Round 2 of the 2026 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship North American has seen XONINE Racing’s Will Bamber and Darius Trinker finish the event held at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California last weekend with a victory, and the championship lead.
“I absolutely love WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca,” said Bamber. “It’s one of the shortest laps on the calendar, but the elevation changes, cambered corners, and aggressive surface make it relentless. With 38 identical cars, track position is everything—there’s simply no time to breathe.”
The pairing started the weekend strong with P1 in both practice sessions.
“It proved our setup and development work from the test was in the window,” said Bamber. “As always, as the Michelin-adorned cars began running, the track conditions became more difficult for our Hankook-clad Lamborghinis.
“We focused on dialing in our driver changes and the all-important pit timing, which must be accurate to the tenth of a second. The system activates via GPS coordinates as we enter the lane, telling us exactly when we need to leave our pit box to cross the line within the prescribed 84-second pit window.
“We weren’t entirely satisfied with the balance leaving free practice, and continued to evolve the car with the ever-changing track conditions.
“Qualifying is make-or-break, and track position is so important in single-make racing. The out lap was intense, with PRO drivers battling for track position on new tires—it’s crazy!
“There’s always a balance between managing tyre prep, finding a gap, and bringing the tyres into peak performance. We found ourselves at the front of the field and laid down laps under the lap record. Just as our tyres were coming into their peak, a red flag came out. We ended up P2 and on the front row for Race 1—an excellent first result under pressure with XONINE.
“Darius (Trinker) was up next for Q2, and it was a tougher outing with heavy traffic interrupting his rhythm, despite having strong pace all weekend. He ended up P7 for Race 2—still well in the hunt for a strong overall result.”
Unfortunately for the team a driveshaft snapping put paid to their efforst in Race 1.
“Race 2 then became our focus, needing to move forward with our championship rivals having scored well in Race 1. At one point it looked like we might have wet conditions, but the sun came out and we had cool, perfect conditions for the second 50-minute race.
“Darius started from the inside of row four and made an excellent start, avoiding early chaos and executing a clean double overtake to move into P4. He continued to push forward with strong pace, moving into P3 and then P2 before a full course yellow. With only a Pro-Am car ahead, we were in a strong position heading into the pit sequence.
“We decided to box early to reduce the risk of another full course yellow and to give me clear track to push qualifying-style laps. It worked perfectly, and the team executed a great stop. After the pit cycle, we slotted into the lead and never looked back. With a few minutes remaining, the safety car intervened once again and neutralized the race to the chequered flag.
“With the Race 2 victory, we reclaimed the championship lead, which is incredibly rewarding.
“We now have a great opportunity to continue building momentum with a two-day test at Watkins Glen ahead of the next round. I love Watkins Glen, having won there last year—and really enjoy the fast-flowing nature of the circuit.
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