Double class podium for Nattanid Leewattanavalagul, secures second in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia championship

Thai racer Nattanid Leewattanavalagul concluded a great debut season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia with 11 podiums and a runner-up finish in the AM class championship, capped by a commendable top-10 performance at the Lamborghini World Finals.

Thai racer Nattanid Leewattanavalagul, also known as Kat Lee, completed her first season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia with second place in the AM class championship standings, following a remarkable campaign that included two class victories and eleven podiums out of 12 races.

Sharing the YK Motorsports Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo machine with compatriot Dechathorn Phuakkarawut, Leewattanavalagul was able to climb the rostrum twice at the season finale in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, where they claimed a second and a third-place finish to end their campaign with 142 points as the AM class vice-champions.

Leewattanavalagul, 31, made the step into GT racing after several years of experience in touring cars at both national and international levels. She competed in the Thailand Super Series in 2016 before climbing the ladder of TCR competitions - first in TCR Thailand, and later in the TCR Asia Series in 2018.

The Thai racer made a further leap in 2022 when she entered select rounds of the 24H Series in the TCR category. Driving a Cupra León TCR operated by Monlau Motorsport, she was part of the team that claimed class victory at the 24 Hours of Barcelona.

The transition to the powerful Lamborghini Super Trofeo, however, was a smooth one. Together with Phuakkarawut, she claimed a remarkable class victory on debut at the Sepang season opener, followed by a runner-up finish in Race 2. Two more second-place finishes followed at The Bend, Australia, which hosted the second round, and there was more success at Inje Speedium, South Korea, when the YK Motorsports duo secured their second class win.

At Fuji Speedway, Nattanid and her teammate continued their uninterrupted streak of podiums with second- and third-place results, keeping them in contention for the class title entering the fifth round of the season at Shanghai International Circuit, China. A double victory for Changwoo Lee—and a second and a fourth-place finish for the Thai duo—made the championship more difficult to achieve, but Leewattanavalagul and Phuakkarawut headed to Jerez aiming to finish the Asian season on a high.

The final two races were, in fact, scheduled for the days prior to the Lamborghini World Finals, where all teams from the regional European, Asian, and North American series would compete together to crown the 2024 World Champions.

Round 6

The sixth round of the Asian championship started on Wednesday, with two practice sessions and two qualifying sessions to set the grid for the two races on Thursday and Friday.

Nattanid and her teammate faced tricky conditions in the morning, with both practice sessions contested in rain. They were fourth in class in FP1, then climbed the order in FP2, finishing on top of the AM entries with a 1:46.777 lap as the track began to dry.

Leewattanavalagul was behind the wheel for the first qualifying session in the afternoon, now in dry conditions. In the 20-minute session, she clocked a 1:46.845 lap that placed the YK Motorsports Huracán ninth overall and third in class, in a promising run.

Her teammate took over for the second session, and times continued to drop. His best lap of 1:46.230, just half a second behind class leader Changwoo Lee, earned him second in class and fifth overall.

Wet conditions meant teams had to choose their tyres on the grid. Slicks were the tyre of choice, but conditions were extremely tricky, with cars spinning on the formation lap and struggling to stay on track. The safety car stayed out due to several incidents even before the green flag.

Nattanid started ninth overall and third in the AM class. She had a clean start, keeping it on track, and although she dropped to 10th overall and fourth in class—losing out to Li Xuanyu, with a cautious approach—she kept her race clean.

With 40 minutes to go, Huang ended up in the gravel, triggering the first safety car of the race. Nattanid took the opportunity to close the gap to the cars ahead and rejoined the pack.

At the restart with 33 minutes remaining, she held her position despite challenges from Luo Haowen. Nattanid eventually pitted from 10th overall and fourth in class, handing over to Phuakkarawut for the second stint.

Phuakkarawut rejoined the race fifth in class and 11th overall but was back in third in AM by the end of the pit cycle, gaining one position. Thomas Lee went off at the final corner just one lap later, becoming stuck in the gravel and bringing out another safety car.

When the race resumed with 11 minutes to go, Phuakkarawut gained another position, moving up to eighth overall. He engaged in a tight four-car battle, picking up second in AM when the #277 Huracán of He spun with 4 minutes left. Shortly after, Xie also encountered trouble, and Phuakkarawut climbed to second in class and sixth overall after a stellar stint.

In clean air, he caught and passed Pro-Am class leader Rafique, finishing second in class and securing a top-five overall finish—in a brilliant drive to start off the weekend.

Friday morning brought a damp but drying track for the second and final race of the Asian championship. Phuakkarawut started fifth overall and second in the AM class, a strong position for scoring points.

