Will Bamber remains firmly in the fight for second place in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Pro championship after securing fourth place in the opening race of the season finale at Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy.
The Kiwi entered the weekend second in the standings, 17 points behind championship leader Elias De La Torre and eight points clear of third-placed Hampus Ericsson.
With just two races remaining, Bamber looked to secure the runner-up spot after a season that saw him emerge as De La Torre’s closest championship rival.
Bamber’s campaign has been particularly notable following his early-season departure from TR3 Racing, where he initially shared a car with De La Torre, before moving to XONINE Racing after the opening round.
The two former teammates subsequently became championship rivals, with Bamber establishing himself as the nearest challenger to the championship leader.
Adding to the challenge, Bamber is competing solo at Monza this weekend, with his regular co-driver currently in hospital for reasons that have not been disclosed.
De La Torre’s co-driver Dennis Lind secured pole position for the opening race by more than seven-tenths of a second, while Bamber qualified fourth on the second row of the grid.
When the lights went out, Lind held the lead into Turn 1, while Bamber made an excellent start to move into third, behind Ericsson. The race settled into a relatively clean contest, with Bamber running strongly before making his mandatory pit stop with 23 minutes remaining.
He rejoined in fifth, while Lind handed the lead to De La Torre with an impressive 16-second advantage. As the final stages unfolded, Bamber fought back to fourth with 10 minutes remaining, securing another valuable haul of championship points.
Out front, De La Torre maintained a commanding 15-second advantage, going on to claim his sixth victory of the season and secure the 2026 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Pro championship with one race remaining.
De La Torre secured the drivers’ title following a season in which he shared the car with several different co-drivers, including Bamber, Daniel Morad and Lind.
While the championship victory is now out of reach for Bamber, the Kiwi still has plenty to fight for in the season finale. His advantage over Ericsson has dropped from eight points to four, setting up a tense battle for runner-up.
With only one race remaining, Bamber will be looking to finish his North American campaign on a high and secure second place in the Pro championship before the World Finals begin.
Race 2 of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America championship takes place on Friday at 8:30 pm NZDT and can be watched live on the official Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube channel.
Header Image: XONINE Racing
