Strong Showing for WTRAndretti Lamborghini Super Trofeo Stable at Circuit of the Americas
AUSTIN, Texas (September 1, 2024) — The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) stable of four entries in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo (LST) North America Championship continued their season, returning to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for the first time since 2021. WTRAndretti’s championship focused performance shown through on track as the team collected five wins and four poles across the PRO, PRO|AM, and AM classes throughout the Rounds 7 and 8 doubleheader, tightening the Championship title race in all classes.
Starting the weekend off with power, Danny Formal and Ryan Norman qualified their No. 1 WTRAndretti Lamborghini ST on pole position for both races of the doubleheader event. Starting the first race, Formal capitalized on the strong pace behind the wheel of the No. 1 and handed over the reins to Norman with the lead. Competition on track shifted around the running order but Norman stayed with earshot of the leaders. While attempting to overtake for the lead in the final laps, Norman made contact and cycled back to finish fourth in Race 1. With a fresh start for Race 2 on Sunday, Norman once again flexed the strength of the No. 1 car and created a key gap to pit and give the driver’s seat to Formal to finish out. Formal took and ran with the lead and was able to award the No. 1 pairing their second win of the season. Two solid top five class finishes at COTA keep the No. 1 team in the heat of the PRO Class Championship standings.
For Nate Stacy and Nick Persing, it was podium-perfect weekend as the pair in the No. 8 WTRAndretti ST captured the win in the PRO|AM classes in both races in the Lone Star State. Starting from pole position for the first race, Stacy dominated the opening half before trading places with Persing to control straight to victory lane. In Race 2, Persing qualified in second for the PRO|AM class, but was aggressive and intentional early to take over the lead in the class before pitting near the end of the mandatory pit window to put Stacy at the wheel. Stacy and the No. 8 WTRAndretti ST once again cycled to the front of the PRO|AM class and survived on-track action to bring home the win. With two class wins at COTA, Stacy and Persing have closed the gap to the PRO|AM Class Championship lead and are very much in contention heading into the final races of the year.
Graham Doyle and Ashton Harrison set their sights on the COTA weekend ready to capitalize on their momentum from the previous doubleheader at Watkins Glen. Despite qualifying seventh for Saturday’s Race 1, Doyle and Harrison showcased impressive pace on track and were able to avoid incidents on track to propel and fight their way into podium contention for the closing stages, ultimately finishing fourth in the AM class for the day. After an impressive forward progression in Race 1, Harrison and Doyle knew they have a strong car in their No. 10 DEX Imaging Lamborghini ST as they entered Race 2. Again, the No. 10 duo quickly found themselves in podium position again after the pit stop sequences. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue late in the race plagued their potential podium and the pair finished seventh in Race 2.
Anthony McIntosh and Glenn McGee saw a dominating weekend in their No. 69 Global Power Components Lamborghini ST as they collected the top step of the podium for both AM Class races. Like their WTRAndretti teammates, the No. 69 displayed blistering pace and strength on track all weekend long. For Saturday’s Race 1, a start from pole position for McIntosh opened the opportunity to run with the lead of the AM Class before passing off the driving duties to McGee. With the impressive speed and performance, McGee continued to hold the lead that McIntosh built all the way to the checkered flag to earn the victory. Ready to repeat the success from Saturday, McGee challenged for the AM Class lead early and was able to gain the lead once again. Capitalizing on the track position, McIntosh held strong the second of half of Race 2 and collected the second win on the weekend for the duo in the AM Class. As the season winds down, McGee and McIntosh are in full force to pressure for the lead of the AM Class Championship.
Next on the schedule for the WTRAndretti LST stable is the team’s home race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The final on-track Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America rounds on U.S. soil before the World Finals will take place on September 20-21, 2024.
