Formal, Marcelli Win Race 1 at Watkins Glen

Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal took victory in the opening Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America round of the weekend at Watkins Glen International. 

With under ten minutes to go, Marcelli took advantage of Giano Taruno’s aging tires, making a pass for the lead into Turn 10, and immediately began to open up a gap.

He would go on to win the race by 4.292 seconds over the No. 27 Dream Racing Motorsport Lamborghini of Edoardo Liberati.

Liberati and Nelson Piquet Jr. also capitalized on Taurino’s tire wear, by passing him in the closing minutes. Liberati also benefitted from the No. 50 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/USRT car being handed multiple penalties. 

Piquet Jr. charged through the field from ninth to claim the final step on the podium, highlighted by a daring pass down the inside of Turn 1 on the Taurino Racing by D Motorsports Lamborghini.

Managing ailing tires, Taurino continued to drop back, finishing fifth. 

Taurino had come out of the pits ahead of the No. 1 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing car after Lorris Spinelli briefly by staying out a few laps longer than Formal and Kujala. 

Just prior to the pit stops, Patrick Kujala was given a drive-through penalty for lining up on the wrong side at the start in the No. 50 O’Gara/Change/USRT car.

He was later given a second penalty for not meeting the minimum pit stop time during their driver change.

Formal led the race from pole with Kujala behind. The pack was quickly placed behind the safety car as marshals cleared debris from a Lap 1 incident where the No. 53 Wayne Taylor Racing entry was hit and spun on the way into the Bus Stop Chicane. 

While under the safety car, Damon Ockey made contact with the sister No. 33 Am class O’Gara/Change/USRT Am class car of Jon Henessey. Both cars were retired with damage. 

In the Pro-Am class, Sebastian Carazo piloted his way to a definitive class victory in the No. 47 Precision Performance Motorsports entry, finishing sixth overall. Fellow Pro-Am competitor, Bryan Ortiz, came home second in-class, 6.752 seconds behind Carazo.

The solo-driven No. 47 MCR Racing Lamborghini of Shehan Chandrasoma took top honors in the Am category, while Scott Schmidt took victory in LB Cup by just 0.289 seconds to hold off a charging Jason Keats. 

Race 2 will take place at 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday and will be streamed live on Peacock and IMSA.tv

RESULTS: Race 1