50th Anniversary Celebrations continue at Silverstone

F1 legend Adrian Newey returns to race Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo

29 May 2013, Sant‘Agata Bolognese. In its seminal fiftieth year, the growing dimension to Lamborghini’s engagement in motorsport will enjoy another notable contribution as arguably the foremost Formula One designer - Adrian Newey - returns to the cockpit of a Lamborghini Gallardo to race among the squadrons of Super Trofeo contenders at Silverstone this weekend as part of the Blancpain Endurance Series bill at the Northamptonshire circuit.

Newey will piloting the #1 VIP car amid a highly competitive grid split neatly between the established PRO-AM experience of series leader Cédric Leimer, Adrian Zaugg and Andrea Amici, who among others, were dominant in Monza and a rising crop of young amateur talent including Andrea Solimè, who stole a march on their senior rivals in the series’ first night race at Misano three weeks ago.

The young drivers will be joined by another 17 year old in Northampton to supplement the contribution of Italian racer, Alessandra Brena. She will be joined by Fabian Hamprecht, who will race in a Leipert-prepared Gallado for Automobili Lamborghini Racing Germany alongside one of five British drivers, Rupert Svendsen-Cook.

After the weekend in Misano, Composit Motorsport and Autocarrozzeria Imperiale have been working hard to rebuild no less than four cars damaged in various accidents, but both teams will make the grid in Silverstone with a full compliment of cars.


Adrian Newey Returns
Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s CTO, Adrian Newey OBE returns the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo for a second year as the guest driver of the #1 VIP car alongside Alberto Sabbatini, Editor-in-Chief of Italian magazine, Autosprint. Adrian acknowledges that he became captivated by Lamborghini at the tender age of ten after a visit to his local cinema where he witnessed the Roger Beckermann character in the opening scenes of The Italian Job driving a distinctive orange Miura above Aosta in the Italian Alps to the soundtrack of Matt Munro before meeting his untimely screen-death in the Grand St Bernard tunnel.

Thus last year’s opportunity to compete in two races in a Lamborghini Gallardo fulfilled a long-held childhood dream, so much so that he returns in 2013 to the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo with racing partner and Italian motorsport journalist, Alberto Sabbatini. Alberto is no stranger to the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, having raced twice previously and scored three podiums in Monza in 2011; Adrian, 54, is a keen and capable amateur race driver, having competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in 2010, he drove his own Red Bull Racing RB5 Formula One race car, a gift from the team, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The Englishman – winner of eight Formula One world championships – and the Italian might well be hoping for better conditions that the atrocious British summer weather of last June that saw both their races declared wet and saw them finish in 11th and 15th place respectively.


50th Anniversary Celebrations
The anniversarial celebrations marking 50 years since Lamborghini’s establishment reached a high point between the last race at Misano and this weekend’s meeting at Silverstone; in the intervening period, Lamborghini headquarters at Sant’Agata Bolognese has been the focus for one of the most remarkable parades of no less than 350 Lamborghinis on a four day journey taking legs to Milan and Rome. The Grande Giro Lamborghini 50° Anniversario – 4km long and accounting for 190,000 horsepower - culminated in a gala celebration on the cavalcade’s return to Sant’Agata Bolognese.

Reflecting on the remarkable scenes of the Grande Giro, Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini said, “Since our founder Ferruccio Lamborghini first founded the company, a characteristic inherent in our DNA is to address the challenge and not overcome it, but to push boundaries to achieve something even more extraordinary. The Grande Giro Lamborghini 50° Anniversario, with more than 700 participants representing 29 countries, is evidence of the global dimension our brand enjoys today, and the strength of the Lamborghini myth that continues to grow.”


Squadra Corse takes Super Trofeo Global
As the European series gears up for its third round, Super Trofeo came alive in Asia this weekend with its first championship race at the Shanghai International Circuit, kicking off the second six round race series to be run the region.

Eleven different nationalities were represented on the grid in China and the early season spoils went to local driver Jiang Xing & Max Wiser, but it became an all-home driver affair when Chinese racer William Lok and partner Davide Rizzo claimed Sunday’s second race.


Lamborghini Squadra Corse

Lamborghini Squadra Corse is a specialist team within Lamborghini’s R&D department dedicated to motorsport including GT3, the Super Trofeo series, and a customer driving program.

From 2013, the Squadra Corse will provide an integrated approach to Lamborghini driving experiences. A new series of ‘Esperienza’ events provide enthusiasts and prospects with opportunity for a first test-drive and to experience the world of Lamborghini.

The Lamborghini Academies, on both track and ice, provide driver training and the initial steps towards racing.

