Tatiana Calderon and Jem Hepworth start Lamborghini Super Trofeo Pro-class campaign with top-10 at Sebring
- RACERS
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Tatiana Calderón and Jem Hepworth launched their 2026 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America campaign with a top-ten finish, in an encouraging performance for the RAFA Racing all-female duo who stepped up to the highly competitive Pro class.
Tatiana Calderón and Jem Hepworth launched their 2026 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America campaign with a top-ten finish at Sebring International Raceway, delivering an encouraging performance as the RAFA Racing all-female duo stepped up to the highly competitive Pro class for the first time.
The season opener at Sebring, one of North America’s most iconic and demanding circuits, famous for its notoriously bumpy surface, marked an important step for the team.
Four female drivers featured on the 2026 grid, including the returning RAFA Racing all-female lineup, which continued its program after debuting the #2 entry the previous season.
For 2026, reigning AM-class vice-champion Jem Hepworth joined forces with vastly experienced Colombian racer Tatiana Calderón. While Hepworth moved up after finishing runner-up in last year’s AM standings alongside Lindsay Brewer, Calderón brought an international résumé spanning the highest levels of single-seater and endurance racing, including recent GT3 appearances in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and a 2025 dual campaign in Brazil’s Stock Car Pro Series.
However Sebring marked Calderón’s first experience behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2, making the opening round primarily a learning weekend as the duo adapted to both new machinery and strong Pro-class competition. Their new striking shark-teeth livery immediately stood out in the paddock, symbolizing a bold new chapter for RAFA Racing’s female lineup.
The weekend began with steady progress during practice sessions. Hepworth posted a 2:02.943 lap in the opening session, placing ninth in class and establishing a solid baseline. A red-flag-interrupted second practice limited further running. Hepworth then handled qualifying duties for Q1, recording a 2:02.836 lap that secured 15th overall and 12th in the Pro class.
Calderón then took over for the second qualifying session, setting a 2:03.833 to line up 11th in class for Race 2, in another step forward as she continued learning the characteristics of the Lamborghini.
Hepworth started the opening 50-minute race from 12th in Pro under clear skies, with the 39-car field navigating Turn 1 cleanly despite an early midfield spin by Ware that did not interrupt green-flag running.
Driving a composed opening stint, Hepworth balanced some initial caution with fighting spirit, quickly engaging in a close battle with Towns as the pair exchanged positions. Settling into consistent 2:04.5 lap times, she maintained position within the Pro field while holding a comfortable margin over nearby ProAm entries.
Despite several incidents around, the race remained green, allowing the field to stabilize before the pit window opened with 30 minutes remaining.
Hepworth pitted on lap 11 after cycling as high as ninth overall through strategy, handing the car to Calderón for her first competitive Lamborghini race stint.
Calderón immediately delivered clean and consistent laps, gaining a position during the pit sequence to move into 12th in class while closing on Lawley ahead. When Giano Taurino encountered issues and dropped out of the top ten, Calderón advanced to 11th.
Continuing to build confidence, the Colombian overtook ProAm competitor Dinkov and maintained steady pressure on the cars ahead. Another opportunity arrived when Pro-class entry Gore encountered problems, allowing Calderón to break into the top ten on lap 22.
Maintaining strong pace through the closing stages and with the field avoiding late-race incidents, Tatiana Calderón brought the #2 Lamborghini home in 10th place in Pro, securing a notable achievement in the duo’s first race competing at this level and an encouraging start for the RAFA Racing all-female program.
Calderón took the start of Friday afternoon’s second race from 11th in Pro, immediately gaining ground with a clean launch to move into 10th. Early drama further promoted her to ninth when Francis pitted with damage on lap two.
Running closely behind Lawley and Starkweather, Calderón remained firmly in top-ten contention before an incident involving Tasca triggered a full-course yellow on lap four. A brief restart was followed by another caution after Lawley crashed at Turn 14, limiting early green-flag running.
During the neutralization, Calderón gained another position to run eighth in class, placing the RAFA Racing entry once again inside the top ten battle.
As the pit window opened on lap 11, Calderón completed a strong opening stint and handed the car to Hepworth while running eighth, having gained three spots from the start.
Rejoining just behind RAFA Racing's teammate Ian Porter - competing in a different class - Hepworth quickly cleared the sister RAFA Racing entry to focus on her Pro-class rivals. Running just outside the top ten, she chased Towns ahead while defending from pressure behind.
Although Morey eventually moved past, Hepworth continued improving her pace, setting a personal best lap of 2:04.769 on lap 17, then further improved to a 2:04.652 on the following lap, thus clocking the fastest lap of the race for the #2 crew.
A late issue for Jackson Lee reshuffled positions, but Hepworth ultimately crossed the line 11th in Pro, narrowly missing a second consecutive top-ten result.
Despite the challenges of adapting to a new car and strong competition, the Sebring opener represented a promising step forward for Calderón and Hepworth as they begin their Pro-class campaign.
“It was certainly a challenging weekend, but also full of learning,” Calderón commented. “It was my first time onboard the Lambo Huracán Evo2, a very different car to anything I had driven before and nothing easy to push to the limit. Also, first time working alongside Jem Hepworth and the team.”
“We know there is still a lot of work ahead. We finished P10 and P11 respectively, but we're clear that the potential is there to be much further ahead when we manage to put it all together. Now it's time to focus, work hard, and continue to grow.”
The RAFA Racing all-female duo leaves Sebring encouraged by steady progress and an immediate top-ten in their Pro-class debut.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America championship resumes on May 1-3 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California, where Calderón and Hepworth will aim to convert their growing pace into stronger results.