Hikes (DXDT): “We’re Extremely Excited for Next Year”

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

DXDT Racing has been among the new teams in this year’s Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Series, with the Utah-based squad impressing with a multi-car effort and bigger plans in the works, with up to a six-car Super Trofeo program for 2017.

The team’s No. 3 Lamborghini Huracan LP620-2 of Ross Chouest currently leads the new-for-2016 Lamborghini Cup class heading into December’s season finale and World Final at Valencia, with its Am class entry of James Burke and David Askew having shown strong runs this year as well.

Prior to this weekend’s Pirelli World Challenge round, where DXDT will debut two Huracan Super Trofeo cars in SprintX, Sportscar365 caught up with team co-principal David Hikes to get his thoughts on the season to date and what’s ahead for the team.

When was the team formed?

“There’s a long history with the most of us, going back to the Audi programs with GMG and beyond.

“We put the team together after O’Gara pulled out. When they announced they were not going to run anymore, it was a way for myself and a few others on that team that pulled the trigger and said we were going to do our own team.”

How many cars will you be entering at the World Final in Valencia?

“We have two cars going right now. Ross Chouest will run and we’ll have the 98 car that will be going over there.

“It’s not yet determined who will drive the 98 car but we’ll have a minimum of two and a potential of a third.”

What have been your impressions of Super Trofeo?

“I was a part of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo program when it started with the Gallardo and was part of the GMG group. It was a really good series. Obviously in the first year, there’s always going to be some bumps in the road in trying to figure things out.

“We had been looking and following the series since the release of the new car. We wanted to get an assessment of how the new car was going to be vs. the Gallardo and how things were going to play out in terms of its overall performance.

“We felt it was a great program to get involved with. It allows you to take people of any level of racing and be competitive.

“But for us, we were able to get into the IMSA paddock, get our drivers used to the rules and regulations and how IMSA runs…. Everything they do from the driver meetings to pits stops, etc. It’s not a huge, huge expense for us.

“It’s a great series for driver development and the cars are fantastic. The support from Lamborghini is second-to-none. They’re there every weekend with three trailers, full of everything, in case you have any issues.

“They always have their technical staff on hand from [Italy] and they are constantly in contact with us because they want to know as much information as we can give them and vice-versa.

“It’s one of the best programs I’ve worked with.”

Have you been pleased with the results in Year 1?

“We’re extremely happy with what Ross has done. Overall, he’s progressed dramatically. He was challenging things before in the Amateur class and with the LB Cup, he’s progressed more and getting more top-10 finishes.

“We’ve built such a great relationship with him and Aaron Povoledo, his driver coach. We’re extremely happy with the results they’ve put together.

“David and James, it’s been a first-year learning curve. They’ve had three podium finishes overall, which is fantastic.

“And at COTA, we had another new client, Jeff Burton, who teamed up with Enrique Bernoldi and they came back with a second-place Pro-Am finish on Race 2.

“We’re extremely excited about next year, with all the drivers going further and being even more competitive.”

What are the team’s plans for next year in Super Trofeo?

“We plan on expanding next year. We’ve ordered three more cars. We’ll step up to a minimum of a five-to-six car program next year.”

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