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Racing

Lindsay Brewer and Jem Hepworth extend podium run in Lamborghini Super Trofeo with double runner-up at Watkins Glen

June 26, 2025 by Tara S

Lindsay Brewer and Jem Hepworth delivered their strongest performance yet in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America with back-to-back runner-up finishes at Watkins Glen, extending their AM class podium streak as they close in on their first class win in their debut season.

Lindsay Brewer and Jem Hepworth enjoyed their best weekend to date in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, as the RAFA Racing Team’s all-female duo secured a pair of runner-up finishes at the iconic Watkins Glen circuit. The result continued their streak of climbing the AM class podium at every round so far this season and marked an improvement on their previous third-place finishes at Sebring and Laguna Seca.

Racing for the first time at Watkins Glen, both Brewer and Hepworth showed impressive progress from the start of the weekend, were highly competitive, and narrowly missed out on a class win. They battled well inside the overall top ten and remain firmly in the AM class title fight after three rounds in their first season in the series.

Both drivers are tackling new ground in 2025: Brewer is making her GT racing debut after progressing through high-level single-seater ranks up to Indy NXT, while Hepworth brings valuable experience from the GT4 European Series, where she previously raced with RAFA Racing Team.

The new driver pairing has made a strong impression in the first rounds of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America campaign, opening the season with a podium at Sebring. The RAFA Racing all-female team quickly adapted to the Lamborghini Huracán at the challenging Florida circuit, showing promising pace and teamwork to secure their maiden podium in Race 2.

They carried momentum into Round 2 at Laguna Seca, where they were competitive from the outset and delivered another fast and consistent weekend: they set the fastest lap in class in both races, earned their second podium of the season with a third-place finish in Race 1, and were unlucky to miss another podium in Race 2 after a post-race penalty.

At Watkins Glen, they aimed to continue this positive trajectory on a track that was new to both drivers. Brewer—who had attended the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours with Cadillac Racing just the previous week—went out first in the #2 pink and black RAFA Racing Huracán for the opening practice session. She set the third-fastest time in AM class with a 1:51.620 before pitting midway through the session.

Soon after, a red flag interrupted running. When the session resumed for the final eight minutes, Hepworth improved the team’s time with a 1:50.469, moving up to fourth in class and just 0.7 seconds off the AM class pacesetter—in an encouraging start to the weekend.

In the second practice session, Brewer further improved her personal best with a 1:51.106. Hepworth followed with a 1:50.607 to bring the pair up to third in class—completing another positive session that showed they would again be fighting for podium positions. Both drivers were running close on pace, which has become a hallmark of their consistency as one of the strongest AM crews.

Lindsay Brewer, Jem Hepworth, RAFA Racing Team, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Watkins Glen 2025
Photo credits: Jamey Price Photo

In Q1, Lindsay Brewer was soon into the 1:49s, setting a 1:49.1 early on and moving into the class top three. With further improvements late in the session, she posted a 1:48.731, which ultimately placed her sixth in AM for the Race 1 grid.

Jem Hepworth took over for Q2. The session saw an early red flag before any times were recorded. When the track went green with five minutes to go, Hepworth quickly set a 1:49.036, just four-tenths off class pole, and held third in class. After late improvements by others, she secured fourth in AM for the Race 2 grid—not a bad effort in a highly competitive session.

Brewer started Race 1 from P6 in class and 19th overall and immediately showed good pace to move forward. After a clean start through Turn 1, she remained inside the top 20 overall. With a ProAm car between her and the AM front-runners, she followed closely and passed Trinka and Neuls on the second lap to climb to fifth in class.

Brewer then gained another overall position when Brendon Leitch served a drive-through penalty. Running strong 1:50.6 lap times, she worked to close the gap to Carazo in fourth, just over a second ahead. On Lap 8, Capizzi suffered an engine failure but managed to return to the pits without triggering a caution, keeping the race green.

When the pit window opened, Brewer stayed out and kept pushing. After improving her first sector, she eventually pitted on Lap 10. Hepworth rejoined from fifth in class, soon moved up to fourth after other pit stops cycled through, and began gaining on the cars ahead: the ProAm RAFA sister car of Gottsacker and the LB Cup sister car of Bolduc.

Hepworth cleared Bolduc on Lap 15 and began hunting down Dadkhah’s Forty7 car, just half a second ahead. Her strong pace was soon interrupted when the race went full course caution on Lap 16 following Starkweather’s crash at Turn 1. The caution allowed Hepworth to close back up to the AM class rivals ahead, setting up a podium battle in the final minutes.

At the restart, Hepworth immediately passed Dadkhah for third and climbed to seventh overall when AM class leader Bullock was given a drive-through penalty for a short pit stop. With several cars being penalized, Hepworth advanced to second in class with two minutes to go and was within a second of McGee in the WTR car.

However, heavy traffic from ProAm cars hampered her charge in the closing laps; navigating the hectic final moments, Hepworth held on to take the chequered flag second in class—securing another strong finish for the RAFA Racing all-female crew, improving on their previous best of third at both Sebring and Laguna Seca.

Lindsay Brewer, Jem Hepworth, RAFA Racing Team, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Watkins Glen 2025
Photo credits: Fred Hardy II

In Race 2 on Saturday afternoon, Hepworth started fourth in AM and 14th overall. The opening laps were chaotic, with Dean Neuls crashing heavily and being collected by Henry in Turn 1, triggering a lengthy caution period due to extensive debris.

