Palmer earns first victory of Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America season

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 3, 2014) - 2013 World Final winner Andrew Palmer earned his first victory of the 2014 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America season, dominating the 50-minute race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Palmer, from Chicago, won the race under caution in the No. 14 Lamborghini Beverly Hills Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo. He started from pole and led by 20 seconds when Tom O'Gara spun off track into the tire barriers in Turn 4 with six minutes remaining, creating the race-ending full-course caution period.

"We started on the pole, and the GMG Racing guys and Lamborghini crew had an awesome car for us," Palmer said. "We knew we were going to be quick, and we just needed to manage the race and manage the tires. We just got a groove going and laid out good laps times and built up a really nice gap. It was a nice, easy drive for us without a lot of pressure from anybody.

"I think we have the best car on the grid. To build up a 20-second gap is fantastic."

2013 series champion Kevin Conway finished second in the No. 29 Lamborghini Carolinas Gallardo. The No. 80 Lamborghini Palm Beach team of Al Carter and Aleks Altberg finished third.

Kevin O'Connell was the first Amateur class finisher and fifth overall in the No. 9 Lamborghini Houston Gallardo. Scott Monroe was the second-place Amateur and eighth overall in the No. 15 Lamborghini Toronto entry, while Ryan Ockey was third in the Amateur class and ninth overall in the No. 88 Lamborghini Vancouver Gallardo.

There have been three different winners in three rounds this season, as Carter and Conway won the opening rounds in March at Sebring International Raceway.

Round 4 of the season will start at 12:40 p.m. (PT, 1940 GMT) Sunday, May 4. It is a 50-minute race.

All drivers will continue the race for the North American championship and a berth in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo World Final on Nov. 22-23 at the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That event features the best drivers from all three worldwide Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo championships - Europe, Asia and North America.

Other Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America highlights Saturday at Laguna Seca included world-class hospitality, including clients and guests from Lamborghini Beverly Hills and Lamborghini Dallas, and hot-lap rides around the iconic circuit in a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster. The exciting new Huracan LP 610-4 also was displayed in technical presentations for media and guests in the Lamborghini Village at the circuit.

ANDREW PALMER (Winner, No. 14 Lamborghini Beverly Hills): "We started on the pole, and the GMG Racing guys and Lamborghini crew had an awesome car for us. We knew we were going to be quick, and we just needed to manage the race and manage the tires. We just got a groove going and laid out good laps times and built up a really nice gap. It was a nice, easy drive for us without a lot of pressure from anybody. When the caution came out, I thought we might have to fight a little bit the last couple of laps. It was unfortunate we ended under yellow, but it is what it is, and overall it was a great race. I think we have the best car on the grid. To build up a 20-second gap is fantastic."

KEVIN CONWAY (Second, No. 29 Lamborghini Carolinas): "The race day went well. We had not quite the start we were looking for, but it worked out after the round of pit stops. Everything cycled through. Everybody at Change Racing and Lamborghini Carolinas did a great job today. I'm excited about the momentum we have and learning a lot here at our first time at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. I'm looking forward to making some adjustments and going after (Andrew) Palmer tomorrow."

AL CARTER (Third, No. 80 Lamborghini Palm Beach): "Our No. 80 Palm Beach Mitchum Motorsports car ran great. Aleks (Altberg) had a good start, ran second most of the stint. Brought it in second, he was chased by (Kevin) Conway. We pitted. Conway is the master; he's great at getting away from the pits. So we left the pits, and he was a little bit in front of me and he stayed there. We usually have a little Carter-Conway battle toward the end, but I couldn't get close enough to make it interesting. It was a good first start. This was the first time we had two drivers in the car. Alex did a great job for his first time in the car, and we're here on the podium."

ALEKS ALTBERG (Third, No. 80 Lamborghini Palm Beach): "I had a blast. We were starting up from the second row. It was really tight in the first few corners. This is a really challenging track on top of that, with all the ups and downs and sand that's all over the track. A bunch of great drivers all around me, a great group of guys I'm working with over at Mitchum and overall just a great car to drive. I had a lot of fun."

KEVIN O'CONNELL (First Amateur, No. 9 Lamborghini Houston): "It was really pretty uneventful. We just ran our race and stayed out of trouble. We had the perfect car, and once we got into P1 in our class, we just stayed there. Once upon a time I went to driving school here, so I know this track a little bit. It's a little bit like coming back home. This is where it all started, so it's fun to come here and actually win."

SCOTT MONROE (Second Amateur, No. 8 Lamborghini Toronto): "The race started out pretty aggressive, and it is a long race. Temperatures are up, drivers started fading out in the end, but all in all, it was a great race. I think we're pretty happy with the car and the setup. We're racing our race, and we're going to stick with what we've got."

RYAN OCKEY (Third Amateur, No. 88 Lamborghini Vancouver): "It was very exciting. I was second to begin with, and I had a few rookie mistakes. Saw a few guys in my rearview mirror and panicked a little bit, ended up in the gravel and ended up spinning bur recovered and was able to claw back a couple of places, finishing in third, which I'm happy with."

Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo