23 August 2010

n the searing Hungarian heat, Peter Kox and Marc A. Hayek returned to
race-winning form at the penultimate 2010 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo race weekend at the Hungaroring on 21-22 August 2010. The Blancpain Reiter Engineering duo secured victories in both rounds 14 and 15 to close the gap between them and their title rivals in the Pro and Pro-Am Drivers’ Standings.

Also taking part in the series this weekend were Hungarian FIA World Touring Car Championship driver Norbert Michelisz and fellow countryman, GT3 driver Csaba Walter. Paired with Lamborghini test-driver Giorgio Sanna in the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP race car, Michelisz secured a best result of fourth during the weekend. Meanwhile, Walter drove with Belgian GT3 driver Stéphane Lemeret, claiming a fifth and a sixth place finish. Not only did Lemeret compete in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, but both he and 2009 Super Trofeo Pro Drivers’ Champion Fabio Babini also took part in the Le Mans Series endurance race.

The Super Trofeo series welcomed Czech gentleman driver Milan Urban for his maiden race weekend. Milan, who is Minister of Trade and Industry in the Czech Republic, drove the #77 Charouz-Gravity Racing car alongside his brother Jan. Competing together in the series for the first time, the Czech duo secured a top 10 finish.

Qualifying
Black Bull Swiss Racing topped the timesheets in qualifying for the second time this season when Mirko Venturi guided the #46 Lamborghini Super Trofeo race car around the Hungarian circuit in 1:50.878. VIP driver Michelisz set the second fastest lap time of 1:51.592 in the #1 Automobili Lamborghini car, while Ferruccio Bellini, driving for the Bonaldi Motorsport operation, completed the top trio in the #3 car with a fastest lap of 1:52.255.

Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse driver Nicolas Navarro secured the fourth place on the grid after setting a fastest lap of 1:52.345 in the #63, while Kox claimed the fifth spot with a 1:52.361.

"Everything went very well this morning,” said pole-setter Venturi. “It is really important to start at the front at the Hungaroring, as it is a very demanding circuit. Babini and Kox did not represent a threat today and hopefully in race one we will prove to be the best!"

Round 13
Venturi’s team-mate Tommaso Maino started on pole for round 13 but went wide at the first corner and spun, putting him back to sixth place. From eighth on the grid, Fabio Babini charged through in the #22 MIK Corse Super Trofeo to lead the pack out of the first corner. Babini continued to head the field with Sanna behind the wheel of the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car in pursuit.

On lap eight the pitlane opened for driver changes: Sanna pitted to hand over to Michelisz. Meanwhile, Babini was still out on track increasing his lead. The Italian driver entered the pits to pass over the #22 to team-mate Gian Luigi Piccioli, but Piccioli was unable to rejoin the track before the #63, piloted by Navarro, passed the pit exit for the lead.

Having rejoined in second place, Piccioli began to fall down the order. Bellini moved up to second and was defending from Venturi, who had taken over the #46 from Maino. Navarro took the chequered flag to secure Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse’s maiden Super Trofeo victory. Behind, Bellini slipped down the field: Venturi passed for second place, while Piccioli got past at the penultimate corner for the last podium position.

“This is the first time we raced with this car and we have already secured a victory, so this is fantastic,” said Navarro. “The car performed perfectly. During the race we tried to push as much as we could. I would like to say thanks to Cedric and the Autovitesse team for doing a great job. I dedicate this victory to Lionel Régal, who died last week during a race in Switzerland.”


Nicolas Navarro and Cedric Leimer on the top step of the podium

Round 14
From pole, Cedric Leimer took the lead on the first lap, but lost out to Babini in the #22 on lap two. The MIK Corse driver led until lap six when he retired with a technical issue. Second-place man Sanna in the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car took the lead with Italian Pro-Am Eugenio Amos charging hard behind.

Following the pit-stops, it was Kox way out in front. The Dutch driver had received the #24 Blancpain Reiter Engineering Super Trofeo in sixth place after his team-mate Hayek had fought his way through from 12th on the grid, and Kox had worked his way through to the front.

