Tatiana Calderón returns to GT Challenge de las Américas with third place in Panama
- RACERS
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Tatiana Calderón returned to GT Challenge de las Américas securing a podium finish in the first heat of the 500 Kilómetros de Panamá after a strong drive in difficult mixed conditions at the Autódromo Panamá.
Tatiana Calderón returned to GT Challenge de las Américas securing a podium finish in the first heat of the 500 Kilómetros de Panamá after a strong drive in difficult mixed conditions at the Autódromo Panamá.
Sharing a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 with Carlos Hernández, the Colombian racer qualified in the overall top three and converted that pace into a third-place finish in the opening race segment, once again demonstrating her speed and racecraft in a good quality field, featuring several highly experienced regional competitors.
The event marked Calderón's return to the GT Challenge de las Américas after making her debut in the championship at the 3 Horas de Costa Rica the previous year, where she celebrated a class victory. This time, she stepped into more powerful GT3 machinery, sharing driving duties with Hernández in the #59 Lamborghini Huracán GT3.
The Panama circuit presented a fresh challenge for Calderón, who spent the earlier sessions learning the scenic venue while adapting to the Huracan GT3 car, who she had driven at the 2020 Daytona 24 Hours.
Qualifying provided an early indication of her potential, as Calderón set an excellent lap of 59.995 seconds to secure third position on the grid. IMSA frontrunner Danny Formal claimed pole position in another Lamborghini Huracán GT3.
Saturday's action began with the first of two 45-minute race heats, held in challenging mixed conditions. Although rain had stopped before the start, the circuit remained damp and slippery, creating difficult conditions for all competitors.
Starting third on the grid, Calderón took the opening contest in the #59 Lamborghini. Several teams elected to change tyres during the formation laps as conditions continued to evolve.
The field lined up in two-by-two formation for the start. Calderón occupied the inside line and navigated a clean opening corner despite some early moves within the pack before the green flag. She initially slotted into fourth place before dropping to fifth after a chaotic opening sequence that saw the #17 Corvette of Chocron move into second position.
Drama struck on lap two when Solano's Mercedes spun and hit the wall. Calderón consequently moved back up to fourth overall and third in the GTS class. The incident initially triggered local yellow flags before a full Safety Car intervention neutralized the race.
Racing resumed on lap 10. Calderón came under pressure from Jimmy Llibre, although the Dominican driver was not competing in the same class. Llibre eventually found a way through at Turn 8 to gain the overall position.
As pit strategies began to unfold, several competitors made early stops. Calderón remained on track and inherited second place overall while taking over the lead of the GTS class, despite increasing pressure from Zachary Boodram in a Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo machine.
Track conditions continued to improve as the surface dried rapidly, though grip remained inconsistent and many drivers struggled with cars sliding under acceleration and braking.
While Llibre stretched his stint and assumed the overall lead, Calderón continued to manage the changing conditions expertly. She eventually made her pit stop on lap 16 and remained behind the wheel for the remainder of the opening heat.
Following the pit cycle, Ortega reassumed the lead ahead of Boodram and Chocron. Calderón rejoined sixth overall and fourth in the GTS category.
As the race progressed and the sun began to set over the Autódromo Panamá, Calderón steadily worked her way back through the field. She closed rapidly on Vera in the #7 Huracán and completed the pass on lap 24 to regain fifth overall.
Attention then turned to Chocron's Corvette, which was beginning to lose pace. Calderón was particularly impressive at this stage, and completed the move one lap later, reclaiming third position in the GTS class.
The Colombian continued to increase her pace, consistently running in the 1:02 range and gaining more than a second per lap on Ramirez's Audi R8 in the battle for class position.
By lap 33, Calderón had climbed to third overall while continuing to chase Ramirez. With just five minutes remaining in the heat, the gap had reduced significantly, but traffic in the closing stages prevented her from launching a final attack.
Nevertheless, she brought the Lamborghini home safely in third overall and third in the GTS category. Gustavo Ortega and Danny Formal claimed victory in the opening heat ahead of Betesh/Ramirez, with Calderón completing the podium after a faultless drive in mixed conditions. Her experience proved particularly decisive as she capitalized in the second half of the heat following a good race management.
The second heat took place after dark under the floodlights of the Panama circuit, creating a spectacular setting for the concluding race. This time Carlos Hernández took the wheel of the #59 Lamborghini for the start. Danny Formal led the field away while Hernández held third position through the opening corner behind the Audi of Betesh.
Vera managed to pass Hernández in the opening laps, but the Lamborghini driver soon reclaimed the position and settled into the battle near the front. The race was then interrupted by a major accident involving the #16 car of Solís, which rolled and immediately brought out a red flag.
At the time of the stoppage, Hernández had slipped to seventh overall. Following the recovery operation, the race resumed behind the Safety Car before returning to green-flag conditions. However, another red flag quickly followed due to visibility issues.
After the interruption, the field returned to the track for a final 20-minute sprint to the finish, this time without pit stops. Hernández resumed seventh overall and found himself directly behind an intense battle involving two Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo cars in the GTS Light class and a GT3 Lamborghini competing for class honours.
At the front, Danny Formal completed a dominant performance to secure victory, while Hernández brought the #59 Lamborghini home fourth in the GTS category.
The overall weekend represented another successful outing for Calderón in GT Challenge de las Américas, with her third-place finish in the opening heat representing the cherry on top of an event that attracted an enthusiastic crowd and strong support from local fans.
"The GT Challenge of the Americas gave me one of those experiences that reminds you why you love this sport", Tatiana commented. "Seeing the stands full, and especially so many women enjoying motorsports, that's priceless."
"On the track, things went very well: we qualified P3 and in the first 45-minute race, driving alone in constantly changing conditions, we managed to hold on and cross the finish line in third place."
"I'm leaving with the best feelings, with renewed energy, and eager for more. Thank you GT Challenge Americas and the entire Terpel Davivienda team for the great vibe, the hard work, and the energy as always."
From NASCAR Brasil to GT3 competitions, the Colombian continues to add valuable experience and strong results to her versatile 2026 campaign.
