Basz Thanks VSR for “Rocket” Lamborghini in World Final

Lamborghini World Final Pro champion Karol Basz praised Vincenzo Sospiri Racing for a “rocket” car in which he and Mattia Michelotto dominated both races at Misano.

Reigning Pro-Am champion Basz and Italian teenager Michelotto surprised many with the way in which they commanded the two-day event aboard the No. 6 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO.

VSR utilized a completely different chassis for its World Final bid with the No. 6 entry, after Michelotto and Michael Doerrbecker drove another vehicle with the same numerical tag during the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe races on Friday.

Their result emerged from a competitive 24-car Pro/Pro-Am field that included the 2021 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and Europe champions.

Basz commended Vincenzo Sospiri Racing’s work to prepare a car that took two poles before drawing several seconds clear of the field in each of the 50-minute races.

“We worked a lot on the car and, to be honest, didn’t show the speed during the European championship,” Basz told Sportscar365.

“Mattia did a very good job because he kept going very well under big pressure. I would like to say a big thank you to Vincenzo Sospiri. He prepared an amazing car for us and it was like a rocket.”

VSR arrived at Misano with four Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVOs, three of which raced in the Europe season finale before the spare was introduced for the World Final.

“The car that did the European [races] is inside the truck,” team owner Vincenzo Sospiri told Sportscar365.

“We prepped one car completely brand new and did a 10-lap shakedown on Wednesday. We put it back in the truck and let it sleep there until Saturday morning.

“The original No. 6 car, which is the European one, had a broken chassis before the last race of the European final. We welded the chassis, but we had a new car ready to go.

“It was always planned, for months and months, that one car would be fresh and only for the World Final.”

Asked if the car change came with a different setup for the No. 6 entry in the World Final segment of the weekend, Sospiri replied: “It was very similar, just fine-tuning.

“We tried in the European [races] a different situation that didn’t work.

“Even yesterday the car was almost perfect, but not as perfect as today. We were missing a few tenths, but today we got it perfect.

“It was unreal: the car and the combination of the drivers. The lap times they were hammering in was incredible.”

Despite contesting Super Trofeo Europe with different co-drivers, Basz explained that he and Michelotto had an established working relationship heading into the World Final.

Basz ran his main campaign in the Pro-Am class with Andrzej Lewandowski, but VSR shuffled its lineup to give the 29-year-old a chance to compete on the headline stage.

“With Mattia we worked together all year,” said Basz.

“We were split [for Super Trofeo Europe] but we have worked together since one year so we understand each other very well and we prepared the car very well.

“We did an amazing job from the beginning, from the first qualifying when he got pole position. He found a good place and managed the lap times very well, like me. We did it!”

Decorated Year is Bittersweet for Sospiri

The Lamborghini World Final triumph marked VSR’s second major success of 2021, after it clinched the International GT Open title with Frederik Schandorff and Michele Beretta a fortnight ago.

An emotional Sospiri said that while the team’s achievements this year were hugely satisfying, the end of the campaign also came with a touch of personal sadness.

“It is a very special year on one side, and a very sad year on another side,” he reflected.

“It was a special year because we won the championships, but a sad year because I lost my dad in March. This is quite difficult to digest, but I am very happy for the success of the team.”

He added that the world title was a deserved reward for his long-standing crew members who have worked on VSR’s Super Trofeo program, which is set to return next year.

“I’ve always been very proud of my team,” said Sospiri.

“I have boys and engineers who have been with me for many years, some of them since 2001.

“I am very happy for all my team, and especially for the drivers who proved their talent and that with a proper car, they can do the job.

“It is something that I have been looking for many, many years and finally we achieved it.”