MONTEREY, Calif. — The mandatory pit stop is a crucial component of Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America races. Nico Jamin and Kiko Porto executed theirs perfectly, leading to the overall and Pro class victory in Saturday’s race that boasted a series record field of 40 cars.
In a disjointed race due to three full-course caution periods, Jamin and Porto took the win under the final yellow in the No. 4 Ansa Motorsports, Lamborghini Broward Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2. It’s the pair’s second victory in three races this season.
Jamin held second place when the mandatory 10-minute pit window opened on the restart from the second caution with 23 minutes left in the 50-minute race. Jamin was among the first to pit. Knowing he’d have fresher tires due to his co-driver’s limited green-flag running between the yellows, Porto put down the hammer on his first laps and rode into first place by the time the pit cycle finished.
“I knew that when I got in the car (the tires) were going to have like good condition to really push, and not necessarily save the tires,” Porto said. “When I went on the track, I just tried to do like quali laps because the car was good and the rubber was still there.”
Porto still held a comfortable gap when the final caution came out with two minutes left. The No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán, with co-drivers Danny Formal and Ryan Norman, finished second.
“It’s awesome,” Jamin added. “We’ve put a lot of work with the team, Ansa Motorsports, to bring a really good program together with fast drivers. Everyone is doing a great job. I’m so happy for the team to get this second win of the season. That race was crazy, man; the start was absolutely hectic. Huge battles on track but always respectful with every driver.”
Pink Unicorn Rolls to ProAm Class Victory
Andy Lee and Slade Stewart took the ProAm class pole in the No. 14 Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach Huracán and were never seriously challenged on their drive to victory. It’s their first win together in their second season in the popular pink unicorn car nicknamed “Sparklefarts.”
“It all comes down to the team,” Lee said. “Our crew gave us just an incredible car so it made our jobs relatively easy. All we had to do was maintain and not make mistakes. Slade got in and just held it true all the way to the end. We’ve been working on this for a couple of years so it’s so good to finally share the top step with him.”
“I was just being as consistent as I could every lap,” added Stewart, who won the 2022 LB Cup class championship, “and bringing Sparklefarts home under the checkered.”
Late Driver Pairing Meshes Well to Win in Am
Al Morey and Cole Kleck weren’t even officially paired to drive the No. 28 Alliance Racing, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán until the day before their debut race together. Unfazed, they rolled to the Am class win, finishing just ahead of their Alliance teammates Andre Lagartixa and Robert Soroka in the No. 25 Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán.
“What I tried to do was keep the nose clean from (starting) P2,” said Morey, who began the race in the No. 28, “avoid some of the wreckage in those yellow periods we had, save the tires and give (Kleck) as much information as I could when I handed the car to him.”
Added Kleck, “He’s the best teammate I could have right now. He gave me the tires to go win the race, and we won the race. It feels great.”
“First-time win,” chimed in Morey. “I can’t even believe it.”
Staab Grabs Maiden Win in LB Cup
Michael Staab took a wire-to-wire victory in LB Cup. He put the No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán on the class pole and didn’t look back in achieving his first Super Trofeo triumph.
“I’d never run Laguna,” he said. “From every practice, I was just pushing it more, trying new things. I just put it all together and made it happen. It’s my first actual professional win, so I’m on a real big high right now!”