Two Texas football standouts sign NIL deals with Austin Lamborghini car dealership
NIL has been a part of college athletics for a few years, but it still feels like a lot is changing. Obviously, NIL favors Universities with large alumni networks and strong booster programs, so schools such as the Texas Longhorns and Oregon Ducks have done an outstanding job of adapting to the changing times.
It is no secret that there is a lot of money down on the Forty Acres, so it is cool to see the University invest that money in the athletic program and athletes. For example, earlier this summer the Longhorns had a recruiting weekend where they brought in a bunch of Lamborghini’s sitting outside Darrell K. Royal Stadium for recruits to look at while on campus.
The relationship between Lamborghini and the Longhorns appears as if it will only get better over time with WR Isaiah Bond and DB Michael Taaffe being selected as Lamborghini Austin’s Promotional partners for the 2024 season.
In the case of Taaffe, a former walk-on and fan favorite, it is awesome to see guys like this get a life-changing opportunity that would have never happened before NIL became part of the current college landscape.
Congratulations to Isaiah Bond and Michael Taaffe on their selections to be Lamborghini Austin's Promotional partners for the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/S1PxmSRYue
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It’s been three months since the Lamborghini SC63 made its debut in the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which was also the last time the car was seen in IMSA competition. That may seem like a long time with nothing going …
It’s been three months since the Lamborghini SC63 made its debut in the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which was also the last time the car was seen in IMSA competition. That may seem like a long time with nothing going on, but there’s actually been a lot happening with the car in that time. The car that rolls onto the track at Watkins Glen this weekend is a significantly improved version of the prototype.
Lamborghini Iron Lynx has been running a single car in both the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races and the FIA World Endurance Championship. For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the manufacturer fielded two cars in a race for the first time. At Sebring, the car acquitted itself nicely for a debut, finishing on the lead lap — and not even the last car on that lead lap. At Le Mans, both cars finished the race, albeit a couple of laps down, in 10th and 13th.
Compared to Alpine’s new A424 LMDh car that is in its inaugural season – both of which failed to finish at Le Mans — or Peugeot’s 9X8 Hypercar that’s in it’s third year and recently significantly updated, that’s a good result.
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“We know that in Sebring, even though it was our first race, in certain conditions or track temperature, we were quite competitive already — which was a bit surprising, I have to say,” said Andrea Caldarelli, who will drive the No. 63 SC63 with Matteo Cairoli in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. Romain Grosjean was on board as well at Sebring and with them in the second car at Le Mans. “In other conditions, we were struggling more. And this really helped us to understand where were our weak points, so we worked especially on colder conditions to try to let the car work better on the tires. It’s not great, still, but we know it’s our weak point. So we were still working in terms of setup, but we did something in terms of software and system to help with that.”
Software is the one free area of development in the LMDh platform — all other aspects are homologated and require “joker” updates for approval. But the software is a powerful tool — all the manufacturers using the LMDh platform quickly found significant gains in pace, reliability or drivability — and sometimes all three — with software updates.
“It has been a big improvement,” Caldarelli said. “We brought some updates — unfortunately, we didn’t have any other races (in between) in IMSA but the guys have been using (the updates) in WEC. So every time we go out on track, there is something new. There are a lot of things system-wise, electronics and software, that have been implemented from Sebring that we didn’t have. In Sebring, we tried to keep it simple because it was our first event. We didn’t want to over-complicate things.”
Lamborghini committed to competing in the IMEC this season, with eyes on expanding to the full championship in 2025. Lamborghini CEO Stephen Winkelmann indicated that they’re not ready to say with certainty that Lamborghini and Iron Lynx would run the full season in 2025, especially in light of the new WEC rule that requires each manufacturer to run at least two cars. Whether it does or not, Lamborghini certainly has its eye on some areas of improvement, although Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer as well as the interim head of motorsport, isn’t yet committing to implementing joker updates for next season.
