| Berkeley’s Late Pass Seals ProAm Win; McGee, McIntosh Sweep in Am; Vales Overcomes Penalty to Win in LB Cup September 21, 2024By Mark RobinsonIMSA Wire Service |
| Race 2 Results INDIANAPOLIS – Ernie Francis Jr. and Giano Taurino knew it was vital to have a strong weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway if they wanted to cement their position as Pro class leaders in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. Their win Saturday following a third-place finish the day before did just that. The duo put together a powerful drive to the overall and Pro class victory Saturday in the No. 88 TR3 Racing, Lamborghini Miami Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2. The result opened an unofficial 12-point advantage for them in the standings with just two races remaining in November at Jerez, Spain. Francis started third in class and fourth overall but quickly motored into the Pro lead on the first green-flag lap. He and Taurino dodged potential disaster during the mandatory pit stop when their car became entangled with two others entering and exiting the pits directly in front of them. Fortunately, the No. 88 Huracán didn’t sustain damage, Taurino still led when the pit cycle concluded and he went on to win by 2.772 seconds over Nico Jamin and Kiko Porto in the No. 4 Ansa Motorsports, Lamborghini Broward Huracán. Jamin and Porto are now a dozen points behind Francis and Taurino. Ryan Norman and Danny Formal finished third in the No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán and fell 13 points from the lead. “This is a great step for us in the championship, trying to close the door on this one,” said Francis, who starred in Trans-Am racing before joining Super Trofeo this year. “It is so stressful being outside the car (while Taurino finished); I was praying the entire time. We knew what we had to do this weekend, we had to capitalize on it and maximize the points. … We did exactly what we needed to do.” Taurino finished second and third in the last two Pro class championships. He was elated with where he and Francis sit now following the Indy weekend. “It feels very good,” he said. “All the hard work that we’re doing is starting to pay off. It’s a blessing. We’ll keep our faith and we’ll do our best to close this out. “ |
| Luke Berkeley made a daring late pass for the ProAm class lead in the No. 64 MLT Motorsports, Lamborghini Naples Huracán that he shared with Garrett Adams to deliver the duo’s first win together. Berkeley’s move came on AJ Muss in the No. 66 Forty7 Motorsports, Lamborghini Philadelphia Huracán on the next-to-last lap. “It was tough,” said Berkeley, the 2021 Am champion. “I settled into second and figured I would land there, but some traffic made it easy to catch up to AJ. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to get by him but when the gap opened up, I went for it. Respectful driving and I think it’s one of my best drives to date. I drove my heart out.” For Super Trofeo rookie Adams, it marked his first win and podium finish – at an iconic racetrack. “It’s legendary!” Adams said. “Couldn’t ask for a better location, better day.” Muss and co-driver Joel Miller finished second in the No. 66 Huracán but it was still enough to give them an unofficial six-point ProAm lead over Nate Stacy and Nick Persing (No. 8 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán). |
| Am class leaders Glenn McGee and Anthony McIntosh capped off a perfect weekend, sweeping both pole positions and race wins in the Am class. They won by 25.685 seconds ahead of Cole Kleck and Al Morey (No. 17 Topp Racing, Lamborghini Austin Huracán). “Basically, we did the same thing as yesterday,” said McIntosh, who finished Saturday’s race in the No. 69 after driving the opening stint on Friday. “Managed the tires from the start. Glenn knew he had to go for a couple laps, otherwise he was going to get caught in the scrum, so he went and then dialed it back. Then when I got in the car, it was just manage the gap, manage the gap, manage the gap.” McGee and McIntosh are on the brink of winning their second straight Am championship, with a 17-point unofficial lead over Dominic Starkweather (No. 47 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán). “We’ve got a little buffer (in points) going to Jerez,” McIntosh said, “so that’s good.” |
| In LB Cup, Rodrigo Vales won for the third time in the past four races in the No. 34 TR3 Racing, Lamborghini Miami Huracán. Knowing he would be assessed a 2.502-second postrace penalty for his pit stop not meeting the minimum time requirement, Vales pushed hard on his closing stint to cover the penalty time and still win by 0.675 seconds. “I was trying to go fast as hell to get there,” Vales admitted. “I push and push and push, and he was telling me (on the radio) to push more. We make it together. It’s amazing to win here, it’s great. It’s like a real nice sensation.” |