The Super Trofeo series provides the perfect first race experience for young and gentleman drivers, with the Lamborghini GT3 for more experienced racers wanting to compete with the Lamborghini marque worldwide.


Meet the Driver: Jason Yeomans & Mark
Ahead of round three of the Lamborghin Blancpain Super Trofeo at Silverstone, meet two home drivers racing for the Lamborghini Racing Team UK, Jason Yeomans and team-mate, Mark Nichol. Jason hails from Dumfries in south-west Scotland, a cradle of Scottish motor racing and home to a crop of racing talent from Alan McNish to Dario & Marino Franchitti and David Coulthard. It was no surprise therefore that a younger Jason Yeomans plunged wholeheartedly into motorsport in 1986 and progressively graduating from karts to professional racing. After a long period of competitive racing in his 20’s, an accident and some mild frustration reduced his commitment to racing and ultimately led to an interlude away from the track.

But the allure of “big slicks, big wings and big brakes” on offer in the Blancpain Lamborghini Super Trofeo programme ultimately proved too much to resist. Jason has set sights on contesting Le Mans in the near future and regarded Super Trofeo as the ideal platform to reignite his racing career.

For his part, team-mate Mark Nichol has raced across the UK and Europe, contesting Carrera Cup races and even campaigning the Lamborghini Diablo in the SVR championship in the 1990s. Like Jason, Mark’s professional responsibilities reduced his racing programme, but both he and Jason have rekindled their enthusiasm with their shared Le Mans ambition. Entering the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series is a stepping stone to that ultimate goal. Mark says, “I can’t think of a better way to aim for Le Mans but to start with Super Trofeo and maybe advance this programme to some GT3 racing next season.”

“We know each other well,” say the Automobili Lamborghini Racing Team UK drivers. “We were flatmates for a few years in Scotland, but while we share plenty of experience at Silverstone, we have not raced on the new circuit layout and that will be an interesting challenge this weekend,” they concluded.


Race Calendar for 2013
In Europe, the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo will again partner the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Monza (ITA) 13/14 April
Misano (ITA) 04/05 May
Silverstone (GBR) 01/02 June
Paul Ricard (FRA) 29 June/01 July
Spa (BEL) 25/28 July
Nurburgring (DEU) 21/22 September
Vallelunga (ITA) 23/24 November (Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final)

British GT: Audi teams eager to do well at Silverstone 500

By Tarek Ramchani

Silverstone is hosting the third round of the British GT Championship this weekend. A very special 3-hour endurance event and an impressive entry list. Three Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars will be there aiming to do well.

United Autosports drivers Mark Patterson and Matt Bell, the drivers of the #25 Audi R8 LMS ultra, are now second overall in the points standings. The two drivers have 42.5 points, only half a point behind the series leaders David Ashburn and Nick Tandy, with the Trackspeed Porsche. Last time out at Rockingham Patterson and Bell ended in a strong third place after the two-hour race.

The second Audi R8 LMS ultra car is from M-Sport. The World Rally Championship specialists had a very strong Rockingham round. Rembert Berg and Warren Hughes finished the race in second with their #10 Audi. At Silverstone the Scottish based team will again fight for strong points. Rembert and Hughes are now fifth overall with 27 points, not bad as they were not classified for points in the first round at Oulton Park.

PE Group Blendini Motorsport will field the third Audi, an older specification R8 LMS. Dom Evans and Tom Roche will be the drivers of the #11 R8 LMS. At Rockingham they finished in seventeenth place.

The Silverstone 500 event will have live coverage on Motors TV. No less than 48 cars will enter the race, with a format similar to the one used in the Blancpain Endurance Series. As was the case in the first two rounds, the Audi squad will have to fight hard against a great quality field of GT3 cars. The Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 R cars will be the ones to beat.

Photo credit: British GT Championship

Lamborghini Newport Beach's 50th Anniversary SoCal Tour

We here at Lamborghini Newport Beach are so fortunate to live in an area with great weather year round.  It is because of this nearly perfect weather that we are able to enjoy outdoor activities whenever we please.  We couldn't think of a better way to enjoy the great outdoors than to celebrate Automobili Lamborghini's 50th Anniversary by organizing our "SoCal Tour".

This past Saturday (May 18th) started out like any other ordinary Saturday in Orange County.  As the morning moisture faded away while the sun came out, the howls of V10's and V12's piercing the quiet Saturday morning was not coincidental.  With our coffee heated and parking lot emptied, our front lot began to get filled.  Coming from every direction was an assortment of Lamborghini's.  From the legendary Diablo's to the bulletproof Gallardo's, the ferocious Murcielago's to newcomer Aventador's, all were washed and primed for an exciting weekend trip.