“On the engine side or the driver side, we don’t face any big problems,” Mohr said. “On the aero side, we are super satisfied. For sure at the moment, we are looking on the mechanical grip side more. Optimization would go more in this direction in combination with the weight reduction. On the weight side, we have some potential. These are the focus fields for our car. But to be honest, we are super happy about the speed of the development. Now it’s only a question of execution.”
Iron Lynx, Caldarelli and Cairoli will have the opportunity to showcase the updates at this weekend’s Saheln’s Six Hours of the Glen. the SC63’s second race in WeatherTech Championship competition, and it’s sixth race overall.
Lamborghini is set to scale up two a two-car, full-season effort in the FIA WEC’s Hypercar class next season, to meet the new requirement for every manufacturer to enter two cars from 2025 onwards. Confirmation came from the brand’s CEO Stephan …
Lamborghini is set to scale up two a two-car, full-season effort in the FIA WEC’s Hypercar class next season, to meet the new requirement for every manufacturer to enter two cars from 2025 onwards.
Confirmation came from the brand’s CEO Stephan Winkelmann in a media round table at Le Mans last week, during which he was asked for his opinion on the new rule and the future of the SC63 program in the FIA WEC.
“The reason why we entered into Hypercar and LMDh is that it collided with our strategy. Then it was the fact that WEC and IMSA together would give us global visibility, and there is a cascading process with R&D due to the fact it is endurance racing, and the budget was foreseeable,” he said. “For sure things are changing and it will be more expensive for us. But we will do it, we will have the second car in WEC from next year.”
This follows Iron Lynx’s team principal Andrea Piccini telling RACER back in April that it was ready for two cars in Hypercar should the rule come into place. It also adds to Aston Martin’s immediate confirmation of a second Hypercar for Heart of Racing after the regulation was announced and Cadillac’s expected two-car effort with a new team following Ganassi’s planned departure at the end of the year.
“On one hand we appreciate having a second car,” added Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer (and interim head of motorsport). “Our development progress is slower because we have less data and fewer opportunities for different race strategies. But it is an additional effort for a company small like us, but we like challenges and we will find a Lambo way to deal with it.”
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Could customer-run or customer-funded cars form part of its future top class plans? While there appear to be no immediate plans for Lamborghini to offer additional SC63s for competition, Winkelmann by no means ruled it out.
“There might be an opportunity to step up in terms of cars,” he said. “This is something we have to see with additional partners. This is something others are doing, we have not done so far, and this could be an opportunity that will help us with more testing.
“We are evaluating different opportunities and options. We will do our best. It’s something we have to discuss in-depth with Iron Lynx.”
Despite the forthcoming rise in costs to compete in WEC’s Hypercar class going forward (due to the two-car mandate), Lamborghini remains committed to the current ruleset in the longer term.
Mohr and Winkelmann both welcome the extension of the current Hypercar and GTP homologation cycle to the end of 2029, especially as it currently has no plans or interest in developing a car for the forthcoming hydrogen category.
“It’s a good decision, for all the manufacturers you have planning safety,” Mohr said when asked by RACER for a reaction to the extension of the Hypercar rules. We have always said this is not a short-time shot — we have a clear strategy behind our engagement, so it’s positive.”
Mohr and Winkelmann were also quizzed on the future of Lamborghini’s customer GT programs in GT3 and single-make competition. While they were not prepared to give too much away, they did confirm that successors to the Huracan GT3 and Super Trofeo models are currently in the pipeline and will debut in the 2026 and 2027 seasons respectively.
“I can tell you that unlike the LMDh (SC63) with a standalone engine, the Super Trofeo as well as the GT3 car will have the street engine including all the highly sophisticated stuff,” Mohr said when asked for further details about the new model’s engine platform.
“It will not be hybrid though (like the road-going model it is based on), so it will need to be modified, then let’s see if high-revving makes sense or not. We have to find the best compromise between drivability and efficiency.”
The ongoing hiring process for a new head of motorsport was addressed, too. Mohr, who is currently acting as the interim following Giorgio Sanna’s resignation back in March, said that Lamborghini hopes to have the position filled by the end of the year.
