Morgan Hill Racer Wins at Laguna Seca
- Nick Persing, the Morgan Hill driver racing for Wayne Taylor Racing, won Saturday’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo race at Laguna Seca after a late penalty still left him ahead. - He crossed the line 11.2 seconds clear, then kept victory by 1.274 seconds after a 10-second post-race penalty for contact with Elias De La Torre. - The win reinforced Persing’s edge at his home track, where he had already swept both Pro races one year earlier.
Sports-car racing can turn on one corner, one penalty, or one hometown weekend. Nick Persing got all three at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca — and still came out on top. The Morgan Hill driver won the opening Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race there after a late clash, a 10-second post-race penalty, and just enough margin to survive it. That mattered because Laguna Seca has quietly become his place — the nearby track where he keeps beating the field when the pressure spikes. (sportscar365.com) ### What race are we talking about? This was Race 1 of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey on Friday, May 2, 2026. Persing drove the No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 he shares with Hampus Ericsson, in the Pro class that also decides the overall (sportscar365.com)sportscar365.com) ### What actually happened at the end? Persing took the checkered flag 11.2 seconds ahead of Elias De La Torre’s No. 29 TR3 Racing Lamborghini. But that gap came after De La Torre lost time in traffic and after a crucial incident in the final 10 minutes. Persing and De La Torre were fighting for the lead through the Corkscrew when conta(sportscar365.com)in only shrank to 1.274 seconds — still enough to keep the win. (sportscar365.com) ### Why didn’t the penalty cost him first place? Because the original gap was huge. Persing had built more than 11 seconds on the road, so a 10-second penalty hurt but did not erase the lead. Basically, he had enough cushion to survive a punishment that often flips the result. That’s the whole drama here — he did not escape the incident, but he had already driven the field far enough back that the math still worked in his favor. (sportscar365.com) ### Why is Laguna Seca such a big deal for him? Laguna Seca is Persing’s closest major track to home, and IMSA previewed the weekend by calling him the driver to beat there. That was not hype. He swept both Pro races at Laguna Seca in 2025, and before that he won there in ProAm in 2024. So this latest win fits a real pattern — Morgan Hill to Monterey is not just a nice local angle, it’s a track-specific streak. (imsa.com) ### Who is Persing in this field? He is a Morgan Hill native and Boise State student racing for one of the series’ powerhouse teams, Wayne Taylor Racing. Last year he was still building his résumé in ProAm. Now he is winning outright in Pro against deeper, faster lineups. That jump matters because Super Trofeo is one of the main ladders for GT and endurance-racing talent in North America. (imsa.com) ### Why does this win matter beyond one race? Because it strengthened the idea that Persing is not just a promising local driver with one good weekend. He has become a repeat threat at a technical track where mistakes pile up fast. And the catch is that Laguna Seca usually exposes drivers — the Corkscrew, tire wear, traffic, all of it. Persing still found a way to leave with another win. (imsa.com) ### What’s the bottom line? Persing’s latest Laguna Seca win was messy, fast, and very real. He earned enough track position to absorb a 10-second penalty and keep the trophy, which is about as clear a sign as you can get that this place suits him. For a driver from Morgan Hill, that is more than a home-track moment — it is starting to look like a specialty. (sportscar365.com)
