Complimenting the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse in the halls of the Birmingham NEC during Autosport International this weekend is another exciting new Italian one-make racing series that is also set to roar into action across Europe this year. And the two championships are really at opposite ends of the racing spectrum: while the 500 Abarth is about to be the smallest racer in action on the tracks this year, the inaugural Lamborghini Super Trofeo series bills itself as the ‘world’s fastest one-make series’. The car being shown in Birmingham is one of just 30 examples that Lamborghini will build based around the road-going Gallardo LP560-4.

With the arrival of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo the Bologna Sant’Agata marque makes a first tentative official step into the glamorous world of motorsports since its takeover by Audi, except for an ill-fated and brief foray into FIA GT1 class sports car racing four years ago. The new Super Trofeo series aims to revive the dashing spirit of the last Raging Bull one-make series which was contested by the fearsome Diablo GTR. On the outside the Gallardo Super Trofeo features aggressive new front and rear splitter sections, a big rear carbonfibre racing wing, quad exhaust tail pipes, perspex windows with sliding slots, a new vented engine cover, side skirts, towing brackets, bonnet catches, and additional vents complete the track makeover.

Under the skin the new 5.2-litre engine from the LP560-4 now has 570 bhp squeezed out of its ten cylinders while the road car’s e.gear roboticised gearbox and four wheel drive system have been retained. The double wishbone suspension all round has been adapted for the rigours of the race track while the brakes have been improved. Inside the stripped out cockpit features a rollcage, race seat, harnesses and data logger. Tyres are provided by Pirelli.

The new series will take in six leading race tracks around Europe this year: Silverstone (UK), Adria (Italy), Norisring (Germany), Spa (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain) and Paul Ricard (France). At the NEC the Gallardo Super Trofeo racer, finished in the white-and-black colours of Super Trofeo series sponsor Blancpain, is being shown next to the CR Scuderia-run Ferrari F430 GT that raced to the 2008 British GT Championship title. Other sports cars on the stand include the Aston Martin that contested the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series last year and Jaguar's GT3 racer.

by Edd Ellison