“We have interviewed some people, we are in the final screening phase and we are hopeful we can close very soon. At the moment it isn’t finally decided but we are close to the finish line,” he said. “Our wish would be to close within the next weeks, or a maximum of two months.”
Ahead of the FIA WEC weekend in Imola, reports emerged that a new rule mandating two cars for each Hypercar manufacturer from the 2025 season onwards was under consideration. RACER believes a vote on this is looming, leaving the current and future …
Ahead of the FIA WEC weekend in Imola, reports emerged that a new rule mandating two cars for each Hypercar manufacturer from the 2025 season onwards was under consideration.
RACER believes a vote on this is looming, leaving the current and future single-car OEMs in the FIA WEC working hard on solutions should they be required to expand their programs going forward to continue racing in the championship, and crucially the Le Mans 24 Hours.
If it is approved by the World Motor Sport Council, it would have an impact on three current Hypercar factories in the WEC: Lamborghini, Isotta Fraschini, and Cadillac, as well as Aston Martin, which originally planned to join the field next year with “at least” a single Valkyrie entered by Heart of Racing.
The good news off the bat, RACER understands, is that all of the OEMs concerned should be able to fulfil this requirement in time for next season. And any associated IMSA programs being run alongside them don’t appear to be under threat at this point either.
Starting with Lamborghini, Iron Lynx team principal Andrea Piccini told RACER during the Imola weekend that if the rule comes into force it “will run two cars”.
“This is a proper partnership (between Iron Lynx and Lamborghini) and any decision made is one we take together,” he said. “We are already thinking and talking about next year. And the WEC is talking about rules for next year, whether it might be mandatory to run two cars. If that is the case we are ready to do it.”
Crucially, Piccini explained that a second car in WEC wouldn’t necessarily come at the expense of its IMSA GTP program, which he says is very important to Lamborghini.
“It’s too early to say, but I think the idea would be in that case to run two (in WEC) and one (in IMSA),” he said. “It’s not easy, we are working on it. But if WEC says we need to run two cars, we will run two cars.”
Cadillac meanwhile, should be ready as it is poised to expand its V-Series.R program in the WEC regardless of the new rule being put in place. This follows its decision, which was first revealed by RACER, to cut ties with Ganassi Racing on both sides of the Atlantic at the end of the current season.
Cadillac is already set to expand its WEC effort. Jakob Ebrey/Motorsport Images
The process of selecting a new partner team for the WEC is well underway and in its final stages. The ultimate decision, plus the subsequent contract signing is not expected until sometime after the Le Mans 24 Hours.
As for Isotta Fraschini, while it is currently navigating the challenges of getting its single-car effort with the Tipo 6-C and partner team Duqueine up to speed, it is known to have ambitions to race with two cars. Ahead of the 2024 FIA WEC entry list reveal Isotta was understood to have made moves to run two cars, before being granted a single space on the grid for the season due to the entry being capped at 37.
Aston Martin is the final piece to this puzzle with its highly-anticipated Valkyrie LMH program that’s set to debut in the WEC and IMSA in 2025.
On the record, when approached for comment on its ability to field two cars next season, Aston Martin said simply:
“We are aware of the rule, we are keeping an eye on it, but we don’t comment on speculation.”
What is clear is that Aston Martin and Heart of Racing’s ambitions to race in both IMSA and the WEC off the bat will make it a hard task to increase its car count in Year 1.
There appear to be four scenarios to consider.
The first is that Heart of Racing operates two Valkyries next season in the WEC and races in IMSA with a single car as planned, though there have been no suggestions made to RACER in background conversations that this is on the cards.
The second is that Heart of Racing runs two cars in the WEC and zero in IMSA. Again, there appears to be no appetite for this. An IMSA GTP program for the Valkyrie is known to be an important part of Gabe Newell and Ian James’ plans.
