In terms of teams and cars, the same 20 entries from the first round of the 2022 Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS at Sonoma Raceway will be headed to NOLA Motorsports Park for the second race meeting of the year on 20-22 May.
But the big story from the provisional entry list is that Pro Cup championship leaders and reigning series champions Andrea Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper have been split up, following a sporting regulations change which requires that all Pro Cup entries must carry one FIA Silver rated driver.
“Unfortunately, with the announcement of the revision of the rules for driver ratings in the Pro class, we are going to have to split up the driver pairing of our lead car of Jordan Pepper and Andrea Caldarelli, and they will not get the opportunity to defend their Championship from last season,” said Darren Law, programme manager of K-PAX. “Obviously this is not a normal situation, but we are confident in our team and drivers and always willing to take on new challenges. We will not change our approach and will focus on competing at our usual high level in pursuit of results and championships.”
Pepper has been moved to K-PAX’s Verde Mantis coloured #3 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO, partnering with Silver-rated driver Misha Goikhberg. Caldarelli will stay in the all-black #1 K-PAX Lamborghini, and will be joined for the rest of the season by second-generation driver Michele Beretta, the reigning International GT Open Pro Cup champion and 2020 European Le Mans Series GTE champion.
“With the late change of regulations from the championship, I feel very honored to have this opportunity to take part in the No. 1 car with K-PAX Racing and Andrea,” Beretta said. “I definitely feel the responsibility to defend the title the team achieved last year and keep the car on top. I am sure that we can do well.”
To complete the multi-team transaction, Giacomo Altoé returns to the #9 TR3 Racing Lamborghini, and rejoins Lebanese co-driver Ziad Ghandour as part of a Pro-Am Cup entry.
“First off, we want to thank Giacomo Altoé for the hard work he put in with us at the start of the season,” Law said. “He and Misha worked well together, and the proof is in the double podium finish we had in the first event at Sonoma.”
“Jordan has been with K-PAX Racing for several seasons now. We know how fast he is and considering options for the best chances of success on track, he and Misha will be a good pairing. Although we have not worked with Michele Beretta, we welcome him to the team. It makes sense to pair him with Andrea as they have a relationship from previous racing in Europe and we look forward to what he can bring to our program.”
Barring a repeat of the last-minute recategorisations of certain teams at Sonoma, K-PAX’s two-car entry will compete for Pro Cup honours alongside the #6 US Racetronics Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Steven Aghakhani/Loris Spinelli), the #33 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Russell Ward/Philip Ellis), and the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 (Michael Dinan/Robby Foley).
A healthy 13-car Pro-Am Cup field will be led by the #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R (Charlie Luck/Jan Heylen), which swept the weekend at Sonoma. The #04 Crowdstrike Racing with Riley Motorsports Mercedes (George Kurtz/Colin Braun), #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 (Ashton Harrison/Mario Farnbacher), and #94 BimmerWorld M4 (Chandler Hull/Bill Auberlen) should also be a factor after class podium finishes at Sonoma.
And the Am Cup will again consist of a pair of Ferraris, with the #61 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 (Jean-Claude Saada/Conrad Grunewald) leading the #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari (Onofrio Triarsi/Charlie Scardina).
Next weekend will mark SRO Motorsports America’s first visit to NOLA Motorsports Park since it was opened in 2011. The 4.423 kilometre, 16-corner course is hosting its first major event since a rain-shortened IndyCar Series race in 2015, and the venue has undergone updates since 2019.
Images © Brian Cleary, Fabian Lagunas, Regis Lefebure / SRO Motorsports Group America
