The Lamborghini Super Trofeo is a reference point in the global panorama of one-make championships, divided into three different continental series: North America, Asia and Europe, which each year, at the end of the season, compete in the Lamborghini World Final. There are six rounds on the calendar for each series, each consisting of free practice, qualifying, and two 50-minute races, and four categories of drivers complete: Pro, Pro-Am, Am and Lamborghini Cup.
Since 2018, the star of the series has been the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO, a racing car with a 620hp V10 engine built on the same production line as the super sports cars in the factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Each car that races in the Super Trofeo is managed by private teams supported on the track by official Lamborghini Squadra Corse technicians.
Since 2009, the Super Trofeo has produced exciting races full of celebrities, behind-the-scenes stories and curiosities. Here are five things you might not know yet:
1. VIPs on the grid
It’s not just about anyone who gets the chance to compete in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo; these participants are renowned world champions who have made their mark and are hence VIPs on the grid. Chad Reed, a supercross star who made his mark in the North American series, Andrea Dovizioso, a former MotoGP racer with Ducati who starred in the Valencia race in 2016 with two class victories and finishing as Pro-Am world vice-champion, and Tony Cairoli, a nine-time champion who took part in the World Final 2019 in Jerez de la Frontera paired with five-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro are some of the racers who are at the very top of their game. Not everyone can call themselves a VIP of the grid, but that’s exactly why these racers have silverware to show.
Moreover, competing in this year’s European series are thirteen Formula 1 drivers. Among those are Italians Ivan Capelli, Nicola Larini and Andrea Montermini, Brit Martin Brundle and Venezuelan Johnny Alberto Cecotto, to name a few.
2. Never change a winning format
They say, “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” right? For Lamborghini, their Super Trofeo weekends have constantly consisted of 260 minutes of track time, divided into two free practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and two races of 50 minutes each. From 2009 to the present, including the two races in Monza on April 17 and 18, the total race time has been 309 hours, 40 minutes and 53 seconds.
This specific format has not only given younger drivers more opportunities to gain experience, but for gentlemen drivers to drive for an extended time with the option of sharing the seat with a teammate. This has ultimately led them to sticking with their winning recipe without too much worry.
3. Make way for the new generations
If there are VIPs of the grid who have the backing of multiple accolades, then there are also young guns who are driven by the determination to have a big impact on the competition and make a name for themselves. In 2020 alone, an impressive 31 drivers made their debut in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, with a shade under half of the drivers coming from the North American series. On the starting grid in Monza for the first round of 2021, there will be ten drivers under the ripe age of 21– almost a third of the entire grid!
The Lamborghini Young Driver Program is what a lot of these up-and-coming talents set their sights on, as this gives them an exceptional avenue to embark on a career as a professional driver, similar to that of the path of Giacomo Altoè. At only 17 years of age in 2018, he won the Super Trofeo Europe, the World Final in Vallelunga and the Italian Gran Turismo Championship at the wheel of a Huracán GT3. If this path led him to become an official Lamborghini driver and to race in the most prestigious GT championships across the globe, I wouldn’t be surprised to see many follow suit.
4. Headed towards 1000
In 13 editions, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo starting grids have seen 955 drivers of 66 different nationalities, with 525 of them taking part in the European series. There were also 18 women drivers at the start, including the British Pippa Mann, who has competed in seven Indy 500s in her career, and her fellow countrywoman Katherine Legge, who has competed in nine 24 Hours of Daytona. Seeing a thousand drivers that are an amalgam of different people and cultures from all corners of the globe would definitely be a huge milestone for Lamborghini. Fortunately, they aren’t too far from that feat.
5. All the tracks in the world
How fitting is it that the racers consist of drivers from all over the world, and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo has been run in 47 different tracks across the globe? Having had 18 in Europe, 13 in Asia, 14 in North America and 2 in the Middle East, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo has truly gone global.
From the Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, Monza in Italy, Watkins Glen and Laguna Seca in the USA, Suzuki in Japan, Shanghai in China and to many more places far and wide, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo makes its mark wherever it may be.
