Caldarelli Had “50/50” Thoughts of Title Prospects at Sebring

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Andrea Caldarelli said that he believed they had “50/50” chances of being in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title contention when the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 made its global race debut at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Caldarelli and fellow Lamborghini factory driver Sandy Mitchell head into Saturday’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans sitting third in the GTD Pro championship standings, just 53 points from leaders Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.

It comes after a solid first campaign for the new-for-2026 GT3 challenger, and a breakout second of half of the season, which delivered class wins at Road America and Virginia International Raceway, as well as another podium finish last time out at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“We’re definitely thinking about [the championship] more but I always think about championships, like you win championships thinking about it race by race,” Caldarelli told Sportscar365.

“If you plan ahead what you’re going to do, I don’t believe so much in that process.

“I would imagine we were here in the last race, if we look back at Sebring, I would say I had 50/50 thoughts [about being in contention]. The 50 percent is always me being positive on it’s going to come.

“I knew the car had great potential and it was just a matter of putting a lot of little bits together and stuff to really have flawless weekends, improvements on the car and so on.

“In IMSA, you never know because you can have the fastest car out there and still not manage to win.

“It’s such a hard championship to get. That’s why I think it was a 50/50 [chance].

“With the new car it’s quite hard to win in the beginning.

“We’re trying to all stay positive during the year. With this attitude we managed to get a couple of wins and two [additional] podiums, which is great.”

Caldarelli, however, put caution into the wind for Saturday’s ten-hour title decider, given the car had not previously been to the 2.54-mile Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta before unloading on Wednesday.

The No. 9 Lamborghini, which Caldarelli and Mitchell are sharing with fellow factory driver Franck Perera this weekend, ended up seventh on the combined practice time sheets heading into this afternoon’s qualifying.

Caldarelli: Pfaff “Definitely on the Top of My List”

While the team will be fighting for a GTD Pro title, Saturday’s enduro will also mark Pfaff’s final outing in WeatherTech Championship competition, following the decision by team owner Chris Pfaff to focus on new projects, such as his recent investment into Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, as well as helping develop the next generation of Canadian driver talent.

“I’ve been saying this since Road America, which is when we kind of knew that the team was going away,” said Caldarelli. “You could see the faces on the guys. I was really expecting that maybe this would bring them down a little bit.

“But the guys have been amazing. We really put an extra gear and we really have been pushing hard to get a nice last race.”

Caldarelli, who has driven for some of the top operations in global GT3 racing and even managed his own team in FFF Racing Team by ACM, which won the 2019 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS teams’ championship, said he rates Pfaff as one of the best.

“A big merit definitely goes to [general manager] Steve Bortolotti,” he said. “He’s such an amazing guy to work with. He really brings out the best in everyone.

“He knows when to be hard, when to be soft. He knows racing very well and is very passionate. I think he brings the best out of the guys.

“All the guys I’ve worked with with Pfaff, like all the mechanics, the engineers, there is such a good spirit inside.

“It’s really a shame that we arrive to this point. But Pfaff is definitely on the top of my list of teams I’ve worked with.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John