Overview
K-PAX Racing is one of the most successful GT race teams in recent U.S. history. Established in 2007, K-PAX Racing owns more than 70 wins and 170 podiums in the GT World Challenge America Championship – one of the most competitive sports car racing series in North America. Since its formation, K-PAX Racing has won several championships with Porsche, Volvo, McLaren, Bentley and Lamborghini.
In a monumental move ahead of the 2020 race season, K-PAX Racing announced its participation in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, piloting two Bentley Continental GT3s in its maiden expedition into Europe. K-PAX Racing returns to its roots in 2021, primed to retrace its heritage and winning pedigree back into America with Lamborghini Squadra Corse and its Huracán GT3 EVO.
Our History
Jim Haughey met with Bob Raub, a long-time racer and car builder, in the fall of 2006 to discuss the possibilities of a new race effort for the coming season. Using the Porsche 911 GT3 car as a base, three cars were built to World Challenge GT specifications. Drivers Michael Galati and Randy Pobst were assigned to each car, and K-PAX Racing began to take shape.
Success came quickly as Pobst captured the Driver’s Championship in 2007 and 2008. K-PAX Racing additionally helped Porsche to a Manufacturers’ Championship in 2008. In two seasons with Porsche, the team captured six wins, six poles, 26 top-five finishes and 31 top-10s.
K-PAX Racing teamed-up with Volvo in 2009, fielding two 2.5-liter, turbocharged Volvo S60 AWDs. With support from Volvo North America, the team built a competitive new platform from the chassis up. Designing, machining and assembling most of the car was an in-house project.
Pobst captured his third Drivers’ Championship with the team in 2010. That season, K-PAX Racing helped Volvo to its first Manufacturers’ Championship – its most recent to-date. K-PAX Racing campaigned Volvo S60s in the World Challenge GT class and expanded its fleet with Volvo C30s in the TC class through the 2013 season. K-PAX Racing and Volvo combined for 23 victories over five seasons – the most with any manufacturer over the team’s 12-year history.
K-PAX Racing welcomed two McLaren 12C GT3s into its garage in 2014 and concluded the season with its first win with the British-marque in the final race. The team continued its relationship with the manufacturer the following three seasons by updating to the McLaren 650S GT3 model.
Seasoned sports car driver Álvaro Parente joined K-PAX Racing for the 2016 season, making an instant impact on the team’s long legacy of success. Parente won six times in his inaugural year in American racing, giving K-PAX Racing its first championship since 2010. K-PAX Racing also helped McLaren GT to its most-recent Manufacturers’ title in the same year.
K-PAX Racing not only continued to compete in the Sprint GT class in 2017, but also participated in the series’ SprintX class. Altogether, the team captured 11 podiums in 11 events – also eclipsing the 100-podium milestone early-on in the season.
K-PAX Racing made a switch in manufacturer for the upcoming 2018 World Challenge season. Formally announced in December 2017, the team teamed up with Bentley and fielded two of its first-generation Bentley Continental GT3s. With the switch, the team welcomed Bentley Factory drivers Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet to join Parente and Rodrigo Baptista respectively. The team won six races and 11 podiums in its debut with the British manufacturer.
K-PAX Racing quickly emerged as a title contender during the 2019 GT World Challenge America season, as the team’s two-car effort shared six victories, seven poles and 23 podiums. The team’s podium-count marked the most in team history, as it scored at least two top-three performances at each of the seven tracks on the schedule. K-PAX Racing went on to win the Team Championship – its second-consecutive title with Bentley.
Simultaneously, K-PAX Racing helped Bentley reach new milestones with its second-generation Bentley Continental GT3. K-PAX Racing earned the model’s first pole and victory worldwide (Circuit of The Americas), while also securing its first-ever championship.
K-PAX Racing expanded its program for the 2020 race season, announcing its two-car effort in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with hopes to preserve its presence on home soil with a one-car entry. The expansion marked the first time the team has competed in multiple series on different continents. The expanded effort subsequently called for the addition of new drivers in each line-up, as K-PAX Racing welcomes Bentley Team M-Sport drivers Jordan Pepper (No. 9) and Jules Gounon (No. 3) to the fold in Europe, while also signing the driver pairing of Guy Cosmo and Patrick Byrne to field the No. 8 in America.
However, heeding caution to pandemic conditions felt worldwide, the team soon refocused its efforts exclusively to Europe. K-PAX Racing saw success in its two appearances stateside, with one top-ten performance in the GT World Challenge America season opener at Circuit of The Americas and later under Intercontinental GT Challenge, battling to a top-ten performance in the team’s first-ever appearance at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. K-PAX Racing showed its speed among some of the world’s most elite GT3 competition, earning two top-10 results – one in its Total 24 Hours of Spa debut.
K-PAX Racing, which has found its success on finding the best equation in its driver core and cars year-to-year, teamed up with Lamborghini Squadra Corse for the 2021 season. The team retraced its roots stateside, preserving and building on its longstanding legacy with two Huracán GT3 EVOs. Lamborghini Factory Drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Giovanni Venturini joined the fold, as well as Corey Lewis, who is a Lamborghini resident on the manufacturer’s customer teams worldwide. Pepper returned to the team for his sophomore season waving the K-PAX Racing banner. The team was quick on the throttle, giving K-PAX Racing a “Triple Crown” – finishing one-two in the Drivers’ Championship, winning the Team Championship and helping Lamborghini to a Manufacturers’ Championship.
The team followed up its strong showing in 2021, by recreating history with Lamborghini. K-PAX Racing took on the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS once more, but now in the drivers’ seat to defend its title. Caldarelli was joined by Michele Beretta for most of the season, while Pepper shared driving duties with newcomer Misha Goikhberg. All four drivers finished up-top the Drivers’ Championship – Caldarelli taking top honors as the current crowned champion, while also having the most wins in team history. K-PAX Racing was able to repeat its Team Championship, as well as seal a back-to-back Manufacturers’ title for the Italian marque.
Championships
Driver Championships
2007 – 2008 – 2010 — 2016 — 2021 — 2022
Team Championships
2016 – 2018 – 2019 — 2021 — 2022
Manufacturer Championships
2008 – 2010 – 2016 — 2021 — 2022
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Gallery
2023: Round Five – Barcelona