Chloe Chambers and Ian Porter charged from last in the Pro-Am class to victory at Road America as RAFA Racing Team completed the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America weekend with three podium finishes.
The pair started 14th overall and fifth in class, but Porter was forced wide and spun on the opening lap, dropping the car to 33rd overall and last in Pro-Am.
“At that point, I was not thinking about winning,” Chambers said. “I did not believe a podium was possible. I was simply hoping we could recover and finish somewhere inside the top five.”
Porter immediately began working his way back through the field before a full-course caution created an opportunity shortly before the pit window opened.
He gained several positions during a strong in-lap before the RAFA Racing Team crew completed a clean pit stop and driver change. Chambers rejoined in clear air and continued the charge.
“I was simply driving as hard as I could,” Chambers said. “After everything that had happened, I had no idea what position we were fighting for.”
With six minutes remaining, RAFA Racing Team principal Kevin Conway told Chambers that the car ahead was leading the class.
“My response was, ‘What?’” Chambers said. “I genuinely could not believe it. But I could see I was much faster than the car ahead. Each lap, the gap was coming down.”
Chambers applied pressure through the closing laps before the leader ran wide exiting the Kink. She attacked around the outside into Canada Corner and moved into the lead as the other car spun on the inside.
Chambers controlled the final two laps to secure the pair’s first victory together.
“It was an incredible way to win, especially considering how far down the order we had been after the opening lap,” Chambers said.
“Chloe and Ian’s race could easily have been over on the first lap, but nobody on this team gave up,” Conway said. “Ian immediately began fighting his way back, the crew executed when the opportunity arrived and Chloe delivered an outstanding closing stint.
“That determination represents what RAFA Racing Team is all about. We remained composed, continued working and turned a very difficult start into a tremendous victory.”
Kiko Porto and Tyler Gonzalez added a third-place result in the Pro class as RAFA Racing Team earned three podium finishes across the Road America weekend.
“To come away with three podiums is an excellent result for the entire organization,” Conway said. “Kiko and Tyler produced another strong performance to finish third in Pro, while Chloe and Ian completed an incredible recovery to win Pro-Am.
“We faced challenges throughout the weekend, but every driver, engineer and crew member continued pushing. These results reflect the preparation, resilience and determination of the entire team.”
The victory continued an impressive run for Chambers and Porter, who have finished second, second and first in their past three races.
“Every weekend, things are becoming more familiar,” Chambers said. “That growing understanding helped us turn a race that appeared to be over on the opening lap into our first victory together.”
RAFA Racing Team will return to Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from September 18–20.
The season will then conclude in Italy at the fabled Autodromo Nazionale Monza, with the final North American championship round on October 22–23 followed by the Lamborghini World Finals on October 24–25.
