Blackjack Racing made an impressive first appearance in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia with Chinese driver Peter Li Zhi Cong, securing pole position for Race 2 and achieving two solid results at the Sepang International Circuit.
After a seven-year hiatus from GT racing, series newcomer Peter Li used the Thursday and Friday practice sessions to familiarize himself with the Lamborghini Huracan Evo 2. The 2013 GT Asia Series champion achieved an impressive third place in Qualifying 1. The best was yet to come, as the Chinese driver capitalized on the wet track in Qualifying 2 to surprise everyone with the fastest time of the session, earning Blackjack Racing its maiden pole position in the Lamborghini one-make series for Asia
The afternoon’s race didn’t start as planned, as Peter Li was impacted by an opponent before braking for the first corner. He dropped from third to sixth due to this incident, but fortunately, the car was not affected, allowing him to maintain pace with the cars in front. Despite a pitstop handicap of an extra three seconds for driving solo, he managed to climb back up to fourth position overall and in the PRO class, crossing the finish line just three seconds from a podium position.
Starting from the first position for the second race of the weekend, Peter Li held off his opponents’ attacks and led the race for 25 minutes. Eventually, he dropped to second place before the compulsory pit stop. The race didn’t go our way in the second half. After dropping two more places following the pit stop and struggling with the car, he fell to sixth overall and P5 in the PRO class before the checkered flag.
Commenting about his race weekend, Peter Li said: “It was a good race weekend for me, driving a new car in both dry and wet conditions. It was a lot of fun, though I just missed the podium. Over longer distances, I felt we lacked some speed. It was my first time with this car, and I’m looking forward to more races ahead. Thank you to everyone in my team for being well-prepared for this race.
Team Manager Rodolfo Avila added: “It was an interesting weekend for the team. It was our first weekend in the series, and it was the first time Peter drove the car. Of course, after the sensational pole-position of Saturday we were aiming for more. However, as the only frontrunner team with just one driver, the Malaysian weather really challenged us. Peter demonstrated that he still has the speed; we just need to work on improving our performance in long runs. A special thanks to our crew here who did a great job and helped us run smoothly throughout the entire weekend.”
Blackjack Racing is planning to return to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia when the series visits the home of Chinese motorsport, with the Shanghai International Circuit hosting the final races on Asian soil for 2024 and serving as the penultimate round of the season from September 13-15.
