- Nikko Reger and Shehan Chandrasoma Recover from Early Setbacks in Both Saturday Sunday Super Trofeo Sprints at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in the No. 21 Lamborghini Austin Lamborghini Huracan Evo2
- Saturday’s Charge From 41st at the Start to Fourth in Pro-Am at the Finish by the Lamborghini Austin No. 21 Team Nets TPC Racing’s Best Finish of a Challenging Weekend
- Mark Brummond Robbed of Saturday LB Cup Victory in the No. 02 Tons of Gas Auto Collection Lamborghini Huracan Evo2 After Weekend-Ending Hit Leading on Last Lap
AUSTIN, Texas (September 2, 2024) – A no-quit performance in a competitive but chaotic IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America doubleheader at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) saw TPC Racing rebound from early setbacks in both weekend races for a pair of finishes that keep the No. 21 Lamborghini Austin Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2 team in the Pro-Am class championship picture with four races remaining on the 2024 schedule.
The highlight of the hot and hard-fought COTA Super Trofeo weekend was a charge from 41st overall to fourth in the Pro-Am class by the No. 21 team in Saturday’s first 50-minute sprint. Starting driver Shehan Chandrasoma was slated to take the green flag 13th overall in the packed Lamborghini field but instead was one of half-a-dozen competitors forced to join the race from pit lane after a pre-race grid miscommunication.
Chandrasoma and the others joined the race at the back of the field after the start, and he methodically began passing competitors to move up the order. Chandrasoma handed the No. 21 off at the opening of the pit-stop window to closing driver Nikko Reger who rejoined the race just outside of the Pro-Am top five and in the top-10 overall. Reger quickly moved into fifth place and then advanced to fourth in Pro-Am only to see a late-race caution period slow his charge. With only a one-lap dash to the finish, Reger never had a chance to get close enough to make a move for third in Pro-Am, but the No. 21 did cross the finish line a solid seventh overall.
Reger started Sunday’s final race third on the Pro-Am grid and fourth-overall only to be punted by an overzealous Pro-class competitor on the opening race lap. Reger quickly recovered from the bump-and-run hit to join race-finishing driver Chandrasoma in a charge through the field for the second day, with the No. 21 crossing the finish line for a seventh-place Pro-Am finish.
Yet another charge from the back was nearly a winning one for debuting TPC Racing driver Mark Brummond who instead was robbed of a certain LB Cup-class victory and more in Saturday’s first race. After qualifying second for Saturday’s opener – in addition to winning the pole for Sunday’s race – Brummond’s No. 02 Tons of Gas Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2 just missed the minimum ride-height rule in post-qualifying technical inspection.
Relegated to the back of Saturday’s overall starting field, Brummond joined his No. 21 teammates in racing through the field. He took the LB Cup lead before his mandatory pit stop and, after momentarily dropping to third, cycled back to the lead in the race’s closing minutes.
Unfortunately, the same one-lap dash restart to the finish that kept Reger from making a podium move was even costlier for Brummond. An LB Cup class competitor that took the restart a full four positions behind Brummond drastically overshot the turn leading onto the COTA backstraight and made heavy contact with the race-leading No. 02. Brummond was uninjured in the incident that not only cost him the Saturday race win but also sidelined his heavily damaged Lamborghini for Sunday’s race and took away a chance to convert the pole position into a victory.
Next up for TPC Racing on the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo scheduled is the doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), September 20 – 22, which is the final race weekend of the year in North America and the next to last event of the season.
Harris Levitas, TPC Racing Director of Race Operations: “The TPC Racing team did an amazing job. It was another long, hard and hot week at Circuit of The Americas, but we came in with two really solid cars. Our Lamborghinis were fast off the trailer. Nikko Reger did an amazing job in qualifying in Round 2, the car was good, and Shehan Chandrasoma and Nikko drove great. Unfortunately, Sunday’s results didn’t quite show for it after being taken out on lap one. We also came up just short on a podium with a late caution on Saturday, but all in all a competitive weekend in Pro-Am. Unfortunately, we had a post qualifying penalty that put Mark Brummond to the back of the field in Saturday’s race, but he charged his way forward. It was all going to plan, but on the final restart, Mark was taken out from the lead and unfortunately his car was too damaged to continue the weekend. I have to give Mark huge credit for being the car to beat in LB Cup for sure but sometimes things don’t work out like they should. We move on from here and see what the rest of the season holds for TPC Racing. We have to thank Lamborghini Austin, Lamborghini Squadra Corse for all of their support in the background, and really everybody at IMSA. It is a great series to be a part of, and we are very fortunate to be here.”
Nikko Reger, Driver, No. 21 TPC Racing/Lamborghini Austin Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2: “It was a full-on rodeo out there all weekend. There was some drama at the beginning of Saturday’s race, some confusion about the start sequence and how to get to grid, and we were one of six or seven cars that had to start from the pits. We took it, Shehan drove an incredible stint, he really got us back in the fight. We had such a good car. We were fighting and we were fast. On Sunday, unfortunately, we got turned at the beginning of the race, we took it on the chin again and kept going. At that point I was at the back of the field, and I knew where all our friends were spectating, so I was just waving at them later under caution and having fun! Then when the green came out I was just charging as hard as I could, and I knew the TPC Racing guys were right there behind me. They put together an amazing car, and I was putting laps down whenever I had a clear track, and just kept charging through the field. For that last restart, we were just a little too far behind, but we did our best. On to the next one.”
About TPC Racing: TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sportscars. TPC Racing specializes in R&D and sales of high-performance modifications for Porsche sports cars and race cars, offering a wide range of vehicle upgrades. Best known for a line of forced induction solutions for the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster, a long-time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled TPC Racing to become experts in Porsche service, tuning, and racing. In 2000, TPC Racing began entering races under its own banner, scoring an SGS-class Championship in 2004 in the Grand-American Rolex Series and was a class winner in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and captured the 2013 and 2016 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup Championships. More information can be found at www.TPCRacing.com.
