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The iconic Italian circuit of Imola will host the opening round of the 2022 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe season, the 14th edition of the one-make GT championship and first for the all-new Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2. Thirthy-seven cars are set to fight at the Grand Prix venue across all four classes, with action aplenty guaranteed.
Making his car racing debut at Imola will be three-time motorcycle world champion Dani Pedrosa, competing for the Rexal FFF Racing Team. The Spaniard will partner former LMP2 driver Antonin Borga in three rounds this year, with Misano and Portimão also on the agenda. “It is a new experience for me,” said Pedrosa. “My main goal is to have fun and experience the adrenaline of racing. The opportunity presented itself thanks to Lamborghini and with the help of the FFF Racing team this was opened. [It’s an] opportunity to partially participate in the championship with the support of my teammate Antonin Borga, who has experience in motor racing, so I hope to learn from him and the team and enjoy the experience “.
Imola has featured only once on the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe calendar before, when it hosted the final round and the fifth edition of the World Finals in 2017. This season, thirty-seven crews are expected on the grid for the season opener, with last year’s title winners Oregon Team returning to defend their crown with a new Pro class pair. Alessandro Tarabini and Filippo Berto lead the charge for the team run by Jerry Canevisio and Giorgio Testa, with Berto making his Super Trofeo debut. Meanwhile, Bonaldi Motorsport will field a pair of experienced drivers in Loris Spinelli and Max Weering. The duo is a tried and tested combination, having taken both victories at the Nürburgring last season, helping Dutchman Weering claim second in last year’s championship points standings.
A number of debutants will also be in the mix in the Pro class, with VS Racing fielding French pair Jean-Luc D’Auria and Stéphane Tribaudini. At Leipert Motorsport, Romanian driver David-Mihai Serban will run a solo entry for his maiden season while the all-American crew of Jean-François Brunot and Kerong Li join forces. Belgian single seater champion Amaury Bonduel makes the transition to GT racing with BDR Competition. Contesting his second season in Super Trofeo Europe will be Milan Teekens but this time at Target Racing alongside rookie Marzio Moretti.
The Pro-Am class is set to be one of the most competitive in years, with 10 entries due to take part in the opening round. Damian Ciosek and Magnus Gustavsen will race together for Lamborghini Roma Team, while former Blancpain GT Series and GP3 Series driver Lewis Williamson makes his debut for Oregon Team alongside Massimo Ciglia. Imola will mark the return to Super Trofeo Europe for two drivers: Emanuele Zonzini from San Marino, will team up with Emanuel Colombini at VS Racing while Italian Pietro Perolini and Argentinian Paolo Biglieri complete the Bonaldi line-up. Bronislav Formanek and Josef Zaruba continue their partnership in the all-Czech Micanek Motorsport team as they look to capture the class title for the first time. Leipert Motorsport’s attack is bolstered by the arrival of experienced New Zealander Brendon Leitch, who is combining a campaign in GT World Challenge Europe, and American Gerhard Watzinger. Veteran Jürgen Krebs and Tim Torsten Müller occupy the second Leipert car. Former Leipert Motorsport pairing Dan Wells and Oscar Lee will continue their association this year, but will switch to the Rexal FFF Racing Team, while Dmitry Gvazava remains at Target Racing, partnering newcomer Milan Petelet. Finally, GT3 Poland will field compatriots Grzegorz Moczulski and Rafal Mikrut.
The Am class is equally crowded, with a number of new entries for 2022. Frenchman Stéphan Guerin will drive solo with Arkadia Racing for their first season in the championship. Boutsen Ginion will expand to four cars for 2022, with Claude-Yves Gosselin and Marc Rostan continuing their collaboration from last year. Elie Dubelly teams up with Pierre Feligioni, while Feligioni’s 2021 teammate Daniel Waszczinski forms a new partnership with Regis Rego De Sebes. The roster is completed by Belgian François Grimm, who last year competed in International GT Open.
Andrzej Lewandowski will defend his Pro-Am title from last year in the new surroundings of GT3 Poland, which will field another car for Holger Harmsen. Experienced campaigner Oliver Freymuth returns with his AKF Motorsport team, while Enrico Bettera makes his debut with Oregon Team. Gabriel Rindone stays with Leipert Motorsport, with Raffaele Giannoni remaining with Automobile Tricolore.
In the Lamborghini Cup, two-time defending champion Hans Fabri is back for another season with Imperiale Racing. He’ll be up against three-time champion Gerard van der Horst (champion in 2016, 2017 and 2018) as well as the 2019 title-winning sibling pairing of Benoît and François Semoulin (Semspeed). Runner-up in 2021, father-and-son duo Luciano and Donovan Privitelio will be targeting the title with Rexal FFF Racing Team, which will also field a second car in the LB Cup class for Kumar Prabakaran. Sandro Mur will drive solo for Bonaldi Motorsport.