Daytona Beach, Fla. (30 January 2022) – In its first IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship endurance race attempt, TR3 Racing campaigned the 60th Running of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona International Speedway with entries in the GTD Pro and GTD categories on Sunday.
The No. 19 Piloti Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo of Bill Sweedler, John Megrue, Jeff Segal and Giacomo Altoe represented the Fort Lauderdale-based team through the night with a 11th place finish in the GTD category.
The opening half of the Rolex 24 at Daytona challenged the TR3 Racing squad as door-to-door racing led to contact with a fellow GTD competitor. After coming all the way back to take the GTD lead, adversity struck again overnight as the No. 19 Lamborghini was issued a stop-and-hold penalty at the seven-hour mark.
Heads down, focused driving by Sweedler, Altoe, Segal and Megrue moved the No. 19 Piloti entry back up the running order to settle into sixth as the race clock clicked away. Altoe boarded the No. 19 Piloti machine for the final one hour, 30-minute stint but with 50 minutes remaining Altoe came to a halt in the International Horseshoe bringing out the final full course caution.
A transmission failure prematurely ended the day for the No. 19 Piloti Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo who was slated 11th at the completion of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
“Unfortunately, we had to retire the car early,” said Altoe. “It was a race of ups and downs but it really came down to something we couldn’t control. I am so sorry to the entire TR3 Racing team that this is the way we ended after working so hard for the last two weeks. They deserved more.
Starting from the GTD Pro pole position, the No. 63 Lamborghini Miami Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo of Andrea Caldarelli, Mirko Bortolotti, Marco Mapelli and Rolf Ineichen were favored heading into the weekend and took the top spot after 24 hours of racing.
Drama ensued at the three-hour mark when Ineichen was caught in a competitor’s incident causing the No. 63 to brush the outside wall. The contact forced Ineichen to pit lane as the TR3 Racing squad quickly got to work but the damage cost the Lamborghini entry multiple laps to fix.
The team was set for a storybook comeback as Mapelli, Bortolloni and Caldarelli combined to return the car to the lead lap and to the GTD Pro lead. At the 14-hour mark, Caldarelli reported a mechanical issue while in the Le Mans Chicane to the TR3 Racing pit wall. After inspection it was determined that further assessment was required forcing the Lamborghini to the garage.
45 minutes later, the car was officially retired from competition as the entry was diagnosed with a terminal mechanical failure.
“I am quite sad to be honest,” said Caldarelli. “After we went two laps down we were able to come back and fight for the lead. After the contact that Rolf (Ineichen) had in the beginning, where he was just a passenger, the steering wheel did not feel correct but the TR3 Racing crew did a great job trying during pit stops to make it better. Unfortunately, the damage became too much while I was in the Le Mans Chicane and I had a big moment. Luckily, I was able to keep the car on track but there was already too much damage to mend. A sad way to end this race.”
About TR3 Performance:
TR3 Performance was founded by Arthur, Oliver, and Gregory Romanelli in August 2012. Frustrated with the rising costs and plummeting quality from local shops, the brothers saw an opportunity to establish a shop of their own that would live up to their high standard of excellence, where they could hold themselves to the caliber of workmanship they had sought out in the marketplace as enthusiasts. In 2015, TR3 Racing was established as the team stepped into racing at the professional level. What started out as a modest 2,300-sq.ft. enterprise has now exploded into the premier performance shop in South Florida.
About Lamborghini Miami:
Lamborghini Miami was founded in 1988, as a franchise under Prestige Imports. Founder Irv David quickly grew Lamborghini Miami to be one of the leading franchises North America. Importing the last Countach ever made and importing the first Diablo into the US market, Irv David quickly set Lamborghini Miami to be a leader in the supercar market within North America. The franchise continued to expand and grow successfully and in 2007, the franchise opened their new showroom to achieve greater heights. Tragically in the same year, on January 20th, Irv David suddenly passed on his 56th birthday. His son, Brett David, overcame the tragic loss and to cold as CEO at the age of 19. Since then Lamborghini Miami has gone to become a global phenomenon, delivering Lamborghini’s most coveted hypercars and dominating the south Florida market. In 2022, Lamborghini Miami continues their World renowned legacy with record-breaking sales and recently recognized group 4 title as one of the nation’s most successful service departments.
About Canoe Studios:
Like our studio space, our devotion to our clients and their unique visions is limitless. Exceptional customer service is the framework for how our entire business operates. We welcome everyone into our event venue studio as a valued guest and prioritize their comfort and creativity above all. The incredible studio space and creative agency we’ve established is a direct reflection of that dedication. Warm, natural light pours into every inch of our space to ensure you feel enlightened and at home. And each studio features a glass-paneled entrance so we can continue to inspire one another.
