US RaceTronics Sweeps Final Two North American Pro-Am and Am Races at Jerez
Atapattu and Liddy Score Two More Podium Finishes
Jerez, Spain (Friday, October 25, 2019) – US RaceTronics wrapped the 2019 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American season with all three cars on podium in both races today at Circuito de Jerez. Damon Ockey and Jacob Eidson won both Pro-Am races, while rookie Steven Aghakhani captured the top-step for both Am races. Aghakhani gained maximum points this weekend starting from the pole-position in both races, but still came up one point short of McKay Snow in the Am championship. Ron Atapattu and Patrick Liddy were on track for two second-place finishes, but had a tire blowout in the first race of the day dropping them to third-place. They came back strong and finished second in Race 2, securing third-place in the North American Pro-Am championship.
Jacob Eidson started race one from the overall pole-position in the No. 109 Lamborghini of Vancouver and led the race for his entire stint. Damon Ockey came out of the pits in first-place, but was unable to hold off a few the Pro drivers who had a slightly faster pace than he did. Ockey ultimately finished fifth in the US overall and P1 in Pro-Am.
Unable to get a gap in yesterday’s second qualifying session, Ockey started Race 2 from 11th overall and third in Pro-Am. He maintained a good pace while keeping the car in good shape for Eidson who drove the second stint. After taking the wheel Eidson quickly moved the car through the field, passing William Hubbell to take control of second-place in class just a few laps into his stint. He later made the pass on teammate Ron Atapattu to take over first-place and was battling for fourth-place overall when the checkered-flag dropped. Today’s wins were numbers 10 and 11 on the season for Ockey and Eidson. The Pro-Am duo won all but one race in this season’s Pro-Am championship campaign. Congratulations to Damon Ockey and Jacob Eidson on a great season!
Steven Aghakhani has had an amazing weekend thus far in Jerez as well. The 16-year-old Southern California native won the pole-position for both Am races yesterday and won both Am races today in the No. 106 Lamborghini of Beverly Hills. Aghakhani also started and finished both races in sixth-place overall showcasing his skills here in Spain.
Aghakhani maximized the points he could earn in the final round of the North American championship and had hopes of capturing the Am title in his rookie season. Having missed the season-opener at Barber, the youngster started his season with a 32-point deficit, but has been impressive all season, slowly closing the gap on McKay Snow. But, as impressive as Aghakhani’s weekend has been, Snow was able to hold him off, winning the Am championship by one point. Aghakhani is happy to have come so close considering his circumstances and is looking to prove himself even more in this weekend’s World Finals. US RaceTronics is extremely proud of their young driver and his amazing performance in his rookie season.
Ron Atapattu started Race 1 in the No. 124 Elephantea Lamborghini of La Jolla. He was running strong in second-place in Pro-Am for the majority of his stint. He dropped to third two laps before the pit-window opened, but was able to keep close enough that Liddy was easily able to move back into second-place coming out of the pits. Unfortunately, just a few laps into his stint, Liddy began experiencing a vibration as the right rear tire started going down. Moments later the tire blew, but Liddy was able to nurse the car back to the pit for a new tire. Quick work by the crew allowed him to rejoin the race and bring the car home P3 in Pro-Am.
Liddy started Race 2 in second-place overall and stayed there his entire stint. He stayed out late into the pit-window, giving him the overall lead prior to handing the car over to Atapattu who drove a strong second-half of the race. Atapattu was able to hold off several cars to finish ninth overall and P2 in Pro-Am. The pair’s strong showing this weekend moved them up to third-place in the North American Pro-Am Championship. Like Aghakhani, Atapattu and Liddy had to overcome a huge deficit to finish in the top-three in their class. Atapattu started the season in LB Cup, while Liddy started in the Pro class with co-driver D. Bryce Miller. Atapattu and Liddy joined forces and moved to Pro-Am starting with Race 2 at Road America, which was the sixth race of the season. Both drivers have done a great job all season and the team is tremendously proud of them as well.
The team now prepares for the World Finals which start with qualifying tomorrow morning and Race 1 tomorrow afternoon. After the success of their North American season finale, the team is hopeful that their momentum from today will carry them to the podium tomorrow and Sunday.