Kox maintained his lead until the finish line, claiming the top step on the Super Trofeo podium for the third time this season. Amos finished second with Bellini securing a much-deserved third place. Michelisz claimed fourth in the #1 race car, while Lemeret put in a strong drive to secure a fifth-place finish.

“It’s an excellent feeling, I am a little relieved that our bad luck has finally ended,” said Hayek. “The boys at Blancpain Reiter Engineering worked incredibly hard until six in the morning to make the car perfect and they accomplished it.”

Round 15
Kox led the final race of the weekend from the start. The 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner was followed by Amos in the #69 Super Trofeo race car and Sanna in the #1. The trio continued to lap the circuit in order until lap six when Sanna retired with a technical issue. In the #2 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car, Walter moved up to third place with Bellini behind.

At the mandatory pit-stops Kox handed over the #24 to team-mate Hayek, who continued to lead the race. Amos rejoined the field in second place, seven seconds behind a charging Hayek, with Venturi in the #46 charging through to third by lap 17.

In the closing laps, Amos reduced the gap to just a car’s length, but was unable to make the final leap and get past the determined Hayek, who crossed the finish line first with Amos behind to claim his second victory of the weekend, while Venturi completed the podium.

“We had a very good start, then I tried to push hard to open a gap but it was a close race,” said Kox. “Marc held Amos behind very well, I wasn’t sure if we could make it to the end but we did and got the victory which is fantastic.”

“When I took over from Peter I knew that it would be a very close fight with Amos,” added Hayek. “I tried really hard and in the end it worked. I feel the improvement since last year and I hope to keep getting better as a driver!”

Following the three rounds in Hungary, Venturi continues to lead the Pro Drivers’ Standings on 112 points, while Amos heads up the Pro-Am Drivers’ Standings on 120 points. In the Teams’ Standings Touringauto tops the leaderboard on 120 points.

The 2010 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series will conclude with the final three rounds at Vallelunga, Italy, on 24-26 September 2010.

Qualifying results
1. Venturi/Maino (#46), Black Bull Swiss Racing, 1:50.878
2. Sanna/Michelisz (#1), Automobili Lamborghini, 1:51.592
3. Bellini (#3), Bonaldi Motorsport, 1:52.255
4. Leimer C./Navarro (#63), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 1:52.345
5. Hayek/Kox (#24), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 1:52.361
6. Amos (#69), Touringauto, 1:52.384
7. Štovíček/Charouz P. (#88), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 1:54.012
8. Babini/Piccioli (#22), MIK Corse, 1:54.374
9. Leimer H./Saurenmann (#19), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 1:55.212
10. Urban J./Urban M. (#77), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 1:57.058
11. Pronk (#76), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 1:58.279

Round 13 results
1. Leimer C./Navarro (#63), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 41:39.350
2. Venturi/Maino (#46), Black Bull Swiss Racing, + 20.186
3. Babini/Piccioli (#22), MIK Corse, + 30.551
4. Bellini (#3), Bonaldi Motorsport, + 35.898
5. Amos (#69), Touringauto, + 41.196
6. Šťovíček/Charouz P. (#88), Charouz-Gravity Racing, + 1:44.690
7. Pronk (#76), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, + 1 lap
Not classified
Sanna/Michelisz (#1), Automobili Lamborghini, + 5 laps
Leimer H./Saurenmann (#19), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, + 8 laps
Urban J./Urban M. (#77), Charouz-Gravity Racing, + 14 laps

Round 14 results
1. Hayek/Kox (#24), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 41:28.318
2. Amos (#69), Touringauto, + 08.597
3. Bellini (#3), Bonaldi Motorsport, + 18.659
4. Sanna/Michelisz (#1), Automobili Lamborghini, + 21.302
5. Lemeret/Walter (#2), Automobili Lamborghini, + 25.912
6. Šťovíček/Charouz P. (#88), Charouz-Gravity Racing, + 1:24.450
7. Pronk (#76), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, + 1:34.483
8. Leimer C./Navarro (#19), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, + 1:35.135
9. Urban J./Urban M. (#77), Charouz-Gravity Racing, + 1:41.051
Not classified
Babini/Piccioli (#22), MIK Corse, + 15 laps
Venturi/Maino (#46), Black Bull Swiss Racing, + 16 laps
Saurenmann (#63), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, + 16 laps

