Flying Lizard Takes Championship Fight to Portugal for Lamborghini Grand Finals
SONOMA, Calif., (October 28, 2022) – Ten years have passed since the Flying Lizard Motorsports brand has been seen in professional competition outside of North America, and next week, the sports car racing champions return to Europe to close out the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America championship in Portugal. With ten rounds of racing complete, the No. 64 Lamborghini Newport Beach-sponsored car of Tom Tait (Am) and the No. 14 Lamborghini Newport Beach car of Slade Stewart will close out the 2022 season at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão. Slade Stewart enters the event leading the LB Cup class by nine points and will have two final races to clinch the title.
“What a great first season we have had for Flying Lizard Motorsports in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo championship,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “This series has been so fun to race, extremely competitive and very well run. To have a shot at a championship title in our first venture into Super Trofeo shows the depth of our team. Tom and Slade have done an amazing job on track this year, we have had a great time and some great racing, and we are all looking forward to spending time in Portugal. We have never raced at Portimão and I hear so many great things about this track, we can’t wait to get there and hopefully close out this season on a high note!”
The event will begin with five practice sessions spread out between Tuesday, November 1, and Wednesday, November 2. On Thursday, the participants will have two practice sessions before a pair of 20-minute qualifying sessions that will set the grid for the final two Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America races of the season on Friday, November 4, crowning the new 2022 champions.
A total of 27 entries will be coming from the North American series to represent the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) at the international event. Tom Tait and the No. 64 Lamborghini will be one of eight cars competing in the Am class, eager to close out the 2022 season with a podium finish. With three wins in his No. 14 pink unicorn Lamborghini, Slade Stewart enters into the final doubleheader of the year as the LB Cup points leader. Nine points separate Stewart from Jon Hirshberg and Ofir Levy, who sit tied for second place with 94 points while Charlie Martin and Jason Gagne-Heats hold third place with another tie at 92 points. A 15-point award goes to each race winner, and then 12 points to second place, 10 to third, then 8, six, five, and four. One point is awarded for pole position, of which Steward has won five in ten completed races.
The global portion of the Grand Finals begins on Saturday, November 5 with another 20-minute pair of qualifying sessions were the various Super Trofeo series combine to set the grid for the final set of races. The Lamborghini Grand Finals features a combination of the North America, Asia, and Europe-based championships, competing together for two final races on Saturday and Sunday, the 5th and 6th, respectively.
With 15 turns over 2.891 miles, the Algarve International Circuit is located in the Algarve region of Portugal. The track will be new to the Lizard competitors and engineers, though the team has spent ample time testing in the United States and on simulators for the big event.
The set of four races will air live with English commentary on the Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube page, and Flying Lizard Motorsports will offer live updates and behind-the-scenes content on the team’s social media channels the week of the event.
In Previous News
Earlier in the week, the Lizards and Slade Stewart announced a giveaway contest that has already begun at will conclude on the final race day. The group will giveaway an electric kids’ pink Lamborghini, decaled to match Stewart’s race car. For more details on the announcement, click here.
Slade Stewart | No. 14 Lamborghini
We are really excited heading into the US and World Finals in Portimão. It has been an incredibly exciting season up until now; learning a new car and pretty much all of the tracks, a professional series in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, working with the premier race team in the business, Flying Lizard Motorsports. All I can say is it has been an awesome experience so far. We have had our highs getting on the podium, we have had our lows, at races like Road America. Through all of it, we have charged forward and head into the Grand Finals leading the points series for LB Cup. I have to extend a special thanks to the FLM family, the fans, Tom Tait, Andy Lee, Eddie Martin, and my wife and children for their support and coaching.
Tom Tait | No. 63 Lamborghini
It has been a very fun and challenging year, and a year of learning from a number of very experienced people including but not limited to some on-track and psychological coaching from PT, Corey Lewis, Andy Lee, pranks, and advice from my teammate Slade Stewart, and a lot of personal coaching from my wife Faye Tait, who has attended every race.
Flying Lizard Motorsports has provided Slade Stewart and me with a very professional, successful, and seasoned group of race-winning people, all working together to form, in our opinion, the best team in the paddock. Competing for FLM and Pietro Frigerio’s Lamborghini Newport Beach has been a fantastic opportunity! The skill level of the racing drivers competing in the 2022 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship is very high, and a number of these drivers can finish amongst the pro drivers. New tracks and fast drivers have made every race very challenging.
We have improved our finishing result at each 2022 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship race, and we finished in the top 5 in the last U.S. race at VIR.
Flying Lizard Motorsports has a long history of winning many championships and currently leads the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Championship in the LB Cup category, with Slade Stewart (aka. the best teammate in the world). The Flying Lizard Motorsports team and drivers will be pushing very hard at the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Grand Finals in both the AM category and the LB Cup category to achieve podium and championship results. We look forward to the challenge!
Event Schedule
Tuesday, November 1
8:15 AM – 9:45 AM (4:15 AM – 5:45 AM EDT) Track Walk
11:25 AM – 12:25 PM (7:25 AM – 8:25 AM EDT) Test Session 1
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM (9:45 AM – 10:45 AM EDT) Test Session 2
4:05 PM – 5:05 PM (12:05 PM – 1:05 PM EDT) Test Session 3
Wednesday, November 2
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM (5:00 AM – 5:50 AM EDT) Test Session 4
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM (11:00 AM – 11:50 AM EDT) Test Session 5
Thursday, November 3
9:10 AM – 10:10 AM (9:10 AM – 10:10 AM EDT) Free Practice 1
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (7:30 AM – 8:30 AM EDT) Free Practice 2
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM (11:40 AM – 12:00 PM EDT) Qualifying 1
4:10 PM — 4:30 PM (12:10 PM — 12:30 PM EDT) Qualifying 2
Friday, November 4
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM (7:00 AM – 7:50 AM EDT) Race 1 – Live on Facebook
3:50 PM – 4:40 PM (11:50 AM – 12:40 PM EDT) Race 2 – Live on Facebook
Saturday, November 5
7:45 AM – 8:00 AM (3:45 AM – 4:00 AM EDT) Warm Up
10:15 AM – 10:35 PM (6:15 AM – 6:35 AM EDT) Qualifying 1
11:45 AM – 12:05 PM (7:45 AM – 8:05 AM EDT) Qualifying 2
2:45 PM – 3:35 PM (10:45 AM – 11:35 AM EDT) Grand Finals Race 1 – Live onFacebook
Sunday, November 6
12:00 PM – 12:50 PM (8:00 AM – 8:50 AM EDT) Grand Finals Race 2 – Live onFacebook