When the race resumed with 30 minutes to go, Hepworth was immediately on pace, setting a purple second sector and applying pressure to Staab for third in class.

As the pit window opened, many teams opted to pit immediately. Hepworth stayed out, climbing to second in class and the overall top ten while setting purple sectors and running just two seconds behind class leader McGee. She pitted on Lap 10, handing over to Lindsay Brewer, who rejoined in the thick of the battle for another AM podium.

Hepworth’s strong stint had put the car in a prime position, setting up Brewer for a battle against Doyle for the AM class lead, with the two separated by less than five seconds over the final 20 minutes.

Brewer showed solid pace, matching the class leaders’ times and steadily closing the gap to Doyle, bringing it down to under two seconds by Lap 18.

As the leading trio—Brewer, Doyle, and Bullock—entered heavy ProAm traffic, Brewer was momentarily unlucky but continued to post competitive times. When Bullock was involved in a collision with the #14 Flying Lizard Motorsports Huracán and received a drive-through penalty, Brewer was promoted to second in class at the chequered flag—ending another excellent weekend, narrowly missing their first class win and finishing just outside the overall top ten.

It was a fantastic effort for the RAFA Racing all-female team, with both drivers showing strong pace and proving that a first class victory is surely just around the corner.

With four podiums now in their rookie Lamborghini Super Trofeo campaign, Lindsay Brewer and Jem Hepworth remain third in the championship standings with 55 points—just one behind second place.

The next round takes place at Road America from July 31 to August 3, where the duo will aim to build on this momentum and fight for their first AM class victory.

Filed Under: Racing

Bianca Bustamante finishes P2 at F1 Academy Miami Race 2

May 7, 2024 by Tara S

By: Hans Carbonilla – The inquirer

Filipino American and McLaren development driver Bianca Bustamante fought her way from the back of the grid to a points-scoring position despite encountering multiple setbacks during the F1 Academy Miami round, but her fighting spirit brought her to the podium finish at the end of Race 2.

The young racer’s bid for a podium finish in Race 1 was dashed when she fell victim to a late start due to a technical error, dropping her from a promising P4 qualifying result to P16.But the first Filipina driver at McLaren’s tenacity shone through as she clawed her way through the field, eventually breaking into the points territory by lap six of the intense 13-lap race.

In an Instagram post shared by McLaren, they wrote “She never backed down. She never gave up. Great comeback drive to the points, [Racer Bia],” to which the racer herself replied, “We were the fastest car on track. Sorry everyone for the mistake, we’ll fight for the win tomorrow.”

However, her hopes of further advancement were marred by a five-second penalty for cutting a chicane to gain an advantage, relegating her P7 finish to P9 post-penalties.

Nevertheless, her recovery drive from last position to the points-scoring field earned her the accolade of the fastest lap, adding an extra point to her tally. With three points garnered from the race, Bustamante currently sits seventh in the driver standings with a total of 21 points.

Meanwhile, Alpine-sponsored Abbi Pulling, who started on pole, clinched victory in Race 1.

Despite the setbacks faced in Race 1, Bustamante remained undeterred as she tackled Race 2 confidently and strongly, finishing at P2.

She posted a photo with Lando Norris on her social media account, with a caption, “Just absolutely speechless. Such a high.”

“An amazing weekend for the team @mclaren! Our very first @f1academy podium is finally a reality, mega thank you to @artgp_official for an amazing car,” she continued. “They were faultless this weekend, so much more to work and show for the rest of the season. Let’s keep growing.”

With her determination and resilience on full display, all eyes are on Bustamante as she continues her quest for success in the F1 Academy 2024 season.

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Racing

CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022

December 21, 2021 by Tara S

Top 22 Female Athletes of 2022

As 2021 comes to an end, it’s time to look forward to the year ahead in sports.

With the Winter Olympics in February, March Madness on the calendar and a landmark NWSL season to come, women’s sports fans are in store for an exciting year.

Here are the 20 athletes to know or get reacquainted with in 2022: 

[Read more…] about CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lacrosse, Olympics, Paralympics, Racing, Running, Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Team USA, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Women in Sports, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's Sports, Women's Tennis, Women's Wrestling

THE WOMEN OF PARETTA AUTOSPORT

May 27, 2021 by Tara S

INDY 500

STORY BY ALYSSA ROENIGK, PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH RICE

Roughly 30 laps into Sunday’s 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, driver Simona De Silvestro will pull into pit lane. In the six seconds it takes to refuel her No. 16 Paretta Autosport Chevrolet, her crew will swap out four Firestones, adjust the front wing and attend to the Aeroscreen windshield on her IndyCar. Typically, teams want pits that are flawless, fast and fade into the noise of the race.

But the Paretta team expects to attract attention. Because for the first time in motorsports history, four of its seven over-the-wall pit crew members will be women. De Silvestro’s two spotters will be women. Two of her engineers, including a Data Acquisition Guy, will be women. And every front office role at Paretta Autosport — from business operations to public relations to merchandise and marketing — is filled by a woman.

“It’s important to me that the bigger message is this isn’t women at the expense of men,” says team owner Beth Paretta, whose vision to create a coed race team has been six years in the making. “I’m trying to expand the grid.”

During the team’s first outing at the Indy 500, Paretta hopes young girls see ponytails fly over the wall during pit stops and women engineers communicating from the timing stand. She also wants the novelty to wear off quickly: “My hope is that in five years, us being a team of mostly women is the least interesting thing about us.”

[Read more…] about THE WOMEN OF PARETTA AUTOSPORT

Filed Under: Racing, Women in Sports

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