Series welcomes fans back into stands for first time this season

K-PAX Racing is off to its best start ever, remaining unbeaten through the first four rounds of Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS, and its two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVOs make a convincing claim to add VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) to the list of tracks where it has seen success this season. This time the team has the opportunity to share its successes with GT racing fans in the paddock, as the event marks the first-time fans are welcome back into the paddock to witness all the series action in real-time.

“So far this season we have had great success in our new program with Lamborghini,” K-PAX Racing Program Manager Darren Law said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better start on so many levels, but we still have a long way to go.”

“It has been a bit of a learning curve. Everyone is working well together, and the future looks good. All of us on the team and for that matter, everybody in the series, is looking forward to VIR not only because it is an amazing track and facility, but to also finally have fans allowed back is something we have all missed. It has been very strange to not have fans during our race weekends and I can’t wait for it to get back to some normalcy again.”

The ever-consistent team has faced an assortment of challenges early in its 2021 championship campaign, including a restructured race program, new tracks to most of its drivers and in recent rounds, unrelenting weather. With four rounds down, K-PAX Racing has risen to the top each time – three of those races finishing its Huracán GT3 EVOs one-two on the podium. In each event, the No. 3 of Andrea Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper have recorded the fastest race lap at least once in the multi-race weekend, as well as earned pole position in three of those four rounds. The No. 6 of Giovanni Venturini and Corey Lewis has finished on the podium three of the four rounds, earning its first victory last month in the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) finale.

While VIR will follow-suit as a new track for the K-PAX Racing-Lamborghini Squadra Corse relationship and for three of the four team drivers, the team enters the fifth and sixth rounds of series action having seen most of its past successes from Alton, Virginia. The circuit has given K-PAX Racing its second-most wins from anywhere it has competed (six), and the series event is one the team had swept in its last two appearances (2018, 2019). In the team’s first appearance in 2010, it also swept the weekend – four podiums to add to the nine it has been awarded throughout its history. While K-PAX Racing found success in the previous two rounds without testing, the team will join other series competitors in a two-day test the week of the race.

“Given the fact that three of our four drivers have not been to any of the tracks we race at, they have done a great job getting up to speed quickly,” Law said. “We have had the benefit of Lamborghini’s support and testing prior to some of the races, and that will be the case this weekend for VIR. We are continually learning this car and work to make adjustments between events. With a two-day test this week, we will continue to gather information and progress the development of the program.”

In the 2021 championship standings, the No. 3 of Caldarelli and Pepper hold the top spot (93 points). The team’s sister-car, the No. 6 of Venturini and Lewis, are a close second (73). K-PAX Racing holds a comfortable lead in the team standings, with a perfect stat-line across four rounds (100).

Qualifying sessions, as well as both races, will be streamed live on the GTWorld YouTube channel, with audio simulcasts on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 392 (992 on the SXM web app). CBS Sports Network live programming begins Sunday at 1:30 pm EDT; check your local listings for channel information. Fans looking to catch all the action in-person can visit www.virnow.com for more information.

DRIVER QUOTES

Andrea Caldarelli – No. 3 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “We are going to VIR leading the championship and that is, for sure, a very good feeling. However, we saw that our competitors got closer-and-closer, so we need to put our heads down and do a perfect job to keep the lead. It definitely feels good to have both cars at top of the standing and that shows that we are growing up as team and that is very important to be successful in GT category. I never been at VIR before so it is difficult to predict how the car is going to behave, however it looks a very nice track and i cannot wait to race on it.”

Jordan Pepper – No. 3 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “VIR is a new track to most of us and it’ll be interesting to see how our Huracán GT3 EVO performs. On a positive note, we will have a two-day test and a lot of testing points and information we’ve gathered over the last two races that we want to go through. That should put us on a strong setup for the weekend. Considering the car has been so competitive at Sonoma [Raceway] and Circuit of The Americas – two opposite tracks – I can’t see why we wouldn’t be up-front at VIR.”

Giovanni Venturini – No. 6 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “The first victory of the championship gives us a lot of motivation for the next round. Now, we have to keep the focus on the battle for the overall victory and try to keep competing at a high level. If both K-PAX Racing cars are in-front, it is because of the big effort by everyone in the team. Honestly, we are doing a really good job, and I’m so happy to be part of this process. It will be my first time at VIR, but I’m in a good mood because we will test two days before the race. So, I have time to learn the circuit very well. As for our car on this track: I don’t know. But, we will see when we get into qualifying and the weekend.”

Corey Lewis – No. 6 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO – “It’s hard to express into words what it means to capture our first win at COTA. It was special for sure, and I know Gio [Venturini] and I will want to keep the momentum rolling in VIR. The championship is shaping up nicely for K-PAX Racing as a whole. Gio and I are currently trailing in second for the overall championship, but we are still very much in striking distance. I know we both are determined to continue to put the pressure on our sister car and gain some more points to help close the gap.

I personally love VIR. It’s one of my favorite tracks in North America. Historically, the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO has been very successful at this circuit. This track has a little bit of everything – big brake zone which are great for passing, technical sections that reach finesse and those fast and daunting high-speed uphill esses with massive elevation change. What could you not love? Also, this will be the first event where we have our fans back. I can’t wait to see everyone there.”

About K-PAX Racing
Based in Sonoma, Calif., K-PAX Racing has celebrated a total 156 podiums, 63 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.

The most challenging tests are those which see Lamborghini’s Customer Racing Teams competing in the principal international GT championships driving the Huracán GT3. The GT3 differs from the Huracán Super Trofeo EVO through its more sophisticated aerodynamics, kinematic suspension control and other technical specifications respecting official FIA regulations. In 2017 the Huracán GT3 won the Blancpain GT Series; in 2018 and 2019 the Huracán GT3 completed a double victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in GTD Class. Lamborghini is the only company in the world to win both of the prestigious races, that are also known as 36 Hours of Florida, in two consecutive years. Another premiere in 2019: The GT3 won the Triple Crown of the Blancpain GT Series with the titles in the categories Overall, Endurance and Sprint. In 2020 Lamborghini celebrated third victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona with sensational one-two finish.

Both the Huracán Super Trofeo and the Huracán GT3 are constructed and built at the plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese on the same production line as the road vehicles. Specialized technicians of the Lamborghini Squadra Corse are present at every station along the line.

Moreover, Lamborghini Squadra Corse is trying to develop new talents in motor sports, for example through the Young Drivers Program (open for drivers under 26 that will compete in the Super Trofeo championship) and the GT3 Junior Program (for future GT drivers). Both the programs aim to offer young drivers the possibility to improve their driving skills helping them to take a career as professional pilots.

In 2018 Squadra Corse inaugurated its first One-Off, the SC18 Alston, followed by open-top SC20 in 2020. In the same year Squadra Corse unveiled Essenza SCV12 the track-only hypercar in a limited edition of 40 units, fitted with the most powerful V12 naturally aspirated engine ever developed by Lamborghini: over 830 hp.