Persing Overcomes Post-Race Penalty to Win Laguna Race 1

Photo: Fred Hardy/Lamborghini

Nick Persing held on to claim victory in the first Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race of the weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, overcoming a post-race time penalty.

Persing, in the No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2, crossed the line 11.2 seconds ahead of the No. 29 TR3 Racing entry of Elias De La Torre, after he got caught in traffic in the closing stages of the 50-minute contest.

The WTR driver was handed a ten-second post-race penalty after making contact with De La Torre, who spun around as a result, while battling for the lead in the Corkscrew in the final ten minutes.

The margin at the line was reduced to 1.274 seconds over De La Torre post-penalty.

It marked the first victory of the season for Persing and co-driver, and defending Pro class champion Hampus Ericsson.

De La Torre’s new co-driver Dennis Lind started the 50-minute contest from pole and held off the team’s former teammate Will Bamber, now at XONINE Racing, through the first stanza of the race.

While the TR3 Lamborghini retained the lead after the pit stops, a suspected electrical issue for Bamber’s No. 33 entry, with Darius Trinka at the wheel, saw the Lithuanian driver pull into a run-off area on his out lap and retire from the race.

The No. 4 ANSA Motorsports entry of Tommi Gore and Nico Jamin completed the Pro class podium in third.

Pro-Am class honors went to the No. 10 WTR Lamborghini of Graham Doyle and Danny Formal, which finished sixth overall after running as high as fourth in the hands of Formal early in the running.

Marc Miller made it a WTR 1-2 class result in the No. 41 entry, while TR3’s Martin Fuentes completed the podium after the No. 77 Forty7 Motorsports entry of Lindsay Brewer was given a ten-second post-race penalty for having its engine running during the pit stop.

Anthony Bullock of XONINE took Am class honors while TB Autosports’ Philippe Touchette broke through to take the class win in LB Cup.

It came after class points leader Ray Shahi was unable to start after suffering a weekend-ending accident in qualifying earlier in the day.

Saturday’s race saw only a single full-course caution, for the No. 55 Topp Racing entry of Avery Downs, who spun into the Turn 3 gravel trap on the second lap, although there were multiple other spins and incidents that did not require the safety car.

The second race takes the green Sunday at 10:35 a.m. PST (1:35 p.m. EST) with live coverage on Peacock as well as on IMSA and Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s YouTube channels.

RESULTS: Race 1

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