Championship-leading team looks to follow-up perfect opener in next two rounds of action

K-PAX Racing showed instant success in the first two rounds of Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS, leaving its home-track of Sonoma Raceway first and second in its 2021 championship campaign. The team has since followed up its strong debut with Lamborghini Squadra Corse with even more testing of its new Huracán GT3 EVO fleet, with the third and fourth round of series action on the horizon at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

“We are looking forward to getting back to racing in the SRO GT World Challenge America series,” K-PAX Racing Program Manager Darren Law said. “It has been a bit of a long break between events, but that hasn’t diminished our motivation. After such a great start to the season at Sonoma with our one-two finish in both races, we are more motivated than ever to keep pushing for great results in the championship.”

The team, having entered past seasons learning a new car in short time, was faced with a similar situation in its full return to the series this season. K-PAX Racing was able to launch a brief, but inundated testing program before the season-opener – four days of on-track testing at two different California-based circuits, and all in a two-week span. Since, the team has been able to complete additional testing at Sonoma once again to continue to get fully up to speed on the Huracán GT3 EVO, while also incorporating an abundance of data gathered over the span of seven years at Circuit of The Americas.

The team made its first appearance at the top-tiered, Formula 1 style circuit in 2013, when three-time series champion Randy Pobst earned two top-five results – including a share of the podium in the finale of the multi-race event. In its return to the course two seasons later, former team driver Kevin Estre was dubbed the rain-master by dominating the finale under wet conditions by more than a 30-second margin.

The team was able to stand at the top of the podium back-to-back seasons (2018-2019), with the driver pairing of Rodrigo Baptista and Maxime Soulet experiencing déjà vu by helping the team to both victories. The two won in 2018 as a Pro-Am pairing, then returned to win the overall as an all-Pro entrant – simultaneously giving Bentley Motorsport its first pole and victory worldwide for its second-generation Continental GT3. In 13 appearances on the grid at COTA, K-PAX Racing has collected three victories and seven podiums.

K-PAX Racing has seen the podium at Circuit of The Americas with all its manufacturers since its track debut in 2013 (Volvo, McLaren GT, Bentley Motorsport) and after a promising weekend sweep at home and continued testing in-between events, the team feels reassured to add Lamborghini Squadra Corse to the list.

“The new relationship with Lamborghini has been phenomenal,” Law said. “They are great to work with, the cars and drivers are at the top of the field and we are just getting started. Although we did not do any testing at COTA, we have been testing and learning every time we run the cars. We have a lot of experience at COTA and have success in there in the past. We look forward to getting back underway in the third and fourth round.”

Due to safety protocols and restrictions, public attendance is prohibited but fans still have options to catch all the racing excitement online. Qualifying rounds will be streamed live for free on the GT World YouTube channel, and audio simulcasts on Sirius XM Radio Channel 382 (992 on the web/app). CBS Sports Network’s highlights and live racing package premieres Sunday, May 2nd at 2:00 p.m. ET, with an encore presentation at 10:00 p.m. ET that evening. Series and event information can be found at gt-world-challenge-america.com.

DRIVER QUOTES

Andrea Caldarelli – No. 3 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “It is my first time here at COTA, so I have only looked at the track on TV or online. It looks a very technical track and quite tough on tires, so I am pretty sure it suits well our Huracan GT3 EVO, especially on the last part of the track, in the third sector.

It was great start of the season in Sonoma. It was good motivation for all of us and team that worked really hard to put together the cars just received and go straight into race weekend. We definitely need to try to repeat the California weekend. Everything worked well because I believe we all have the same goal. With this in mind, it is easier to work together and help each other on taking the right decisions to grow up stronger as team.”

Jordan Pepper – No. 3 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “This year is going to be a challenge for me because every single circuit is brand new. I have taken a lot of time to do simulator prep, and I feel comfortable with the track and know it as best as I can on the sim. Let’s see how it compares in real-life, but normally it’s pretty accurate and it’s a good tool that I like to use. I think the Lamborghini is a good ‘all-around’ car, so I believe that we’re going to be strong at Circuit of The Americas. We are one of the only teams not to test there, so let’s see how we stack up when we get there. The team has done a great job in going through all the collected data, so I feel like we’ll show up with a well-suited package for Circuit of The Americas based on previous years and the knowledge they have gained now.

What made us so successful [at Sonoma] is that we remained calm, we worked open-mindedly, and we were all able to share information back and forth together. I think that’s what makes our package a step above the rest. If we keep that momentum and mentality, we’re going to keep going strength to strength.”

Giovanni Venturini – No. 6 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “I did some sim last week and it looks challenging. It will be my first time there, so I can’t wait to jump in the car.

The first round in Sonoma was amazing, and we for sure have to keep this momentum in COTA as well. The team spirit is very high, so we are able to keep our level on the edge. At Sonoma the team did an amazing job, considering it was the first weekend with Lamborghini and with a completely new driver line up. The team was really good and calm to understand where to improve. They took all the data very seriously. This is the way to be winners at the end of the season.”

Corey Lewis – No. 6 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “I can’t wait to get back to work with K-PAX Racing at COTA this week. We as a team are coming off a great weekend at Sonoma, and I know Giovanni [Venturini] and I want to continue that momentum into the next rounds.”

About K-PAX Racing
Based in Sonoma, Calif., K-PAX Racing has celebrated a total 152 podiums, 61 wins, four Driver Championships and three Manufacturer Championships, solidifying the team as a continuous championship contender. In the GT Class, K-PAX Racing has fielded Porsche 911 GT3s during the 2007 – 2008 seasons, Volvo S60s during the 2009 – 2013 seasons, McLaren 12C GT3s in 2014 and McLaren 650S GT3s from 2015 – 2017. The team made a switch to Bentley for 2018, fielding the first-generation Continental GT3 in its first season and the second-generation model in 2019 and 2020. K-PAX Racing will debut the 2021 season in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO.

About Lamborghini Squadra Corse

Squadra Corse is the motorsport department of Automobili Lamborghini. Born in 2013 within the Research & Development department, Squadra Corse provides an integrated approach to driving experiences of the brand; from driving course programs with road vehicles to motorsport competitions, through the Lamborghini Super Trofeo or championships of the GT class.

Esperienza is the first step for those who are interested in the world of Lamborghini: Its aim is to share the thrill and emotions of the super sports cars from Sant’Agata Bolognese with fans and potential customers alike, by advanced driving course programs. Esperienza Dinamica is divided into five programs in order to face every type of surface: Corsa, Neve, Sabbia, Strada, Terra. Esperienza Accademia is the program dedicated to advanced drivers, offering driving course programs not only on the racetrack but also on ice in order to improve the driving skills of the pilots.

The Lamborghini Super Trofeo is an international motor racing series with drivers competing in identical Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVOs, the racing version of the production model, that features the same 5.2 l naturally aspirated V10 engine. Inaugurated in 2009, Super Trofeo hosts regional championships in Europe, Asia and North America and is divided in four categories: Pro, Pro-Am, Am and Lamborghini Cup bringing together passionate gentleman drivers and young professional pilots. At the end of each season, the teams and drivers of all regions compete against each other in the World Finals, the highlight of the season.