Braselton, Georgia (Thursday, October 10, 2024) – Forte Racing enters the final race of the season with some great momentum, similar to last year when they won the WeatherTech GTD class with their No. 78 Lamborghini GT3. They are hoping to ride that momentum to a repeat performance of their 2023 win.
The team finished third at VIR and fourth at Indianapolis’ endurance race, and with two of last season’s winning drivers, Misha Goikhberg and Loris Spinelli, returning this year, the team is confident that they have a great chance of pulling off a repeat win.
Misha Goikhberg is looking forward to the challenge of the upcoming 10-hour race, while reflecting on last year’s win. “Amazing, how quickly a year goes by,” Goikhberg said. “We still remember vividly last year’s win. It’s a long hard race, with crazy traffic flow, questionable weather, and running in great unlit darkness. Excited to test our entire team again and see what we can do.
The unpredictability of endurance races is sure to make for an interesting 10 hours. Loris Spinelli considers last year’s win at Petit Le Mans a highlight of his career and feels that he and his teammates have what it takes to be competitive again this year. “Winning the race last year was one of the biggest thrills in my career”, Spinelli said, “and this year we will try to make it happen again. We are fast on the track and we are prepared to handle any situation. I am sure that with the team and my teammates we will be able to do a good job. I can’t wait to get going!”
Devlin DeFrancesco, the team’s new endurance driver for the 2024, is confident that the team can have a good result this weekend as they carry their momentum from the 6-hour race at Indianapolis into the final race of the season. “Looking forward to the last race of the 2024 season with Forte Lamborghini,” DeFrancesco said. “After our strong form in the Indy 6 hour, I really feel we can close out the season with a strong result!”
Team Principal Shane Seneviratne has high expectations going into the final race of the IMSA WeatherTech 2024 season this weekend at Road Atlanta. “The number one goal of this weekend would be to survive,” Seneviratne stated. “Last year we were fortunate enough to win this race and I know our expectations are high. To be grounded, I would like to first finish and retain our championship position of fourth place. It’s in all our minds to try and hone in and finish the race. I strongly believe we have the team and the driver lineup capable of accomplishing another race win. I believe it’s totally achievable by minimizing mistakes and penalties and avoiding any misfortunes.”
You can see some snippets of the team in action at the Indianapolis race on IMSA’s “Win The Weekend Presented by Michelin | S2:E7 | Battle on the Bricks at INDY”, but make sure to also tune in to watch the team live on Saturday, October 12th. Coverage of the IMSA Petit Le Mans at Michelin Road Atlanta will begin at noon ET on NBC and Peacock. Peacock will carry the entire race from start to finish, while NBC will have coverage of the race from noon-3 p.m. ET.
About Forte Racing (Formerly known as US RaceTronics)
Forte Racing is a Los-Angeles based Motorsport team supported by Lamborghini Squadra Corse and competing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.
Founded in 2023 and operated by US RaceTronics, the Italian-American team’s GT Daytona title contender is a Lamborghini Huracan EVO2 GT3 driven by Pro driver Loris Spinelli and Misha Goikhberg. The ream finished the 2023 season with four top-five finishes in the last five races of the season and included a 2nd-place finish at Indianapolis and a win at the season-finale Petit LeMans. The team finished an impressive rookie season fifth in the IMSA WeatherTech GTD Championship.
The team line-up for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech GTD Championship includes the team’s 2023 Petit LeMans winning driver Goikhberg and Spinelli along with NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Devlin DeFrancesco for the five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races.
US RaceTronics (USRT) was founded by Shane Seneviratne in 2005 to compete in the Atlantic Championship, a formula race car series. The team finished 5th in points its first year and continued its success during the succeeding years, ultimately amassing a total of 21 podiums, 7 poles, 5 race wins and finishing 3rd in the 2009 Atlantic Championship. USRT was put on hold after series officials announced the Atlantic Series was put on hiatus.
Seneviratne fully returned to racing in 2015 after receiving an invitation to manage the O’Gara Motorsport entries in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North American (LBSTNA) Series. The team won the Team Championship, Dealership Championship, Pro Championship and Amateur Championship that season.
The success of 2015 reignited Seneviratne’s passion for racing and he relaunched US RaceTronics to compete in the 2016 LBSTNA Series. The team has won multiple North American and World Championships and expects to add to their success as they enter their eighth season in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American Series. The team also competed in 2023 with one car each in the IMSA WeatherTech GTD Championship and the IMSA VP Challenge and will be expanding their entries in 2024.
For more information on how to become a driver with US RaceTronics, learn more about the Series, or attend a race, visit www.usracetronics.com.
About O’Gara Motorsport
O’Gara Motorsport was founded in 2014 by owner Tom O’Gara and celebrated winning the 2015 North American Lamborghini Super Trofeo driver and team Championships. The team goal is to achieve victories in the Series as well as showcasing the brands of their sponsors both on and off the track. With a vertically integrated platform that starts at the dealership and accelerates to the top levels of professional sports car racing, everyone at O’Gara is dedicated to providing a comprehensive program for anyone, from the casually curious to the dedicated racer.
About Change Racing
Founded by Lamborghini Charlotte CEO and long time real estate developer, John E. Littlefield, Change Racing is the premier championship winning team. Claiming 18 titles in various classes; Change Racing has competed in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series since its inception in 2013.
Most recently claiming the 2021 Amateur World Championship in Misano, Italy. Change Racing also claimed all SIX 2020 North American Championships, including the Pro, Pro-Am, Am and LB Cup class championships as well as the Team and Owner championships.
