Super Trofeo Cameo to Benefit Sellers, Snow in GTD Return

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow believe their run in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season-opener at Road America will pay dividends in their return to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition this weekend at Virginia International Raceway.

The 2018 GT Daytona class champions will make their first WeatherTech Championship start since winning January’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona with Paul Miller Racing and Lamborghini, in a newly planned four-race campaign focused on the Michelin Endurance Cup races.

Sellers and Snow “shook off some cobwebs” in the pair of 50-minute Super Trofeo races two weeks ago, winning Round 1 and finishing runner-up in the second race, which they both found beneficial from a preparation standpoint.

“It was just nice to get back in the car, especially with Bryan,” said Snow. “Just to be going back to the track getting used to the new COVID-19 procedures. 

“For sure the extra seat time helps and that’s why we did it. We wanted to practice, we wanted seat time, we wanted to practice driver changes.

“Even if it’s not the same car; the door is not the same; the seat is not the same. It’s still close enough in the Huracan [platform] compared to the GT3 car it was still a benefit for us to hop in the car and figure out what we were going to go again.”

Sellers said they really “focused” on race prep, knowing that it would help when they return to the wheel of Paul Miller’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo.

“We went to the Change [Racing] shop and strung up all the belts the same way that we would have in the GTD car,” Sellers explained. “We made sure things were prepared as closely to the GTD car as what we could get them so we got back in the procedure.

“Quite honestly, the procedure wasn’t fluid at the race. The timing of the loosening of the belts and the speed of the driver changes and all of that stuff. 

“It was important to get some of those hiccups out of the way.

“We go from January or in 2018 where we could do driver changes in 14-15 seconds. I don’t expect to be doing those first thing this weekend!”

Lamborghini Duo With ‘Different Mindset’ for VIR

Sellers said their mindset has been adjusted for VIR this weekend, knowing they are out of the championship hunt for the season-long GTD title.

“The mindset does change in terms of how we race because for us, you just want to go in and put up some results,” he said.

“We haven’t been in a position like that for a while where you can just go out and drive as hard as you can and only try to win and that be your main goal.

“Your risk assessment definitely changes.”

Snow added: “A race is a race and you always go out there to win. But I do think once you get in the car, you will have a different mindset when you’re actually battling with someone and being able to race them.

“Since we have a great start to the Endurance Cup, we’re going for that. That’s the only championship we can go for at the moment.

“That’s one of the reasons we’re doing VIR, is to get more seat time so when we go for the Michelin Endurance Cup, we’ll have a better opportunity to know where we are at.”

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