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Pepper: Lamborghini Factory Contract Was “Priority No. 1”

Jordan Pepper on becoming Lamborghini factory driver, long-term focus…

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

Jordan Pepper said securing a factory contract with Lamborghini was his top priority following his recent success with K-PAX Racing and several other drives in the Huracan GT3 Evo machinery.

The 26-year-old was confirmed last week as the latest addition to the manufacturer’s works roster, in a long-term deal that kicks off with next weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Pepper in Iron Lynx’s GTD Pro lineup f0r the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener.

Pepper, who previously served as a Bentley factory driver until the end of the M-Sport-run GT3 program in 2020, won the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS title with K-PAX the following year alongside Lamborghini ace Andrea Caldarelli.

The South African has credited the Darren Law-led team, which made the switch from Bentley to Lamborghini in 2021, for helping expose him to the Italian manufacturer during that championship-winning season.

He continued with K-PAX last year in GTWC America as well as contesting the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, where conversations accelerated on his future with the brand.

“What was cool with K-PAX was that they gave me the opportunity; they wanted to keep me on board [for the team’s transition from Bentley to Lamborghini],” Pepper told Sportscar365.

“That was my introduction with Lamborghini and with the whole of Lamborghini Squadra Corse.

“What was great was that K-PAX was quite heavily involved with a lot of support from the factory from the beginning, so it was great to get to know everyone.

“Teaming up with Andrea that year, I could really get a good insight; he’s obviously been at the factory for quite a long time.

“The conversations [on a potential factory contract] started early on in 2021 and there just wasn’t an opportunity for last season, which I fully understood.

“But it was always a manufacturer where I was, ‘OK, I really hope that the opportunity could come.’

“After [24 Hours of] Spa last year, I had quite a good [race] in relative terms, and that’s when the conversations took place, and it went really quickly.

“Giorgio [Sanna, Head of Lamborghini Motorsport], made me a great offer that I couldn’t resist.

“Obviously speaking to multiple manufacturers at that point, I was really adamant that I wanted to be back with a manufacturer.

“In my mind, Lamborghini was priority No. 1. As soon as that opportunity came through, it was quite an easy decision for me to make to commit with Lamborghini.”

While not giving an exact length of his agreement, Pepper said his “long term” deal has given him a sense of security within the sports car racing landscape.

“That’s what I really respect about Lamborghini and their strategy and the way they go about things,” he said. “They really commit to the drivers.

“They like to present longer-term deals and give drivers confidence.

“It’s nice knowing I don’t have to worry every year at the midseason point to prove myself to get to re-sign and get a new contract and get all of that.

“I think that disrupts your performance a lot from fighting for championships. I really believe in their strategy on that side of it and I’m really grateful to have their confidence.

“It doesn’t make you ease off because that’s not how I am.

“But I think it works the other way and really gives me more confidence to have the trust, the faith, to go out there, push and fight for championships and stuff without the worry in the back of my mind, ‘If I make a mistake, do I have a drive next year?’

“Also being 26 [years old] now, I think it’s the right time and everything fitted at the right time. Everything happened for a good reason.”

DTM, LMDh Among the Goals for Pepper

While Pepper’s primary focus this year will be a full season in GTWC Europe and a second, yet-to-be-announced program, he admitted that his long-term goal would be to end up in Lamborghini’s LMDh squad.

“The brand is moving into LMDh and the GT scene is getting stronger and stronger,” he said. “That’s obviously developing into WEC with the GT3 platform.

“For me to situate myself with a brand that’s not only involved with LMDh but also with a strong presence in GT was key.

“The focus for me right now is definitely GT. But my long-term goal would be to get to the pinnacle of motorsport.

“Right now I have the support from Giorgio and the support from the whole Squadra Corse team to really position myself strategically well in the GT platform wherever we go.

“It’s an exciting time in the whole of sports car racing, which is good.”

While not likely to materialize for this year, Pepper said he’s expressed his desire to contest DTM in the future as well.

“I’ve made it clear to Giorgio that I’d love to do it,” he said. “But I think the timing wasn’t right with the way the regulations were up in the air; the series was getting sold and stuff like that.

“When the commitment came for me to do full GTWC Europe, it made more sense at the time to commit to that and I’m very happy about that decision.

“For the future, I’d really like to do it. You see the successes that my fellow countrymen like Kelvin and Sheldon, obviously Sheldon is the reigning champion, in DTM.

“It would be good to add another South African there and it’s always been a dream of mine to do DTM.”

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

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