Row Two Starts for Denning and SJM Theodore Racing After Asia Series Qualifying in Misano

Asian motorsports team SJM Theodore Racing have qualified 3rd and 4th for the final two races in the Lamborghini Trofeo Series Asia in Misano, Italy. The first race takes place today at 10:25am Irish time and can be viewed on the YouTube link below.

Alex Denning took the wheel of the number 232 Lamborghini Huracán EVO 2 machine for the first of two qualifying sessions for the races to be held on Thursday and Friday at the venue on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

Having addressed a number of unexpected technical challenges in testing on Tuesday, the SJM Theodore squad showed consistent pace on heavy fuel during Wednesday’s two free practice sessions and Denning was soon up to speed in the first of the 20-minute qualifying sessions. Despite considerable congestion on the 4.2km circuit, Dubliner Denning set the early benchmark at 1m34.625s and he maintained a position in the top three despite the frustration of not being able to find a clear lap from then until the chequered flag.

Charles Leong took over for the second session immediately afterwards where the Macanese driver enjoyed similarly sunny and warm late autumn conditions in his bid for the ideal grid slot for Friday’s race two in the Asian series. Leong was P2 for much of the final series qualifying session of the year before dropping back two positions in the closing minutes as other squads found the space on track to make improvements. For both drivers, there was a sense of ‘what might have been’ afterwards while acknowledging that their combined pace as a driver pairing and the team’s strength on long runs gives plenty of cause for optimism for the two 50-minute races to come.

Alex Denning: “It was a frustrating session to say the least, it was just havoc to be honest, there was so much traffic. We had the car in a very good window for qualifying and we saw the track was definitely getting quicker as the session went on, we just didn’t have the space to improve. But look, it’s the start of a long week, I always try to be positive but it’s a bit of a bummer especially when we know that we’ve so much pace and I know the track better than all the tracks we drove this year. It’s one that I wanted to come into in pole position but unfortunately we don’t have that today.”

Charles Leong: “We struggled a bit with the qualifying pace today. In free practice two our car was really good with the fresh tyres and heavy fuel load. We’re almost the fastest compared to other people in the new tyre and for some reason we didn’t manage to improve at all compared to FP2 from the new compared to old. So it’s something we need to study but I think we’re still in the window and Alex and myself make a very good pairing so I think we can do something in the race.”

Teddy Yip Jr., Team Principal – SJM Theodore Racing:-
“ It’s been another strong day for SJM Theodore Racing and even if we don’t have front row starts for the two races, the way the team has responded to a couple of mechanical issues to find a consistent race pace has been impressive. Everyone is so focused to make this the best week of the year and I have to pay tribute all for their resilience.”

In a hectic final week of Lamborghini racing, the team will face four separate races during the event with the final two races in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series (LSTA) followed by next weekend’s two World Finals races against opposition from around the globe.

Having scooped the teams’ title one round early at Sepang, Malaysia last month, team drivers Charles Leong and Alex Denning are level on points at the top of the Lamborghini Asia driver’s championship and aiming to share the series spoils in Thusday and Friday’s final races in the Asia series.

No other drivers are in contention for the title and, given that they will share the SJM Theodore Lamborghini Huarcán again throughout the week, the plan is for both to share the spoils in the driver’s championship as well come Friday afternoon.  Then they will turn their attention to the two races which make up the World Finals with both drivers relishing an opportunity to test themselves against the cream of Lamborghini Super Trofeo teams from the three different continental championships.

Sunday’s second and final World Finals race is just the end of part one of a huge fortnight for Charles Leong and SJM Theodore Racing. At the conclusion of his Italian adventure Leong will head with other key team personnel to his native Macau where he is part of the three-car team line up in the Formula Regional World Cup at the 72nd Macau Grand Prix.

It’s been a stellar season for the team in the LSTA with six vistories and four second place finishes from the 10 races held to date and the squad are aiming for another strong performance before testing themselves against the best of all three global Lamborghini series.

Race Format
As always, the race format includes two 50-minute races with a mandatory driver change, following Tuesday practice and Wednesday qualifying, Race 1 gets underway on Thursday morning, with Race 2 on Friday afternoon.
After the LSTA concludes attention turns to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals event with qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday morning followed by Race 2 on Sunday where SJM Theodore Racing will continue to fly the flag for Macau on the international stage.

