Wins Shared on Eventful Opening Paul Ricard Weekend

Photo: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe

Honors were even on a dramatic opening weekend of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe action at Paul Ricard with the victories shared between the No. 15 Rexal Villorba Corse machine of Nicholas Pujatti and Benedetto Strignano and the No. 72 DL Racing entry of Kevin Gilardoni and Simone Iaquinta.

Silas Rytter had led the opening half of the first contest before the race began to unravel for the polesitting No. 36 Oregon Team crew.

First, Rytter picked up a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by going off the track as he battled side-by-side with Jonathan Cecotto on lap one, before the No. 36 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 was then slapped with a 40-second sanction for speeding in the pitlane.

To compound the misery, shortly after Patrik Fraboni took over he was passed in a double move by both Strignano and Iaquinta at the final corner.

Strignano then spent the remainder of the race under stern pressure from Iaquinta and things came to a head on the final tour as they negotiated traffic.

Strignano struck a backmarker at Turn 2 but, despite picking up significant bodywork damage, was able to cling on to take victory.

Cecotto’s No. 31 Invictus Corse machine fell down the order once rookie Sergei Astafjev took over and finished a distant 21st, failing to even be in the Pro-Am top-six.

Instead divisional honors went to the No. 11 Micanek Motorsport machine of Anthony Pretorius and Bronislav Formanek, after Pretorius forcibly demoted the No. 32 ASR machine late on.

Several frontrunners in the Am class hit strife but it was eventually the No. 67 GT3 Poland car of Grzegorz Moczulski that prevailed, while the No. 5 DC Motorsport entry of Nina Ostergaard and Peder Moller Demant won the Lamborghini Cup.

Pretorius continued his notable weekend by grabbing pole position for Race 2, but he was only able to repel Iaquinta for a couple of laps before the two-time Porsche Carrera Cup Italia champion was able to find a way through.

There was no stopping the DL Racing machine thereafter as it took the early points lead with 2021 outright series champion Gilardoni guiding the car home five seconds clear of Formanek, who ensured the No. 11 entry was the only double class winner in France.

Fraboni made a poor start but Rytter later ensured the No. 36 Oregon crew were able to salvage something from the weekend with third.

The other classes again had eventful races with the No. 27 CMR machine of Stephane Lemeret and Rodrigue Gillion this time triumphing in Am, while the No. 8 Rexal Villorba Corse pairing of Luciano and Donovan Privitelio – runner-up in the 2025 divisional standings – struck gold in the Lamborghini Cup.

Attention now turns to the second round of the championship, which is due to take place at Imola over May 9-10.

Source: Sports Car 365