Third is that Aston Martin pulls the plug on its WEC effort altogether because it cannot or will not commit to a two-car program. This is another highly unlikely scenario, given the amount of resources being poured into the Valkyrie project and the importance placed on competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
In conversation with RACER, senior paddock sources appear confident that Aston Martin has a solution and would fulfil the two-car mandate if it is in place. Does that then, leave the potential for a second Valkyrie, operated by a second team, as the most likely solution? Could this be the answer?
For next year, with changes expected to come concerning the look and shape of the current set of teams racing in Hypercar, the grid size is also believed to be increasing to 40 plus.
The question of garage and paddock space at the circuits on the calendar is always a talking point, and there are likely to be some real pinch points going forward as the entry grows. Last weekend in Imola, as an example, multiple LMGT3 teams had to house their cars nose-to-tail in a single garage as a result of the limitations of the pit lane.
Either way, there appears to be no suggestion that factories will walk away if this new rule comes into play. Indeed, the bigger question may well surround the impact it has on the customer marketplace…
The first-ever FIA WEC race at Imola Sunday brings with it plenty of intrigue and a huge amount of local interest. A bumper crowd is expected trackside, with tens of thousands of fans set to pack the grandstands for the second round of the 2024 …
The first-ever FIA WEC race at Imola Sunday brings with it plenty of intrigue and a huge amount of local interest. A bumper crowd is expected trackside, with tens of thousands of fans set to pack the grandstands for the second round of the 2024 season.
For the locals, there is a smorgasbord of teams and drivers to root for in the top class, with the Le Mans-winning Ferrari AF Corse team now joined by Lamborghini with its new SC63 and the revived Isotta Fraschini brand. And they all have a different outlook and set of objectives for the six hours of racing to come.
At Ferrari AF Corse, the clear aim is to win on home soil, after it failed to do so last year in Monza in the aftermath of its historic victory in the centenary Le Mans. Ahead of qualifying, Ferrari has flexed its muscles and looks on track to achieve this target, topping all three practice sessions. It then finished 1-2-3 in qualifying with a dominant performance from all three 499Ps.
Antonio Fuoco, who set the fastest time, put in an impressive performance. Robert Shwartzman in the privately funded No. 83 499P, who took second spot on the grid, described the achievement as “undoubtedly excellent” ahead of just his second race in the championship.
Right now, looking at the qualifying results, few would bet against Ferrari winning Sunday at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Nevertheless, Fuoco was keen to keep expectations in check in conversation with RACER ahead of the race, as winning here will require more than just raw pace. Traffic management, tire consistency and luck will all play a part, and the feeling at Ferrari is that Porsche and Toyota will be in the mix.
“I think it’s going to be tough because it’s a medium to low-speed track with hairpins and tight corners. It’s hard with the GT cars and it’s very different to the other tracks we will visit this year,” he said.
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He also feels that while there will be an element of a home-field advantage for Ferrari to feed off of, it is important that the team doesn’t get distracted by the occasion.
“It’s special to be here,” he added. “After Monza last year where it was quite special with the fans after Le Mans, I think on race day there will be many fans around the track to see us again. As always, as an Italian, this is an extra boost; they really push us all weekend.
“Last year we finished on the podium (in Monza) which was good, but for sure this weekend we will try to achieve the maximum. We need to be focused to do this because it’s going to be quite tight, and even the weather forecast looks unclear.”
Ferrari’s history in yellow is also an ace up the Italian marque’s sleeve the weekend at Imola. Motorsport Images
A key difference this year to last year’s outing at the “Temple of Speed” is that AF Corse has the benefit of its third 499P, which only increases its chances of a strong result each weekend.
In Qatar, Shwartzman, Yifei Ye and Robert Kubica finished fourth and ahead of both factory cars on debut, providing proof that the No. 83 is not here simply to fill a space on the grid or play second fiddle to the works crews.
“We try to work together as a group and having Robert (Kubica) as part of the team, a driver with a lot of experience, is good for us,” Fuoco responded when asked about the impact that having a third 499P has on race preparation. “We work as a team, share all the information and put it all together.”
