. The pit stop requirement for entries with one driver is three seconds longer than for two-driver entries to help accommodate for the time it takes a second driver to get a feel for the car and get up to speed. Additional LSTNA rounds this season will take place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen International, Circuit of The Americas and Indianapolis Motor Speedway before heading to Jerez, Spain, for the final North American round which coincides with the Super Trofeo World Finals that also includes competitors from the European and Asia Pacific series. Danny Formal returns to LSTNA chasing a third consecutive Pro class championship. He won the first two with co-driver Kyle Marcelli but is teaming with Ryan Norman in the No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán this season. Norman finished second to Formal/Marcelli in the Pro standings in a sister WTRAndretti car in 2023. The ProAm class features a number of past champions from ProAm and other classes. Luke Berkeley, who finished second in ProAm in ’23 despite missing four races and was the ’21 Am champion, will share the No. 64 MLT Motorsports, Lamborghini Naples Huracán with Garrett Adams. Shehan Chandrasoma, the ’22 Am champ, is paired with Nikko Reger in the No. 21 TPC Racing, Lamborghini Austin Huracán. Slade Stewart, the ’22 LB Cup champ, returns with Andy Lee in the popular pink unicorn, the No. 14 Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach Huracán. And don’t overlook JCD Dubets (’22 ProAm champion) and Tom Capizzi in the No. 46 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán. They won three of the first four races and were leading ProAm last year until Dubets was sidelined with injury. The Am class finds returning champions Anthony McIntosh and Glenn McGee (No. 69 WTRAndretti, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán) back to defend their title. WTRAndretti teammate Graham Doyle (No. 10 Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán) moves to Am from LB Cup, where he won three of the final four races and finished second in the ’23 standings. LSTNA is visiting Sebring for just the fourth time and first since 2020 this week. Two practices are set for Wednesday, with qualifying for both races starting at 11:55 a.m. ET Thursday. Race 1 starts at 5:55 p.m. Thursday, with Race 2 at 6:05 p.m. Friday. Both races stream live on Peacock and IMSA.tv. |
