Sant’Agata Bolognese/Hockenheim, 13 May 2024 – At Hockenheim, Lamborghini achieved its inaugural win of the season in the International GT Open, with Oregon Team’s Jordan Pepper and Alessio Deledda clinching victory in the weekend’s first race.
Driving the #10 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, Lamborghini Factory Driver Pepper began the 70-minute race from fourth place, quickly advancing to second before the compulsory driver-change pit stop. In the second half, Deledda leveraged a late safety car period to overtake at turn two and secure the victory.
This triumph places Deledda and Pepper sixth in the driver standings with 21 points, just ahead of the season’s third event at Spa-Francorchamps scheduled for 24-26 May.
The race weekend kicked off with two free practice sessions, where Pepper and Deledda initially placed ninth overall, with Pepper later achieving the fourth fastest time in the initial qualifying round. Meanwhile, Rolf Ineichen, in the #63 Oregon Team car along with Factory Driver Leonardo Pulcini, qualified sixth, and the third team car, driven by Artem Petrov and Marzio Moretti, started 14th on the grid. Leipert Motorsport returned to the series, with drivers Maciej Błażek and Mark Wallenwein qualifying 24th.
Oregon Team’s Pepper and Deledda strike late on in race one to open account in Germany
From the onset, Pepper executed a stellar start, swiftly moving into third after the first turn. A subsequent safety car phase regrouped the drivers, with Pepper adeptly overtaking the Mercedes at the final turn onto the main straight, after that closing in on the leader until the pit stop.
Upon taking the wheel, Deledda maintained position despite a slightly slower pace than the Mercedes, benefiting from another late-race safety car. At the race restart, Deledda quickly moved into the lead at turn two and maintained it till the end. Pulcini, having taken over from Ineichen, initially finished second but was demoted to fifth post-race due to a time penalty.
The following day’s race saw Deledda and Pepper add more points to their tally by finishing fifth, two spots ahead of Pulcini and Ineichen. The #19 Huracán, piloted by Moretti and Petrov, faced challenges, ending the weekend with 12th place in the first race and 13th in the second.
Jordan Pepper, Lamborghini Factory Driver, said: “Oregon is a strong team, especially with Lamborghini leading the pack, and they consistently perform well. Alessio and I make a solid driving team, so today’s success isn’t a surprise. I’m pleased with how we did; though I had a slight slip-up in qualifying on my only clear lap. I managed a strong start and passed the car to Alessio in second position. He executed an outstanding maneuver to take the lead and just extended the gap, securing the win. I’m incredibly proud of him. He’s putting in a lot of effort, and it’s impressive to see his continuous improvement.”
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