K-PAX Racing announced on Thursday that they will enter a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo into the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli, focusing primarily on the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa. Their driver lineup will feature K-PAX’s regular GT World Challenge America pairing of Andrea Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper, joined by Caldarelli’s factory racing stable mate, Marco Mapelli.
The 2022 operation will be the first time the team hold entries in multiple series since having a three-car program in GT World Challenge America and Europe two seasons ago.
“K-PAX Racing wants to compete and race against the best in the world and there isn’t any other GT3 race that compares to the Spa 24,” said K-PAX programme manager, Darren Law. “We have a great opportunity this year in our partnership with Lamborghini and to have the chance with our K-PAX Racing drivers Andrea and Jordan, and adding in Marco Mapelli, will give us an extremely strong line up and we look forward to getting back to this event.”
K-PAX finished tenth overall in the 2020 24 Hours of Spa, fielding a Bentley Continental GT3 which featured Pepper as part of the driver lineup. Caldarelli and Mapelli finished eighth in last year’s Spa 24 Hours. K-PAX made their IGTC return in last year’s Indianapolis 8 Hours, with Caldarelli and Pepper steering the team to a third place overall finish to cap off a championship-winning campaign in the GT World Challenge America.
Add in the fact that Caldarelli and Mapelli have previously pulled off the first “SRO Triple Crown” – winning the European Sprint, Endurance, and Overall Drivers’ Championships in the same 2019 season – and K-PAX have as good a chance as any to give Lamborghini a long-awaited first overall victory at the 24 Hours of Spa.
Pepper was excited about the chance to bring K-PAX back into the Intercontinental GT Challenge for 2022. “I know Jim [Haughey, K-PAX Racing President] has always wanted to do the championship, and I’m really excited to be going on the venture with the whole K-PAX Racing crew.”
“You have Andrea and I, including Marco Mapelli. [Mapelli] is an extraordinary driver – a Lamborghini Factory Driver like Andrea. I think we’ll have a strong pairing between the three of us, a strong package in our Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO, and a strong team to back us.”
“I’m really looking forward to race with K-PAX Racing in 2022,” remarked Mapelli, a newcomer to the organisation “IGTC is a very demanding championship, but I believe K-PAX with their experience and knowledge can face it in the proper way. I know Andrea “The Captain” very well, as we have shared loads of success and good moments together in the past. I always enjoying driving with him. Jordan is a very fast and reliable driver, so I can’t wait to get it started.”
“Preparation is definitely the key for every race, especially when you’re far away from ‘brickyards.’ Strategy is something very crucial, especially in this Endurance championship.”
“The IGTC series is definitely one of the most competitive championships out there for GT3 category, so obviously it is a big challenge for us, but we already showed a good result in Indy 8 Hour last year. So, I am really looking forward to join it again and give all we can to win it.”