Lamborghini, meanwhile, is focused on scoring its first set of WEC points after the SC63 finished 13th on its global debut in the season opener and qualified 16th Saturday. Here, racing on a circuit that it tested on prior to race week, Iron Lynx team principal Andrea Piccini feels confident it will close the performance gap once the green flag drops.
Don’t let the clouds fool you; Lamborghini is staring down their best opportunity yet. They’ve already tested at Imola… Motorsport Images
“This is such a different track to Qatar, which is super flat, and Sebring which is so bumpy. You come here, it’s a super downforce circuit with a lot of curbs, fast entries, and quick changes of direction.” Piccini told RACER.
“It’s a challenge and we have to be realistic. This is a track we have tested on already and we saw the car was competitive in practice. I think this is one of the races where we have the best chance of a good result. I don’t think it’s possible to fight for the podium, but we can fight to score important points for the championship.
“We hope to be fighting closer to the front at Le Mans (in June). But that’s a very high-speed circuit and we don’t know where we will be for a circuit like that. So until the test day there, we just need to prepare as best we can by maximizing what we have here.”
Isotta Fraschini, on the other hand, has a more modest goal of simply finishing the race.
During Qatar week, Isotta took a cautious approach to the track action, treating it as an extended test session before retiring after six hours with a front-suspension issue. Here, with the hybrid system now functioning as intended and the suspension issue diagnosed and rectified, its level of expectation has been raised.
On the pace front, while the Tipo 6-C hasn’t set times capable of challenging the cars at the sharp end of the field ahead of the race this week, it came significantly closer than it ever did at the Lusail circuit during practice.
The team, though, left the circuit Saturday night concerned by its qualifying run. Driver Jean-Karl Vernay told RACER the team was left confused by the results sheet, unable to achieve better lap times than it set in practice despite running with no traffic, low fuel and with new tires. The Frenchman pushed hard, only to end up 4s off pole and dead last.
More of the same from Isotta Fraschini on home soil? So far it looks to be so. Motorsport Images
“It was frustrating,” he said. “Our race pace is good, though we know we are still behind. Yet this afternoon in qualifying — we don’t understand it — we didn’t make a huge step with our setup and our fastest lap of the week came yesterday morning. We were able to do a 1m32.5s after just eight laps on a track I haven’t been to since 2017 (a whole second quicker than the lap in qualifying).”
Like Iron Lynx, the reason everyone within the Isotta organization appears more relaxed is because they have been able to draw from testing experience at Imola during the development phase of the car. This allowed the Duqueine-supported team to head into the first free practice at Imola with a baseline setup to build on.
“We are working hard, taking steps, but the level is so high,” admitted Vernay. “We are motivated as a small team. This is a super-demanding track, but it’s cool to drive. We are looking OK I think. We made a step since Qatar, and we are looking good.
“Qatar was a test session, really — a difficult first meeting. As our car is an LMH car, we have our own hybrid system and it took us a lot of time to ensure it was legal for the FIA. We lost a lot of time in the Prologue because of that, so we didn’t have much time to prepare.
“Since then we haven’t tested but we have done a lot of work at the factory to prepare the car for this weekend. They’ve done a great job because, out of the box here, we have been closer to the front. We are fighting against big guys with more financial support.
“We are going to do all we can now to show we deserve to be here.”
Following recent tests of its new SC63 LMDh car recently completed at Daytona International Speedeway and Circuit of The Americas, Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Iron Lynx have finalized the lineups for the cars that will contest the IMSA WeatherTech …
Following recent tests of its new SC63 LMDh car recently completed at Daytona International Speedeway and Circuit of The Americas, Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Iron Lynx have finalized the lineups for the cars that will contest the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship in 2024. Edoardo Mortara and Matteo Cairoli join the Sant’Agata Bolognese supercar manufacturer as factory drivers.
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Both drivers tested the car during the team’s final two-day test of the year at COTA this week. The pair, who got their first taste of the SC63 at Jerez in September, will team up with fellow factory drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli, Romain Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat.