Ryan Norman, No. 1 WTRAndretti LST (PRO): “Overall I think it was a good weekend here at COTA for the No.1 car. Danny and I were able to grab two points for grabbing both pole positions and even though we didn’t end the day yesterday how we should have with contact late in the race, we gained valuable points by grabbing the win today. The car was absolutely amazing and everyone on the team out there head down and worked so hard to give us the best opportunity. In Race 2, I made sure Danny had a lot of tire life and managed the gap behind in case of a yellow and he put in a beautiful drive pulling away to bring us the win. We are in the championship hunt, and Danny I will be pushing to continue chipping away at the points in Indianapolis. We had an incredible car there last year, so I’m feeling really good about the last few race weekends to close out the season.”
Danny Formal, No. 1 WTRAndretti LST (PRO): “What a weekend! The No. 1 WTRAndretti Lamborghini was just so fast this weekend. Race 1 we had a great lead at the beginning of my stint, but unfortunately, we couldn’t complete it, and we finished P4. Then in Race 2, Ryan – we’re going to call him ‘Never give up Ryan / Redemption Ryan.’ He did a fantastic stint and gave me a great car in the lead. I was able to extend the lead over 10 and half seconds and get my win number 20, breaking my record, all wins coming with WTRAndretti in the Pro class, feels so amazing. We also go home with the track record in qualifying and the track record in the race, so grateful and so proud of this WTRAndretti team. We’re back in the championship hunt behind the leaders. We’re going to Indy where Ryan’s extremely fast. We’re really motivated and the team is super motivated and super excited.”
Nate Stacy, No. 8 WTRAndretti LST (PRO|AM): “What an amazing weekend. Shoutout to everyone at WTRAndretti for working so hard all weekend and giving us the best equipment possible. Super happy to finally get the clean sweep! Nick and I have been chasing that all season and I’m glad we could deliver. As for Indy, I’m super optimistic as we have had some fantastic testing there recently and I think the race will be amazing for us!”
Nick Persing, No. 8 WTRAndretti LST (PRO|AM): “Amazing weekend for the team being able to take home wins in three classes. I’m just glad Nate and I were able to do our part in that. Our cars were fast the moment they got out of the trailer, so we capitalized on that, and Nate and I came away with the PRO|AM sweep this weekend.”
Graham Doyle, No. 10 DEX Imaging WTRAndretti LST (AM): “Another weekend in the books for the 2024 Super Trofeo season and another successful one at that. While we had a mechanical issue that stole away a podium position in the second race the weekend, as a whole, it was a true success. Ashton and I were able to move ahead in both races finishing with two good points positions. Looking ahead to Indy, I truly believe we will be able to display the true potential of our car and land on the podium!”
Ashton Harrison, No. 10 DEX Imaging WTRAndretti LST (AM): “I’m super proud of everyone at WTRAndretti with our Super Trofeo program. Clearly a lot of success this weekend and our engineering team is top notch and providing us with a setup that can be raced all times throughout the track. I’m so happy and thrilled for DEX Imaging because although we missed out on the podium both days, our car was a rocket. I’m just honored to be a part of this team and Graham did an incredible job. Podium contention today was taken from us due to a mechanical issue, but nonetheless, we showed pace, and we showed what our car is capable of doing. Clearly our WTRAndretti team is capable of winning.”
ABOUT WTRANDRETTI’S DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Wayne Taylor Racing, now with Andretti Global (#WTRAndretti), is a leader in sportscar racing, recognized worldwide for fielding championship winning racing efforts since 2007. WTRAndretti has run a stable of championship winning cars and drivers in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series for over half a decade, forming the basis of its Driver Development Program. Since its inception in 2015, the team has clinched eight North American PRO Driver, Team and Dealer Championship titles, fielded the first woman World Finals race winner and became the overall 2017 Champions at the World Finals in Imola, Italy. In addition to its Lamborghini Super Trofeo stable, WTRAndretti fields a two-car GTP program with it Championship winning No 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 effort as well as GTD program with the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2.
