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Lamborghini Super Trofeo NA

Valencia Friday Notebook

John Dagys’ Friday Super Trofeo notebook from Valencia…

Photo: John Dagys

Photo: John Dagys

***Dennis Lind and Loris Spinelli scored Pro class victories in Friday’s Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Europe season finales, with Lind claiming the championship. MotoGP star Andrea Dovizioso, in a special guest entry from Squadra Corse, meanwhile, took Pro-Am class honors in Race 2, with Race 1 going to FFF Racing by Team ACM’s Ling Kang.

***Other class winners on Friday included Kikko Galbiati (Europe Am Race 2), Nouri “Fineboy” Shahin (Europe Am Race 2), Gerard Van der Horst (Europe LB Cup Race 1 and 2), Vincent Wong (Asia Am Race 1 & 2) and Supachai Weeraborwornpong (Asia LB Cup Race 1 & 2).

***Reigning World Final champion Patrick Kujala is the only driver pulling double duty between two series this weekend, with the 20-year-old Finn in the No. 117 US Racetronics Lamborghini Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo alongside Brian Thienes, as well as the No. 34 Bonaldi Motorsport entry with Adrian Amstutz, both Pro-Am class entries.

***Kujala scored a pair of class podium finishes in North America competition, after a commanding early race lead in Race 1 that was derailed by an off-course excursion for co-driver Thienes. Kujala finished fifth in class in the season-ending European race, after an early race incident knocked the car out of the running in Round 11.

***A pit lane start for the No. 110 Prestige Performance Lamborghini of Craig Duerson in North America Race 2 was to the team’s plan, in order to avoid a possible start crash. Duerson and co-driver Trent Hindman locked up the Pro-Am title by just finishing the race.

***The season-ending North America round saw considerably more incidents, including both Damon Ockey (No. 109 US Racetronics) and Emmanuel Anassis (No. 118 DAC Motorsports) receiving 30-second post-race penalties for causing collisions.  It dropped Anassis to 9th overall and Ockey to 13th post-race.

***The No. 138 Prestige Performance Lamborghini of Marco Malpelli, who was a late addition to the North America grid, completed only a single lap in both races before parking his car in each occasion.

***DragonSpeed team owner Elton Julian made his Super Trofeo debut in Friday’s pair of European series season-ending races, teaming with American Pete Aronson for a 10th place class finish. The entry was moved from the Lamborghini Cup class to Am on Thursday. Aronson will take part in the World Final solo, as Julian did not complete the previous two-race minimum requirement to qualify for the event.

***While not working in an official capacity this weekend, both IMSA’s Senior Series Manager of Development & Single Make Series Randy Hembrey and Senior Director of Marketing Brandon Huttleson, are on-site in Valencia. IMSA serves as the sanctioning body for the North American series.

***Newly crowned Super Trofeo North America champion Shinya Michimi has still yet to finalize his 2017 program, with discussions ongoing with GT3/GTD teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, as well as the new Blancpain GT Asia series. “Wherever I can find a GT3 ride is what I’m looking for. But that being said, we still have options to run Super Trofeo as well,” he told Sportscar365.

***Michimi’s Prestige Performance teammate, Trent Hindman, meanwhile, is finalizing plans for the Rolex 24 with BAR1 Motorsports, having recently tested the team’s Oreca FLM09, his first time in a prototype. Hindman told Sportscar365 that he’s planning to return to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge with Bodymotion Racing and is also working on options in other series.

***DXDT Racing is set to return with at least three Super Trofeo entries, and as many as six next year, according to managing director Erik Petersen. Petersen told Sportscar365 the team recently tested three prospective drivers at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump Nev. and Utah Motorsports Campus.

***The Utah-based team is planning a multi-car Pirelli World Challenge program with a to-be-announced manufacturer in addition to possible expanded effort in Super Trofeo. DXDT fielded at least three Huracans this year in the North America series.

***Change Racing team principal Robby Benton said to expect a “very similar” WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD program to this year, with the return of its Lamborghini Huracan GT3, but with a “very interesting” sponsor lineup. “It’s one of those sponsors that comes into the sport that I think everyone will take notice,” he told Sportscar365.

***Benton also confirmed a planned two-car Super Trofeo effort next year, although details are still being put into place on that front. “Once we get done with the World Final, our sole focus turns to Daytona and the GTD car,” he said. “Because the Super Trofeo doesn’t start until early May, we have a bit of time to sort that out.”

***Live streaming coverage is available for all races this weekend. The first World Final race for Am and Lamborghini Cup gets underway Saturday at 1:20 p.m. local (7:20 a.m. ET), with the Pro and Pro-Am race set for 3:30 p.m. local (9:30 a.m. ET). Click Here for the streaming link.

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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