Gdovic/Ortiz, Gomez and Hennessy All Secure Championship in 2021 Finale at Misano
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America teams and drivers flexed their collective muscle in Sunday’s closing day of competition at the World Final in Misano, Italy, laying claim to three world championships.
Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final Race 2: Pro/ProAm Results | Am/LB Cup Results
Brandon Gdovic and Bryan Ortiz of Precision Performance Motorsports took home the ProAm crown on the strength of a second-place class finish in their race. Victor Gomez of Change Racing and John Hennessy of O’Gara Motorsport/US RaceTronics clinched the Am and LB Cup titles, respectively, by winning their World Final class races Sunday.
In addition, Richard Antinucci of Dream Racing Motorsport finished second in the Pro class with a pair of runner-up results in the World Final races on Saturday and Sunday pitting competitors from Super Trofeo’s North American and European series.
After winning Saturday’s first ProAm race, Gdovic and Ortiz needed a second-place finish in Sunday’s race for Pro and ProAm teams to secure the overall title. Relegated to 15th overall starting position, however, they had to battle through the field with an ill-handling No. 146 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO.
“I struggled and Brandon struggled as well when he got in the car, but he pushed hard and made the move when we needed,” said Ortiz, who drove the opening stint in the 50-minute race for Pro and ProAm drivers on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. “With two laps to go, he made the pass to second and that put us in the winning position for the world title. I’m very happy, for sure.”
Gdovic said the team was baffled after the car performed well winning Saturday’s race.
“We thought we had a pretty decent car last night and just needed to do a little adjustment,” he said. “We did a very small adjustment and it was like we took a wheel off the thing. It was all over the place.
“I knew I had to make a pass (for second place), made a move and made it work. It was pretty awesome to bring home a World Final championship for Bryan and it’s actually my second World Final championship, so it’s pretty cool for me as well.”
Gomez started third overall in Sunday’s race for Am and LB Cup drivers, avoided an opening-lap kerfuffle and went on to gather his first class win since a ProAm triumph in the second race of the season at Circuit of The Americas. The Puerto Rican driver, who won the 2020 North America Am championship, said competing at the ProAm level this year made him a better driver.
“I think it prepped me for the World Finals,” the driver of the No. 129 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte Huracán said. “Being able to drive against such talented drivers in the U.S. definitely helped me achieve this world championship here today.
“I had a good start, then I got sandwiched in Turn 1. There were two cars literally hitting side by side so I had to back up a little and play it smart for the long run. … I’m so proud to be here representing Puerto Rico, representing my family who came from so far away. I wasn’t going to come home without being world champ.”
Hennessy, meanwhile, continued his tear to end the season in LB Cup. Despite spinning early Sunday in the No. 133 O’Gara Motorsport/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini San Diego Huracán and falling to the rear of the pack, he clawed back and was embroiled in a battle involving the top four LB Cup cars in the closing minutes. Hennessy maneuvered from fourth place to second, then capitalized when the leading No. 147 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán driven by Terry Olson spun and made contact with a barrier less than four minutes from the finish. The race ended under a full-course caution, giving Hennessy a sweep of all four LB Cup wins at Misano (two in the final North American round and two in the World Final).
“It’s an absolutely incredible experience. It’s like the birth of a child, it’s that amazing!” the excited Hennessy said. “I never thought I had a remote chance when I spun. My coaches told me (on the radio) to just take my time, pick ‘em off one at a time. That’s all I did.
“Nobody told me how hard this was going to be to do something like that. It’s hard but exhilarating, and the best experience I’ve had in my life.”
The 2022 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season will be even stronger with the introduction of the next-generation Huracán, the EVO2. The season opens April 29-May 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.