TEAM BACKGROUND & LSTA SERIES DETAILS:

SJM Resorts, S.A.’s (SJM) support of Theodore Racing stems from a shared vision to elevate Macau’s standing as an international motorsport destination. As the owner-operator of a prestigious portfolio of hospitality assets—including the iconic Grand Lisboa Palace Resort, THE KARL LAGERFELD MACAU, and Palazzo Versace Macau—SJM has long embraced motorsport as a platform to project the city’s unique cultural identity and global appeal.

Celebrated as the first and only Chinese team to enter Formula 1, multiple Macau Grand Prix winners SJM Theodore Racing is looking to continue its excellent run in its second season in LSTA with its two talented young drivers behind the wheel of their Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2.

Supported by long-time partner, Macau-based integrated resorts operator SJM Resorts, S.A., SJM Theodore Racing heads to the sixth round of the championship next week where they will contest the final two races of the LSTA season as well as the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals at Misano, Italy.

The Theodore team and SJM have supported home-grown talent Charles Leong since 2021, when he took his second Formula 4 Macau Grand Prix title on his home Guia street circuit. In 2023 he finished a close second to team mate Arvid Lindblad in the Macau Grand Prix F4 showcase, completing a triumphant SJM Theodore PREMA Racing one-two finish.

In 2017, at the age of just 15, Leong won the both the Asian Formula Renault and Chinese F4 championship titles, going on to make his Formula 3 debut in both Europe and Asia the following year. Having honed his racecraft via open-wheel competition, more recently Leong has proven his versatility by successfully turning his talents to sportscar competition.

Team mate Denning, meanwhile, began his career in karting before switching to cars in a championship winning assault on the Ford Fiesta ST series in his native Ireland. In 2022, Denning was runner up and Rookie Championship winner in the British Mini Challenge JCW with 10 podium finishes and seven victories and in the last two seasons has recorded podium winning performances in the GT4 European Series at the wheel of a McLaren Artura GT4.

The six-round, 12-race LSTA season concludes in Italy at Misano from November 06-07, venue of both the final LSTA round of the year and the annual Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals, a season-closing showdown between Super Trofeo competitors from the European, North American and Asian series.

Each LSTA round includes two, 50-minute races, each with a driver change, and championship points are awarded to the top ten finishers on a scale of 15 points for the winner for each of the PRO, PRO-AM, AM and Lamborghini Cup titles.

The entry of Leong and Denning continues Theodore Racing’s long tradition of nurturing motorsport talent, which has included support of China’s first Formula 1 driver Zhou Guanyu.

Founded in the 1970s by Macau business tycoon and passionate motorsport competitor and supporter Teddy Yip, Theodore Racing entered myriad championships and racing series spanning the globe, including Formula 1, the Indianapolis 500, Formula 5000, Formula 2, Formula Atlantic and Can-Am.

Over the years, many of the greatest names in motorsport raced for the team, and its victory in the first-ever Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix with Ayrton Senna in 1983 has become part of motorsport folklore.
In 2008, Yip’s son, Teddy Junior resurrected the legendary name, initially with Status GP.

Thirty years after the team’s landmark Senna win at Macau, Theodore Racing returned to the streets of the city in partnership with PREMA Racing to take the first of what has become a long list of Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix victories.

SJM Theodore PREMA Racing returns for the 72nd edition of the Macau Grand Prix in November 2025 where the team will be reresented by Chales Leong, Freddie Slater and Rashid Al Dhaheri.

About SJM Resorts S.A.
SJM Resorts, S.A. (SJM), a premier integrated tourism and leisure enterprise in Macau, owns and manages a distinguished portfolio of iconic hotels under the Lisboa brand, including the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort, THE KARL LAGERFELD MACAU, and Palazzo Versace Macau. Intricately linked with motorsports since the 1970s, SJM solidified this connection in 2013 through a long-term title partnership with the Theodore Racing Team for the esteemed Macau Grand Prix. Over the years, SJM has been instrumental in propelling the team to numerous championship victories at this pivotal event, often regarded as the team’s spiritual home. Continuing its commitment, SJM fully supports the Theodore Racing Team as they compete internationally, proudly representing Macau on the global stage.