Six double events, 12 races and a field of over 50 cars. The 16th edition of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa starts from Imola this weekend (19-21 April).
The championship, which is contested with the Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 on Hankook tyres, returns to the starting line and inaugurates on the Santerno circuit an important synergy with the FIA World Endurance Championship, which from this year sees the new Lamborghini as protagonist in the Hypercar category SC63 LMDh fielded by the Lamborghini Iron Lynx team.
There are three rounds that will take place in conjunction with the World Endurance Championship on the same weekends (Imola, Spa and Le Mans, on the occasion of the 24 Hours). Two will join the GT World Challenge Europe (Nürburgring and Barcelona), while the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera will host the last round of the three series Europe, Asia and North America in November, at the same time as the Lamborghini World Finals.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa returns to Imola for the third time, after having already stopped there in 2017 and 2022. There are 23 teams at the start, for a total of 88 drivers representing 28 different countries. Of these, 33 are preparing to make their absolute debut in the Sant'Agata Bolognese brand flagship store.
Numbers and quality in the Pro class
The level is high in the Pro class. For the second year, the VSR team duo formed by Mattia Michelotto and Gilles Stadsbader, 41 years old between them, are back together, reigning vice-champions after having achieved five successes last season.
The team led by Vincenzo Sospiri will also focus on the crew formed by rookie Andrea Frassineti and Ignazio Zanon. The young Belgian Amaury Bonduel also tries again, in his third year with the BDR Competition by Grupo Prom, winner of the World Finals in Vallelunga in 2023.
Two-pronged attack in the same class for the Target Racing team, which will bring the 22-year-old Swede Hampus Ericsson (brother of Marcus, former F1 driver and winner of the 2022 Indianapolis 500) to his debut, fielding a second car for the other two Scandinavians Largim Ali and Oliver Söderström and entrusting a third in the colors of Lamborghini Stüttgart to Calle Bergman and Guido Luchetti, the latter also making their debut in the continental series.
After having won the Pro title last year with the New Zealander Brendon Leitch, the Leipert Motorsport team will bet everything on the two Germans Sebastian Balthasar and the new arrival Jacob Riegel. Two Oregon Team cars; one for the Italian-French duo formed by Leonardo Caglioni and Enzo Geraci, both making their debut in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, as well as their teammates Paul Levet and Laszlo Toth, who will take turns in another Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2.
Action on the track
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
New names also for Iron Lynx, which will entrust a Lamborghini to Giorgio Amati and Jesse Salmenautio, both making their debut in the series. Another pairing will be formed by the two Bulgarians Stefan Bostandjiev and Pavel Lefterov, while Georgi Dimitrov and Edgar Maloigne will alternate in a third car.
Two crews from the Micanek Motorsport ACCR Team powered by Buggyra, the first formed by the veteran Bronek Formanek and Stefan Rosina, while the two Czechs Jachym Galas and Matej Pavlicek, both making their debut, will complete a second pair of absolute reference.
Excellent return for Alberto Di Folco, 2014 Pro-Am champion. The Roman, who this year will also face a double program in the Italian Gran Turismo Endurance and Sprint Championship with a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 of the VSR team, presents himself at the start with the colors of Rexal Villorba Corse, alongside the debutant Benedetto Strignano.
Another driver with a considerable wealth of experience is Andrea Fontana, on track together with the rookie Cristian Bortolato with DL Racing, who will also field a car for Riccardo Ianniello and Rodrigo Testa, the latter returning from a 2023 season which was all on the rise, while on Filippo Lazzaroni and Lucas Valkre will ride a third Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 from the Milanese team. Also with DL Racing, the young Egyptian Ibrahim Badawy, who last year was second in the Am class, is preparing to make the jump to the category.
Double debut for the French Simon Gachet and Simon Terman, with the Schumacher CLRT team, which will also field a second car for the young Lola Lovinfosse (18 years old) and Jean-Baptiste Mela. The other two transalpines Loris Cabirou and Quentin Antonel will be at the start with a CMR car. Among the most experienced drivers is also the Serbian Miloš Pavlovic, who will take turns at the wheel of an Auto Sport Racing Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 with Alessio Ruffini.
