ANSA Facing “More Competitive” Field in Global Title Defense

ANSA Motorsports team principal Alain Nadal reckons this year’s Lamborghini World Finals field is “more competitive” than 2022 which will make it challenging for his organization to defend its global title.

The Florida-based team beat the best entries from Europe to win last year’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo season finale at Portimao with Nelson Piquet Jr competing as a solo driver.

ANSA is aiming to defend its title in the Pro class with Nico Jamin and Sebastian Saavedra, who finished fourth in the opening North American race of the weekend.

The World Finals at Vallelunga brings together entries from the single-make championships in North America, Europe and Asia, and takes place after the regional series have concluded their seasons at the same event.

“It’s not easy because once you make it to the top, it’s easier to go down,” Nadal told Sportscar365.

“I think it’s more competitive this year. There are a lot of faster drivers than last year, but we will give it a try.

“We had some car issues that we think we’ve fixed, so we should be better.”

ANSA changed the suspension components on Jamin and Saavedra’s No. 130 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 after the first North American race on Thursday.

Jamin started brightly, passing Ryan Norman for second, but Saavedra lost two places in the second stint as he struggled with the car, a broken splitter and high tire wear.

“The car was not perfect, so we did some changes,” said Nadal. “Hopefully today will be a lot better.

“It is challenging, especially this time because the European series had an extra pair of races here, so they had extra time to learn the track.

“They are ahead of us in that [respect]. We have done simulator [sessions] here and there.”

It has been a challenging season for ANSA’s Pro pairing, which combines an experienced LMP2 and GT driver in Jamin with a former NTT IndyCar Series racer in Saavedra.

Their best results so far have been third-place finishes in Pro at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“It has taken Sebastian longer to learn the car,” Nadal admitted.

“He comes from a formula and prototype background, and he drives the car the same way, but it doesn’t work. It has taken longer for him to adapt. Nico has done a lot of GTs, so it is easier for him to drive.”

Nadal expects ANSA to continue in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America next year and could expand the number of cars that it operates.

The team fielded two entries on a full-time basis this season, with the Pro drivers joined by the Am category lineup of Ron Atapattu and Kevin Madsen.

A significant step in running costs – believed to be as high as tenfold – is currently preventing ANSA from moving up to GT3 racing with Lamborghini.

“I should be in [Super Trofeo] again next year,” said Nadal.

“We can use the same car [for several years] so I think we’ll stay here at least until then.

“I have five Super Trofeos [in the workshop]. Next year, the goal is to have between three and four. I think I will always have a car in Pro and the other ones will be Am.”