It was quite the weekend for the Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus No. 1 driven by Trent Hindman and Jonathan Cecotto..
After a strong overall second place finish in Friday’s Round Three, which was also first in the Pro Class, the team followed that with their first victory of the season with a strong run throughout the 50-minute Round Four race at Watkins Glen International Saturday.
Cecotto started on the outside of Row 1 and avoided an incident in the first turn as polesitter Shinya Sean Michimi (No. 46 PPM, Lamborghini Palm Beach) suffered damage to his suspension after contact which placed him, and his team, at the back of the field for the remainder of the race.
Cecotto made a bold pass in the famous Esses of the iconic 3.4-mile circuit to take a lead that the team would basically not give up the rest of the race. Hindman took over on the mandatory pit stop with 28 minutes remaining and was challenged by the No. 71 P1 Motorsports, Lamborghini Broward driven by Loris Spinelli. Spinelli cut the gap to just over a second, but Hindman pulled away in the closing laps and won by 4.234 seconds.
Corey Lewis and Madison Snow (No. 29 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte) finished third but will remain on top of the class standings with 48 points. That gives the pair a two-point lead of Taylor Proto and Edorado Piscopo (No. 50 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills) who finished second Saturday. Brandon Gdovic and Michimi are still in third with 43 points followed by Hindman and Cecotto who now have 35.
Spinelli and his teammate, JC Perez, earned their third consecutive class win as they finished first in the Pro Am class outlasting the No. 47 PPM, Lamborghini Palm Beach entry driven by Pippa Mann and Patrick Liddy. The victory increased their class standing lead to seven points (58-51) over Liddy.
Ryan Hardwick, in the No. 2 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Atlanta, continued his dominance of Watkins Glen as he won for the second time this weekend in the Am Class and for the fourth time in his career.
He overcame sliding back into third place midway through the race to finish the victory off by passing Brian Thienes (No. 17 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills) late in the race. He increased his class lead to seven over Damon Ockey (No. 09 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Calgary), who finished third, and nine over Thienes.
In the LB Cup, Brett Meredith in the No. 66 GMG Racing, Lamborghini Newport Beach won his first race. He made the most of his first weekend in the series as he finished second Friday after starting on the pole and turned the pole into his first career victory Saturday.
Mark Proto and Parris Mullins in the No. 88 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini La Jolla finished third but remained on top of the class standings with 57 points. Sheena Monk, driver of the No. 7 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Paramus, finished second in the race and remains in second in the standings.
Following the weekend’s results P1 Motorsports leads the team competition with 45 points, staying ahead of Change Racing by the slimmest of margins as they have 44. US RaceTronics is in third with 40.
The dealer competition is led by Lamborghini Charlotte with 44 followed by Broward with 42 and Beverly Hills with 38.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series now moves to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on the first weekend of August. Round 5 of the 2018 season is scheduled for Saturday, August 4 at 2:05 pm CDT with Round 6 set for Sunday, August 5 at 10:55 a.m. CDT.
DRIVERS’ QUOTES
Trent Hindman / Wayne Taylor Racing (1st overall and PRO):
“It was nerve-wracking to say the least. I think I overdrove the tire at the end and tried to hang on. We were a little disappointed with our race yesterday. But the Wayne Taylor boys and the Prestige Performance guys grinded all night and gave us a great car. That start from Jonathan was mega, and I mean a pass on the outside of the Esses, are you kidding me? That was a great move and it was a great race by the whole team.”
Jonathan Cecotto/ Wayne Taylor Racing (1st overall and PRO):
“The start was pretty tight as I had a car on the right and the left. Coming up to the Esses I knew I had to pass or get passed so I just went for it.”
JC Perez/ P1 Motorsports (1st PRO-AM):
“It was a pretty rough run today. We had some tire issues. The car was just not stopping or turning right. We were able to work through the problems and were able to get a P2 overall and first in class. P1 did a great job again and Loris did an amazing job. We can’t win them all, but we sure can try. We have been testing and driving a lot and the more I drive the more confidence I get.
Loris Spinelli / P1 Motorsports (1st PRO-AM):
“Today second position was OK. It was hot out there today. Congratulations to my teammate and thank you to Lamborghini Super Trofeo and P1 Motorsports for this opportunity.”
Ryan Hardwick / Dream Racing (1st AM):
“That one we had to work for and that one we had to do the old fashion way. I made a terrible decision in the pits. I was in second and the leader pit in. My crew was telling me to come and I did and to make matters worse, I stalled the car in the pits. I dropped to third and had to put my work in. I was able to catch Brian after he made a mistake. He was driving really well but made a mistake in the uphill Esses and I got by a couple inches and then was able to bring it home. It’s a big accomplishment for me when I am on the top step of the podium. I love Watkins Glen. This is my favorite track in my short career. I won both races here last year and now both this year, so I am 4-0. The track suits me. It flows and it is just beautiful. I really think it is the best in the world for me. Now I have a lead in the championship points and I feel confident going into Road America and VIR and I feel prepared.”
Brett Meredith / (1st LB Cup):
“It was a good team effort today. Everyone on the team put in their work. I made some mistakes, but it was a great learning experience for me. Thanks to my team for all the hard work they put into the car.”
Source. Lamborghini
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