Following two successful seasons, the ultra-competitive Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo will once again return to the track next week for the start of the 2011 season. A field consisting solely of the iconic Italian marque’s Super Trofeo race cars will do battle in the season opener at Monza, Italy, on 16-17 April.
With six race meetings across a selection of the most demanding circuits in Europe, including Spa-Francorchamps and Paul Ricard HTTT, the series will see a grid of both professional and ‘gentlemen’ drivers take to the track behind the wheel of a Super Trofeo race car, a lightweight version of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4.
The 2010 Pro-Am Drivers’ Champion Eugenio Amos will return to defend his crown with Touringauto, which took second in last year’s Teams’ Championship, while 2010 Pro Drivers’ runner-up Fabio Babini will be aiming to go one better and clinch the title this year.
Babini and new Pro-Am team-mate Matteo Zucchi will face strong opposition from Blancpain Reiter Engineering’s Peter Kox, 2010 ADAC GT Masters Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, who’ll also be chasing the title with fellow Dutchman Nico Pronk. Brotherly rivalry will continue between Hervé and Cédric Leimer as they once again contest against each other, while Swiss pilot Dominique Lucas will also come back to the fold.
The three-car team of Charouz-Gravity Racing will compete following a strong showing in 2010, with Petr Charouz signing up for his third season, joining Austrian racer Gerhard Tweraser in the #77 car. Jakub Knoll will make his series debut at Monza partnering Czech driver Jan Štoví?ek, who is entering the Super Trofeo for a second year.
Former Formula One driver Hans-Joachim Stuck will also take to the track at Monza in the #3 Bonaldi Motorsport car with Michael Ruh. However, it won’t be an easy ride as a host of new drivers look forward to beating the
well-respected German racer. Among them will be Stuck’s son Johannes, who will share the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car with Autosprint’s
Editor-in-Chief Alberto Sabbatini.
New entrants for 2011 include Italian pilots Riccardo Ragazzi and Gianluca Carboni, who join the series from the Ferrari Challenge and will be looking to compete for top honours straight away. Italian Pro-Am Roberto Seveso will drive with Imperiale Racing, while Swiss Pro-Am driver Rémy Vauthier will make his Super Trofeo debut alongside fellow countryman Laurent Jenny, who took part in two race weekends last season.
The opening weekend at Monza will also welcome Luigi Ferrara, winner of the 2005 Italian Formula Three Championship. Ferrara will join the field as part of an agreement between Lamborghini and the CSAI, the Commission of Automobile Sport for Italy.
CSAI president Angelo Sticchi-Damiani said: “We’ve always believed in the importance of the relationship between manufacturers and CSAI. It has been a privilege to accept Lamborghini’s proposal, with Luigi Ferrara joining the first round of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo. We’ve chosen Luigi because of his qualities, his experience and his list of successes despite his young age. I believe this is going to be the first step of opening an active relationship with a great manufacturer that has such illustrious racing history.”
The Super Trofeo race car comes equipped with a V10 ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ engine, meaning entrants will have 570 hp under their right foot as they vie for position during the series’ 18 races.
While the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo is the world’s fastest
one-make series, the race car is focused on both speed and safety. Among its many features are an FIA FT-3 fuel cell, a full roll cage, a new Brembo Racing brake system and HANS device compatibility.
“We have enjoyed two strong years of competition in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo,” said Maurizio Reggiani, Automobili Lamborghini Director of Research and Development, and responsible for motorsport. “The drivers love the handling and power of the Super Trofeo race car, so I’ve no doubt that the 2011 season will not only be another huge success, but also competitive on the track.”
At the first race meeting in Monza, Automobili Lamborghini will present its
recently-launched Aventador LP 700-4, which will take pride of place in the Super Trofeo Village alongside its rolling chassis.
Source: Lamborghini Super Trofeo
