Three drivers head into the final round of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo at Barcelona, Spain, on 28-30 October 2011 with a realistic chance of claiming the highly-competitive Pro-Am Drivers’ title.
Autocarrozzeria Imperiale S.R.L.’s Matteo Zucchi leads the way in the standings, but the Italian only holds a 23-point advantage over Swiss racer Cédric Leimer and Austria’s Gerhard Tweraser, who are tied in second place on 124 points. Both will be desperate to guide their 570hp Super Trofeo race cars to glory.
Zucchi’s lead was bolstered by two wins during the last race weekend at Germany’s Hockenheimring, although victory for Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter’s C. Leimer in the final race reduced Zucchi’s lead. Tweraser, along with co-pilot Filip Sladecka, visited the podium after all three races at Hockenheim to ensure he kept close to Zucchi in the standings.
Zucchi’s co-pilot Fabio Babini clinched his second Pro Drivers’ title at Hockenheim, but will be keen to repeat his victory at Barcelona in 2009 in an attempt to aid his team-mate’s title charge.
Several new faces will also join the series’ grid at Barcelona, and after Michela Cerruti’s appearance at Hockenheim, the series welcomes two more female pilots. Superstars Series racer Francesca Linossi joins Autocarrozzeria Imperiale S.R.L. and will partner 2010 Italian SEAT León Supercopa Champion Simone Iacone as she races in Barcelona to evaluate a potential full-time switch to the series next year.
The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo’s other dose of girl power comes from Spain’s Indy Lights and Le Mans Series driver Carmen Jorda, who will link up with the Czech Republic’s Dominik Hašek in the #88 Gravity-Charouz entry. Another change for the Czech team sees Greece’s Athanasios Ladas join Erik Janiš in car #99.
Belgian racer Bernard Delhez and France’s Dimitri Enjalbert, who race for Team LMP Motorsport in the FIA GT3 European Championship, will make their Super Trofeo debut at the Spanish circuit in the #69 Bonaldi Motorsport race car.
AUTOhebdo journalist Romain Bernard will appear in the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP guest entry. Bernard will team up with Official Lamborghini Test Driver Giorgio Sanna once again; the pair tasted victory at Paul Ricard HTTT in 2009. Juan Collin makes his second appearance in the series after racing at Barcelona in 2009. The Spaniard will be joined by Sanna’s fellow test driver Mario Fasanetto in the #2 VIP guest car.
“What an amazing season it has been,” said Maurizio Reggiani, Automobili Lamborghini Director of Research and Development, and responsible for motorsport. “The Pro-Am title fight is going to the wire and I’m very excited to see who’ll win. The Super Trofeo race car has provided fans with truly exciting race action this year.”
Following Barcelona, attention will turn to the 2012 season as the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo will continue, with a sister series also launching in Asia next year.
The 2011 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo season began in April, featuring the Lamborghini Super Trofeo: a lightweight version of the Gallardo LP 570-4. The Super Trofeo has a reworked chassis and a power output of 419 kW (570 hp) from its V10, ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ engine. The race car features Lamborghini’s permanent four-wheel drive, making the Super Trofeo the only one-make, all-wheeldrive motorsport series.
Lamborghini will again partner with luxury Swiss watchmaker Blancpain, who is the series’ title sponsor, creating a perfect partnership between two prestigious and highly-innovative brands.
Pirelli, one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers and sole OEM supplier to Automobili Lamborghini, partners the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series. Pirelli, who have a successful motorsport heritage across rally, sports cars and Formula One, will be for the second season a strategic partner to the series. With a history built on high performance tyres, Pirelli is a world leader in both original equipment and the aftermarket, with 24 factories in 12 countries around the world.
