Grassroots Motorsports
Issue link: http://grassrootsmotorsports.epubxp.com/i/397024
DRIVERS MEETING Complete Bull: Lamborghini's New Series Gives Amateur Drivers a Leg Up Just about every form of professional motorsports has become a battle of the pocketbooks. It's been this way for decades. Still, we as fans yearn to wit- ness a level playing feld where drivers and crew are the only variables. Usu- ally this calls for some sort of spec or one-make series. Of course, we all have our own defni- tions of the word "budget." Enter the North America Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series. Yes, it's a single- make series, and yes, it features as many screaming Gallardos as you can handle in one sitting. Lamborghini Super Trofeo came online for the 2014 season and ran alongside IMSA's Tudor series. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo series is very interesting because it is completely backed by the manufacturer. In fact, it may be the only racing series that is fully supported by the local parts counter. That may appear to be a tall order for Lamborghini, but in truth, it isn't. Every one of the cars in the series is nearly identical to its street-going counterpart. Nearly everything mechanical in the race car is the same in the stock car. The main differences are the famboyant aero package and safety equipment. Keeping the racing machines close to stock spec also tends to make it easier to confrm everyone is in compliance with the rules, as non- factory parts are a quick red fag for tech inspectors. Mitchum Motorsports is one of the teams involved in the series. Their driver, a young Dillon Machavern, piloted their car to a seventh-place fnish at this year's Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge. Mitchum actually campaigns three of these cars in the series and has enjoyed success, with multiple podiums and two wins in the season. You would think a series linked with such a high-profle manufacturer would be aimed at only the world's top driv- ers, but Super Trofeo places limits: no FIA gold or platinum drivers. This venue is for amateur and gentleman driv- ers, with a separate points ranking for what the series calls the pro-amateurs. Despite the soft title, the pro-amateur ranks have attracted some top drivers this year, attracting names like Andy Lally, Aaron Povoledo and Shane Lewis. Lamborghini may not enjoy the same racing heritage as Porsche or Ferrari, but series like this help endear the brand to the motorsports enthusiast. Lamborghini has taken its fair share of fack for displaying more bark than bite, but this new series looks to prove that these cars are more than just a mean face.–Ed Higginbotham Dillon Machavern: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Driver The youngest of the Mitchum Motorsports drivers, Dillon Machavern has done well in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series this year. As the season winds down, he fnds himself at the top of the true amateur rankings. Racing isn't new to the Machavern family, though, as his father, David, won the GTS class at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2003. Dillon's success hasn't come without experience, though. He started racing cars in his freshman year of high school, when most of us were still dreaming of getting our hands on our dads' keys. Since then he's competed in national series with Spec Miata, GT1 and the ST class on the Continental Sports Car Challenge– where he still competes, also driving for Mitchum Motorsports. Grassroots Motorsports 21 ed higginbotham photo tom suddard photo