Round 15 results
1. Hayek/Kox (#24), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 41:16.946
2. Amos (#69), Touringauto, + 02.288
3. Venturi/Maino (#46), Black Bull Swiss Racing, + 19.738
4. Bellini (#3), Bonaldi Motorsport, + 24.109
5. Babini/Piccioli (#22), MIK Corse, + 34.038
6. Lemeret/Walter (#2), Automobili Lamborghini, + 42.642
7. Leimer H./Saurenmann (#19), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, + 1:47.344
8. Štovíček/Charouz P. (#88), Charouz-Gravity Racing, + 1 lap
9. Pronk (#76), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, + 1 lap
Not classified
Sanna/Michelisz (#1), Automobili Lamborghini, + 15 laps

2010 Pro Drivers’ Standings
1. Mirko Venturi (ITA), Black Bull Swiss Racing, 112 pts
2. Fabio Babini (ITA), MIK Corse, 100 pts
3. Peter Kox (NED), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 88 pts
4. Nicolas Navarro (FRA), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 49 pts
5. Jarek Janiš (CZE), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 7 pts
6. Erik Janiš (CZE), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 6 pts
7. Adam Lacko (CZE), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 5 pts

2010 Pro-Am Drivers’ Standings
1. Eugenio Amos (ITA), Touringauto,120 pts
2. Ferruccio Bellini (ITA), Bonaldi Motorsport,102 pts
3. Tommaso Maino (ITA), Black Bull Swiss Racing, 98 pts
4. Marc A. Hayek (SUI), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 88 pts
5. Cedric Leimer (SUI), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 58 pts
6. Albert von Thurn und Taxis (DEU), MIK Corse, 45 pts
7. Herve Leimer (SUI), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 34 pts
8. Jan Stovicek (CZE), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 28 pts
9. Luigi Moccia (ITA), MIK Corse, 27 pts
10. Petr Charouz (CZE), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 25 pts
11. Andrea Invernizzi (ITA), Black Bull Swiss Racing, 21 pts
12. Gian Luigi Piccioli (ITA), MIK Corse, 16 pts
13. Nico Pronk (NED), Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 14 pts
14. Giorgio Bartocci (ITA), MIK Corse, 12 pts
15. Jan Urban (CZE), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 11 pts
16. Dominique Lucas (SUI), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 10 pts
17. Jenny Laurent (SUI), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 8 pts
18. Ronnie Saurenmann (SUI), Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 7 pts
19. Claudio Rossetto (ITA), MIK Corse, 6 pts
- Giovanni Berton (ITA), MIK Corse, 6 pts
20. Milan Urban (CZE), Charouz-Gravity Racing, 2 pts

2010 Teams’ Standings
1. Touringauto, 120 pts
2. Black Bull Swiss Racing, 112 pts
3. MIK Corse, 103 pts
4. Bonaldi Motorsport, 102 pts
5. Blancpain Reiter Engineering, 94 pts
6. Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse, 72 pts
7. Charouz-Gravity Racing, 41 pts

Notes to editors

The 2010 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo season began in April featuring the Lamborghini Super Trofeo: a lightweight version of the Gallardo LP 560-4. The Super Trofeo has a reworked chassis and a power output of 419 kW (570 hp) from its V10, ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ engine. The race car features Lamborghini’s permanent four-wheel drive, making the Super Trofeo the only one-make, all-wheel-drive motorsport series.

Lamborghini again partners with luxury Swiss watchmaker Blancpain, who is the series’ title sponsor, creating a perfect partnership between two prestigious and highly-innovative brands. Its President and CEO, Marc A. Hayek, will get behind-the-wheel of a Super Trofeo following his successful 2009 race season, where he secured four race victories and finished second in the Pro-Am drivers’ classification.

Pirelli, one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers and sole OEM supplier to Automobili Lamborghini, partners the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series. Pirelli, who have a successful motorsport heritage across rally, sports cars and Formula One, will be for the second season a strategic partner to the series. With a history built on high performance tyres, Pirelli is a world leader in both original equipment and the aftermarket, with 24 factories in 12 countries around the world.