Debut in single crew for the Sicilian Giuseppe Guirreri (GG Motorsport), the Polish Jerzy Spinkiewicz (Uniq Racing) and the Danish Marco Gersager (GM Motorsport), while Egor Orudzhev will drive an ART-Line car. The Japanese Dougie Bolger will be at the start with the Brutal Fish Racing Team and the Pegasus Racing team will rely on the two Frenchmen Dimitri Enjalbert and Anthony Nahra.
#16 Andrzej Lewandowski, VSR – Vincenzo Sospiri Racing
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
Lewandowski does his best to defend his Pro-Am title
After having won his third Pro-Am title last year, Andrzej Lewandowski returns to the start and does so in a team with his son Adrian to alternate in an Auto Sport Racing car. And a confrontation has already been announced between the all-Polish duo and the two Frenchmen Claude-Yves Gosselin and Joran Leneutre, on track with the colors of the Iron Lynx. The Boutsen VDS team is also a reference crew, with Renaud Kuppens alongside the younger Roee Meyuhas.
A return after five years, that of Davide Roda in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa. The driver from Como will alternate at the wheel of an Oregon Team Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 with Pietro Perolini.
On-track action from Race 2 of the PRO-PRO AM World Finals
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
Many new arrivals in the Am
Between news and confirmations, the Am class lineup is extremely interesting. The Aggressive Team Italia arrives, which will present itself at the start with Karim Ojjeh. Stéphane Guerin will instead drive a car from the Schumacher CLRT team. A crew for Rexal Villorba Corse, which will focus on the French Julien Lambert and Cyril Saleilles, both making their debut in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa. Rodrigue Gillion will make his debut with CMR to join the other Belgian driver Stéphane Lemeret.
Among the reference names of the Sant'Agata Bolognese flagship there is that of Cedric Leimer (two Pro-Am titles won in 2011 and 2012); the Swiss will alternate at the wheel of an Autovitesse car with Julien Piguet. After a positive 2023 season, Piergiacomo Randazzo and Stéphane Tribaudini will return with VSR.
An all-Italian combination of DL Racing, with Diego Locanto and the new arrival Stefano Pezzucchi. A car for the Leipert Motorsport team, which will rely on Glenn McGee and Anthony McIntosh, protagonists of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America at the same time.
Also on track with AKF Motorsport is the German Oliver Freymuth. Chinese Huilin Han will race with the Target Racing team, while Belgian Nigel Bailly has joined the ART-Line team. The other German Holger Harmsen returns to the start with GT3 Poland.
#54 Jason Keats, Charlie Martin, Brutal Fish Racing Team
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
Not just a family matter in the Lamborghini Cup
Luciano and Donovan Privitelio return to the start with the aim of defending the Lamborghini Cup title. A commitment that father and son face this year with the Rexal Villorba Corse team. But there are multiple variables in the same class. All eyes on the Auto Sport Racing crew made up of Paolo Biglieri and Petar Matic.
Jason Keats and Charlie Martin also try again with the Brutal Fish Racing Team for the second year in a row. Another highly experienced driver is Shota Abkhazava, 2015 Am champion and winner of the Pro-Am title in 2019, who will represent the colors of the ART-Line team. With the Iron Lynx there will be the British John Seale. A car also for DS Racing with Serge Doms and for BDR Competition by Grupo Prom, on track with Alfredo Hernandez Ortega.
The program
The Imola weekend program will begin on Friday with the two usual free practice sessions lasting one hour each, starting from 9am and 2.45pm. Qualifying starts at 10am on Saturday. The first of the two 50-minute races, with a rolling start and mandatory pit stop, will start at 5.40pm. Sunday Race 2 will start at 9.45am. Both races will be broadcast live on the Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube channel.
2024 calendar
19-21 April IMOLA * FIA WEC
9-11 May SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS * FIA WEC
11-15 June LE MANS * FIA WEC (24 Hours of Le Mans)
26-28 July NÜRBURGRING * GT World Challenge Europe
11-13 October BARCELONA * GT World Challenge Europe
14-15 November JEREZ * Lamborghini World Finals
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