The Lamborghini community is a small but close group of individuals all who share a passion for the aggressive and refined brand.  As more and more Lamborghini's started to arrive, the owners began to catch up and see how things have been since they've last seen each other.

When signing in for the event, each participant received a bag with a special Lamborghini Newport Beach 50th Anniversary sport shirt that cannot be bought anywhere.  After they received their bag, each participant was invited to sign our poster that will be proudly displayed in our showroom floor.

On site was Lamborghini Club America President, Andrew Romanowski, who was glad to participate and even educate a few fans on what it's like to be a part of the Lamborghini family.

By now all participants we're present so it was time to get the show on the road.  First up was a driver's meeting presented by Lamborghini Newport Beach Marketing Director Cedric Davy.  The driver's meeting went over what was to be expected and to answer any/all questions from the participants.  Followed by the driver's meeting was a photo-op where each car and its pilots were able to snag a personal picture by their car.  Just after that, a group picture was taken.

Photos taken, gas tanks filled, route discussed, it was time to get the show on the road… literally.

Immediately after leaving our lot, cell phones and cameras sprouted from nearby onlookers.  It was then that we realized… that this event was something special for all of Southern California to see.

The freeway cruise towards the mountains resembled a long string of bright and colorful cars, sometimes being 2 or 3 lanes wide.  Lamborghini's had officially hijacked the freeways, and the public acknowledged it as they scooted off to the side once they realized a large army of low-slung skittles-colored cars were on approach.

Finally the real driving began as we entered the twisting roads of Angeles Crest.  You didn't need to be going 30, 20, or even 10mph above the speed limit to have fun.  But the drivers did have to be awake as the back-to-back twists had a few small rocks sprinkled across the road early on.

Pit stop #1 came as a large turnout which could accommodate the small army was vacant.  Immediately as we arrive, motorcyclists and motorists of the road slowed to a crawl around our group as they snapped away pictures.  About 15 minutes were spent as drivers and passengers got a chance to stretch and reconfigure their now-scrambled brain for the upcoming twists.

Pit stop #2 came in the form of a gas station off the 15 as V10 and V12 appetites are quite large.  Since 47 Lamborghini's needed to fill up, it provided some appreciated down time for drivers to catch up and share their experiences so far with each other.  Other motorists were stunned to drive by as entire gas station was filled at every pump with an Italian bull.  Even the gas station across the street couldn't escape the flood of hungry Lamborghini's.  Gas tanks finally filled, we were on the road again.

Pit stop #3 proved to be quite the scenic stop along the way.  The stop was at a turn out just overlooking Lake Arrowhead.  The parking lot had lots of space… until our small army of Lamborghini's came and conquered it.  Other motorists who had been there before we were immediately knew something epic was about to take place.  V10's and V12's were singing along with their throttle-blipped downshifts as they entered the parking lot stunning the onlookers.  Even motorists who were behind us had stopped to take a picture of the sight.  Finally, we were on our way to the resort.

With the car's engines and suspension systems getting a great workout, we finally arrived at Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa.  After everyone was accounted for, we proceeded to our cocktail reception where participants were able to unwind and relax.  A few words from Lamborghini Newport Beach's General Manager Pietro Frigerio were said, followed by Lamborghini Club America President Andrew Romanowski, Lamborghini Club Orange County President Kimberly Hoskins, Lamborghini West Coast Sales Manager Gianluca Siciliano, and Lamborghini Newport Beach's Cedric Davy.

With a much needed rest from the previous day, Sunday morning welcomed a fresh new start with the crystal clear atmosphere and dark blue sky.  Luggage packed and bodies revitalized, our trek down the mountain began.

As we entered cities and different freeways, it was the same story with motorists pulling over and snapping away.  Before we knew it, we were in the thick of Highway 74 which provided a scenic route through the mountains.

Pacific Coast Highway proved to be a nice change of pace as we sifted through Dana Point, Laguna Beach, and Crystal Cover before pulling into Bayside Restaurant in Newport Beach.

As we entered, onlookers and even restaurant employees poked their heads out to catch a rare sight of 47 Lamborghini's filling up their parking lot.

With stomachs full, it was time for everyone to bid their farewells and continue their own Lamborghini adventure as Sunday noon grew into Sunday afternoon.  Until next time...

For more pics, click here the following:
Saturday at Lamborghini Newport Beach
Saturday Drive
Saturday at Lake Arrowhead
Sunday Drive
Sunday Lunch at Bayside Restaurant