Lamborghini SC63 to make its European race debut on home soil at Imola

Reliability and learning still the focus as the FIA World Endurance Championship season resumes in Italy

Lamborghini Iron Lynx will race its SC63 prototype on home soil for the very first time this weekend as the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship returns for the second round of the season at Imola.

The Imola weekend marks a full circle of sorts for the Lamborghini Iron Lynx team, as the venue played host to the first official test session for the 3.8-litre V8 twin-turbo LMDh machine in August last year. And, following two successful race events so far this year, at the FIA WEC season-opener in Qatar and the Sebring 12 Hours, the team is ready to continue its discovery of both the championship and the Hypercar category.

Competing at home in Italy, just over an hour’s drive from the Sant’Agata Bolognese headquarters of Automobili Lamborghini, will be a big honour for the Iron Lynx team and its Factory Driver roster of Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Mortara and Daniil Kvyat, who will once again be at the wheel of the #63 car.

The LMGT3 line-up also remains unchanged, with Claudio Schiavoni, Franck Perera and Matteo Cressoni aiming to build on their sixth-place finish in Qatar in the #60, while the all-female #85 Iron Dames crew of Michelle Gatting, Sarah Bovy and Doriane Pin arrive in Italy with the podium in their sights.

Lamborghini Iron Lynx heads into the second race – of eight – off the back of a promising seventh-place finish in the Sebring 12 Hours in America last month. Overall pace of the car was stronger than expected and the mechanical longevity and reliability of the #63 proved surprisingly strong, given the fierce demands of the Sebring circuit. Indeed, Lamborghini Squadra Corse engineers considered the 12 Hours as the most challenging race conditions the SC63 is likely to face all year. Reliability and reaching the finish of the 6 Hours of Imola, therefore, remains the priority this weekend, with the team using the knowledge and lessons from Qatar in particular to develop the baseline setup during the three free practice sessions.

The Imola circuit, which a 20-turn, 4.909km track, presents many challenges for competitors with overtaking opportunities few and far between. Traffic is also likely to play a crucial role in the outcome of the race, with a lack of heavy braking zones and narrow sections.

The weekend at a glance

Timed action begins on Friday April 19th with the first of three free practice sessions taking place at 12:00, lasting 90-minutes. The second session is scheduled to take place later in the day at 17:15. The third and final session before qualifying will be held on Saturday morning at 11:10 for one hour.

Then, it’s onto qualifying with a 12-minute session beginning at 15:05 after which the top 10 cars go through to the 10-minute Hyperpole session at 15:43.

For LMGT3, qualifying takes place before the Hyperpole sessions, at 14:45 before LMGT3 Hyperpole following at 15:25.

The Imola weekend also marks the start of the 16th season of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe one-make series – the first time a Super Trofeo championship has supported a round of the FIA WEC – with a record grid of over 50 cars expected to enter the first round. Two races of 50-minutes will take place on Saturday and Sunday.