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Lap record & top three finish in the US

August 26, 2019

Sandy set another lap record and bags top three finish in the US with Black Bull Whisky and Lamborghini.

The Scots endurance racer set a new lap record, fastest race lap and bagged a top three finish in the latest round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American Championship in Virginia. Yet the 19-year-old from Forfar, backed by Huntly-based Black Bull Whisky, was left disappointed. “It’s a weekend which should have been much better,”



Sandy, who a fortnight ago won back-to-back races at Road America, admitted. “We should certainly have had at least one win this weekend.” Partnered by his Italian team-mate, Andrea Amici, Sandy was driving his No. 1 Prestige Performance Lamborghini Huracán, prepared by Wayne Taylor Racing, for the first time at the Virginia International Raceway. Taking the car from Amici midway through the opening 50-minute race, Sandy swiftly closed the three-second gap to the car ahead within a lap. But as the Scot drew alongside, the rival edged Mitchell on to the grass.

“I managed to maintain control, but because we’d had torrential rain all morning, the grass was incredibly slippery,” Mitchell explained. “That, allied to the fact I had to get the car back up the slope, meant it took me around a minute to get the car back on-track and I dropped around four places.” The Scot then set about closing the gap back to the leaders, and in doing so brought the lap record down three times in the closing laps, eventually clocking 1min 43.715secs and finishing fourth.



Twenty-four hours later, Sandy started race two from second on the grid, but was again run out slightly wide on to the grass at the first corner. “I drove well after that and I made some really good overtaking moves back up through the pack,” Sandy, part of the Lamborghini Squadra Corse GT3 Junior Program and a member of the prestigious British Racing Drivers’ Club Rising Star scheme, continued. “The car was really fast, and again I set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:43.830. I got back up to P2, and then unfortunately I made a mistake at the double right-hander, Oak Tree Corner. I carried slightly too much speed in and ran on to the grass. The tyre barriers are very close to the track there and I brushed them as I went past. I had to put the car into reverse to get back on-track, and subsequently dropped a few places. “We could certainly have won the second race, instead of finishing third in class, but a top three PRO car finish ensured we still banked some valuable points. It could have been a better weekend, but obviously I was very pleased to set another lap record on my first time at the track.”

Sandy heads to the final US race of the season at Laguna Seca on September 8/9 just 11 points behind the leader in the championship. The final race of the series will be held during The World Finals at the Circuito de Jerez in Cadiz, Spain, on October 26-27.

(Photos: ©Jamey Price for Lamborghini)