Lind, De La Torre Lead Throughout Pro/Pro-Am Opener

Photo: Lamborghini Squadra Corse

TR3 Racing pair Dennis Lind and Elias De La Torre took a lights-to-flag victory in the opening Pro/Pro-Am race of the Monza Lamborghini World Finals event.

Lind had qualified the No. 129 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 on pole but was unable to pull away in the opening stages only eking out a 1.9-second lead by the mandatory stops.

But De La Torre was able to emerge from the pits 4.5 seconds ahead and the Super Trofeo North America champion kept the lead to the flag, despite Nicolas Stati closing the gap to around 2.5 seconds at one stage.

Lind was untroubled at the start staying ahead of Brendon Leitch in the No. 70 Leipert Motorsport machine that had already been victorious in the European championship during the Monza week.

But it was an eventful first couple of laps for Giano Taurino who triggered chaos at the first chicane at the start and then was hit by European champion Simone Iaquinta on the next tour.

Lind continued to lead after a brief safety car period when Paolo Biglieri was stranded in the Parabolica gravel and De La Torre was able to inherit a bigger advantage after the stops.

But Stati, in for Leitch, was on a charge and continued to narrow the deficit albeit to no avail with the gap increasing again in the final few laps.

Solo driver Will Bamber finished third in the No. 133 XONINE Racing entry, having slipped back from the first two by having to serve a slightly longer stop for driving alone.

The top contender from the Asian championship was the No. 206 VSR machine of Gustaw Wisniewski and Liam Sceats, with the latter finishing right on Bamber’s tail.

Behind in fifth were North American Pro-Am champions Danny Formal and Graham Doyle — the Wayne Taylor Racing pair having stepped up to the Pro class for the World Finals.

Nick Persing rose to sixth by the flag in the sister No. 101 WTR car that last year’s World Finals winner Hampus Ericsson had only qualified ninth.

The Pro-Am victory went to European class champions Anthony Pretorius and Bronislav Formanek with the Micanek Motorsport pair finishing in seventh overall.

The division had been led by the No. 119 TB Autosports pair of Kyle Marcelli and Mathieu Boucher in the early stages, but Boucher had fallen to second and then stopped on track on the penultimate lap.

The Pro-Am podium was therefore completed by the No. 144 Kaizen Autosport crew of Seth Henry and Wyatt Foster and Oregon Team pair Pietro Perolini and Josef Knopp.

The crucial second race is due to take place at 1:20 p.m. CET (8:20 a.m. EST) on Sunday, with Lind and De La Torre having a lot to do to claim the title spoils as they will start 13th.

RESULTS: Race 1

Source: Sports Car 365