Rearden Steps Up to GT3 With Lamborghini Entries

Rearden Racing is ready for an ambitious expansion with four cars across Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and GT America powered by AWS set to take part in the SRO America season-opener at Sonoma Raceway.

Longtime team drivers Jeff Burton and Vesko Kozarov, who paired to win the Pirelli GT4 America SprintX West Am championship in 2019 and contested a partial SprintX campaign last year, are set to compete in the GTWC America Pro-Am division in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo.

Burton will utilize a second Lamborghini in the new-for-2021 GT America series that welcomes GT2, GT3, and GT4 machinery where he will be joined at Sonoma by teammates Dmitri Novikov and Kris McCoy in a Lamborghini and Audi R8 LMS GT4, respectively.

Novikov last competed in SRO America competition in 2019, running a partial GT4 America slate for Rearden. McCoy, meanwhile, is new the the championship.

Team owner Lara Tallman told Sportscar365 the team’s switch to the Lamborghini for most of its entries has been eased by its experience with the car in club-level racing, while Burton and Novakov bring experience of their own with the Huracan.

“We’ve run several of the cars over the past four of five years in club racing,” Tallman told Sportscar365. “We’ve been really pleased with the cars and their abilities. That would be the number one reason for the switch.

“So far it’s been a good process working with Lamborghini so we’re optimistic about that. It’s a process, always, and the more you go down the path the more you learn, but with our running the Lamborghini in different club races we have enjoyed them.

“Jeff [Burton] started his career in driving in Lamborghini Super Trofeo so he’s very familiar and comfortable with the cars and like the cars. It’s a really good fit for him to go back to that.

“Dmitri has loved the Lamborghini. This is his second [Huracan GT3]. He also had one early on in his driving career at events at the Thermal Club.”

Tallman indicated the need to update equipment and increase staff has been the biggest challenge in preparing for the team’s first step into GTWC America.

“We had a lot of equipment from our IMSA days but of course none of it was the right equipment, so we have invested quite a bit to update everything and prepare,” she said.

“The fuel rig, tire warmers, telemetry, it’s quite a long list of equipment. There’s more fueling equipment than just the rig, of course.

“Tire carts, tire warmers, it’s been pretty big but it’s been a good reason to update and go through all of our equipment to prepare for the season.

“A lot of our staff have been with us for various things before because we’ve done other series and had different staff in different parts of the country, but there are also new people.

“We certainly are doing our homework to make sure we are ready.”