Racing with both the powerful Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, and the aggressive No. Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo LP620-2, TRG introduced a new lineup of drivers for their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend in Austin. David “CJ” Calvert-Jones and Ben Barker are racing in the Lone Star Le Mans in the No. 007 Godstone Ranch/On Time Electric/Whilo/LaSalle Solutions Aston Martin V12 Vantage.
John McCutchen was originally scheduled to race, but gave up his seat for charity. As principal of Godstone Ranch Motorsports, he has helped to raise funds and donations for the American Heart Association’s “Hands Only CPR” program via the promotion of the TRG-AMR entry in this race. T Australian racer David Calvert-Jones is both a film producer and co-founder of the gifting app, Whilo, and currently races in the Pirelli Porsche GT3 Cup. British driver Ben Barker is best known for his role as Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup driver, and is pulling double duty this weekend by also racing with the WEC Gulf Racing Porsche team.
Dutch driver Jeroen Bleekemolen joins TRG team driver and fan favorite Derek DeBoer in the No. 66 LaSalle Solutions/BRM Chronographes/Racing for Cancer Lamborghini Huracán. DeBoer, along with James Davison, raced the No. 66 at Laguna Seca this year for the team’s first outing in the Super Trofeo series. The driver duo brought the car home to 3rd place, an exciting podium finish for new fans of TRG’s Lamborghini team. DeBoer is pulling off an extreme weekend in racing: He’ll compete in two Super Trofeo races in Austin, then will fly to Sonoma to race an Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the Pirelli World Challenge race on Sunday. TRG is proud to have contributed to the tremendous growth of Derek’s racecraft and success as a driver in this 2016 season. And, his co-driver Bleekemolen is pulling off an incredible triple-header at the Circuit of the Americas, with driving duties in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.
On Wednesday evening, TRG co-hosted a race weekend kickoff party with the Late European Aston Martin dealership of Austin, where guests were able to see the No. 007 V12 Vantage in person with a glass of California’s Adobe Road Wine in hand. Today, Kevin Buckler, CEO of both TRG and Adobe Road Winery, is pleased to announce that sponsors LaSalle Solutions will be taking an even larger part in both the Aston Martin and the Lamborghini racing programs through the end of the year. With both IMSA and Pirelli World Challenge races remaining in Texas and California, the IT asset management company’s presence is a great asset to TRG. RingCentral, the cloud-based phone system provider, is also activating in a big way with over 20 guests attending the Austin race. Two stunning cars competing in two thrilling, high-profile race series is an excellent draw for both of these firms who’ve incorporated TRG into their B2B marketing and client nurturing strategies.
“This is really a spectacular weekend – talk about driver endurance,” said Buckler. “Three of our drivers are racing in multiple series this weekend, and DeBoer is racing two series in two states! These are truly talented drivers, and for them to be able to manage their driving skills in this extremely high-pressure environment is a testament to their professionalism. We really want to thank all of our sponsors and partners who helped us tie this weekend together so we could race the Aston Martin and the Lamborghini in their respective series. LaSalle Solutions, Godstone Ranch Motorsports, RingCentral, Whilo and everyone else who jumped in at the last minute – we couldn’t have done it without you!”
This weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans events are available to watch live at imsa.com from September 15-17.