Mortara will partner Bortolotti and Kvyat for the FIA WEC season, giving the SC63 its competitive debut in the season-opening Qatar round on March 2. Caldarelli, Grosjean and Cairoli will tackle four rounds of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup season, starting at Sebring on March 13-17. Both crews will then line up together for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
“We are thrilled to welcome Edoardo and Matteo into our Lamborghini Squadra Corse family,” said Giorgio Sanna, Lamborghini head of motorsport. “Both drivers have a lot of experience and not only bring with them impressive speed and professionalism to the LMDh project in FIA WEC and IMSA, but also the opportunity to use them strategically in some of the biggest GT3 races and championships.”
Swiss driver Mortara, who also holds French and Italian citizenship, brings over a decade of experience racing in high level single-seater and sports car series.
“I am super happy to be joining Lamborghini Squadra Corse, which is allowing me this incredible opportunity to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Endurance Championship, both of which I have wanted to take part in for a long time,” said Mortara. “It is a very proud moment for me, and I hope we can achieve some good results next season.”
Italy’s Cairoli, 27, has achieved multiple successes in the WEC and European Le Mans Series in the LMGTE Am category. He was also part of the winning squad in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2021.
“I want to thank Lamborghini Squadra Corse, Giorgio, and the Iron Lynx family, for this amazing opportunity and for believing in me. I am ready to give the best of myself next year; clearly, it’s a dream I have been chasing for a long time and to do it with an Italian brand as an Italian driver has given me even more motivation. The aim is to learn as much as possible about the car for next year, but I am already pumped for the start of the season.”
JEP / Motorsport Images
The SC63 underwent extensive testing in Europe before moving its program to the U.S. Iron Lynx had two days of testing at Daytona during IMSA’s official homologation test last week, where the car proved on pace with the other GTP cars, and tested at COTA this week.
“The Austin test concludes the development phase of the SC63 ahead of the racing debut in Qatar,” said Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer. “Overall, we are satisfied with the maturity of the project so far, which was demonstrated at the Daytona test where we set the fastest time on the first day. Of course, there is still a lot of work behind the scenes to be done before Qatar.”
The driver roster for Iron Lynx’s FIA World Endurance Championship effort in 2024 is beginning to take shape, after four names were confirmed this morning in the wake of the series’ provisional full-season entry list being revealed. In Hypercar, …
The driver roster for Iron Lynx’s FIA World Endurance Championship effort in 2024 is beginning to take shape, after four names were confirmed this morning in the wake of the series’ provisional full-season entry list being revealed.
In Hypercar, Mirko Bortolotti will race alongside Daniil Kvyat in the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63 LMDh prototype (pictured above). The pair have been confirmed for the WEC program after playing a key role in the development of the SC63, which has been track testing since the summer ahead of its global race debut in 2024.
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Both drivers were previously announced as Squadra Corse factory drivers for the LMDh program, though it wasn’t clear which championship they would compete in, as Iron Lynx will also undertake a partial IMSA Endurance Cup campaign next year in GTP with an SC63.
33-year-old Italian Bortolotti joins the WEC’s top class with Iron Lynx following a lengthy spell as a Lamborghini driver that dates back to 2014. Kvyat, meanwhile, was welcomed into the project by Lamborghini earlier this year and competed as part of PREMA’s 2023 FIA WEC LMP2 campaign. The 29-year-old has 110 Formula 1 starts to his name.
Elsewhere, long-time Lamborghini driver, Andrea Caldarelli has also been confirmed for the 2024 season, though he will concentrate on the brand’s partial 2024 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup campaign in GTP.
In addition to confirming the roles of three of its prototype drivers, Iron Lynx has also confirmed that the SC63 will take part in the IMSA test at Daytona next month in what will be the car’s first official appearance in North America.
However, Iron Lynx will sit out the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona as the SC63’s development and homologation processes reach their final stages. The target for the car’s race debut is the opening round of the ]WEC season in Qatar on March 2.
“Today’s announcement is particularly significant,” said Iron Lynx team principal and CEO Andrea Piccini. “Having the first names allocated to our roster brings us closer to our 2024 debut, and marks a new phase in the development of this project.
