It was a mixed weekend for India's Armaan Ebrahim, as he, along with teammate Sri Lanka's Dilantha Malagamuwa finished first in his class and second overall in Race 1 of Round 4 of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Asia series held at Fuji, Japan. While Race 1 did see the drivers make it to the podium, Race 2 wasn't as exciting with the pair finishing fourth in Round 5 of the series. The young driver became the only Indian earlier this year to be selected in the Lamborghini Young Drivers Program.
The first race of the double-header saw Armaan start second on the grid behind Jono Lester, and set a aggressive pace, exchanging the pole position for four times throughout the race. During the course, Armaan set the fastest lap of the race, but was forced to ease off after the bonnet of his Lamborghini Huracan threatened to come off having come in contact with Lester at the first corner.
Taking over from Ebrahim, Malagamuwa continued the maintain and retain the second position at the end of the race, securing the team's seventh podium in 10 starts this season.
Commenting on Race 1, Ebrahim said, "I qualified second for Race 1, just .0012 off pole and Dilantha qualified sixth for Race 2. I moved into the lead after a good start in Race 1 by making a move around the first corner. I set the fastest lap of the race soon after. Jon Lester, who was in pole position, and I ran close, but I had to back off and settle for second because my bonnet was coming off. This happened due to light contact at the first corner of the first lap. Anyway, I pitted in second right behind the leader. Dilantha went out and did well to maintain his position and bring the car home second overall and a win in class.
Race 2 however, was extremely difficult for the drivers as continuous rains overnight ensured the track was tricky. Malagamuwa had qualified sixth for the second race, but was forced run wide in order to avoid an early braking car in front. This did cost him track position as a result, Armaan, on the other hand did well to increase the pace and eventually finished fourth overall when the chequered flag was brought down.
Stating about the second race, the JK Tyre backed driver said, "Race 2 was a tricky one because it had been raining through the night, heavily enough for the start to be delayed. Dilantha, starting from sixth, lost out and ran wide at the first corner while trying to avoid a car that had missed his braking point. This made him drop way down the order and made life a lot harder.
The next round of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Asia series will be held in Valencia, Spain this December and the Indian driver will be looking for redemption.
