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Lamborghini Super Trofeo NA

Mitchum Embracing Lamborghini Ladder With Push for Second Title

Inside Lamborghini Super Trofeo team, Mitchum Motorsports…

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

Mitchum Motorsports has raced in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North American series since its debut in 2013.

At the series launch in July 2013 at Lime Rock Park, Mitchum was one of only five initial approved partner teams. The Mitchum team has continued to become a force in the blossoming series.

“When Super Trofeo was coming to North America, we understood the Lamborghini brand and what they wanted to do,” Mitchum owner Chris Mitchum said.

“Our marketing director, Trevor McClure, saw the value the series had, and because of the interest we expressed and the level of professionalism we have, we became one of those initial partners and became invested in this series. I believe in this series and can see where it’s going.”

The value of Super Trofeo goes above and beyond the quality of racing, something Mitchum understands and embraces as one of the strongholds of the series.

“Having been involved with Super Trofeo basically since the series was announced for North America, I can say that it is unquestionably the fastest growing sports car series not only in IMSA’s portfolio but in all of North America,” McClure said.

“The racing is great, the cars are beyond captivating, the hospitality is second to none. Once this racing appears on TVs, computers, and tablets across North America, the other series are going to have to watch out for the new bull in town.”

But even with the world-class hospitality and the intrigue of the Lamborghini brand, racing continues to be the focus for Mitchum.

The team will start the 2015 season as reigning team champions after capturing the 2014 title in dramatic fashion during the season finale at Road Atlanta.

Mitchum and its series rivals will see a new-look Super Trofeo this season. The season opener May 1-3 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will mark the debut of the new Lamborghini Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo, which will race alongside the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo that was the sole car in the series in 2013 and 2014.

This new era signifies the start of a true Lamborghini racing ladder with the Gallardo and Huracán in Super Trofeo North America, Europe and Asia, and the new Huracán GT3 car that will compete in major global GT championships.

Mitchum decided to put all three of its drivers – Dylan Murcott, Bryan Hixon and Brandon Gdovic – in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo in a combined effort to continue dominance in the series and develop its drivers, all three series rookies.

“It was a joint decision between us and Automobili Lamborghini,” Mitchum said. “The Gallardo matches up perfecting with our idea of growing up talent. It’s the proper stepping-stone for the three drivers we currently have.

“It’s a car that we know very well, and our program is incredibly strong, so it allows the drivers to focus on their skills. It is only the third year of the series, and we respect our place in the paddock, and I think we are meant to be a big part of the racing ladder that Lamborghini is creating. ”

Mitchum drivers Murcott, Hixon and Gdovic are new to the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America series but have extensive success in racing.

Murcott made his series debut in the season finale last year at Road Atlanta but is driving the entire season with Mitchum Motorsports in 2015. He is also a familiar face with the team, having raced for Mitchum for the last two years in other series.

Gdovic comes to Mitchum after a successful 45-race season last year spread across five different race series, including NASCAR and ARCA.

Hixon is a championship-winning driver making the transition from MX-5 Cup to Super Trofeo.

“We have three young guys that we’re very excited about,” Mitchum Motorsports team manager Sunny Voelker said. “You want to see a driver that has speed because the crew is invigorated by that, but we also want to see someone with good judgment.

“You can’t win if you’re not on the track, and we need someone who will work with us and buy in to our program. And we see that with each of these guys.”

The Mitchum team will work with all three drivers to continue their racing development, the idea upon which the foundation of Mitchum Motorsports was built.

“Our definite focus is rooted in the idea that we provide the knowledge and support that each one of us has taken from our own careers,” Mitchum said. “There is something important about the knowledge you gain behind the wheel.

“They are three young guys who want to move up and make a career in motorsports. It’s how you can keep the passion alive by working with people as passionate as you are.

“From my side, it comes from a little bit of regret that the knowledge, the passion and the humble side of racing has become a part of me over the past 10 years and not when I was chasing my own career. I personally want to provide something to our drivers that was lacking in my own career.”

Racing has coursed through team owner Mitchum’s blood since his youth.

His father, Richard Mitchum, worked a variety of roles in the sport, transitioning from a mechanic to a driver and everything in between.

Chris Mitchum spent his childhood going to racetracks with his father, learning to love the sport and following his footsteps.

After working for 10 to 15 different teams in almost any position imaginable, Chris decided in 2001 he didn’t want to race or work for anyone else.

“I made the decision that if I was going to be able to make a business out of what our family’s expertise was I was going to have to come out from behind the wheel,” Mitchum said. “I took the knowledge that we almost took advantage of and realized that it had value to it.

“I’ve been on both sides of pit wall, and my personal focus has always been not to grow my own name but to give something back to my father, who introduced me to the sport.”

Since its inception, Mitchum has participated in multiple series, finding success in each one. That has allowed Chris Mitchum to explore other avenues, such as becoming the director of operations for standout TUDOR United SportsCar Championship team Action Express Racing.

Everyday management of Mitchum Motorsports is now in the hands of Mitchum’s father, who also is the technical director, and team manager Voelker, who also has a history in motorsports, including racing with Richard Mitchum.

“I’ve been working with the team for several years, and we have true professionals of the highest caliber, so it’s been an easy transition to me,” Voelker said.

“Many of us on the team have experience behind the wheel, and that’s what makes us successful in retaining drivers and successful on the track, as well. We understand what the drivers need and what it takes to win.”

Despite having three rookie drivers, the team has high expectations entering the 2015 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America season.

“Our goals are very straightforward: We expect to finish one-two-three in the championship,” Mitchum said.

“We don’t go to the racetrack for anything other than that. That’s what racing is all about, and it would be a disservice to our drivers and to this series to expect anything less.”

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