“We already worked with Mirko, Daniil and Andrea this year, and we were impressed by their skills, experience, and professionalism. I cannot wait to reveal our full line-ups and see where the future will bring us.”
Iron Lynx also received confirmation this morning that it will represent Lamborghini in the WEC’s new LMGT3 class, with a pair of Huracan GT3 EVO 2s.
Two drivers have been confirmed thus far, with Claudio Schiavoni set to race the No. 60 Iron Lynx-entered Huracan and Danish racer Michelle Gatting signed to form part of the “Iron Dames” trio that will race with No. 85. Gatting was part of the winning Iron Dames lineup in the 8 Hours of Bahrain earlier this month in GTE Am, which was the first in an FIA world championship for an all-female crewed car.
Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Iron Lynx’s SC63 LMDh test program continued this week at the Circuito de Almeria in Spain, completing a productive three days of running. The car, which will make its competitive debut at the FIA World Endurance …
Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Iron Lynx’s SC63 LMDh test program continued this week at the Circuito de Almeria in Spain, completing a productive three days of running.
The car, which will make its competitive debut at the FIA World Endurance Championship 2024 season opener in Qatar next March, was shared by factory drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Romain Grosjean, the latter turning his first laps in the car.
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During the test, the single test car completed nearly 2000km of running across the three days, as the team focused on reliability and procedural work, meeting the team’s distance target. The team concentrated on long runs on the 4.2km circuit.
It was also a crucial run for Grosjean. The former Formula 1 driver, who was signed as a factory driver by Lamborghini for the LMDh program last year, used the chance to get his first experience in the SC63, and was full of positivity from the experience.
“It was a very intense three days, but I am very happy to have been able to work the team and the car on the track for the first time. The car proved to be very good from the first laps and I can’t wait to put even more kilometers on it during the next tests.
“It felt really good, and I am happy to be in Almeria with the whole team and discovering all the people and the work that has been going on behind the scenes.
“So, I am very excited to be here, the car felt really good from the beginning but obviously we still have a bit of a journey [ahead of us]. But the work that has been done prior to my arrival has been very good and I am looking forward to learning more about the car.”
The test program will continue in Europe next week. Subsequently, the test team will move to the United States to continue the homologation process by IMSA and for a series of tests on North American tracks.
The brand-new Lamborghini SC63 LMDh has completed its first major test with the Iron Lynx team at Imola, following the car’s reveal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and initial shakedown at Vallelunga. The SC63, which is set to compete in the full …
The brand-new Lamborghini SC63 LMDh has completed its first major test with the Iron Lynx team at Imola, following the car’s reveal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and initial shakedown at Vallelunga.
The SC63, which is set to compete in the full FIA WEC and select IMSA Endurance Cup races next season, was driven by Lamborghini Squadra Corse drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli, and Daniil Kvyat at the Italian circuit.
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During the test, in which Iron Lynx completed 1500 kilometres of running, the Italian works team calibrated the car’s new V8 engine, speed limiter and traction control systems and set up its Xtrac gearbox. It also collected valuable aero and cooling data from the run.
“It’s the first time that we’re involved in such a big project starting from scratch,” said Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx’s team principal and CEO.
“There are many people working together and the first task is to create the right atmosphere and build a team. Since we drove the car out of the pits in Vallelunga last week, the drivers reported a generally positive feeling.
“We didn’t suffer any major issues, step by step we’re driving longer stints, learning the car and getting faster. Still, a long way to go, a lot of debugging and development needed, but the first impression is definitely positive!”
The SC63 is the first LMDh-rules prototype to be based on a Ligier chassis ‘spine’ and is powered by an all-new 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 engine that has been developed by Lamborghini engineers specifically for the program.
Lamborghini is targeting the FIA WEC 2024 season opener in Qatar next March for the car’s race debut. It is not going to be ready in time for an appearance at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January, the first event on the new-look, five-round IMSA WeatherTech Endurance Cup schedule.
