Bonduel “Didn’t Imagine” He Would Claim World Finals Crown

Amaury Bonduel said that he “didn’t imagine” he would become the manufacturer’s global Super Trofeo champion when the World Finals event at Vallelunga got under way.

The BDR Competition driver did not win a race all year in Super Trofeo Europe but claimed a lights-to-flag victory in Race 1 of the World Finals going up against entries from all three of Lamborghini’s regional series.

Bonduel, who finished fourth in the European standings, then started the title-deciding race from pole position and steered his No. 28 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 to a podium finish that gave him the top spot in the Pro category leaderboard.

“It’s amazing to win the world championship,” the Belgian driver told Sportscar365.

“The start of the weekend was very difficult. We tried a lot of different setups on the car. We didn’t imagine winning the World Finals.

“The team only has two years [of experience] in Super Trofeo and it’s a lot of work to have the same pace as some of the other teams like VSR.

“We were working a lot on the setup with my engineer. We have made a big step.

“This year, like in Europe, the level [at the World Finals] was very high. I’m super happy to win, after we didn’t win the European championship.

“For me, it is very important to win this year with all the competition we had.”

Following his Super Trofeo success, Bonduel envisions having a “double program” between the single-make series and a step up to the GT3 ranks next year.

The 24-year-old was driving for his family’s BDR Competition team, which is based between the Belgian cities of Brussels and Charleroi. It also fielded two Lamborghinis in the LB Cup class at Vallelunga.

Team principal Ghislain Bonduel, who is Amaury’s father, told Sportscar365 that the team used all of the available build-up sessions and Super Trofeo Europe races to gear up for a strong showing in the World Finals.

The Super Trofeo Europe teams started racing at the Italian circuit last Sunday for the postponed penultimate round of the season that was due to take place in May.

The final two races of the European, North American and Asian campaigns were then held at Vallelunga on Thursday and Friday ahead of the World Finals, with Bonduel finishing fourth in each of his drives.

“We have done a lot of work on the car to improve the grip and the steering,” said Ghislain.

“In those three weekends of racing [at Vallelunga] we have improved the car and brought it to its maximum performance.

“Even if the competitors were very strong, we have been able to grab tenths of seconds, step by step.

“We took [the European season] as an opportunity, to take the mistakes we made in the past and tried to get rid of them this weekend.

“The two races for the European championship [this week] were like live training and getting more information about the track and the settings of the car.”

Bonduel added that his son has a deep involvement in the day-to-day activities at BDR Competition, outside of his role as a driver.

“He deserves to win the world championship because he does everything in the factory,” he said. “He is busy 24 hours a day. He is a driver, engineer and mechanic.

“It’s a bit of a surprise but it’s well-deserved. He’s working so hard and making a lot of sacrifices. He deserved the title totally.”