A torrential downpour delaying the start didn’t dampen the spirits of Chris van der Drift or Marco Giltrap, the Kiwi duo driving to a commanding victory in the opening race of the 2023 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia season at Sepang this evening.
Both drivers put on a true showcase of their abilities behind the wheel, Giltrap first surviving a difficult opening stint in tricky conditions before handing over to his compatriot who powered home to take the win by over a minute on their nearest rivals.
The delayed start was triggered when a rainstorm passed through the area right as the race was about to begin, competitors forced to wait it out for nearly an hour before the track was deemed safe.
It was pole-sitter Daniel Wells who took the early lead over Jackson Walls once the lights went green, Giltrap slotting into third, where he started and remained for his entire stint.
The Kiwi came into the lane just before the halfway point as one of the first stoppers, handing over to van der Drift who then went on to punch out a series of extremely quick laps to take the lead once the field had boxed.
Even after taking the lead, the Kiwi was relentless, piloting the Lamborghini Auckland’s Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2, being run by Absolute Racing, to a dominating win that will have heads turning paddock-wide.
TRT Racing’s Jonathan Cecetto and Li Qiang finished second provisionally, 1 minute and 7 seconds up the road from the Kiwi entry. A cloud hangs over their result, however, with Cecetto appearing to have failed to serve a lengthy stop-go penalty for a pit lane infringement.
Changwoo Lee and John Kwon finished third, while Aniwat Lommahadthai and Pasarit Promsombat will be hoping TRT are penalised so they’re promoted to the podium from fourth.
There’s plenty of work to do for Giltrap and van der Drift tomorrow, the duo starting from the back of the grid after being caught out by multiple red flags caused by other competitors in Qualifying 2.
Race 2 begins at 5.10 pm and will be shown live on the Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube channel.
Header Image: Giltrap Group
