Round 2 of the 2026 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season took us to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for two races on May 3rd. I was in the #47 Precision Performance Motorsports Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2, sharing the car with Derek Ware. This was my first time partnering with Derek. I was filling in for the weekend because his usual co-driver couldn’t be there.
Travel
The trip out was an early one. I caught a 7:20 AM Delta flight out of JFK to SFO, which meant a 4 AM wake-up. Mercifully, a Delta Global Upgrade Certificate cleared right before boarding and I got a lay-flat seat. I was able to catch a few hours of real sleep on the plane, which made a huge difference for the rest of the weekend.
I always try to use Hertz when I can. Between Presidents Circle through Amex Platinum and a special corporate rate that usually gets me a standard sedan for around $30/day, it’s hard to beat — and the Presidents Circle aisle lets me pick whatever’s there. Knowing I’d be driving Monterey’s mountain roads, I was hoping for something fun. To my chagrin, the aisle was mostly Nissan Altimas and SUVs. Luckily there was one Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, so I grabbed it — and it turned out to be a genuinely impressive car. The handling, the sportiness, the powertrain, all better than I was expecting from a hybrid sedan. If I had to nitpick one thing, the transition between acceleration and regen on the throttle pedal could have been smoother — but otherwise I came away really liking it.
SFO has to be one of my least favorite airports for picking up a rental. You’re up and down multiple levels just to get to the monorail, which is itself a fairly long ride to the rental center. Last year I did this with the entire family – bags, kids, a stroller, and it was a nightmare. Even solo this time, it’s still pretty annoying after 6 hours in the air.
I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Monterey, booked with Chase points. It was the closest hotel to the track at a reasonable price, the property was nice, and I’d happily stay there again.
City & Circuit
The Monterey/Laguna Seca area is genuinely one of my favorite places we go. Driving up the hill to the track entrance, with the valleys opening up below you, never gets old — the location of the circuit, perched above the valley with that famous Corkscrew dropping out the back of the property, is just a little crazy when you really take it in.
After Friday practice I met some buddies at Baja Cantina in Carmel. Highly recommend the “Toothpicks” appetizer — absolutely delicious. The drive down from the track to the restaurant is a classic California canyon road.
Qualifying
Lamborghini Super Trofeo runs two qualifying sessions per weekend, and each driver in a shared car must run one of them. Q1 sets the grid for Race 1, Q2 sets the grid for Race 2. Since I had more experience at this track, I took Q1 and therefore Race 1.
In Q1 I got out of the pit box in a good spot, fought through some early traffic, and eventually put together a fairly clean lap of 1:25.51. There were a couple of mistakes in the lap that definitely cost me time, but it was enough for pole position in the Am class.
Honestly, I was thrilled. One of the things I’m still working on is how long it takes me to get up to pace in these cars. I just don’t have a ton of seat time yet, and when you’re sharing a car you only get two ~20-minute practice sessions before qualifying. To find a clean lap quickly and put it on Am pole was a real high point.
Derek then ran Q2 and qualified P4 in class for Race 2.
Race 1
Starting P1 in class meant starting ahead of several faster in-class and out-of-class cars, so I knew it was going to be a challenge just to hold position, never mind compete forward. I got a decent start — not great — and almost immediately I just didn’t feel as comfortable in the Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 as I had in qualifying.
I ended up spending too much time defending and not enough time focused forward, which cost me lap time. Over the stint I dropped from first in class to third. Derek took over at the pit stop and unfortunately got passed for third late in the race, and we finished P4 in class, just outside the podium.
Ultimately, I was not happy with how I drove. Driving fast on a qualifying lap and driving fast in close traffic are two very different things, and I’m still building that second skill in the Lambo. I left the paddock resolved to do better in Race 2, where I’d be taking the second stint.
Race 2
Race 2 was the better day. Derek started P4 in class and handed the car over to me for the second stint. From the moment I got in, I felt much more comfortable in the car and, more importantly, much more comfortable in traffic than I had the day before.
The stint wasn’t perfect — there was a moment on lap 27 where a car spun directly in front of me and I had to take avoiding action, which cost me a chunk of time on that lap — but the rest of it was clean. Looking back at the lap data afterwards, I was happy to see that my pace was consistent: my flying laps were stacked into a tight window and my average pace was right with the rest of the Am cars. There’s still time to be found, particularly in the middle sector through the Rahal section, but the consistency was a real step forward from Race 1.
More than the result, the takeaway from Race 2 was the trajectory. I’d been honest with myself after Race 1 that I needed to handle close racing better, and I felt like Race 2 was the start of actually doing that. Still not where I want to be, but moving in the right direction. Definitely slightly frustrated that I didn’t come home with at least one trophy.
Looking Ahead
A mixed weekend overall — a great qualifying high, a frustrating Race 1, and a much more encouraging Race 2. Thanks to Derek and the entire Precision Performance Motorsports crew for the prep and execution all weekend. Unfortunately, I don’t have any plans to run any more Lamborghini Super Trofeo races this year.
Catch up on previous race recaps including the 2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Indianapolis weekend and earlier rounds on the blog.
