NEWS

It has been six years since Tatiana Calderón last raced a Lamborghini Huracán. In late January 2020, at the Daytona 24 Hours, the versatile Colombian formed one third of an all-female line-up for Grasser Racing Team.

Since then, Calderón has been here, there and everywhere in between. Having raced in the LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, IndyCar and the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship and, more recently Stock Car Brasil, she is back with the Raging Bull.

Much like her limited time in a Huracán GT3, Calderón is embarking in her first season of Lamborghini Super Trofeo with RAFA Racing in a predominantly female team, competing alongside last year’s Am runner-up Jem Hepworth in the #2, while F1 Academy graduate Chloe Chambers is in the sister #68 car partnering Ian Porter.

But that is perhaps where the similarities end, as Calderón found out after testing the 620hp Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 for the first time just two weeks before the season opener in Sebring.

“The two cars are very different; this is a one-make series, and I haven’t been in a one-make series for a long time, but it is a car that is really quick,” says Calderón.

“When you look at the GTD times in IMSA, we are not that far off, so that shows you how fast these cars can be. But they also teach you how to handle the weight transfer than the GTD car. These days, when you drive a GTD car, it’s like driving a small, but heavier, prototype!

“But the Super Trofeo is a completely different platform, and I was really surprised at how fast they were in a straight line. You can change a lot less in these cars than in the GTD, but they are for sure very exciting to drive.

“The biggest difference for me is the braking in the Super Trofeo, how much pressure you can apply. Obviously, I have been used to ABS in the past but there are some other changes you can make according to different manufacturers, but I was really surprised at the lap-times.

“When I first drove the car, on the suspension side, you can certainly feel it more in this car, but the way you have to drive the car around Sebring, which is very bumpy, it sometimes feels like you are having to save your life every corner! The way the Super Trofeo car slows down is very impressive but also the traction out of the corner and the top speed stands out a lot.”

Calderón has enjoyed a storied career in motorsport that has spanned 17 years since her first foray into car racing in 2009. Having worked her way up the single seater ladder from Formula 3 and GP3 to Formula 2 and eventually becoming a test and development driver for the Sauber Formula One team, the Colombian transitioned towards endurance racing in 2020.

A solitary Lamborghini appearance that year preceded a more concerted sportscar move which included stints in the European Le Mans Series, FIA World Endurance Championship and the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, sandwiching a year in IndyCar and a brief return to Formula 2.

All this experience has, according to Calderón made her a much more rounded driver, and ready for the unique challenge that the one-make Super Trofeo North America championship presents.

“I certainly feel like it, with all of the experience I have gained,” Calderón explains. “I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot easier to make the switch from cars with less grip to more grip, but I seem to be going the complete opposite way, so it has taken me a little but by surprise!

“But things like driving on old tyres, driver changes, starts and certain situational elements of endurance racing are very similar, and I feel like I am quite comfortable there. It has taught me a lot over the years, and I know that Super Trofeo will continue to teach me throughout the season.

“There are some things that I have not done for a while, like qualifying because in IMSA it was always the bronze driver who would do the qualifying session. But sprint racing is always fun and having different backgrounds and different experiences to rely on is always a positive thing and makes you a more complete driver.”

Despite feeling like jumping into the deep end of a swimming pool, Calderón does have the benefit of learning from her younger team-mate Hepworth, a multiple race winner in the Am class in 2025.

The level support and advice from someone already up to speed with the specific quirks of the championship and the Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2, has not gone unnoticed.

“Some things you are not sure if it is the car acting in a certain way or if it me, so being able to learn from Jem who has a year’s experience, has been really helpful,” continues Calderón.

“You know, things like, should I take care of the tyres more in the beginning, are we going to suffer with degradation at the end? These things, plus the regulations and processes of how the championship works, she’s been great.

“We’re blending really well together, and we know what we need to change to get better; it’s a tough class to be in as a Pro-Pro pairing because neither of us was expecting to be categorised like this but that was the choice, and we have to step up and challenge the front of the field.”

With recent IMSA experience under her belt, Calderón didn’t need to think twice about getting in touch with RAFA Racing Team for a potential Super Trofeo drive. But how did the deal come about?

“It’s a small world, motorsport!” Calderón says. “I have been friends with Toni Calderón [Chief Operating Officer at RAFA Racing Team] for a long time and we had been discussing a couple of opportunities to come through the RAFA Racing system; I think they have built an incredible team in such a short period of time.

“We started discussing maybe at the end of last year there being a seat available in Lamborghini Super Trofeo and to be honest, I have raced in IMSA for two seasons, so I already knew the tracks, I knew that the field was big. I didn’t know quite how competitive it was until the first round at Sebring, but there are a lot of big names, and it is a tricky but very enjoyable car to drive too.

“And you get to say that you drive a Lamborghini and people open their eyes, so that is really cool.”