SJM Theodore Racing Complete Stellar Season in Misano
World Finals - MISANO Race Two
Misano, Italy 9th November
Asian motorsports team SJM Theodore Racing have completed their hugely successful Lamborghini Super Trofeo season at the World Finals in Misano.
The Macau team, having secured the Asian teams and drivers title on Thursday, endured a frustrating final race of the season when Charles Leong was hit from behind by another competitor for the second day in succession. On this occasion it resulted in retirement from the race after just two laps, a disappointing end to what has nonetheless been a stellar season for the team.
Eight wins and four second place finishes from 14 races and just one retirement caused by another competitor tells a story of dominance for the team throughout the year and the squad can now reflect on a season for the ages.
Starting 18th on the 37 car grid for Sunday's second race, Charles Leong quickly made up two places on a hectic first lap and set his sights on making a similar move up the order to replicate the team's performance in race one. That plan was soon scuppered as he was clouted from behind at turn one on lap two and, after resuming and doing a slow lap to assess the damage, the decision was made to retire the damaged car.
It's the final act of a sensational Lamborghini Super Trofeo season in which SJM Theodore Racing has won both teams and drivers titles in Asia taking eight victories and four second places from 12 races. The team now turns its attention to the FIA FR World Cup at the 72nd Macau Grand Prix next week where two-time Macau GP winner Charles Leong will join Freddie Slater and Rashid Al Dhaheri in the SJM Theodore PREMA Racing line up.
Before that both Charles Leong and Alex Denning are back on track in Misano tomorrow in the Lamborghini Young Driver Programme Shootout where they will take place in an assessment against 14 other drivers from the three Super Trofeo series to see who will receive support from Lamborghini into the 2026 season.
It's a considerable feather in the cap of SJM Theodore Racing that both drivers have been shortlisted for this highly prized scholarship with the world leading sportscar manufacturer.
Charles Leong: "Ah, it's funny, I guess it's racing. It's the first accident we have had the whole year. In the World Finals we know it's going to be quite messy, so, yeah, we're a bit unlucky there but it is what it is. The start was fine and then I was exiting turn one and somebody decided to shunt into me from nowhere. There was nowhere I could go and I was leaving space for the inside as well.
"It's been an amazing season by everyone in the team and we're delighted. It was just a bit of shame in the World Finals. I know we didn't show our true potential. We showed that in the Asia series. In Macau next week, hopefully we can do something special. With a bit of luck and everything coming together as well.
"Hopefully with this crash I got my bad luck out of the way and we can we can put something together for Macau. I've been doing the race for many years, I know the track, so I'm looking forward to it.”
Alex Denning: "If you had to told me at the start of the year that out of 14 races that we would only have one DNF, I would have taken your hand off you, so look, it's the joys of motor racing. It was outside of our control today. It's a pity for the team because we've worked very hard all year for this World Finals race.
"But it's onwards and upwards to shoot out tomorrow and hopefully to an even better campaign next year. If you had to tell me at the start of the year, we're going to get these sort of results this year, with that sort of consistency, that sort of reliability, and the lack of issues, I wouldn't have believed you.
"So it has been a flawless year. Execution on all ends has been perfect. We've broken a lot of records this year. I'm very proud of the whole team. Huge thanks to SJM Theodore Racing, all my sponsors and Charles for a splendid job all the year, and I really hope that we can carry that package into the next year.”
Teddy Yip Jr., Team Principal – SJM Theodore Racing:-
“ What a year it has been and I'd like to congratulate Charles, Alex and everyone at SJM Theodore Racing for one of the greatest complete campaigns of racing in the history of the team. Okay, the final day of racing produced our fist retrment of the year but that was not of our making and Charles was laready on his way up the leaderboard after a great first lap.
"What matters is to take the year as a whole and we can reflect on eight wins, four second place finishes and teams and drivers championship titles for SJM Theodore Racing
"I'd like to wish Charles and Alex well in the Lamborghini Young Driver Porgram shootout tomorrow and we're now setting our sights on the 72nd Macau Grand Prix where Charles will join Freddie and Rashid in representing the team."
In a hectic final week of Lamborghini racing, the team faced four separate races during the event with the final two races in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series (LSTA) followed by two World Finals races on Saturday and Sunday against opposition from around the globe.
Having scooped the teams' title one round early at Sepang, Malaysia last month, team drivers Charles Leong and Alex Denning finished level on points at the top of the Lamborghini Asia driver's championship and now share the series spoils after Thusday and Friday's final races in the Asia series.
Then they turned their attention to the two races which make up the World Finals with both drivers relishing an opportunity to test themselves against the cream of Lamborghini Super Trofeo teams from the three different continental championships.
Sunday's second and final World Finals race is just the end of part one of a huge fortnight for Charles Leong and SJM Theodore Racing. At the conclusion of his Italian adventure Leong will head with other key team personnel to his native Macau where he is part of the three-car team line up in the Formula Regional World Cup at the 72nd Macau Grand Prix.
Race Format
As always, the race format includes two 50-minute races with a mandatory driver change. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals event started with qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday morning followed by Race 2 on Sunday where SJM Theodore Racing will continue to fly the flag for Macau on the international stage.
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