The race began behind the safety car due to Xinyang He spinning on the formation lap. At the restart, Phuakkarawut retained second in class and built a gap to the cars behind. A safety car was deployed again with 40 minutes to go when Xie Wenjun went off into the gravel.

Phuakkarawut lost fifth overall to Weiron Tan at the restart but held second in AM class behind Changwoo Lee. One lap later, he regained fifth overall after repassing Tan.

When the pit window opened, Phuakkarawut stayed out for a few extra laps and pitted from third overall.

After the driver change, Leewattanavalagul rejoined in second in AM class, with a healthy margin to third. Despite eventually falling to third in class behind Hong, she maintained over a 20-second gap to Zairel Oh, securing a safe podium finish.

Nattanid Leewattanavalagul crossed the line seventh overall, achieving her 11th AM podium in 12 races, testament of a remarkable and consistent campaign for the Thai duo, who finished only behind AM champion Changwoo Lee, as the Korean collected seven consecutive wins and two pole positions in the last seven races.

LAMBORGHINI WORLD FINALS

A few days after the conclusion of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia season, YK Motorsports' Nattanid Leewattanavalagul and Dechathorn Phuakkarawut joined the prestigious Lamborghini World Finals grid. This event brought together the top teams and drivers from the European, North American, and Asian regional championships to determine the 2024 World Champions. The AM and LC Cup categories featured over 30 entries and fierce competition across the field.

The team had a strong start to the weekend, finishing sixth overall in the AM category during the warm-up session, showcasing competitive pace against the global field.

In the first qualifying session, Nattanid took the wheel of the #209 Huracán. She clocked a lap time of 1:48.706, placing her 17th in class and 22nd overall.

Phuakkarawut handled qualifying duties in Q2 and delivered a solid performance. His best lap placed him 11th in AM class and just outside the overall top 10, giving the team a strong starting position for Race 1.

The first race, held on Saturday afternoon, saw Nattanid start the race in challenging conditions; the opening lap was chaotic, with several incidents sending cars into the gravel. The safety car was deployed almost immediately as marshals worked to recover stricken vehicles.

At the restart, Leewattanavalagul was 16th in the AM class but quickly gained confidence. She passed Graham Doyle for 14th in class and maintained a steady pace. She found herself in a close battle with LC Cup driver Harmsen, managing to reduce the gap while keeping the cars behind her at bay.

A full-course yellow was deployed when Shi went off into the gravel, providing a good opportunity for pit strategy: Nattanid handed over the car to Phuakkarawut, who rejoined the race 16th overall and 13th in AM. As the race resumed, Phuakkarawut was immediately back in action, battling again with the LC Cup car of Harmsen.

With just over 20 minutes to go, Changwoo Lee had a high-speed off-track excursion, bringing out another safety car. Phuakkarawut avoided the chaos and gained positions, moving into the AM class top 10.

At the final restart, Phuakkarawut took advantage of the remaining minutes to execute a brilliant move, passing Asian entry Huang and climbing to 7th in AM class. In the closing laps, he picked up another spot after post-race penalties promoted the team to 6th in class, making them the second-best Asian team in the race.

Sunday morning brought drier conditions for the final race of the World Finals. Phuakkarawut started 12th overall and 10th in the AM class. The opening laps saw him make significant gains, avoiding a first-turn incident that involved spins for Abkhazava and damage for Randazzo. He climbed to 8th overall and 7th in class by the end of Lap 1.

Settling into a comfortable rhythm, Phuakkarawut maintained consistent pace, holding off challengers while closing in on the battles ahead. By Lap 6, he had closed the gap to a fight involving Staab, Hurgon, and Lewandowski, who were battling for position. As the pit window approached, Phuakkarawut attempted a bold inside move but spun, dropping to 16th overall and 14th in class.

A Full-Course Yellow was called, delaying the pit window. Phuakkarawut pitted as the race went green, allowing the team to avoid traffic. Nattanid rejoined the race in 14th place and quickly gained a position after Shi encountered mechanical issues.

As the race unfolded, Guerin and Lewandowski, received 30-second penalties for overtaking under yellow flags. Leewattanavalagul capitalized and continued to gain positions, moving into 12th in class after passing Matic, who suffered a mechanical issue.

Another safety car period was deployed after Vincent Tai ended up in the gravel and Kunzle spun. Leewattanavalagul moved up to 12th in class and maintained her position under the safety car. As the skies darkened with a threat of rain, Nattanid kept her focus, avoiding risks while some competitors struggled.

The race finished under the safety car, with Nattanid Leewattanavalagul securing 10th in class and 11th overall after post-race adjustments. This commendable top-10 finish in the World Finals marked an impressive conclusion to an extraordinary debut season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo.