Caldarelli and Beretta dominate both races at the wheel of their Huracán GT3 EVO, securing the championship with a round to spare
Sant’Agata Bolognese/Sebring, 25 September 2022 – Lamborghini Factory Driver Andrea Caldarelli clinched a second successive Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by Aws drivers’ title with a double victory alongside K-Pax Racing team-mate Michele Beretta at Sebring. Replicating its 2021 feat at the same venue, K-Pax also added another teams’ championship title with its fourth clean sweep of race wins, while the sister #3 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO of Jordan Pepper and Misha Goikhberg took a pair of podiums.
As well as his second drivers’ title, Caldarelli claimed his 17th victory for K-Pax Racing in the GT World Challenge America since joining the continental series last year.
Coming into the penultimate meeting of the 2022 season, Caldarelli alone held a 47-point margin in the drivers’ standings from K-Pax team-mate Jordan Pepper – with whom he partnered at the start of the year – and knew he only had to leave Florida with a 50-point advantage to be crowned. Caldarelli heads into the final weekend of the year exactly 50 points clear and is assured of the title even in case of a tie thanks to a higher number of race wins.
The weekend began with free practice on Friday, with the #1 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO ending the first one-hour session sixth quickest, just under half a second off the pace. In the afternoon’s second session, Caldarelli and Beretta finished ninth fastest. The sister #3 car of Pepper and Misha Goikhberg ended FP1 eighth, before improving to fourth in the second session.
Come qualifying, it was a different story and the #1, with Beretta at the wheel, took pole position by over five-tenths of a second, with the #3 third on the grid. At the start, Beretta had to fend off the fast-starting BMW as the field negotiated the first corner, as Goikhberg, who started the #3, slotted into third.
The full course yellows came out as a result of an opening lap incident further down the field, which neutralised the race, but the #1 remained in control from the restart and came into change with Caldarelli at the start of the pit window with a lead of over 11 seconds from second place. Once in, Caldarelli then continued to build the advantage in the lead as the #3 of Pepper began to pressurise the BMW for second after the pit window closed. The #1 eventually came home a whopping 25 seconds clear at the chequered flag, as the #3 had to settle for third place and the final step on the podium.
Caldarelli started race two from third on the grid, one place ahead of Pepper, with both going side-by-side twice on the opening lap. Pepper drove around the outside of Caldarelli at the first corner, while Caldarelli had to take to the grass on the exit of the hairpin as he tried to find a way through into third.
Approaching the end of the opening quarter of an hour, Caldarelli made it past Pepper with a bold overtake around the outside of turn one to take third. The #1 remained in that position until the pit window, after which it cycled into the lead of the race following the driver-change between Caldarelli and Beretta.
With the #3 down to sixth place after Goikhberg jumped in, Beretta quickly opened up a 10-second margin over second place, extending it to XXs by the end of the race. In taking a double victory Caldarelli wrapped up the drivers’ title in fine style, while K-Pax Racing secured the teams’ crown before the season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two weeks.
Speaking about his second GTWC America title, Andrea Caldarelli said: “I am really happy for the team and all the guys from the workshop in Sant’Agata. Another great championship to put in the books, it’s a lot of hard work. Even if we had a few off weekends this season, we worked hard in the last two weekends and came here with one target, and this is the result.”