Super Trofeo Stories: The North America champions

Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America heads to Vallelunga next month with three of the four class titles still up for grabs. But for one crew, the pressure is very much off before the trip over the Pond to Italy for the final round.

Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport’s Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal have enjoyed a dominant season in the #1 machine this year, taking eight wins from the first 10 races and comfortably wrapping up a second successive pro category championship crown.

The attention now for the pair, is focused on the traditional season-ending Lamborghini World Finals, where they are looking to seek revenge for missed opportunities in the last two editions.

“We’re kind of going there with nothing to lose in a sense,” explains Marcelli. “It’s a little bit of ‘chequer or wrecker’, we’ve got to get that monkey off our back at the World Finals as I don’t know if we’ll be back again.
“I’ve been to Vallelunga about 10 years ago and Danny has been there more recently, and it’s a tricky track and I’m not sure how much it will lend itself to racing; I’ve never raced there but it seems like qualifying will definitely be the key to performing well during the World Finals.

Team-mate Formal shares the same viewpoint. “We have a lot of unfinished business with the World Finals; in 2021 we struggled a lot for pace at Misano and really didn’t have a good time and then when we got home, we found that the chassis was cracked and that’s why we were so slow.

“Last year at Portimão, we were competitive, and the pace was OK, nothing special. But we just got a bit unlucky with a penalty before the race, so we started on the back foot.
“So, we’ve never been dominant in the World Finals, but hopefully with a lot of testing and practice time on Monday and Tuesday, we can make up for that and hit the ground running and be in the mix for the title.”

The World Finals is not the only global event Formal will contest in November. Indeed, the Costa Rican driver will miss the opening day’s testing as he will be traveling from the US to Italy once he’s done racing in the Las Vegas Supernats karting event, which attracts nearly 600 racers.

No pressure then. But Marcelli and Formal is a partnership which has been together for three years now. It’s a well-oiled machine and a pair of North America titles is testament to just how strong they have been Stateside.

Having taken their maiden championship in 2022, the defence of that title was the obvious aim for 2023.

The year could not have started better for Marcelli and Formal, who strolled to a double win at the opening round of the year at Laguna Seca, before repeating the feat in round two at Watkins Glen. But despite another clean sweep at Road America and Virginia International Raceway, and a smaller entry in the pro class this season, Marcelli and Formal are quick to highlight the strong competition they have had to beat in 2023.

“The car count may not be as strong this season,” says Marcelli, “but I would say that the pace is on a par with 2021 and 2022. [Giano] Taurino has gotten a lot better, and he has been a real threat to us this year; Ryan Norman has also won races and had the pace to challenge us at Road America.
“[Ansa Motorsport’s Nico] Jamin was in the car in 2021 and he’s kind of replaced [2022 World Final winner] Nelson Piquet in a sense. That is a quality car too. Last year we kind of were fighting with just one car, and this year it’s been the same. 
“It’s ebbed and flowed, and we won in Road America when perhaps Ryan should have won, and Ryan won in Indianapolis where perhaps we should have won at least one of the races.”

In an ironic twist, despite winning the first eight races of the year, Marcelli and Formal wrapped up the title on a weekend where their winning streak was ended by team-mate Norman. It produced a bizarre bittersweet feeling among the #1 crew.

“Yeah, for us, it was super disappointing to end the winning streak,” Formal says with a slight laugh.
“Especially in race one because I got hit pretty hard before the first corner after going green; it’s hard to tell on the video but the rear diffuser broke and the whole left plane was damaged so when I went into turn one, I missed the braking and it sort of went downhill from then.
“I definitely went through the tyres pretty aggressively as well, and our pace wasn’t that great either, but our team-mate did a fantastic job, he had really good pace.”

It’s a sign of a champion pairing that the defeats take more space in the mind than the victories. It’s the reason Marcelli and Formal have been the dominant forces in North America for the previous two campaigns.

For Marcelli, the synergy and collectiveness he shares with Formal and the rest of the WTR with Andretti Autosport team has been the bedrock of the pairing’s success since entering the series in 2021.

From learning the one-make category, to building the confidence to fight for the overall championship and subsequently defending it, the journey has been a continual improvement.

“We had a couple of wins in that first season, but we were not in contention for the title, and it was quite a challenging year in the sense of figuring out the car and the driving style and the setup that it likes too,” says Marcelli.
“So, it was a learning year and then in 2022, we showed up with the experience gained in ’21 with a full season behind us and with a mindset of going for the championship. And we were able to deliver that and clinch the title before heading to the World Finals. This year, we were obviously very satisfied to have won the title again, with two races to go, but it was a different type of season. 
“Things just clicked between us from the first round, we have really enjoyed each race and Danny and I continue to push each other to make each other better.”

Despite what some might describe as a chalk and cheese combination, the two drivers complement each other well, according to Formal.

“Kyle is definitely the more relaxed driver, and more diplomatic guy!” says Formal.
“His notes before and after each session is almost like a book log, whereas I am more of a fiery guy who is always jumping around and happy to drive whatever the car is like. 
“I’ll drive even if I’m uncomfortable, even if the seatbelt is loose, you know. But it’s really great to drive with Kyle as he has so much more experience in GT racing, and he is a super-fast driver too and good with feedback. We’re also not too competitive with each other, there’s no jealousy; we just want to make the car faster and win together.”

And win together they have done. Whatever their Super Trofeo future holds, Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal have proven to be a formidable partnership in the one-make series and will aim to finish their successful 2023 campaign with the title that has as-yet eluded them.