Oregon Team ended a positive weekend at Imola, in the opening round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe. On the Santerno circuit, the Cremosano-based squad achieved a lot despite two chaotic races. The first, on Saturday, was definitely red-flagged 20 minutes before the regular time due to weather conditions that immediately brought out the safety car.
Leonardo Caglioni, making his debut in the continental series and ninth in the first qualifying session, crashed into the wall right at the start without fault. A setback that, however, did not stop him from continuing. Then the pit strategy of not switching to wet tires during pit stops and the final interruption rewarded the driver from Bergamo, who, along with fellow rookie Enzo Geraci, finished third overall and in the Pro category, immediately stepping onto the podium.
Also performing well in the same category were Paul Levet and Laszlo Toth, both making their debut with another Oregon Team’s Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2, finishing thirteenth overall out of a total of 52 cars on the grid. Behind them were the returning Davide Roda and Pietro Perolini, who secured second place in the Am category.
A completely different story unfolded in Race 2 on Sunday morning, with clear skies and a completely dry track. Geraci started from the third row and delivered an excellent first stint, with Caglioni then finishing the job, crossing the line in fourth place and earning more valuable points despite three neutralizations that inevitably made everything more complicated. Toth and Levet also performed well again, this time entering the top-10 after climbing five positions.
It was a superb race for Perolini and Roda, with Perolini starting from the eleventh row after securing pole position in the Am category. The Italian racing driver held the lead in the initial stages and even after the first double safety car period. After the pit stops, Roda returned to the track still in the lead, but later slipped to third before benefiting from penalties imposed on the two leading teams to regain first place and secure an important first victory. This victory, combined with the second place in Race 1, also propelled them to the top of the championship standings.
The next round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa is scheduled for May 10th and 11th at Spa. Meanwhile, the Oregon Team will return to the track in less than a week for the first of eight rounds of the International GT Open, which will take place at the Algarve circuit in Portugal.
