Lamborghini Super Trofeo 2024 – Round 3 Inje Race 1

On July 20, the official schedule for the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Challenge Korea round in Inje officially kicked off. Madness Racing Team showed strong performance in the first round, with car number 88, driven by Andre Couto and Jason Chen, clinching their fourth Pro-Am class championship trophy of the season! Car number 77, driven by Hong Shijie and He Xinyang, secured third place in the Am class, marking their second podium finish of the season!

On Saturday morning, the official practice session of the Korea round commenced. The four drivers utilized the limited track time during practice to further familiarize themselves with the characteristics of the Inje track, making ample preparations for the two qualifying sessions and the race in the afternoon.

After a brief midday break, the first qualifying session began. Car number 77, driven by Stephen Hong, was the first to leave the pit lane. After completing the tire warming process, he went all out, achieving a lap time of 1:38.495, his personal best lap of the weekend. With this competitive lap time, car number 77 secured sixth place overall and second in the Am class.

Andre Couto, the professional driver of car number 88, participated in the first qualifying session with the goal of securing a front-row starting position. Couto quickly completed his flying lap, achieving a lap time of 1:35.967, placing him second overall. This marked the best starting position for car number 88 in the Super Trofeo series, and they would start the first round of the race from the front row.

In the second qualifying session, gentleman drivers Jason Chen and Harry He took over the cars, competing against several strong drivers. Jason Chen, driving car number 88, maintained steady performance and further improved his lap speed, securing second place in the Pro-Am class for Sunday's second round. He Xinyang, after thoroughly understanding the track conditions through official practice, also improved his lap speed, with car number 77 eventually securing fifth place in the Am class.

At 4:30 PM local time, the first round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Challenge Korea round officially started! Andre Couto in car number 88 performed excellently at the start, closely following the pole position car and attacking early on, attempting to take the lead. Stephen Hong maintained a steady pace, holding sixth place overall after the first lap.

Both drivers continued to perform well, with Andre Couto setting a new fastest lap of 1:38.036 for car number 88 in the race, closely pursuing the car ahead. Stephen Hong also demonstrated excellent long-distance speed, remaining second in the Am class.

As the race approached halfway, a car malfunctioned and stopped on the track, prompting the race officials to display a full-course yellow flag. Coinciding with the pit window opening, most car crews quickly executed mandatory pit stops to change drivers. Jason Chen and Harry He took over driving cars number 88 and 77, respectively, for the remaining race distance.

After rejoining the race, car number 88 was in second place overall, while car number 77 was ninth. The safety car was deployed to clear the malfunctioned car, allowing Madness Racing’s two Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 cars to close the gap with the cars ahead.

Once the safety car withdrew and the race resumed, Jason Chen faced attacks from Pro class cars behind him. To secure his position in the Pro-Am class, Jason Chen chose not to defend too aggressively.

Car number 88 eventually crossed the finish line in sixth place overall, with Andre Couto and Jason Chen strong performance earning their fourth Pro-Am class championship trophy of the season!

Harry He, driving car number 77, engaged in intense battles with multiple cars after the race restarted. He navigated through the chaos and finished ninth overall and third in the Am class. This marked the second podium finish for Stephen Hong and Harry He since the season opener in Sepang!

The first round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Challenge Korea round concluded, with Madness Racing achieving double podium finishes in their respective classes thanks to the outstanding performances of the four drivers. At noon on Sunday, the team will compete in the second round of the race. Let's wish the four drivers success in their quest for the podium again!